Staff Reporter
HARARE – More than 200 martial artists from across Zimbabwe competed in the inaugural Zim Ninja Academy National Martial Arts Tournament held at Harare City Sports Centre on Saturday.
The tournament, held under the Zimbabwe Karate Union banner, featured full-contact Karate Kumite and Kobudo competitions in the junior, senior, and veteran categories.
The competition was held under the theme “Building a Drug-Free Generation Through Sport,” with organisers saying the event aimed to identify martial arts talent while encouraging young people to embrace sport as an alternative to drug and substance abuse.
Athletes competed in various age and weight categories, with Karate Kumite catering to participants from the age of seven, while the Kobudo competition included athletes as young as four.
Kobudo competitors participated in traditional and freestyle weapons disciplines, while athletes aged 40 and above competed in the veterans’ category.
Zim Ninja Academy founder Shihan Wilfred Mashaya said the tournament was also intended to create opportunities for local martial artists to gain competitive exposure and to develop athletes who could represent Zimbabwe at continental and international competitions.
The academy plans to make the tournament an annual event on the national martial arts calendar.
Mashaya, popularly known as Zim Ninja, is a Kobudo weapons world champion and has received several international honours for his contributions to martial arts.
His development program produced eight young Zimbabwean martial artists who won a combined 43 medals at the 2025 ICO World Championships in Wales.
Mashaya was also recognised at the 2026 Annual National Sports Awards, where he received the People’s Choice Award and the Coach of the Year Silver Award.
The tournament attracted support from Fleximarble Investments, Baines Intercare Medical Centre, Musabvunda, Gas Up Energy, Quality Glass Warehouse, Jandrup Group, and Aqua Rangers Lifesaving and Water Safety Services.
Admission was free, with families and members of the public attending the competition as the organisers sought to promote martial arts and encourage young people to participate in sports.
The inaugural tournament provided athletes with an opportunity to test their skills against competitors from different parts of the country while laying the foundation for a national competition that organisers hope will grow in subsequent editions.
