Karate: Veteran black belt players set to compete in Kigali
Friday, February 21, 2025
Claude Nkurunziza won the first edition of the Legends Karate Open Competition.

Veteran karatekas who have retired with black belts are set to compete in Kigali during the second edition of the "Legends Karate Open Competition” which will take place on February 23 at the NPC Gymnasium in Remera.

Nine teams and 19 individual players have already registered for the tournament, though registration remains open until Saturday, February 22.

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In the men’s category, the competition is open to players aged 35 to 45, while in the women’s, the players should be 30 and above.

Organised in collaboration with Kigali Elite Sports Academy (KESA) and Great Worries Sports Academy, the tournament aims to celebrate the skills of veteran karate practitioners.

"We prepared this competition to recognise legends in karate as a sport, but also to give our young generations time to learn from our legends in terms of discipline and commitment to the sport,” explained Claude Nkurunziza, President of KESA.

Nkurunziza won the first edition of the Legends Karate Open Competition. He returns this year to defend his title.