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Karate SA challenges SASCOC's ruling

Johannesburg - A recent announcement made by SASCOC about deregistration of Karate South Africa’s (KSA) membership has been met with disdain by KSA.

KSA is of the opinion that the correct procedure was not followed by SASCOC in taking the resolution to deregister KSA.

For months now SASCOC and KSA have been in talks regarding the reasons behind deregistration namely; the unconditional reinstatement of KSA officials and the merged inclusion of Full Contact Karate.

However, KSA’s position is that no final agreement was reached and the decision to deregister the KSA membership was taken without a formal notice outlining the allegations and without an official hearing.

“KSA requested a meeting on or around June 28, 2015 with Mr Jayce Naidoo to report back on the way forward with Full Contact Karate and to date no meeting has been scheduled” explains KSA CEO Carlos Vilela.

“For a long time now we have tried to explain to SASCOC that Karate, a sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) through the World Karate Federation (WKF), has many styles and schools of technique, but remains one sport unified under the WKF with one set of rules for all participants.”

“That said,” says Vilela, “various styles of karate from time to time hold their own internal friendship tournaments where they may use modified rules peculiar to their group. However, all official championships, being international or national, have to deploy the rules of the WKF, an organisation open to, and including, all styles of karate”.

Antonio Espinós, WKF president stated in a letter addressed to Tubby Reddy (SASCOC CEO) that “KSA has been a loyal WKF member, resisting pressure from SASCOC to accept other dissident Karate groups in the country, which would have been a violation of the WKF statutes and jeopardised KSA membership to the WKF. KSA’s decision (to resist) was the correct one as SASCOC has for several years attempted to impose measures on South African Karate that come from a lack of understanding of what Karate is and how the sport is structured”.

KSA has requested SASCOC to either withdraw the resolution or alternatively delay the implementation thereof until the outcome of a meeting between relevant parties is reached.  

KSA has also declared a dispute with SASCOC regarding the resolution to deregister KSA and requested SASCOC to have the matter adjudicated on an urgent basis by means of an adjudicator agreed upon by the parties, failing which KSA will approach the High Court for appropriate relief. A deadline for response from SASCOC of Monday, August 24, 2015 has been set by KSA.

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