Amman, Sept. 1 (Petra) -- The technical staff of the national karate teams has confirmed the athletes’ readiness to take part in the 24th AKF Cadet, Junior and U21 Championship, scheduled to be held at the Arena Complex in Al Hussein Youth City from Sept. 8-10.
During the training camp organized by the Jordan Karate Federation ahead of the championships, the technical staff is focusing on improving the athletes’ technical and physical readiness and addressing mistakes that may occur during bouts.
According to a media statement issued by the Sports Information Federation, the technical staff is working to have the national teams present a good image and achieve notable results for Jordanian karate at the championships. It said morale is high among the teams, with male and female athletes expected to take on their responsibilities and meet expectations. The technical staff and athletes are targeting top positions at the championships.
The technical staff said the Asian Championships provide an opportunity for athletes to perform at their best, given the broad Asian participation, while spectator attendance is expected to provide additional motivation for the national teams. The national teams will compete in 38 combat categories, with 40 male and female athletes participating.
A referees’ course will also be held alongside the championships, with 95 local, Arab and Asian referees taking part. Supervised by the Asian Karate Federation, the course will familiarize referees with the latest amendments to the international rules and include promotion examinations.
The championships will be attended by World Karate Federation (WKF) Antonio Espinos, who is scheduled to arrive in Amman next Saturday, as well as Asian Karate Federation President and WKF Vice President Major General Nasser Al-Razouqi and President of the Arab and West Asian Karate Federations Ibrahim Al-Qannas.
Around 350 male and female athletes representing 30 countries are expected to participate: Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Lebanon, Yemen, Kuwait, Palestine, Japan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Macao, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, the Philippines, China, Myanmar, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Iran, Turkmenistan, the UAE, Uzbekistan and Bangladesh.
//Petra//WH
