KNYSNA SPORT NEWS - Knysna will have yet another representative in the the South African ISKA team to travel to America in June next year, with Nicky Hano being selected as the fifth Knysna karateka in the team.

The International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) is one of the major international bodies regulating sport karate and kickboxing matches and is based in the US but also operates in a number of countries around the world, including South Africa. 

They have a wide range of programmes around the country that are affiliated with the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc).

There has already been a group of four athletes from the Knysna Shotokan Karate Cobras, but when their selection was announced, Nicky hadn't yet been informed that he was selected too. Nicky is a 12-year-old learner at Knysna Primary School who is going to Grade 7 next year. He only started taking on karate at the beginning of this year but has since made immense progress, something his mother Marushaen Harker is very proud of. "We can't believe how much he has achieved in such a short space of time, he has done so well this year and we are so incredibly proud of him," Harker said.

Nicky, who trains two hours a day twice a week, took part in Destiny, the annual ISKA National championships on 28 and 29 September. It was here where he finished fourth in the beginner boys' 12-13 years category (for karateka with white and yellow belts), to qualify for the tournament in Orlando, Florida in June next year at the 2020 ISKA World Championships.

While Nicky has already been selected and registered for the tour, all that remains is for him to secure the necessary funding to embark on a trip that could change his life forever.

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