By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –
THE cash trapped Shotokan Karate Association of Zambia (SKAZ) has withdrawn its participation from the 2014 World Championship billed for Tokyo in Japan from October 11 to 14.
Sources within SKAZ disclosed in an interview yesterday that Zambia’s participation has been put off because the association has failed to raise K150,000 needed to send a 13-member team to Japan for the championship.
“The Japan outing is now cancelled because we have no means of raising the money required. SKAZ has exhausted all the channels to lobby for funds from the business community and no help has been forthcoming.
So we now have to concentrate on the inaugural Africa championship that will take place in South Africa next year but for now, we just have to concentrate on local tournaments and I must say, it is very frustrating for us to fail to take part in such a big tournament,” the source said.
Team Zambia comprising Ernest Musenge, Lombe Lombe, Robert Chisenga, Asa Chibeka, Freelance Washeni, Melvin Siwale, Lloyd Siluyeli, Mike Siazilo, Cryton Nyangu, Pesa Mufala, Jeff Kashiko and Annette Mpundu, was scheduled to leave for Tokyo on October 5.
But SKAZ general secretary Justine Chemba maintained that the association would wait until this weekend before calling off the trip.
Chemba said while hope was slowly diminishing for the Zambian team to take part in the tournament, there was no need to lose hope yet and will wait and see what happens this weekend.
“We have until Saturday before we can call off our trip, otherwise our hope is diminishing and we only hope that we can raise about K90, 000 to send atleast five Karatekas and one official,” he said.