Sport Martial Arts Champs series to spar off in Maloney on March 15

Over 200 karateka are expected to show off their skill when Mike’s Martial Arts Academy hosts their 14th Open Karate Championships at the Maloney Indoor Sporting Arena on March 15.

This championship will be the first in a series of meets under The Sport Martial Arts Championship League for 2025. As many as six martial arts meets will be held during what is expected to be a busy season, with the grand finale to be contested with a Best of the Best tournament on November 2. These meets will also be held with the collaboration of The International Sport Karate Association of TT.

The first tourney will be held from 9 am - 5 pm, with registration scheduled to begin at 8 am.

At last year’s competition, roughly 150 athletes participated, with Golden Eagles, Master Herbert Lara School of Martial Arts and TMA among the top clubs.

Mike’s Martial Arts Shihan Michael Smith said the three aforementioned clubs will return for more this year, alongside clubs such as Tiger System, Trinity Almighty Karatekas and his very own Mike’s Martial Arts team. Mike’s Martial Arts will have over 20 participants in this year’s tourney, including a few gold medallists from last year’s Guyana South American Undiscovered Martial Arts Championship.

Sachin Kalicharan and Emmanuel Walker were both in winners’ row in Guyana last year, and they will be expected to bolster a Mike’s Martial Arts team which also includes CJ Phillip.

There will be action in the five-and-under category, to go along with the 6-7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15, 16-17 and 18+ categories. These young athletes will contest the team kata, weapon kata and the free sparring disciplines.

The tournament was first held in 2008 and has been going strong for over ten years despite taking a break because of covid19 from 2020-2022. There was also no staging of the competition in 2011.

Smith said the partnership with TT Sport Martial Arts Championship League and The International Sport Karate Association of TT should make for an exciting series of competitions this year.

The second tournament in the series will be hosted by the Trinity Almighty Karatekas on April 6 at the Naparima College auditorium.