Last Friday in the Flagship Centre, Bangor, footballing star David Healy added his support to four of Northern Ireland's top junior karate stars.  Neil & Glen Bailie, Levi Kane and Sarah Brashaw are currently training for the WUKO World Junior Karate Championships and were delighted when David Healey added his support to their cause.  The event, to be held in Venice this October, is expected to have some ‘two thousand competitors’ in attendance.
Karate coach David Brashaw added “As always, funding to take our karate stars to international events outside of Northern Ireland is always an issue.  Subsequently we were over the moon when David agreed to sign a Northern Ireland football shirt for us to ballot locally in an effort to raise funding. With David's help we hope for the first time ever to pay for our team to attend a world championship.  This is something that many other countries do for their karate competitors but unfortunately just doesn't seem likely to happen in Northern Ireland.
Over the past few years Northern Ireland has had its most successful period of world karate success, claiming no less than five golds, two silver and five bronze. We are certainly now given a lot of hard earned respect at these events.
Ballots for our draw will be on sale in the Flagship Centre this Friday afternoon and next Saturday in the Bloomfield Shopping Centre.”