AAU - Karate

Written by: Rachel D'Orazio

Letter from AAU Karate National Chair, J.B. Mirza to AAU Karate members

Dear AAU Karate Club Member:

The Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (AAU) applauds the inclusion of karate in the 2020 Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo, Japan.

The Olympics have featured many AAU Champions and AAU James E. Sullivan Award finalists including Lebron James, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Jesse Owens, Michael Phelps, Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky. The AAU looks forward to adding distinguished karateka to this list in 2020 and beyond.

The AAU, founded in 1888, is the premier amateur sports organization in the US. The AAU, one of America’s largest, nonprofit,volunteer organizations, licenses more than 35 sports programs, 250 national championships and over 30,000 age-division events per year. On an annual basis, the AAU interacts with nearly 5 million athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers. Now, the AAU looks forward to preparing those involved in AAU Karate programs to reach new heights in 2020 and beyond.

The AAU is united in an effort to strengthen the sport of karate both on and off the tatami. We are also fully committed to helping each of our athletes pursue their athletic dreams by providing them with the best coaching and counseling in fitness, nutrition and mental conditioning and in providing them with the finest karate instruction available in America today.

As Chairman of the AAU National Karate Program, I am proud to announce that the AAU will be hosting six National Team Camps specifically designed for all karate athletes wishing to pursue training in preparation for the Olympic Games Team selection. Three camps will be held in the Chicago, IL area and three will be held in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area. At these training camps the AAU coaches and officials will provide world-class instruction and will assess each athlete, assign them a training program, monitor their work and evaluate their progress. Coaches will work with athletes to refine
their programs and make each athlete’s program unique to the individual.

The goal of this AAU program is to identify and train the top karate athletes in the United States in order to prepare them for team trials associated with the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. The AAU has worked hand-in-hand with all national karate organization to realize a common goal: the advancement of the sport of karate to new heights and the successful training and development of a team of athletes who will compete in the 2020 Olympics. The AAU is proud and excited that the first major steps toward achieving these goals have been taken. The AAU welcomes any karateka, regardless of their affiliation, to take part in its training program and begin their journey towards Tokyo.

The National Karate Program and I look forward to seeing you at our special training sessions over the next four years in preparation for the Games in Tokyo. We will be, as we have been for more than 125 years, an important part of the development of the world’s greatest Olympic athletes. “Sports for All, Forever!”

Respectfully yours in karate-do,

J. B. Mirza
National AAU Karate Program Chair

AAU KARATE TO HOST NEW NATIONAL TEAM CAMPS