Nine members from the Japanese Karate Association (JKA) WF Malta National Team have traveled to Japan to compete in the 16th Funakoshi Gichin JKA World Championships.

This highly prestigious event will be taking place in Takasaki in Gunma Prefecture this coming weekend.

The championships, which takes place every three years, will gather over 1,500 athletes from around the globe at the Takasaki Arena and is set to unfold over three days.

The championship will kick off on Friday 25th October with Juniors categories featuring competitors as young as nine years old followed by Adult and Veteran Categories up to 75 years on Saturday 26th October.

The finals, showcasing the best of all categories, will be happening on Sunday 27th October. 

The Maltese karatekas have been training with exceptional Japanese JKA instructors at the Tokyo Headquarters for the past week in preparation for this world-class competition, and also participated at the International JKA Headquarters Autumn Camp last weekend

“This experience is a testament to their hard work and dedication and serves as an incredible milestone for the entire JKA WF Malta karate community, which takes great pride in this remarkable opportunity,” JKA WF Malta said.

Good luck team Malta!