MAKAF Aims To Boost Global Exposure For National Karate Exponents 

NILAI, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- The Malaysia Karate Federation (MAKAF) aims to send as many national exponents as possible to international competitions to broaden their exposure and raise their competitiveness at the highest level.

Its president, Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad, said the participation of 40 national athletes in the 2025 Karate 1-Series A Championship at N9 Arena here presents an excellent opportunity for both senior and junior athletes to gain experience and assess their abilities.

He said MAKAF has consistently sought to send large contingents abroad, although implementation depends on budget approval and available funding.

“If I want to expose the athletes, I will send them to every tournament under the World Karate Federation (WKF), Asian Karate Federation (AKF) and ASEAN Karate. There are tournaments almost every month, but certain events are open only to athletes with top ranking points.

“Even though our funding is not as large as other sports like football or sepak takraw, we still do our best and work closely with the National Sports Council (MSN),” he told a press conference for the 2025 Karate 1-Series A here today.

Nur Azmi said that bigger allocations are usually given ahead of major multi-sport events such as the SEA Games and Asian Games, allowing MAKAF to send more athletes.

Earlier, the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan, Tuanku Muhriz Tuanku Munawir, officiated the championship organised by the WKF, which runs for three days starting yesterday.

The Ruler was received by the Yang Dipertua Negeri of Melaka, Tun Mohd Ali Rustam, who is also the patron of MAKAF and vice-president of the AKF.

Also present was WKF president Antonio Espinos.

The 2025 Karate 1-Series A has attracted 1,061 athletes from 84 countries, including the United States, China, Japan, Brazil, Algeria, Iran and Malaysia.

The Series A tournament is the second-tier event in the WKF competition structure and offers world ranking points ahead of the World Championships in Paris later this month and the Senior World Championships in Egypt in November.

-- BERNAMA