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Despite the challenges, The Zainab Saleh International Female Open Karate Championship was a success once again.
The 10th edition of the Zainab Saleh International Female Open Karate Championship wrapped up in style on Sunday, October 20, 2024.
Zainab Saleh International Female Open Karate Championship still going strong
This year’s edition kicked off on Friday, October 19, 2024, at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.
However, before the event kicked off on Friday, the organiser of the competition, Zainab Saleh had a press briefing with journalists, where she revealed the objectives of the competition and the challenges they have faced over the years.
“I wanted to provide a platform for female karatekas to showcase their skills and develop their technical abilities,” Mrs Saleh told journalists in Lagos.
“I believe that a woman should have the skills to defend herself, and karate is one of the best ways to achieve this.”
Mrs Saleh revealed that the championship was created to bridge the gap between female karate fighters and male karate fighters.
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“I noticed that when we have national competitions or competitions, generally, you see the level of male karate and female karate at very wide angles,” Ms Saleh added.
“It’s like the female karate was not as good as the male. So when you come for a championship, you always hear the men jumping up and down and doing things, but the women, their technical abilities were not very prominent.”
Saleh’s vision for the competition has been a success so far as they have produced notable athletes like Gennario Ocean from Benin Republic, who participated in the World Karate Championships, and Rita Ossoni, who won bronze medals at the African Karate Federation (UFAC) events.
But despite the success of the competition over the years, Saleh said it has not been without challenges.
The founder said it has been difficult to get sponsors every year, stating that corporate organisations are only interested in sponsoring football events.
“Corporate bodies are only fascinated with football, but karate needs investment to grow,” Zainab Saleh lamented. “It is always not encouraging when the corporate bodies are only fascinated to just football; they will say karate is not a viewing sport. If you don’t invest in it, how will it be a viewing sport?
She also cited the current economic situation of the country as one of the problems they faced before organising this year’s edition.
“We have rich people in this country, let them come and see what we are doing in karate and see how they can help us,” she appealed.
Athletes from Nigeria, Togo and Benin win top prizes
The competition, which has been running every year since 2014 except for 2020 due to COVID-19, had athletes from different parts of Nigeria, Togo and Benin this year.
There were fights in different weight classes, including the junior cadets' categories on opening day.
The following day was followed by another lineup of great fights, with GIOVANNA ADITI grabbing the headlines after winning a gold medal for Benin.
The competition rounded up on Sunday, October 20, with fights in the U-12, U-14 and Cadet Kumite categories.
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