Fourth edition of the Saleh International Female Open Karate Championship in Lagos

The fourth edition of the Zainab Saleh International Female Open Karate Championship took place recently at the Dr Molade Okoya Thomas Hall from October 12th to 17th.It is an annual event open to all female practitioners of the sport in Nigeria, her West African neighbours and Africa as a whole.

Recently recognised as a potential championship for a UFAK (African Karate Federation) Zone 3 event, this female only championship was primarily created to harness and improve the technical abilities of female athletes so that they can compete at par, anywhere in the world, with their international counterparts.

Anambra State won with six gold, 10 silver and nine bronze medals. Republic of Benin came second with six gold and three bronze medals while Delta State was third on the medals table with three gold, two silver and four bronze medals.

For each year this event takes place, the patronage increases. The passion and commitment with which the athletes have persevered in order to better improve their skills has really encouraged the sponsor, Zainab Saleh, Technical Director of the Lagos State Karate Association, to continue sponsoring the event.