Sports teams and referees participating in the forthcoming 4th Male and 2nd Female West Asian Karate Championship (Sharjah 2015) arrived in Sharjah on Friday.The 4th Male & 2nd Female West Asian Karate Championship event, organisedand hosted by the Sharjah Ladies Club's (SLC) Women Sports Department in collaboration with the UAE Taekwondo and Karate Federation and the Sharjah Sports Council, will kick off tomorrow, Monday 14 September. SLC is proudly representing the Emirate of Sharjah in hosting this premier tournament.Held under the supervision of the West Asian Karate Federation (WAKF) and the UAE Taekwondo and Karate Federation, the two-day sporting event will take place at SLC's state-of-the-art gymnasium.All preparations are presently in place following the arrival of the 115 martial artists participating from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iran, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon, and includes the host country’s team, the UAE, as strong contenders.
The athletic delegates were given a warm reception upon their arrival by Nada Askar Al Naqbi (Director of the WAKF Championship, Chairperson of the Women's Committee in the Arab Karate Union, and Director of SLC's Women Sports Department), Mohammed Abbas (Director of the UAE Taekwondo and Karate Federation) and Ibrahim Al Nuaimi (Coordinator General of the championship).Nada Askar Al Naqbi personally welcomed the teams, referees and coaches, and wished them a pleasant stay in their second home country, the UAE. She expressed her delight in organizing this year’s edition of the significant regional tournament. She also voiced her hope that the 2015 Sharjah WAKF Championship will achieve its desired goals and success in translating the vision of Her Highness SheikhaJawaherbint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of the Sharjah Ladies Club: to advance sports in general, and women’s sports in Sharjah particularly.
Meanwhile, the Sharjah Ladies Club witnessed the start of a two-day training course on refereeing and coaching yesterday (Saturday), organised annually by the WAKF as an integral part of the championship. On Day 1, a range of lectures as well as theoretical and practical tests were conducted for referees and coaches, dealing with diverse subjects such as safety measures while practicing Karate and the dangers of athletes who use performance-enhancing steroids.Training is scheduled to end today, Sunday the 13th, when the final results of referees and coaches will be announced, and participants will be awarded certificates accredited by the WAKF. The Championship’s Organising Committee will furthermore engage in comprehensive technical deliberations regarding team divisions and drawing lots.
The tournament will kick off tomorrow (Monday) at 10 am at the Sharjah Ladies Club, and an official opening ceremony will be held on the same day, at 5 pm. The event is set to conclude on Tuesday, September 15th, wrapping up with a grand mass ceremony also held at SLC.The West Asian Karate Championship was originally launched in 2012 after a reconstruction of the WAKF's Board of Directors, upon an initiative by Dr Ibrahim Mohammed Al Qannas. The first West Asian Karate Championship was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while the emirate of Dubai hosted the 2014 chapter.Held annually, the tournament enjoys great interest from Western Asian countries especially, offering referee and coaching training courses and certificated accredited by the WAKF.