Kathmandu, October 23

Nepal  Karate Federation and Samjhana Laboratory Clinic signed the sponsorship  agreement for the 50th National Karate Tournament to be held at  the NSC covered hall from November 9-11.

NKF  President Dawa Gurung and Samjhana Laboratory President Urdeep Joshi  signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) amid a function today. As  per the agreement, the laboratory will provide the NKF with a total of Rs 1.5 million in cash and kind.

The NKF will get Rs 850,000 to organise the tournament, while the laboratory will provide ambulance, lab  test and two sets of sports gears to the 23 national team players selected  from the tournament until the 18th Asian Games. In return, Samjhana Laboratory Clinic will be the title sponsor of the tournament. “Karate has been doing  well in international tournaments and we hope to produce better results in future with the support of Samjhana Laboratory,” said NKF  President Gurung.

The tournament features a total of 15 weight categories — eight in men and seven in women’s caegories, — apart from individual and  team kata events, informed Tournament Coordinator Deepak Shrestha. A total of 184 karatekas from  three departmental teams — Tribhuvan Army Club, Nepal Police Club  and Nepal APF Club — and five regions will take part in the tournament.

The  men’s section include below-45, below-50kg, below-55kg, below-60kg,  below-67kg, below-75kg, below-84kg and above-84kg weight categories as  well as individual and team kata, while women karatekas will fight in  below-40, below-45kg, below-50kg, below-55kg, below-61kg, below-68kg and  above-68kg categories and kata events. “We have been  organising the tournament to select national players and to make them ready for upcoming international events,” said Shrestha.