MELAKA: Melaka will host the 19th Asian Karate Championships at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC) in Ayer Keroh on July 20-22.
Malaysian Karate Federation (MAKAF) president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad said a total of 1,500 exponents from 45 countries, including Malaysia, will be competing in the three-day meet.
“MAKAF believes it is capable of providing the best venue for the hosting of the championships with the cooperation of other parties. We are also able to make this a great event and benchmark for karate competitions at the international level,” he said.
He told reporters this at a ceremony to hand over a mock cheque for a RM1 million sponsorship from a private company that was witnessed by the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Melaka Tun Mohd Ali Rustam, who is also the MAKAF advisor, at his office in Seri Negeri, Ayer Keroh, here.
Nur Azmi said MAKAF would also invite the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to the opening ceremony of the 19th edition of the championships held simultaneously with the 2nd Para Asian Karate Championships.
Elaborating, Nur Azmi said the 19th edition of the Asian Karate Championships would be the best platform for the national exponents to prepare for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from Sept 23-Oct 8, in addition to providing them with the opportunity to improve their rankings.
He also said they have set a three-gold target for the national exponents competing in the May 5-17 Cambodia SEA Games in Phnom Penh. – BERNAMA
