CTKF to promote karate in schools

Anuradha ABEYSEKERA

Ceylon Traditional Karate Federation (CTKF) commemorated their pioneer master sense Hidetaka Nishiyama's third death anniversary recently and coincidently a press briefing was held at their Head Office to announce their year plan for the next year.

Sense Hidetaka is known to be a prominent master in Traditional karate was born in Tokyo, Japan 1928. He has trained karate under master Giji Funokoshi. After he graduated from Takushoku University he took the initiative to establish the Japan Karate Association (JKA) and later migrated to USA. After forming the All American Karate Federation (AAKF) he served as the Executive Director of the AAKF.

Traditional Karate was introduced to Sri Lanka later and the chief instructor of the CTKF Sense Dedunupitiya who got the privilege to learn under sense Hidetaka at the International Traditional Karate Federation in USA has been a live-wire in popularizing the sport throughout the island. With his whole-hearted effort Sri Lanka has received the membership of International Traditional Karate Federation (ITKF) in 1998.

CTKF has conducted training programmes for karate coaches from time to time and the head of ITKF Asian region, Sense Rajiv Singh and many foreign masters participated in those. CTKF has maintained a good rapport with the ITKF by sending participants to several foreign trainings and will focus to popularize traditional karate in North and East in 2012. CTKF chief instructor sense Dedunupitiya said that bringing the sport to all schools in the country will be another objective of CTKF where it will help to mould schoolchildren to be healthy citizens with a good character.

"CTKF made arrangements to host an International Technical Training Camp in May where some of the foreign veteran instructors and players will come to Sri Lanka.