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Karate revival begins as Uganda Karate Open Championship flags off in Busia

The one-day event will bring together all karate teams in the country to battle it out for honours.

Karate revival begins as Uganda Karate Open Championship flags off in Busia

By: Johnson Were, Journalist @New Vision

The revival of karate in Uganda starts on Saturday in Busia with the Uganda Karate Open Championship.

The one-day event will bring together all karate teams in the country to battle it out for honours. This tournament will help organizers select the national team to begin preparations for the East Africa Championship.

The regional championship, organized by the Union of African Karate Federations (UFAK), will be held in Uganda next year. As hosts, the national team will focus on improving last year's performance, where they finished fourth at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya.

According to organizing committee member Eddy Musense, participants will compete in elite kata and kumite categories.

"What we are looking at is reviving the sport as we work towards compliance with the Sports Act," Musense said. "This championship is in Eastern Uganda, and the next competition will go to another region as we expand the pool for identifying talents."

Last year, Hidhir Musabu of Kampala International University won a gold medal for Uganda in the Men's -67kg Kumite category after defeating Ethiopia's Natanaen Habtamu Taye 4–3 in the final at the regional championship in Kenya.

This weekend's tournament serves as a major test for the Uganda Karate leadership, headed by Federation President Jamiru Miiro, who must prove their organizational capabilities while meeting the statutory requirements of the National Sports Act.

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Uganda Karate Open Championship