The 2017 Friendship Games begin in Bujumbura (Burundi) on August 11 in cooperation with the National Olympic Committee of Burundi and nine International Federations and organised by Peace and Sport, the politically-neutral organisation dedicated to the development of peace through sport. 

The 2017 Friendship Games begin in Bujumbura (Burundi) on August 11 in cooperation with the National Olympic Committee of Burundi and nine International Federations, and it is organised by Peace and Sport, the politically-neutral organisation dedicated to the development of peace through sport. Karate is one of the sports included in the programme of the 8th edition of the Friendships Games and the World Karate Federation is partnering with Peace and Sport to contribute to the success of the event. 

The event, which brings together 200 children from Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, will see a host of international federations and diplomats and local authority representatives join Peace and Sport’s Champions for Peace in the Great African Lakes region to promote better intercultural dialogue and to endorse the power of sport for change.  

The World Karate Federation is one of the nine international federations involved in the project. The WKF is contributing through equipment and technical assistance, and the event will have the direct participation of the Burundi Karate Federation headed by its president Christophe Nkurunziza. 

Peace and Sport currently helps to support six sports centres within the African Great Lakes region, all of which use sport to promote social inclusion, education, and inter-ethnic dialogue. The Games take place annually and promote the good work sport is doing within the area. 

The Karate competition at the Friendship Games will take place in Bujumbura on August 12 and 13. Boys and girls aged 9 to 17 will participate in the tournament in the two modalities of the sport, kata and kumite.