Dhaka set to host 10th South Asian Karate C'ship as regional stars gather

 
Bangladesh is poised to become the heartbeat of South Asian karate as the 10th South Asian Karate Championship and the 2nd Under-14 South Asian Karate Cup get under way tomorrow (Saturday), bringing together nearly 850 athletes, coaches, referees and officials from six nations.

The details were announced by Bangladesh Karate Federation (BKF) General Secretary Moazzem Hossain Sentu at a press conference held at the Conference Room of the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) recently.

The championship will be staged at the Shaheed Suhrawardy Indoor Stadium in Mirpur, with competitors from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bhutan vying for regional honours. Beyond the medals, the event also aims to strengthen the sport's technical foundation through a Referee Course and Referee Licensing Examination on 16 July, followed by a Coaches' Licensing Course and Examination today (Friday) at the Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Auditorium in Bijoy Sarani.

The competitive action begins on 18 July with the Cadet, Junior and Under-21 events before culminating with the Senior Championship and the 2nd Under-14 South Asian Karate Cup on 19 July.

The opening ceremony on 18 July will be inaugurated by State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque as the chief guest. Daulatuzzaman Khan, Executive Director (Joint Secretary) of the National Sports Council (NSC), will attend as the special guest, while BKF President Md Shahjada Alam, also an Executive Member of the BOA, will preside over the ceremony.

India arrive in Dhaka as the defending Senior champions after lifting the title in Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 2025, with Nepal finishing runners-up.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, will look to turn home advantage into podium success after collecting four silver and six bronze medals in the Senior Championship at the previous edition. The hosts also showcased their emerging talent by winning two gold medals in the Junior event, while securing seven gold medals overall across the Cadet, Junior and Under-21 categories, underlining a promising future as they seek to make their mark on home soil.