Arab athletes prove mettle at Karate 1-Youth League Fujairah

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The tally of Arab male and female players in the Karate 1-Youth League 2025,

currently being held at Zayed Sports Complex in Fujairah, has risen to 18 medals, including two gold, three silvers, and 13 bronzes.

The result highlights the development of karate in the Arab world, with over 2,300 athletes from 87 countries participating.

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Saif Al Sharqi, President of the Emirates Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation, along with his sons, witnessed part of the competitions in the presence of Antonio Espinos, President of the World Karate Federation, and Major General Nasser Al Razooqi, President of the UAE and Asian Karate Federations.

The gold medals were secured by Yasmin Obouzeid in the Kumite, weight category 66 kg, and Abdullah Al Qahtani from Saudi Arabia in the Kumite for youth, weight category above 76 kg.

The silver medals totalled three, with Egypt’s Roua Mohamed winning in the Kumite (young women), weight category above 66 kg, her team-mate Mohamed Salah El-Din in the Kumite for youth, weight category above 76 kg, and Saudi Arabia’s Sultan Al-Qahtani in the Kumite for U-21, weight category under 60 kg.

As for the bronze medals, 13 were awarded to Arab athletes, including Egypt’s Ali Dahy in Kata for youth, his team-mate Kanzy Zidan in the Kumite, weight category under 53 kg for young women, and Meryem Tantawy in the Kumite for weight under 66 kg.

Other winners include: Malek El-Barbari (over 66 kg), Jordan’s Hani Rashid (under 55 kg), Kuwait’s Abdulhadi Al-Ajmi (under 55 kg for youth), Tunisia’s Mohamed Rahimi (under 76 kg for youth Kumite), and Tunisia’s Meryem Tayeb (under 68 kg U21 for young women). Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Al-Seif (under 67 kg in Kumite for U21), his teammate Anas Al-Zahrani (under 84 kg in Kumite for U21), and Egypt’s Ashraf El-Menawy and Libya’s Nouri Abdel Salam (over 84 kg in Kumite for U21 youth) also won bronze medals.

Engineer Marwan Sinkel, Vice-President of UAE Karate Federation, believes that the Karate 1-Youth League 2025 edition is exceptional in every sense.

“This success is the result of hard work and systematic efforts by all members of the federation, led by Major General Nasser Al Razooqi.

"At the UAE Karate Federation, we are accustomed to adding something new with each tournament we organize. The confidence given to us by the World Karate Federation has not come by chance but is the result of organized effort over many years, a large team, and increasing numbers year after year, especially in the World Youth League."

Sinkel continued, "The number of courts has increased in this edition within the Zayed Sports Complex, from six to eight, due to the large number of participants this year. The resources available in the country allow us to take on challenges, and the World Karate Federation knows that we can provide all the necessary means for success in any tournament, whether for juniors, youth, or adults. This is something we all take pride in."