Kenya’s Tong-Il Moo Do president Clarence Mwakio says he will not relent his push for the sport to be included in the Olympic and African Games saying the discipline is poised for a splash across the world.
Speaking after Team Kenya reigned supreme at this year’s Mombasa International Open Martial Arts Championship- for the eleventh time in a row- master Mwakio reiterated his commitment to have the martial art discipline make the long-awaited debut at the Games.
“We are working hard to make sure that we get enough support to make sure that Kenya earns many medals in future. We are not number one in Africa by fault or mistake, it’s because of the hard work we are putting in place and we have to make the dream come true because everything in our team is driven by passion,” said Mwakio.
Kenya successfully defended this year’s 11 edition after bagging winning 191 medals in different categories, and Mwakio has attributed the success to discipline and hard work
“The players and the respective stakeholders have made sure that they remain in control of the game and also ensure that we continue to be the best in the continent. They have been disciplined and committed to the level that we make sure we don’t fall below the standards and that is how we have retained the title.”
The veteran martial artist also lauded the government for financial support towards this year’s edition noting the importance of the collaboration between the federation and the Ministry of Sports.
“I want to thank the government for their support in the growth of the game and we are looking forward to more partnerships in future to make sure the game is spread in different parts of the country.”
The Kenyans reigned supreme with 46 gold, 52 silver and 93 bronze in the event that attracted 12 countries.
Zambia finished second with world powerhouse Philippines placing third.
Other countries that participated in the eleventh edition were Iran, India, Paraguay, Nigeria, Japan, DRC, Brazil, South Korea, Thailand and Ivory Coast.
