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Zimbabwe Karate Union are today expected to hold their first assessment of the national team to take part in the AFCKO All Style in South Africa and the first So-kyokushin International tournament in May and July.

Zimbabwe will first battle it out in the regional tournament in Johannesburg, building up to the international competition to be hosted in this country for the first time.

ZKU technical director (full contact) Kumbirai Musinami said this will be the first of the planned assessments of the team at Raylton Sports Club in Harare as they gear up to the upcoming events.

“We have the national squad training being monitored by ZKU to see how much progress we have done.

“We have two sessions on Tuesday and Thursday. All styles will be represented and at the same time we will assess where our team for Thokoza and the international tournament is because we are using Thokoza as part of the preparations.

“ZKU president will be there, he will be the chief instructor with his full executive, including the secretary-general and all style heads will be there to assess our fighters,” said Musinami.

The team is made up of full contact style karatekas drawn from so-kyokushin, kyokushinkan, IFK, Shotokan and shorin kempo.

“This is just like giving them a test.

”I think we will have three or four of these sessions where we will have ZKU coming in to assess the team,” noted Musinami.

The team with over 60 fighters have been working together under the guidance of Musinami, Thomas Chiomba, Brian Chiringa and Sharleen Amoda, while seasoned instructor Tendai Marange oversees the preparations.

Meanwhile, the national association has acknowledged AfricaBet for their continued support for the sport locally after their initial sponsorship for the Champion of Champions tournament to the tune of $10 000 last December.

The company has come in to support an upcoming invitational tournament in Bulawayo this weekend.

ZKU marketing executive Chipo Mashingaidze said they are grateful for the continued backing by AfricaBet although she could not reveal the amount they are putting in this time around.

“Zimbabwe Karate Union is celebrating an extension of the AfricaBet sponsorship that was announced last year when the company sponsored the Champion of Champions karate tournament in December 2016.

“Since then AfricaBet have said they want to see karatekas across the country getting exposure and the opportunity to compete more.

“To that end, the company recently sponsored an inter-provincial team tournament in Masvingo.

“And they are due to support the Gibson Sangweni Shoto Cup karate invitational tournament to be held in Bulawayo on April 29, 2017,” said Mashinagaidze.

The one-day event will be at Stanley Hall in Makokoba and the local karate mother body is hoping karatekas from across the country will utilise this opportunity to prepare for the Region Five tournament scheduled for June in Mozambique.

“The event is attracting karatekas from across the country, giving them more exposure than they would otherwise get for the national team karatekas.

“It is a major dress rehearsal as they prepare to meet seven other Southern African countries in the Region Five karate tournament scheduled for June in Mozambique,” Mashingaidze said.