“WHAT an amazing, successful, and rewarding journey it has been since I decided, along with my loyal colleagues, to form the International Karate Daigaku (University) ten years ago.” “If anyone had told me before this historical month that I would make the greatest decision of my karate life, I would have said ‘no way’,” These were the words of Master Frank Woon-A-Tai. Addressed as Master Frank in Guyana, Shuseki Shihan (World Organisation Chief Instructor) internationally or simply Sensei to others, Frank, in ten years, has amassed a phenomenal record of 80 regions in 56 countries under his direction practising a single karate style with lineage to traditional Japanese founders and legends: Masatoshi Nakayama, Hidetaka Nishiyama, Teruyuki Okazaki, Yutaka Yaguchi and all other masters of the ‘Golden Era’ of the Japan Karate Association.

Moreover, in ten years, he has acquired the Guyana National Medal of Service (M.S.) from then President, His Excellency Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, who, a year before, had granted him an acre of land at Liliendaal to build the Guyana Karate College (GKC) a non-profit organisation.
In 2012 and 2015, Frank successfully hosted the IKD First and Second World Cup in Toronto, Canada and the IKD Barbados Campus hosted the 2018 World Cup in Bridgetown. Plans for the fourth World Cup scheduled to be held in Toronto in 2021 had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Frank is hoping that with the Guyana Government’s assistance and the completion of the GKC International dojo at Liliendaal, he may host the Fourth World Cup in Guyana to highlight his art, provide jobs, and promote karate sports tourism.

His dream is also to complete on the same site, the GKC Budokan Complex, a four-storey building that will house a Martial Arts Arena on the ground floor, student dormitories on the second floor, officials one and two-bedroom apartments on the third and a restaurant on the fourth floor that will cater each day, cuisine representing the cultural diversity of the Guyanese people.
As Shuseki Shihan, Woon-A-Tai has developed a powerful IKD Technical Board of Masters: IKD Executive comprising himself, and eighth dan deputies, Dr Dexter Shim – Trinidad and Tobago and Maureen Woon-A-Tai – Guyana/Canada.

Following them are the Shihan-kai Senate with eighth dan and AAA credentials. The next level is the Shihan-kai, eighth and seventh dan masters with AAA credentials and those with seventh dan, but without ‘A’credentials are Shihan.
Not to be outdone by the pandemic, Frank designated the entire 2021 for world members to celebrate safely, according to their COVID-19 guidelines in their region, the 10th Anniversary of the IKD.
Before the pandemic, he travelled more than eight months per year flying Guyana’s flag across the world.