Karate slapped with suspended sentence

BOKA has been given a warning for 12 months despite the consistent indiscipline that the code has displayed in a short space of time. “Now therefore, regard to the offence committed, the seriousness thereof and the mitigating factors placed before the Disciplinary Committee, BOKA is warned and cautioned not to repeat the same and/or similar offence within 12 months. This sentence is in the spirit of section 30 (1) (f) of the BNSC Act ,” says disciplinary committee chairperson, Dr. Rrenyane Dikole when passing his sentence last week.

According to the judgment, BOKA failed and neglected to adequately plan for trip to the Karate Commonwealth Championships in Birmingham, England and that as a result, athletes were stranded in Johannesburg, South Africa for some time. BOKA pleaded guilty to the charge. The association was charged with professional misconduct, in this matter the question that was interrogated was whether BOKA failed to meet the standards of practice as expected as a national association. In mitigation, BOKA admitted its culpability in poor management and planning for the trip to Birmingham.