Karate President, Franco Azzopardi during a recent press conference about the sport

OMAR AZZOPARDI HAS BECOME SOMETHING OF AN UNSUNG HERO IN MALTA AFTER WINNING THE CADETS’ UNDER 18’S KATA TRADITIONAL KARATE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP. KARATE IS, ADMITTEDLY, NOT GIVEN MUCH MEDIA COVERAGE HERE, BUT IT DOES HAVE SOMETHING OF A NICHE FOLLOWING, AS FRANCO AZZOPARDI, PRESIDENT OF THE TRADITIONAL KARATE FEDERATION OF MALTA, TELLS RAY ABDILLA

Having a European Champion in Omar Azzopardi in the Under 18's Kata Traditional Karate Championship is a great feat for Malta. Did you ever think that we could achieve so much in the sport?

Way back in 1993, Omar was just a nine-year-old boy. However, in the National Championships he stole the show. In 1995, he again gave an impressive demonstration of superior ability in the Topolino Championships organised by the Italian Federation for European countries, when he placed second.

Since he was a boy, Omar always fascinated me with his untiring determination and unquestioning attention to detail. He was always diligent and serious in training and he always followed and trusted me as his instructor and mentor. This is what probably made him a champion.

The same also applies to Iden, who has been following my studies for the last four years now. We returned from the Championships, and even if we had a European champion and a silver medallist, we, as usual, discussed what we learnt, what we did wrong, and what we did right. The same week we were training with the rest of the class as usual. In daily training, there are no champions, just warriors trying to unify the mind, spirit and body through discipline, correct attitude, manners, respect and hard work.

What do you believe was behind this success?

I always tell my athletes that champions are champions for what they do. Others are not champions for what they did not do.

In traditional karate, our senior Japanese instructors always teach us that whilst achievements are finite by their very nature, the seeking of traditional karate has no limits.

Since I started studying this fascinating art and sport, I was always drawn to its philosophical aspect, especially when I would see elderly people becoming more efficient than youngsters. I fostered these principles with my athletes.

The attitude is to continuously test ourselves. This is the way of the ancient Japanese warrior. Of course, in competition we dreamt of having someone from Malta on the podium, but that was only in our minds. We never gave competition more importance than the tempering and honing of the correct attitude in daily training. Our participation in competition is merely a test of the skill we develop and nurture in our daily rigorous training. In fact, this year we decided we would go to the Europeans only a week beforehand, and the results achieved are proof that true martial arts training is daily, not just for competition.

Is there a strategy for being successful in a sport that is not as popular as others in Malta?

The attitude behind traditional Japanese fighting arts is working hard against all odds in life to strive for the betterment of oneself. It is not a question of learning how to fight against an assailant, but more a question of gaining confidence in oneself through training with partners in the training hall.

This is why you see serious people engaged in traditional Japanese martial arts always showing respect to their superiors, juniors and the training hall - they are all vehicles that help in this personal quest for self improvement. Karate not being that popular in Malta does not really matter in terms of this goal. Therefore, we do not worry that much because our studies are more personal. Achievements in competition are just recognition of the status of this quest.

Do you think schools are giving sport the support it needs or is it still given secondary treatment? And how does karate fare in the school environment?

I think that schools are becoming more aware of the benefits of sports and physical education. Statistics indicate that children engaged in sports normally show better determination in all aspects of life than those children who do not. As regards karate, Iden Azzopardi, who placed second in the Juniors individual Kata event in the Europeans, is engaged in teaching in schools and summer schools. Acceptance depends on the heads of schools, and in general, I can say that most are quite understanding and aware of the benefits emulating from the study of traditional, or original Japanese karate.

After doing so well internationally, people’s expectations from the karate arena will now be high. Will it be more difficult to maintain the standard or do you think Malta has the potential to do better?

As long as we maintain the true spirit of karate as a way of thinking and as an approach to life, I do not think that much about other people’s expectations. As I said earlier, results are finite by their very nature. In shiai, traditional contests held in Japan, two people face each other to test their ability. There are no judges to decide the winner. The person with the highest confidence and with the strongest intentions wins and both contestants understand immediately who won and who lost. The result may be different within a couple of days.

