INTERIOR STADIUM; BAROUX v FEUCHT; OVERFIELD v HELLEMOND; DEBREYKER v CHOONG. (NATURAL SOUND)




Initials IF/V/AS/SGM



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Background: TEAMS FROM SIX CONTINENTAL COUNTRIES MET THEIR ENGLISH HOSTS IN LONDON THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE 1967 EUROPEAN KARATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. LAST YEAR'S WINNER OF THE INDIVIDUAL EVENTS, BAROUX OF FRANCE, RECAPTURED HIS TITLE IN A FINAL BOUT AGAINST HIS FELLOW COUNTRYMAN DESNOES. BUT IN THE TEAM EVENT, BRITAIN CAPTURED THE EUROPEAN CUP FROM THEIR STRONGEST RIVALS, FRANCE.

TODAY'S CONTEST FOLLOWED THE PATTERN OF AN EARLIER ONE IN JANUARY, AGAIN HELD AT THE CRYSTAL PALACE, IN WHICH BRITAIN DEFEATED THE USUALLY STRONG FRENCH TEAM. ONLY IN THE INDIVIDUAL EVENT DID FRANCE REALLY SHOW THEIR SUPREMACY.

HERE, FRANCE MET FRANCE IN AN EXCITING FINAL BOUT FOR THE INDIVIDUAL TITLE. IN THE SEMI-FINALS DESNOES OF FRANCE HAD BEATEN JORDEN OF SWITZERLAND, AND BAROUX OF FRANCE HAD BEATEN FEUCHT OF GERMANY.

BRITAIN WERE UNABLE TO REPEAT THEIR TEAM SUCCESS IN THE INDIVIDUAL EVENTS. AN EARLIER BOUT BETWEEN TERRY OVERFIELD OF GREAT BRITAIN AND HELLEMOND OF HOLLAND LEFT THE ENGLISHMAN WITH A BROKEN NOSE. HOWEVER, THE POWERFUL BRITON WAS PROCLAIMED WINNER AND THE DUTCHMAN DISQUALIFIED.

THE TEAMS TAKING PART IN TODAY'S CONTEST - ALL MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION OF KARATE - WERE FROM FRANCE, BRITAIN, SWITZERLAND, ITALY, WEST GERMANY, HOLLAND, AND YUGOSLAVIA.

TODAY THERE ARE ABOUT 250 KARATE CLUBS IN BRITAIN. A HOME OFFICE ENQUIRY INTO THIS JAPANESE FIGHTING ART IS DUE TO BE PUBLISHED WITHIN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, AND STUDENTS OF KARATE HOPE THAT IT WILL SERVE TO DISPEL SOME OF THE DISREPUTE INTO WHICH THE SPORT HAS FALLEN OWING TO INDISCRIMINATE POPULAR PUBLICITY. IT IS, SAY THE EXPERTS, MERELY THE APPLICATION OF CERTAIN WELL-KNOWN SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES TO MOVEMENTS OF THE BODY.