Gulf Star Karate Looking to Develop Olympic Hopefuls

With over 300 kids taking part in classes throughout Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, Gulf Star Karate are making big waves in the United Arab Emirates sporting community in more ways than one.

Established in 2016, the club caters for all ages, abilities and levels of experience – with a special Tots Class for 3 – 5 year olds as well as junior and adult age categories.

Gulf Star recently held their first ever competition which was hailed by coaches and participants as a huge success. Over 40 young athletes from schools across Dubai competed in both Kata (patterns) and Kumite (sparring).

Sensei Alex Gardner, Head of Gulf Star Karate Academy said: “It was great to see what we have created. With karate now officially an Olympic sport, we are hopeful these kids are taking their first steps towards competing at an Olympic Games.”

Commenting on plans to grow Gulf Star Karate, Gardner said he was very keen to give every child in Dubai the opportunity to take part in martial arts. With a number of highly experienced members of staff, Gulf Star offers its students the chance to learn from some of the best coaches in the UAE.

“Our first plan is to maintain our growth. We believe our karate, due to the high calibre of coaches, is the best in the UAE so we really want to be able to offer this to every child in Dubai and further afield.

“Now that many of our students have started to participate competitively we really want to test them and continuously provide them with the best opportunities.

“Next year we are looking at picking a select group of students to compete in Britain and help put UAE Karate on the map.”

Gardner is hopeful that the work of Gulf Star Karate will give the young athletes some of the same experiences that the coaching team have enjoyed throughout their sporting lives.

“One of our main aims is to provide these kids with the opportunities that we have had. Karate has brought me friends from all over the world and I have been lucky enough to travel and see places I probably wouldn’t ever have whilst doing a sport I love.”

Gulf Star Karate, in conjunction with Gulf Youth Sport, are offering free trial sessions at their external classes by using code 'GYS001' when getting in touch.

For more information about Gulf Star Karate, you can email the team at karate@gulfstarsports.com