“Thank You for the Support”: George Karate Team Brings Home 6 Medals From Gabs Open Karate Showdown

• A video celebrating the return of seven students from Karate-Zen George, who represented South Africa at an international karate championship, went viral
• The young athletes competed at the Gaborone International Open Championship in Botswana, bringing home six out of 40 medals won by the South African team
• South Africans flooded the comments with pride and congratulations, praising the children for their discipline and sportsmanship

A George karate instructor has filled South Africans with pride after a video celebrating the return of seven young athletes who represented the country at an international karate championship in Botswana was shared on Facebook. The clip, posted on 13 October 2025, shows the students and their instructors back home after a successful weekend of competition.

The video was captioned:

"Karate-Zen George children return from Botswana. Sensei Mareon Ferndale and the Karate-Zen team praised the children for their discipline and sportsmanship and thanked everyone who supported their trip."

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The clip shows two instructors standing with the young karate champions. In the clip, one of the instructors explains what the team achieved.

"Seven students from Karate-Zen George represented South Africa as part of the Karate South Africa national karate team. We've competed—we just arrived back from Botswana. We've competed at the Gaborone International Open Championship in Gaborone this past Saturday and Sunday. Karate South Africa has brought in 40 medals in total. Of these medals won, just by the team in George, six out of the 40 medals from South Africa," he says.

The instructor goes on to explain just how big the tournament was.

"This was a huge tournament. There were eight countries, and there were 816 entries of athletes and competitors and students, and we did very well. So we want to say thank you to all the support from everyone out there. We could feel it, and we're happy to be back and very proud to be back," he says.

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Social media users flooded the comments with messages of pride and congratulations for the young athletes and their instructors.

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@adele_van_tonder wrote:

"Well done!!! Soooooo proud of all of you!!! Well done, Sensei Mareon Ferndale."

@danie_venter said:

"Well done, guys and gals, we're 👏."

@jonathan_swartbooi added:

"Well done, Sensei."

@wendy_lee gushed:

"Well done, Champs, proud of you."

@odette_gonsalves wrote:

"Fantastic! Congratulations Team. What a stunning achievement 👏."

@fiona_meyer_jansen said:

"Congrats, Mareon Ferndale and team, we are super proud."

All about the Gaborone Open

According to the Business Weekly, the Gaborone International Open Championship took place on 11-12 October at the University of Botswana Indoor Sports Centre. The competition brought together hundreds of athletes from across the region, with eight countries confirming participation, including Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The tournament followed World Karate Federation categories, covering kata and kumite across all age groups and belt divisions. Facebook page @GeorgeHeraldNews shared the video to celebrate the young athletes' achievements, as one of the participants, alongside the sensei, thanked everyone who supported their trip to Botswana.

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Watch the Facebook clip below:

More stories about South African sportsmen

• Briefly News recently reported on former Springboks head coach Jake White expressing concern about the future of The Rugby Championship, and rugby expert Thabang Mokoena said the sport must balance respect for tradition with embracing innovation.
• Former Olympic champion Roland Schoeman defended his South African heritage online after facing backlash over his national and cultural roots, and his comments triggered reactions across social media.
• Cape Town content creator Cool Story Bru shared an emotional video celebrating Bafana Bafana's qualification for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and South Africans flooded the comments with excitement about the historic achievement.

Source: Briefly News