French Karate instructor, Patrick Dupeux, will lead a Karate training seminar scheduled for October 20-23, in Kigali, according to the organisers.

The three-day training and grading seminar set to attract about 100 Karatekas was organised by Shoseikan Rwanda, one of the Karate associations in the country, in collaboration with the Rwanda Karate Federation (FERWAKA).

The event will be graced by, among others, the Africa Karate Confederation president, Félix Elakoua. Tharcisse Sinzi, the founder of Shoseikan Rwanda, told Times Sports that everything is in place for the event to kick off on Thursday, October 20.

Sinzi said: "There will be an opening ceremony on Thursday and we will then, later in the day, hold the first training session conducted by me and Dupeuax.”

Sinzi said that the training will continue on Friday and Saturday morning and players who qualify will eventually participate in the last stage of the seminar, a dan grading exercise.

"Saturday will be the last day of the seminar, the best performers selected from training will compete or be tested for dan grading in the afternoon,” Sinzi said.

Sinzi said the seminar will include all Karate styles unlike previous seminars which focused only on one style.

Sinzi said: "While conceptualising this seminar I wanted to unite all Karate players regardless of their different styles because, in the end, we’re all Karate players.”

Karate has four major styles developed in Japan, especially in the island of Okinawa. The four main styles are Shotokan, Wado-ryu, Shito-ryu, and Goju-ryu. Many other styles of Karate are derived from these four.

Dupeaux is a 60-year-old French expert in the Wado-Ryu style of Karate. He last visited Rwanda in 2013 when he conducted a week-long training session.

Love for Karate, a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom of Japan, has steadily grown in Rwanda over the past three decades. In Rwanda, Shotokan and Wado-Ryu are the most common styles.

The year 2018 particulary left a mark for the nation’s Karate.

As Rwanda hosted the 2018 edition of the African Karate Championships, the country’s first ever gold from an international tournament was won by Maic Shyaka Ndutiye, a then 17-year-old senior three student making his debut on the international competitive Karate scene.