10/05/2026
🥋 Ontario Kata Championships 2026 🥋
What a fantastic day of kata!
As always, our judo community came together, working side by side to make the Ontario Kata Championships a tremendous success.
A special thank you to Mr. Roman Hatash*ta and Hatash*ta International for generously sponsoring the medals for this event.
Thank you to Ajax Budokan Judo Club for hosting and assisting with the venue setup, and to Mr. Steven Sheffield, our Tournament Director, for ensuring the event had all the equipment needed and for keeping our judges well looked after by supplying food and refreshments throughout the day.
We are deeply grateful to our dedicated judges and Provincial Grading Committee members who travelled from Saskatchewan, Ottawa, Sudbury, Port Dover, Hamilton, and across the GTA to volunteer their time and expertise. A heartfelt thank you as well to Crystal J McIntosh for capturing photos of our award presentations and medalists.
Most importantly, thank you to all the competitors who participated. Whether your goal was to experience kata competition, obtain kata grading exemptions, or both, your enthusiasm and dedication made the event a success. We were proud to see 39 presentations across 8 divisions.
Prior to the medal ceremony, I had the honour of presenting the Kata Judge Contribution Award to Mr. Gerald Okimura and the Kata Athletes of the Year Award to Mr. Daniel Bird Daniel R. Bird and Mr. Edward Zupancic Eddie Zupancic. As Mr. Zupancic was unable to attend, Mr. Ian Sibbert graciously accepted the award on his behalf.
Congratulations to all participants, medalists, and award recipients. Thank you for another memorable championship and for helping to strengthen the kata community in Ontario.
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