The 2019 WSKA World Championships were held at a brand new Sports Hall in the municipality of Odivelas, in the suburbs of the beautiful city of Lisbon, Portugal.
With 750 entries from 25 countries from all over the world, the expectations were high for three days of top class competition and they did not disappoint. This was an exciting event which demonstrated the highest standards of traditional Shotokan karate.
Guest of honour Paulo Cesar, responsible for Sports in the City Council, thanked WSKA for choosing Portugal, as well as everyone involved in the competition. Jose Ferreira, President of Liga Portuguesa De Karate Do Shotokan (LPKS), and Richard Poole, President of WSKA opened the tournament by greeting the competitors and supporters, as well as thanking the hosting team for their magnificent achievement in organising such a successful championships.
As always, the Portuguese team created a fantastic atmosphere supported by a large and enthusiastic crowd over the three days of the event.
Prior to the tournament, there was a meeting of Congress where two new WSKA Executive Board members were elected.
Unfortunately, due to ill health, the Director of Administration had to stand down. In his place, Antonio Duran Fernandez from Spain was nominated and elected to the post. Congress confirmed the appointment of Leslie Jensen to the position as Director of Finance. Both new officers will join the Executive Board to work towards expanding WSKA on the international stage.
We are now looking forward to the next WSKA Championships which will be held in Liverpool, England on the 25-26 September, 2021.