Karate Launches Project 1000
Bonte Seepi | Monday August 21, 2017 15:58
“We want to reach out to people all over the country. There is no need to say we are taking karate to the people without practising it. This project will help us. We want to introduce karate in all the schools that don’t have it and revive clubs that were dead,” he said.
Bathai further stated that karate was, last year, admitted as an Olympic sport hence they must work hard to qualify. He said the project is meant to improve karate.
According to Bathai, it is BOKA’s responsibility to see to it that people are serviced well. He added that since Botswana has many schools, they have targeted organisations that will be mostly touched by Project 1000.
“We will be working hand in hand with BOPSA, BISA and BOTESSA. Botswana is very big and has schools everywhere of which some do not have karate, so we intend to reach out to those. There are more than 1,000 primary schools that we intend to reach out to through this project, more than 200 junior schools, more than 30 senior schools, more than 50 technical colleges and brigades and more than 10 universities,” he said.
Furthermore, Bathai said through Project 1000, BOKA will introduce karate coaching courses to ensure that instructors are certified. He said the project will also ensure that dojos are assisted well by BOKA affiliates and monitor activities run by those.
He said through the project, BOKA wants to ensure proper development of athletes saying that it is painful to see children working hard only to realise later on that what they have been practising the wrong style of karate. He added that they want to ensure that karate ethics are followed.
Meanwhile, Bathai condemned those who talk ill about karate and run to the media whenever there are issues. He said that does not show discipline, which is a major value of karate. He urged those in the sport to reiterate karate values, which include discipline, sincerity, effort, etiquette and self control.
Even though some outlined challenges like finance, Project 1000 emerged a welcome development. Mpho Bakwadi raised a concern about the level of instructors in schools saying that there is need for BOKA to intervene through the project to help them raise their standards. He said children are taught traditional karate instead of proper karate.
For his part, BISA national coordinator, Kakanyo Emang embraced the initiative, but urged BOKA to consider sensitising teachers who help train students. He advised the North Central schools to roll out the project to their over 25 schools and show the people the importance of aligning themselves to BOKA. He said the project will assist in the development of karate at large. He said it will however need team work.