Medalists at the junior qualifiers held on Saturday were selected to the squad and are expected to start training today as coaches work on the final list, BOKA spokesperson Jerry Ditlhong has said. He explained that some categories would not be represented at Zone VI because some karatekas have not met the tournament standards though they have qualified. In addition, some categories may have tough competition and the coaches may decide to take two karatekas from the division to the tournament.
Dithong warned that selection to the national team is not a guarantee of representing the country at the tournament. He said karatekas were selected based on their attacking and defence tactics. He said previous records alone could not be considered, as they have to be supported by a good performance. Meanwhile many young karatekas made an impression at the junior qualifiers. The likes of Batlareng Shabane who has been dominating in kumite for the past five years shone again in the Under-68 kilograms category. Last year Zone VI finalist Khaya Groth was knocked out even though he still forms part of the national team.
