Zainab Saleh International Female Open Karate Championship unveils 10th edition

The 10th edition of the Zainab Saleh International Female Open Karate Championship is set to kick off on 18 October, at the Molade Okoya Thomas Indoor Sports Hall of the Teslim Balogun Stadium.

Founder and sponsor Zainab Saleh reflected on the championship’s remarkable journey since its inception in 2014.

“I wanted to provide a platform for female karatekas to showcase their skills and develop their technical abilities,” Ms Saleh told journalists in Lagos. “I believe that a woman should have the skills to defend herself, and karate is one of the best ways to achieve this.”

She said the championship was borne out of a desire to address the disparity between male and female karate representation.

“I noticed that when we have national competitions or competitions, generally, you see the level of male karate and female karate at very wide angles,” Ms Saleh noted. “It’s like the female karate was not as good as the male. So when you come for a championship, you always hear the men jumping up and down and doing things, but the women, their technical abilities were not very prominent.”

Over the years, the championship has produced notable athletes, including Gennario Ocean from Benin Republic, who has participated in the World Karate Championships, and Rita Ossoni, who has won bronze medals at the African Karate Federation (UFAC) events.

Zainab Saleh International Female Open Karate Championship

“Exposure from this championship has helped a lot of female karatekers to represent Nigeria at many international events,” Ms Saleh proudly stated.

Sponsorship challenge

Despite its success, the championship has faced significant challenges, particularly sponsorship.

“Corporate bodies are only fascinated with football, but karate needs investment to grow,” Zainab Saleh lamented. “It is always not encouraging when the corporate bodies are only fascinated to just football; they will say karate is not a viewing sport. If you don’t invest in it, how will it be a viewing sport?”

Zainab Saleh has shouldered the sponsorship burden alone, with support from her family. However, she emphasised that the economic situation has made it harder for a single person to sponsor an event of this magnitude.

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“We have rich people in this country, let them come and see what we are doing in karate and see how they can help us,” she appealed.

Explosive edition

Lagos State Karate Coach Soyooye Sola Sunaka expressed enthusiasm for the event. “It will be explosive, with countries like Togo and others participating. Through the Zainab Saleh competition, we have discovered many female karatekers.”

The championship has seen significant improvements over the years, with increased participation from Nigerian states and international teams.

This year’s event promises to be exciting, with Lagos featuring across junior, cadet, and senior categories.

The event schedule includes a referees course and examination on 18 October, followed by the main championship on 19 and 20 October.

The finals and closing ceremony will take place on Sunday 20 October.

The Zainab Saleh International Female Karate Open Championship is virtually the only all-female championship in West Africa.