The study here is more personal. I believe that we should not just strive to maintain the standard, but to improve daily in the art. In competition, we participate to test ourselves. However, we are not so concerned with winning. As long as our abilities are improving and we are constantly learning, we are always winners. We seek to explore further frontiers within our human capabilities and limitations not just to maintain current competition results, but to become better human beings.

Are you getting enough help from the government?

I suppose the government gives us what it deems is appropriate.

What is your approach with the youngsters and who are the karate champions of tomorrow? Are you satisfied with the number of children enrolling in the karate club?

We pride ourselves in developing children and in complementing their formal education at school with a practical understanding of the concept of respect for others.

Respect and confidence in one's superiors are ethics that we value. We seek to pass these values on to the youngsters, who we believe are the joy of today and the pride of tomorrow. We have many young serious karate athletes while some of them already international exposure and are medal winners abroad.

How do you think Malta has achieved such a high level of success in karate, bearing in mind that it is such a young sport locally?

Deep down, we all know what we still have to achieve. In karate we strive to continuously overcome our weaknesses through personal discipline and perseverance. Success is just a measure used by people to compare. I am not bothered that much with this measure because, irrespective of how other people compare with us, I know that the seeking of traditional karate has no limits and therefore I am still way behind in my personal quest.

How many karate clubs are there in Malta?

Our federation - the Traditional Karate Federation of Malta - embraces 13 clubs, which have as their main aim the study and fostering of traditional or original karate forming part of the Japanese martial arts, or Budo. This karate is internationally promoted by the International Traditional Karate Federation, presided over by Hidetaka Nishsiyama, who has recently been awarded the highest decoration by the Emperor of Japan in recognition for his hard work in protecting the Japanese culture within the art of Karate. Our federation is open to other clubs which may be interested in furthering their studies by following the ITKF, irrespective of the style of organisation to which they belong. Our federation does not interfere with the internal ranking systems or any administrative procedures within other organisations.

What are your comments about Karate facilities in Malta, and do they stand to gain from the new sports complexes?

Karate can be practised in any hall, either with wooden or rubber flooring. It has been said in the media that the new sports facilities will include Karate as a sport that can be practised there.

What achievement in your sport has given you the most satisfaction?

This was definitely last April when I was at an important International course held in London. I participated together with Isabella Bugeja, who is well-respected in the hierarchy of Karate in Malta, and my two students Omar and Iden.This course was attended by over 300 senior black belts and the instructors were Hidetaka Nishiyama (9 dan), Hiroshi Shirai (8 dan), Masao Kawasoe (7 dan) and Takeshi Naito (7 dan). Anyone in traditional Karate will be familiar with these well-respected senior instructors from Japan, whose lineage in Karate is undisputed. During the course, I was picked continuously by these masters, from among all the participating athletes, to demonstrate techniques they requested - a great honour indeed for a Karate student. My student Iden was then graded 3rd dan black belt during the same course. Mr Nishiyama seemed to have a liking for us because during his session, apart from using me as a model to depict strengths and weaknesses, he continuously came up to my group and gave us invaluable technical advice. Mr Nishsiyama is 73 years old and is still the top instructor in the world of traditional Karate. Mr Shirai also complimented us at the end for being in such good form. For me this was a boost far beyond competition results.

Are there any professional Japanese coaches training the locals?

Although the term Karate has become very common, the Japanese themselves can best transmit the original Japanese Karate with the inherent attitude and culture of the traditional Japanese warrior. At least, this is what I have believed since my early days. Because our own culture is very different from that of the Japanese people, some concepts, even though explained by a Japanese person, may remain confusing for us. However we try our best to learn slowly the original art we cherish. Masao Kawasoe is a Japanese top-ranking instructor, very well respected in the Japan karate Association, and he comes to Malta regularly to help us in our studies. Whenever we have the opportunity and possibilities, we train with ITKF Japanese instructors.

Are you affiliated to any international bodies?

The federation is affiliated to the International Traditional Karate Federation as explained above. Most of the clubs which are members of the federation follow also the World Shotokan Institute as a Style Organisation.

What can be done to make karate more popular in Malta?

I think that to make the discipline more popular we need to isolate ourselves with a lot of hard work. Maybe some day, our level will be such that more people will become interested and fascinated in this discipline.

And how can children enroll in the sport?

Children can obtain information about clubs involved in the study of the traditional karate of Japan from the Federation by calling 802044 or 491134, or 0985 4958.