Wesley Snipes coming for Black Hawks camp
By WALTER ALIBEY Monday, June 8 2009
AMERICAN actor Wesley Snipes is expected to be among a host of movie stars involved in martial arts, who will be here in Trinidad and Tobago for Black Hawks Martial Arts Summer Camp at the El Dorado Secondary from July 6 to August 29.
Snipes, will be here on the invitation of local martial arts expert Professor Christopher Francis, who has served on martial arts organisations the world over.
Francis said confirmation on Snipes’ visit will be known after he completes filming a new series in Australia.
Apart from Snipes there is also to be visits from professor Frank Baruso who starred with Jackie Chan in a recent movie and Dr Kevin Hofford, a well known author for Black Belt Magazine.
Francis also revealed that he is talking with a number of other movie stars for them to be here with the many budding karatekas in TT. Interested youngsters will also experience a first hand display from Sijo Steve Mohammed, who is the first African American to have won the World Championships.
Sijo Mohammed defeated Chuck Norris for the title which he held for ten years. He will also be joined by the Dr Robert Lee who is the first cousin of legendary karate expert Bruce Lee.
The summer camp will lead straight to the Pan Caribbean International Martial Art Championship at the Cascadia Hotel on August 29. This year the regional championship is being used as a qualifier for the Martial Arts Championship in Orlando Florida later this year.
According to Francis, the winners from the different categories at the regional tournament will earn the right to compete at the World Championships.
Some 47 countries are expected to be here for the Pan Caribbean Champion-ship. Among them China, Japan, Australia and the United States.
The camp is one of many being held by the lanky karate expert. He told Newsday recently that he wants to leave a legacy before bowing out of the sport.
“What I want to do is leave a legacy where respect and appreciation are given to martial artists,” Francis said.
He laments a fragmented karate industry which he said is caused by fierce in-fighting among members.
“This problem can be solved easily. What we have to do is support each other’s ideas and schools so that we can foster unity and a level of comradery in the sport,” Francis added.
The karate official concluded that his dream is to have a West Indian Martial Arts team that will compete against the world just like the West Indies cricket team.
