BOKA gets funding for training centre

The two parties signed the financing deal at a ceremony in Gaborone yesterday. At the launch of the deal, the Japanese ambassador to Botswana, Ryoichi Matsuyama said the sponsorship is the first under the Grand Aid for Cultural Grassroots Projects scheme (GACGP). "It has come to my understanding that karate is popular in Botswana so the commitment to this project by the Japanese government is a step forward towards mutual cultural exchange," he said at the launch. He explained that karate is a martial art that originated in Okinawa, southern Japan more than 100 years ago.

He asserted that a dojo is not only a training centre for karatekas but is considered a spiritual place for athletes. He said they are prepared to dispatch an instructor to BOKA through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).