Swakopmund-The Namibia Karate Union hosted its annual National Karate Championships last weekend at the Dome Indoor Sport Complex in Swakopmund, featuring over 200 of the country's top karatekas. This year's national karate championships marked the first time in the history of the Namibia Karate Union that seven affiliated karate styles namely, Goju-Kai Namibia, Karate Zen, Namibia JKA Karate, Okinawan Goju-Ryu Karate Namibia, Ryushin-kan Karate Namibia, Shotokan Karate Academy International, and Tenshinkan from nine different regions, participated in the tournament. With karate officially recognised as an Olympic sport, many karatekas are dreaming of representing their country on the world stage, as international exposure is crucial for the development of the sport and its athletes. The 2018 National Championships served as a platform for athletes to demonstrate their skills and count towards the selection of the 2019 Namibia National Karate Team. 2019 is bound to be another exciting year for the sport as Namibia will be hosting the 2019 Region 5 Karate Championships. The 2019 National Youth Games will also feature karate as a sport for the first time. “I believe the fact that we had 220 participated at this year's event, we have been growing in this competition. It is showing that there is a lot more athletes interested in our sport and it makes the competition stronger” D' Alton said. Chief Administrator of the Namibia Sports Commission, Freddy Mwiya Snr, says karate is one of the 23 sports codes which the government has prioritized, and that this is a remarkable achievement for NAKU. “If you look at the standard, truly speaking the standard has improved. Our youngsters currently are on an elite level, I see a bright future for Namibia karate” Mwiya said. As is stands, the Namibia Karate Union confident about the development of karate in the country, especially considering its ever-increasing popularity.