Fine display by Najmeddin

The Shotokan Centre Championship, Kata (under 18 years), was held at the Marbella Resort on Friday.

The event was planned and executed by Abdul Rahman Al-Haddad (sixth black belt from the Japan Karate Association), the chief instructor of Shotokan Japanese Sports Centre.

This venue was the first of a series of championships that will be held annually, to encourage the participants to present their outstanding performance and to express their skills.

The participants gathered with their families at 4 pm. They were all dressed up in their white karate uniforms and prepared for the competition.

At 4:15 pm, the event started with a very unique karate demonstration, which was presented by the international champion Najmeddin Al-Haddad (third black belt from Japan Karate Association).

He displayed the great technique, power and control of this unique sport. He was then joined by Ibmhim Al-Adam (black belt from JKA), Firas Al-Eid (brown belt), and Vladimir Bourdoun (orange belt), further demonstrating the dexterity of this martial art.

This demonstration, admired by the viewers, proved to be the perfect start to the championship. It also encouraged the participants to give their best performance, and show their great karate spirit.

As planned, the competition started at 4:30 pm. There were nine age groups in total – three groups for girls and six for boys. The youngest group started first and the eldest group was the last.

The whole team of referees and administrators worked together to reach the end result, which allowed the event to run smoothly and efficiently.

The medals were finally distributed by Sameer Al-Najjar, the technical secretary of UAE Karate Federation, and Mrs. Sa'eed Al-Tunaiji, UAE chief referee.

Both were impressed with the outstanding performance of the Shotokan members.