Two Northland teenagers, Aidan Carr and Matthew Baird, leave for Istanbul tomorrow hoping to provide a breakthrough for New Zealand at the World Karate Federation junior championships.
The championships are held every second year, alternating with the senior (over-21) championships, and the boys and their coaches are under no illusion of
the difficulty of their challenge.
The pair are the two national Kata representatives in the nine-strong Kiwi squad and despite the country's best efforts, no New Zealand male has ever passed the first round of competition at a world championship.
Kata is an individual discipline made up of specified exercises, patterns of movement. However, there is also a freestyle element involved.
Team manager Bob Dalton said Karate New Zealand would be thrilled if either of the boys could get through a couple of rounds of competition - and that is their aim.
Both boys have been working hard with Dalton training the 16-year-old Baird and the 18-year-old Carr coached by Craig Nordstrand, who is also accompanying the team to Turkey.
Dalton said that despite tensions rising in the area, the WKF had declared that security for the tournament was sufficient. "We've been assured that everything is safe and you've got to take their word for it," he said.
They leave tomorrow with seven other athletes from around New Zealand. Team captain is Brendon Running, of Auckland. Letitia Carr, of Wellington, is vice-captain and is the team's top medal hope.
Karate New Zealand is also sending four referees who will undertake the WKF Referee training seminars and accreditation examinations in Istanbul.
The team arrives in Turkey on Tuesday (NZ time) before the competition starts on Friday.
