WORLD renowned eight Dan karateka Canada-based Guyanese Master Frank Woon-A-Tai recently announced the formation of his new world karate organisation, the International Karate Daigaku (IKD). Daigaku means university or college in Japanese and Woon-A-Tai’s announcement of his organisation which has strong West Indies roots, came on the 30th anniversary of his first karate dojo in Canada.
Well known for his development of karate in Guyana, the Caribbean and Canada, Master Woon-A-Tai, a native of Georgetown, is closely associated with the Caribbean Karate College (CKC) of which he is the president, and until recently, the Japan Karate Association (JKA) and the International Shotokan Karate Federation (ISKF). 
Master Frank Woon-A-Tai heads the organisation as Kancho (founder) and interim Shuseiki Shihan (chief instructor) with Karate Master Dr Dexter Shim, a seventh Dan native of Trinidad and Tobago and Karate Master Maureen Woon-A-Tai another seventh Dan from Guyana, as interim deputy chief instructors.
they officially take office, their position, new rank, and title shall be announced, which is customary with leaders of world martial arts organisations, with Maureen going on to make history by becoming the first woman to be a deputy chief instructor of a traditional world karate organisation and she is an inspiration to women everywhere.
Surprisingly, IKD has over 70 karate dojos in Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, and other provinces in Canada as well as dojos in Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Barbados, Antigua, St Vincent and other Islands to be named later.
There are wonderful opportunities for expansion globally into Europe and Asia and when the Guyana Karate College (GKC) building is completed at Liliendaal it will also provide access for international karatekas to train and study in Guyana.
It would be fitting, and as the membership grows throughout the world, for the First IKD World Cup to be held in Guyana, the birth place of its founder.
Master Woon-A-Tai’s (who left the ISKF, an organisation he served faithfully for close to 40 years) unique teaching method is very popular with the international karate community and his organisation is expected to grow rapidly.
The ISKF was viewed by the JKA as a threat and Master Woon-A-Tai and the Caribbean Karate College were viewed as threats to the ISKF.
Master Woon-A-Tai stated after careful contemplation and reflection, he decided to resign because his integrity, loyalty to his teachers, and technical and administrative abilities were compromised by false accusations and innuendo by the said unknown persons.
His high position in the ISKF, the Caribbean, and his success hosting the World Cup in 2008, as well as the recently concluded Pan American karate championships in Guyana may have been factors.
He further stated it is well known that the higher one moves up the ladder of success, there will always people ready to push one back down.
However, he has a positive outlook for his future in karate and views what happened as a blessing in disguise as he has vast support from over 70 dojos mentioned above in several countries.
With such large and popular support he feels justified and holds no grudge against anyone. His impeccable karate credentials, including a University of Toronto Degree in Japanese Studies, 47 years karate experience, ability to organise on a large scale, and international standing, make him the ideal candidate as a world karate leader.
Master Woon-A-Tai decided the best course for his new organisation to follow was to carry on the work that he and Dr Shim had already started in developing the instructor training programme of CKC and to extend the work of the IKD in advancing scientific development and medical research on karate training.
The work of the IKD would not only benefit karate in the Caribbean, but also karate in other parts of the world. All aspects of karate shall be studied and analysed including: philosophy, physical education and fitness, self defence, and sport.
Master Woon-A-Tai has the support of several prominent medical doctors and PhDs to begin this work.
As he has said many times before, through education he hoped karate could contribute socially by helping young people find direction in life and to break the cycle of crime and violence.
The IKD will be a democratic, open-minded organisation, one of high technical standards as Master Woon-A-Tai is well known for.
It will continue in the tradition of Master Funakoshi and Master Nakayama, who first made karate accessible to people outside Japan, and who later refined karate to a very high level.
It was also their aim to make karate a positive social influence by providing stability and structure to people’s lives through martial arts training.
Master Woon-A-Tai wants his organisation to be the Harvard or Oxford University of Karte. The slogan of the International Karate Daigaku is-Tradition in the 21st Century.