By Kiev Chesney
Guyana’s most decorated martial arts specialist Frank Woon-A-Tai returned home yesterday and was ushered in through a guard of honour welcome by students of the Guyana Karate College (GKC) at the Dr. Cheddi Jagan International Airport Timerhi.
Woon-A-Tai, who was promoted just last month to the eighth Dan black belt in the martial arts of Shotokan, has returned to commemorate the 40th anniversary of his organsation in Guyana.
He was accompanied by family members and one of his Canadian martial arts students.
“This feels real good for us to be back here and to have everybody welcoming me and my family home,” Woon-A-Tai declared.
“The last time I had a ceremony like this one was way back when I got married and the college gave me a similar martial arts ceremony,” he added.
Speaking to Stabroek Sport shortly after his arrival, Woon-A-Tai said that he was especially pleased to be informed that the government had recently allocated a plot of land at Liliendaal to the karate college.
He said that the gesture from president Bharrat Jagdeo
meant that apart from all the students that have passed through the college, the organization had accomplished something. He explained that the land that they have acquired represented the start of greater things to come for the sport in Guyana and the expansion of the college.Woon-A-Tai said that his organization will be embarking on a series of activities as part of the anniversary celebrations including reunion camps, parties as well as revisiting their ‘roots’ at the Archbishop’s lawns where they first began practicing martial arts. After leaving Guyana in the late 1960’s, Woon-A-Tai ventured to England before moving on to Japan where he got his black belt. He is currently the Co-Assistant Vice President of the International Shotokan Federation and is one of just a few non-Japanese eighth Dan black belts in the world after being promoted by Sensei Okazaki who is 10th Dan black belt last month in the United States.
