Karate kids (From Barry And District News)

Karate kids

FURTHER to your page 38 article in last week"s Barry and District News (November 10) "Karate Kids in high-kicking form".

The group in the article do not practice Karate!

As the group mentioned, WAMA, do not claim (in the article) to practice karate and are not members of the Sports Council Governing Body, I am left to wonder why the word "Karate" was mentioned in the headline?

Using the headline as a context for the article, readers would be led to believe that the group has representatives at The World Karate Championships!

This is very misleading, obviously inaccurate and extremely demeaning to those karate champions who are members of the actual Welsh Karate squad, and who may be selected to represent their country at major International events.

Karate is recognised as an Olympic Sport by the IOC although not yet on the programme.

It should not be used as a generic term encompassing all manner of freestyle fighting styles which are not recognised by the Sports Council, do not enter officially recognised events and rely on the media"s lack of knowledge and lack of interest to give them credibility.

The Welsh Karate Governing Body has upwards of 7,000 members, as far as the Sports Council is concerned these are the only groups practicing karate. Only clubs affiliated to the National Governing Body are allowed to practice karate!

Unless a group train in traditional Japanese Karate or compete under World Karate Federation rules in tournaments run by affiliated groups, they are not doing karate!

Imagine a youngster enthused by the Ashes Series going along to a local cricket club only to be taught the fundamentals of rounders or baseball!

As a final point please be aware that "kickboxing" is not recognised by The Sports Council for Wales as a sport! Therefore how is it possible to represent Wales?

Secondly the World Senior Karate Championships are for athletes of 18 years and above, and the World Junior Karate Championships are for athletes of 16 to 21 years, surely World Championships in all sports are adult-only events.

Rob Copeland

Chief Instructor Vale Karate

(by email)