Malawi beat Japan Select team in the first ever Kendo matches that took place at Blantyre Youth Centre (BYC) on Saturday.
The Malawi team won games that comprised seven players in the presence of Japanese Ambassador Shuichiro Nishioka.
Kendo Association of Malawi with support from Embassy of Japan in Lilongwe organised the tournament.
In individual matches, in the boys category, Chimwemwe Hara emerged the champion followed by Innocent Gwembere.
In the girls category, Rebecca Kadammanja came out victorius, Rama Wyson came second and Tamandani Tambala third.
In the under 18 category, Waison Somba was the champion, he defeated Davie Mphande and Daniel Davie.
In a statement made available to The Nation yesterday, Nishioka said, he was deeply touched by the depth of friendship between the Malawian and Japanese Kendo players.
“The development of Kendo in Malawi is one of the most remarkable success stories of the people-to-people exchange between Japan and Malawi. I thank the Malawian Kendo players for contributing to the promotion of the Japanese culture in Malawi and consequently the Japan-Malawi relations,” said Nishioka.
He said the determination of the Malawi team has led his government to award the Kendo Association of Malawi with ‘the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation’, which is a prestigious award.
