The 2017 Karate Canada Summit welcomed close to 175 participants from across the country last weekend, at the Sheraton Toronto Airport Hotel and Conference Centre. This number represents an increase of 56% from the 2016 edition. The event was a significant success, and gave many members (registrants) and (for the second year) non-members of Karate Canada a chance to get together and to take part in various workshops, seminars, meetings, trainings and conferences, benefiting our athletes, coaches, instructors, officials, leaders and administrators.

Karate Canada wishes to thank the Ontario Karate Federation, the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) and the Investors Group for their assistance and support in hosting this important event, as well as to thank the numerous participants, volunteers and staff involved in making this event such a success. Particularly, Karate Canada wishes to thank our Officials’ Committee members Mr. Yaro Tarana (Chair), Mr. Andreas Kuntze, Mr. Don Mazerolle and Mr. Babak Sotoudeh (who co-led a 2-day National Referee Clinic), our 3 National Team Head Coaches (Mrs. Katarina Vadovicova, Mrs. Nassim Varasteh, and Mr. Denis Beaudoin (who led and / or co-led national kata and kumite trainings), the members of our Technical Advisory Committee (and examiners, who held National Dan Evaluations), our Para-karate Committee Chair and National Para Team Coach Mrs. Heather Fidyk (who led a training and education for Para-karate athletes and coaches), our Medical Chair Mr. Gus C. Kandilas (who led a seminar on Concussion Awareness and Management) and all the medical support staff, our NCCP Committee Chair Mr. Gérard Lauzière (who led a NCCP Comp Dev multisport course and co-led a NCCP Comp Dev karate-specific course with Mr. Gary Walsh), Mrs. Shelley Coolidge from the CAC (who presented on the Responsible Coaching Movement), our High Performance Committee Chair Dr. Peter Davis (who offered a conference on Karate Canada’s High Performance Plan and direction), Mr. Kraig Devlin National Team Kumite Coach and KC High Performance Committee member (who co-presented a workshop on How to Build a High Performance Athlete) as well as all participating athletes, referees and coaches and / or instructors. Last but not least, we wish to sincerely thank our two very special Guest Star Instructors, Mr. Stanislav Horuna (Kumite trainings) and Mr. Luca Valdesi (Kata trainings), who generously shared their extensive expertise with our athletes and coaches in this rare visit to Canada.

We look forward to greeting all of you again soon in Halifax, NS, for our 2018 National Championships (March 9-11), and hope you will all join us again next year for our 2018 Summit!