For the first time, Ecuador will be officially represented in the III JKA Pan American Traditional Karate Championship, which will take place from November 11 to 13 in Santiago de Chile.
The event will welcome more than a thousand participants from 16 countries, including Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Panama, and guests from Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
The Ecuadorian delegation will be made up of 19 competitors. The participants, who are part of the South American Japan Karate Association of Ecuador, are in an age range that goes from 11 to 56 years. Of them, twelve are men and seven are women.
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“In 2019 we were present at this championship, which was held in Bogotá, as an invited group; however, this is the first time that we will be as official representatives of our country. This achievement has been thanks to the affiliation of the JKA South America and the hard work of the head instructor and the students”, expressed Andrés Terán, sensei (team coach) with more than 25 years of experience in this discipline.
The competitors have been preparing since February of this year and, according to their coach, they hope to get several medals, despite the fact that it will be the first time they compete in an international tournament.
For Iván Tamay, an 11-year-old seventh grade student, five years of training in this sport are paying off today. “I am very excited. It is my first competition outside the country, and what I want most is to leave Ecuador on high”, he indicated.
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This enthusiasm is shared by Leslie Guamialama, a 25-year-old telecommunications technologist, of whom she has spent thirteen years training karate. However, her concern lies in the economic resources that must be invested to compete in an event of this magnitude. “In addition to the time that must be dedicated to training, there are costs of airfare, hotels, equipment, among other expenses that we are concerned about not being able to cover,” she mentioned.
In this sense, Terán mentions that in any sport, if you want to see tangible results, investment and support are required, not only from the close circle of the athlete, but also from the public and private sectors. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
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