ZIM Ninja Academy will host its inaugural National Martial Arts Tournament at Harare City Sports Centre on 26 September, with the competition combining talent identification with a campaign against drug and substance abuse among young people.
The tournament, to be held under the Zimbabwe Karate Union (ZKU) banner, will bring together male and female martial artists across different age groups to compete in full contact Karate and Kobudo.
Running under the theme, “Building a Drug-Free Generation Through Sport”, the competition seeks to use martial arts as an alternative platform for keeping children and youths engaged while promoting discipline, confidence, respect and healthy lifestyles.
Zim Ninja Academy believes organised sport can play an important role in addressing growing concerns around drug and substance abuse by providing young people with structured activities and opportunities to develop their talents.
Beyond its social message, the tournament will provide emerging athletes with competitive experience and an opportunity to stake their claims for future national selection and international competition.
In full contact Karate Kumite, male and female athletes will compete in age and weight categories beginning from seven-year-olds through junior and senior divisions to veterans.
The Kobudo competition will accommodate athletes from as young as four, with participants up to the age of 39 competing within their respective age groups, while those aged 40 and above will contest the veterans section.
Kobudo competitors will battle for honours in Traditional Weapons and Freestyle Weapons, testing their technique, control and creativity.
Prize money and other accolades will be awarded to leading performers, while spectators will be admitted free of charge.
The academy hopes the competition will develop into an annual fixture on the national martial arts calendar and provide another pathway for identifying athletes capable of representing Zimbabwe at continental and international competitions.
Zim Ninja Academy founder Shihan Wilfred Mashaya, popularly known as Zim Ninja, has increasingly focused on using his international experience to develop young martial artists.
Shidoshi Mashaya is a Kobudo weapons world champion and multiple Martial Arts Hall of Fame inductee who has represented Zimbabwe at competitions and events across Africa, Europe and Asia.
His coaching credentials received another boost at the 2025 ICO World Championships in Wales, where eight young Zimbabwean martial artists under his guidance won a combined 43 medals.
Master Mashaya was also recognised at the 2026 Annual National Sports Awards, where he received the People’s Choice Award and the Coach of the Year Silver Award.
Through the academy, he is seeking to ensure competitive success goes hand-in-hand with character development and efforts to address social challenges affecting young people.
The academy said the tournament represented “another chance to identify and develop Zimbabwe’s future national, continental and world champions”.
The tournament is being organised in collaboration with several corporate and institutional partners, with Fleximarble Investments providing advisory support towards its delivery.
Baines Intercare Medical Centre, Musabvunda, Gas Up Energy, Quality Glass Warehouse, Jandrup Group and Aqua Rangers Lifesaving & Water Safety Services are among organisations that have partnered with the academy for the tournament.
The Academy said the partnerships were important in creating opportunities for athletes while advancing the event’s drug-free generation campaign.
Zim Ninja Academy is open to additional companies, organisations and individuals interested in supporting the tournament and its broader youth development initiatives.
