THE Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr George Norton, last Friday witnessed the grading of approximately 70 karatekas from varying dojos across the country at the Guyana Karate College’s (GKC) third and final 2017 grading exercise at its temporary Dojo located in Thomas Lands.

The grading examinations included the other GKC Dojos counting in the Guyana Karate College Sophia Juvenile Holding Centre Dojo and the Guyana Karate College West Coast Demerara Dojo.

Heading the list of karatekas were: William Grant (Jr), Ronaldo Junior Persaud, Jessica Callender and Mark Wong who moved from Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt) to Nidan (2nd Degree Black Belt).

Moving from a 1st kyu Brown Belt to a Shodan (1st Degree Black Belt) were Nadia Ramlall, Jose Rodrigues, Javed Deen Nurhausain, Gopal Rajin Persaud, Manoj Lachhman, Rajnie Brijmohan, Omadai Sukul, Nalini Rampersaud, Paula Louis-Grant, William Grant (Sr) Mekhi Ritchie, and Daniel Denny.

Delivering the feature address, the Minister encouraged the students to “follow their dreams” and to recognise that “discipline leads to success”.
In a press release the GKC expressed how grateful they were for the Minister to attend the ceremony, noting that his presence was a testimony of the commitment of the Ministry and Government at large, to the development of sports in the country.

Reminding the graduates that the competition in the international arena gets tougher with each passing day, Minister Norton implored the students that for them to retain the top positions they achieved at previous international tournaments, they will have to work harder and faster.