Kung fu master MJ Li and his youthful squad hope to bring back more gold when they compete in Hong Kong next week.
The squad, led by Junaid “MJ Li” Chafeker, will represent South Africa at an international competition.
Last year, they brought home eight medals.
Ten athletes from across the Western Cape will compete in the Legends of Kung Fu World Martial Arts International Championships, which will take place in the city of Ma On Shan on 10-14 April.
The athletes will take part in full contact matches and group synchronised events against more than 6500 athletes from 36 countries.
Sponsors for the group include the City of Cape Town, various departments in the provincial government as well as local businesses which include Winners Supermarket, Spice Mecca and Osmans Stores.
The team leaves Cape Town International Airport at 2.30pm on Saturday.
Last night, Social Development MEC Albert Fritz handed over the team’s official kit.
Among the team are two 11-year-olds - Leandre Petersen and differently abled athlete Saifullah Chafeker, who will be competing with able-bodied athletes.
Three-time gold medalist Chafeker will also be participating in the professional adult division.
He says they are looking forward to do better than last year and says the sport is growing fast in South Africa.
“Over the last two and a half years, using kung fu as an ancient Chinese modality to improve the quality of life of our youth has just been so enriching and now opportunities to compete internationally prove that despite disadvantaged backgrounds, there are options for our youth,” he says.
“It speaks volumes for the future of kung fu in South Africa.”
saafia.february@inl.co.za