This Saturday the Western Canadian Karate Championships will return to Red Deer.
Presented by Cheney’s Zen Karate and Kickboxing, the Western Canadian Karate Championships is entering its 44th annual year.
Since 1979, it's been Western Canada’s longest-running martial arts event of its kind except for two years during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year will take place at Lindsay Thurber High School with competition beginning at 10:15 a.m.
Lyle Cheney, master instructor at Cheney’s Zen Karate and Kickboxing said they're excited to get back at it.
"We're expecting at least 200-300 competitors with the top people coming from all over Saskatchewan, Alberta, and B.C.," he said.
The tournament is open to all different styles of martial arts and will feature competitors from different age divisions from five years old through to adults up to 60 years old.
Cheney explained they're expecting 80-100 participants from central Alberta with the rest from Calgary, Edmonton, and other communities. It's also a sanctioned event through the Canadian Zen Karate-do Association.
They'll follow a similar format to previous years which begins in the morning with the youngest children competing and moving through to the adults into the afternoon. They'll also crown a junior black belt champion as well as a champion for both the men's and women's black belt championships.
Last year, the men’s black belt champion was Hector Jordan and on the women’s side, Raven Cheney took home the win. Jordan was also named the black belt grand champion in sparring. The junior black belt champion was Red Deer’s Owen Gadiano.
It's an open tournament not just for karate but for taekwondo, kung fu, and kickboxing. The event is one of three major tournaments in the region. The other two are the Calgary Open Martial Arts Championships and the Summit Martial Arts Championships, which is also in Calgary.
For those interested in attending it will only cost each spectator $5 for admission.
"It's been very well supported by the public in all the years I've run it," Cheney added.