Karate the 'neglected best performer' continues to shine

The national karate teams began the year well winning the Zone VI championships that had been dominated by South Africa. Botswana went ahead to prove their worth by becoming the only African country to get medals at the highly competitive Africa Karate Championships held in South Africa last August.

Despite their achievements locally and regionally, local karate body, the Botswana Karate Association (BoKA) still faces problems of sponsorship. They have complained about lack of funding to take karatekas to international competitions. Only a few karatekas, mostly self-sponsored or sponsored by their clubs, are able to attend such tournaments. It is also difficult for local clubs to host tournaments, which could at least bring local karatekas together.