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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
SAMSON MURIPO has resorted to individual training programmes for his students. The Zimbabwe So-kyokushin karate branch chief is nurturing some of the country’s best karatekas.

“It is a pity that major tournaments, locally and internationally, have been cancelled off due to the coronavirus pandemic and this, obviously, affects all karatekas who had taken time to prepare worldwide,’’ he said.

“However, karate cannot be isolated from all other sporting activities around the globe.

“COVID-19 must be contained and we support Government initiatives to curb its spread. We believe a healthy society is the hallmark for the growth of karate.

“I surely miss the Dojo, as in meeting other karatekas, but I can turn any place into a Dojo. I train from home to keep physically fit.

“We have a challenge in the form of the coronavirus and we have done our best to educate our members on the importance of observing the lockdown and general COVID-19 preventive measures. “We have encouraged them to train from home.

I send training routines through our social media platforms for them to follow during the lockdown.

“I have also been running training programmes live on Facebook and some of our students have been able to join in from their locations. We have also moved with the times, providing training manuals on digital platforms.

“This has been very helpful to us and we are receiving positive feedback.’’

Muripo has to wait until the situation normalises to return to competition and already one of the events he was targeting, the Second So-kyokushin World Karate Championship, was moved to next year.

“I always work hard in training, whether there is a tournament or not as kyokushin karate is a way of life.

“My training regime is always rigorous and thorough. However, there is mental and physical conditioning that we go through when we prepare for tournaments.

“We put in extra loads of work so that we go into events well prepared mentally and physically.

“So, when a tournament is cancelled, it is a blow and it shakes us. But we do not despair, all in good time we will go and fly the Zimbabwe flag high,” Muripo said. On the local scene, the All-Africa So-kyokushin karate tournament that usually takes place between July and August, has also been shelved.

Muripo said they will be meeting with their stakeholders, including sponsors, to map the way forward.