ISKA boss heaps praises on Jamaica’s kickboxing team

COREY Schafer, president, International Sports Karate Association (ISKA), and organiser of the annual United States Open in Orlando, Florida, has heaped praises on Jamaica’s five-man team, which took home 10 medals from ISKA Europe’s Amateur Members Association World Championships held last week in Vienna, Austria.

Schafer, who heads the North American arm of ISKA, denoted by ‘Karate’ as opposed to ISKA Europe’s ‘Kickboxing’, said Jamaica’s team, which reaped five gold medals, including a historic hat-trick of double-gold by Akino Lindsay in continuous and points sparring, “raises the bar for all athletes attending”.

“The ISKA Amateur Members Association World Championships held last weekend in Vienna, Austria, once again played host to the always-competitive ISKA Team Jamaica,” Schafer said in a release posted by ISKA.

“Their participation and performance consistently raises the bar for all athletes attending. Not surprising they are among the most popular athletes in attendance. Team Jamaica exemplifies the ISKA credo of passionate pursuit of victory tempered by great sportsmanship and camaraderie,” Schafer added.

Schafer’s kudos to Jamaica was the second such gesture by ISKA. At last Wednesday’s opening ceremony of the European Amateur Members Association World Championships, Lindsay was officially honoured for winning a world-record eight consecutive gold medals, a feat he extended to 10 by clinching a third consecutive double-gold.

ISKA Jamaica president, Jason McKay, applauded the performance of coach Chin and his squad, pointing out that it was time for Jamaica to understand the impact of ISKA kickboxing to the country’s international sports image.

“No other world championship in any sport, other than IAAF’s track and field championships, will have Jamaican domination,” said McKay.

“This is possible because of how we approach the sport, administratively. Our fighters are recruited by the time they are 13 years old. They are managed, coached, and sponsored from that point until their careers end.

“It is a holistic approach that is required in any sport in which you expect to be a world leader,” he emphasised.

However, Jamaica’s dominance in Europe could soon be challenged by Ukraine, whose overall performance in Vienna, 72 per cent, was close to Jamaica’s average of 80 per cent of the squad returning as world champions.

McKay acknowledged the Ukrainian threat, saying that next year’s championships in Brisbane, Australia, will see the return of Nicholas Dusard and Delano Francis.

“We have also relaunched the high-school programme at Jamaica College, Wolmer’s Boys, and Kingston College after being stalled by COVID-19.

“Every fighter on this squad came out of that high-school programme, which was started in 2003. The high-school programme also seeds the Jamaica Taekwondo Association’s International Taekwondo Federation team, the art that the fighters are trained in,“ McKay further added.

“How we do in the future depends a lot on how Jamaica responds to our athletes when they perform. Four world champions have returned to Jamaica from this championship, three of whom have won ISKA world titles before. I am particularly proud to see that Nicholai Reid has lived up to his potential of winning a world title on European soil,” McKay beamed.