Karate’s initiative against Gender-Based Violence, the Guardian Girls Global Karate project, celebrated its second event this past weekend in Spain.

Following the successful opening event in Cairo in January, the initiative was presented in Spain on the occasion of the celebration in Guadalajara of the 2023 EKF Senior Championships. The activities in Spain were held in cooperation with the Spanish Karate Federation and the Embassy of Japan in Spain.

 PRESENTATION AT RESIDENCE OF AMBASSADOR OF JAPAN TO SPAIN

The Ambassador of Japan to Spain, Nakamae Takahiro hosted the official presentation of the project in his residence in Madrid on Friday, March 24.

The event had the participation of the head of the UNFPA office in London, Mr. Matt Jackson, KIF Global President Ms. Nia Lyte, WKF and EKF President Mr. Antonio Espinós, the President of the Spanish Karate Federation Mr. Antonio Moreno, the Deputy Director General for Women and Sport of Spain’s Sports Council Ms. Eva Bárbara Fuertes, and the Councillor of Sports of Guadalajara Mr Evaristo Olcina, among other officials.

The presentation included a review of the highlights of the programme and a message from KIF co-founder Shin Koyamada.

Read more about the presentation of the project at the residence of the Ambassador of Japan to Spain.

(From left to right: WKF General Secretary Toshihisa Nagura, WKF President Antonio Espinós, KIF Global President Nia Lyte, Deputy Director General for Women and Sport of Spain’s Sports Council Eva Bárbara Fuertes, Ambassador of Japan to Spain, Nakamae Takahiro, the President of the Spanish Karate Federation Antonio Moreno, the Councillor of Sports of Guadalajara Evaristo Olcina, and the head of the UNFPA office in London, Matt Jackson)

WOMEN’S SELF-DEFENCE SEMINAR IN GUADALAJARA

Karate’s efficiency in giving women tools to face situations of Gender-Based Violence was showcased at the women’s self-defence Seminar which was held in Guadalajara on Saturday, March 25.

Headed by the chair of the Department of Women and Sport of the Spanish Karate Federation, Teresa Garcia Pérez, the seminar gathered a group of women from the Guadalajara area who discovered ways to confront situations of Gender-Based Violence.

WKF Instructor Teresa García Pérez said:

“If the participants leave today with the notions that women are not weak, that we women can defend ourselves, and that our biggest allay is our head, then we will feel that our time today would have been worthy.

“Karate is a way of life, and it brings many values to all those who practise it. These values are extremely useful to society nowadays. A society that respects itself is a society that lives much better together”. 

DEMONSTRATION OF KARATE SELF-DEFENCE TECHNIQUES DURING FINALS OF #KARATEGUADALAJARA2023

Held during the final bouts of the EKF Senior Championships on Saturday afternoon and broadcast live on a number of TV networks around the world and the WKF YouTube channel, the demonstration of Karate techniques and their application to women’s self-defence wrapped up the activities in Spain.

The demonstration was conducted by WKF Instructor Teresa García Pérez and assistant Sonia Buitrón, with the cooperation of Agustin García, Héctor San Miguel, and Jesús Rodríguez.

Through a display of some of the most frequent situations of violence against women, the efficiency of Karate was showcased as the participants demonstrated simple but effective solutions to confront these acts of violence.

WKF President Antonio Espinós said:

“The Guardian Girls Global Karate project is one of our most ambitious initiatives, and we are very pleased to note the tremendously positive feedback that we are receiving from all levels of society. We truly believe that Karate can make a real contribution to the betterment of society. This week in Madrid and Guadalajara, we were able to confirm, once again, that Karate has a positive impact on the fight against Gender-Based Violence, and that women all over the world can benefit in many ways from the practice of Karate.

“I want to thank our partners in this project, UNFPA and KIF, as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, through its Embassy in Spain, and the Spanish Karate Federation for their cooperation to make this initiative a success.”

After the events in Cairo (Egypt) and Guadalajara (Spain), the “Guardian Girls Global Karate Project” will continue being introduced at Karate’s major events in 2023: the Karate 1-Premier League events in Rabat (Morocco) from May 12 to 14, Fukuoka (Japan) from June 9 to 11, and Dublin (Ireland) from September 8 to 10. The last event of the year will take place in Budapest (Hungary) from 27 to 28 October during the Senior World Championships.

The project was initiated in October 2022 in Los Angeles (United States) where the Memorandum of Understanding of the programme was signed at the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles by the three creators, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Koyamada International Foundation (KIF), and the World Karate Federation (WKF).