Dubai: Egypt topped the final medal standings, while hosts the UAE ended third at the end of the second Dubai International Karate Championships, which concluded at the Al Ahli Club on Saturday.
Egypt ended their campaign in the three-day competition with a haul of 40 medals, including 15 gold, 14 silver and 11 bronze, leaving Russia in second with a total of 12 medals including six golds. UAE came up with a fine performance on the concluding night, adding three more golds to their overnight tally of two to finish with a total of 18 in the 45-nation competition, held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council (DSC).
Saadi Abbas defeated Al Ahli club-mate Omar Kemloglu to win the individual gold in the male seniors under-67kg category, while Amna Ali, Hamidah Haji and Howra Mohammad combined to take top position in the women’s junior kumite category on the second day.
On the final day, Tarnim Hassan, Maran Kerdali and Maryam Mohammad Abdul Gani won the female team kata for cadets and juniors, while Hanan Al Baloushi, Fatima Hussain and Salama Jasem combined to win the team gold in the female under-14 category and the senior men’s trio from Al Ahli wrapped up things for the kata gold medal ahead of Iran to complete the haul for the hosts.
Nasser Al Razouqi, President of the UAE Karate and Taekwondo Federation, was pleased with the success of the championship. “We are only into the second year of this event and the response from all over the world has been huge,” he said. “Such a competition can only help this sport grow faster as our karatekas will get a ready-made platform to pit their skills against some of the best in the world.”
Yet another notable addition to this annual event was the unveiling of a new “hijab” that has been accredited and approved by the World Karate Federation, led by its president, Antonio Espinos Ortueta.
The specially appointed committee, headed by Al Razouqi, has worked on the design of the headscarf since the end of the World Karate Championships in Paris in November last year.
“All credit must go to member nations, who were quite keen in accepting a universal design for Muslim women who are involved in karate all over the world,” Al Razouqi said.
