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Vispy Kapadia to guide Indian karatekas in Bangkok

Veteran karate coach and administrator Vispy Kapadia will guide a seven-member Indian team in the first Asian Martial Arts Games in Bangkok.

The team leaves for Bangkok on Tuesday night for the karate event, to be held from August 6 to 9, Kapadia, a seventh degree Black Belt in martial arts, told reporters after being felicitated in Mumbai on Monday night.

The Asian Martial Arts Games, promoted by the Olympic Council of Asia, is being held in the Thai capital from August 1, and 44 countries will take part in nine disciplines including karate, kungfu, taekwondo and judo.

Kapadia, who is now president of the official Maharashtra state body for karate, MKA, was honoured by the state association for having won the Maharashtra state government award for coaching 'Utkursht Kreeda Marg Darshak Puraskar'.

Apart from training over 60,000 students in karate, Kapadia has also trained over 6,000 policemen and women in his 30-year association with the martial arts.

"I hope this award from the state government will open the doors for other karate trainers even for the Indian government's prestigious Dronacharya award," he said at the felicitation function.

He also advised the police personnel to take their karate training very seriously post-26/11 to protect themselves as well as the public.