Karate championship aimed at promoting self-defence among youngsters held in Shimla

The 13th National Karate Championship held in Shimla saw the participation of 450 athletes from across the country.

The tournament, which concluded on Monday, was aimed at promoting the martial art to instill self-defence skills among youngsters.

The tournament was organized by Seigokan Goju- Ryu Karate-Do Federation of India.

The secretary of Seigokan Goju- Ryu Karate-Do Federation of India, Singh Panwar, said that the main objective of the tournament was to enable children to protect themselves.

"Around 450 participants from 10 to12 states are participating. Our main achievement is that 200 girls are participating in the competition. Besides, our main objective is to make children capable

of protecting themselves in today's environment and also enable them hone their skills," he said.

Meanwhile, Vidushi Kapta, a participant, said that it had become necessary for girls to learn self-defence skills in the present times.

"Every sport should be promoted but from safety point of view, it is really very important. We should know how to protect ourselves when we step out. Karate is not only about fighting. We are also told to

become softer from within and be stronger from outside and fight when someone threatens you. So, keeping this in mind, it should be promoted," she said.

Seigokan Goju- Ryu Karate-Do Federation has also made its way into the Limca Book of Records in 2013 in an international championship organised in Kotkhai town in Himachal Pradesh, where it bagged 135 black belts.