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Kenneth Abela President of the Malta Karate Federation takes some time from his busy weekend at the Mediterranean Karate Championship to talk to KEVIN GRECH about this exciting sport
How would you rate the popularity of karate in Malta?
 Karate is quickly becoming more and more popular. Since 1999, the Malta Karate Federation (MKF) has been a member of the World Karate Federation, which, with 172 countries and an estimated 20 million members worldwide, is the largest karate organisation in the world. The MKF is growing considerably and we now have six clubs spread all over the island. The federation will continue to work extremely hard to increase awareness and thus cautiously increase its member base.
Does the popularity of the sport increase on the occasion of a hit film or TV series featuring martial arts?
Temporarily yes, but this does not last long because martial arts is much more than what is portrayed in TV. It takes a considerable amount of time, focus and training to achieve a good level of karate, and people wanting to achieve great things in a small amount of time will be disappointed, however those who are patient and who have perseverance will achieve things beyond their perceived capacities and dreams.
Is karate just about self-defence?
Definitely not. Apart from self-defence, which is naturally the most evident benefit of such an art, karate also emphasises many positive qualities such as self-discipline, respect for others, self-confidence and self-esteem, constructive moral attitudes as well as physical development amongst others. It is practiced by an array of people from the ages of six upwards and is undoubtedly beneficial both from a physical as well as a mental perspective.
Do you have students attending karate lessons with the idea of it just being a fighting sport? How does their attitude change?
Unfortunately, there are people who start practising karate for the wrong reason. Occasionally, some of these people change their attitude and start to benefit from all the positive aspects mentioned earlier. Those who do not change their attitude will eventually drop out because they will find that they do not have the moral stamina for this. However, like the parable of the lost sheep, we prefer to focus on the few who manage to make it rather than the more who don’t.
Psychologically, how does karate help with everyday life?
A better awareness of one’s physiological needs is amongst the most important aspects of Karate. A karateka tends to become more self-disciplined with himself/herself and learns to distinguish between what is good and what is bad for his/her body, and easily choose the better between the two. The resulting advantages are, leading a much stronger and healthier life.
How does karate compare with other martial arts?
All martial arts have extremely positive values and advantages, and it is common to find some people who expose themselves to a number of these and “cross-train”. If practiced cautiously, this can bring with it various advantages. People from different fields of martial arts will strongly support their own discipline. I too do so, and naturally consider karate as the best martial art, but simultaneously respect all other disciplines for their positive qualities.
With the Mediterranean Karate Championship currently underway in Malta, how does the level of sport here compare with other countries?
We have witnessed an amazing level of performance from our athletes and this due to the fact they have trained hard, and have been prepared well. This year, the MKF decided to focus most of its energies on the organisation of this prestigious event. Our coaches have worked extremely hard with their athletes. The Federation has taken them overseas to training camps, we have brought training partners from abroad, and our foreign technical consultant Maestro Santo Torre (7th Dan) has been to Malta four times since January to supervise their coaching. We have also engaged the services of a professional psychologist to prepare the team mentally for this event. We have invested heavily in these athletes and it has paid high dividends. On Friday we have managed no less than six bronze medals, and this naturally makes all Maltese very proud.
Do you see karate ever making it into the Olympics?
Yes definitely. Sport karate has developed so much in recent years and the World Karate Federation is working extremely hard to achieve this important goal. To me it is a question of “when” rather than “if”.
How many (local and international) competitions do the Maltese athletes take part in each year?
On a local basis, we hold one National Championships. We are considering introducing a number of varied competitions, this to increase out athletes’ exposure to competition conditions. On an international level there are three official competitions which namely are the Mediterranean, European and World Championships. We try to attend all three but naturally there are financial constraints, which normally allows us to attend one or a maximum of two every year. We receive funding from The Malta Olympic Committee as well as the Kunsill Malti ghall-iSport for which we are so grateful, however for the competitive field to develop further we need much more than we are
receiving.
We have proven that with the necessary resources, we can achieve brilliant results. We need to attend more international competitions and we will leave no stone unturned to achieve this further funding we desperately need.
How important is it for Maltese athletes to be exposed to foreign competition?
Extremely. Most foreign karate federations have athletes who are full time athletes, and their level of competitive karate is extremely high due to this fact but more so due to the numerous and varied competitions that they participate in. We appreciate the fact that there are obvious limitations to resources and naturally do not expect to receive identical funding, however the level of support needs to increase to provide the MKF with at least the basic needs. A clear example of this is that we urgently need adequate Federal premises with proper facilities to conduct national team training, and we are currently working hard to achieve this. This is where the support of local government sport authorities comes in.
Do you find it hard to get sponsors for the sport?
Yes, very hard. Anyone in a position seeking sponsorship will confirm this. However, it is hard but not impossible. Exposure to media is naturally what sponsors seek to market their product and create their awareness. The MKF is also trying hard to achieve precisely the same awareness, since increased popularity will also increase the possibility of further sponsorship. It is not acceptable to expect business corporations to dish out funds without providing them with an equitable return. The awareness that we have managed to achieve through proper marketing has worked well and our sponsors, who we thank immensely, have also received their dues. On a final note, I would like to publicly thank all the media who have been amazingly supportive in covering this prestigious event. In particular, I would like to thank MaltaToday for giving us this excellent opportunity to demonstrate the significance of karate.
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