New Ireland fighters return with international experience, improve rankings

Three fighters from New Ireland Province recently participated in two separate tournaments in Brisbane and South Australia. They also attended martial arts courses, bringing with them new experiences from international training and bouts. 

The fighters featured Steven Tommy, Lindoln Chan, and Brandon Wengip, who competed in the karate and taekwondo tournaments. Lindoln, however, did not fight due to a knee injury. Both Brandon and Steven came second in their respective fights. 

After undertaking an approximately six-week training program and participating in two tournaments, the fighters were certified and graded in various martial arts rankings. Steven received his Instructor’s License in Karate and Taekwondo, Brando attained a Certificate in Taekwondo, and Lindoln obtained a Certificate in Karate.

Lindoln and Steven studied the instructor's course and received the Third Dan (Black Belt). A third dan has three stripes, which qualify Steven and Lindoln to become Masters or Senseis.  

The New Ireland Provincial Government, under the leadership of Governor Byron Chan, has supported the three fighters to gain international exposure in martial arts, especially in karate and taekwondo.

Governor Chan said the provincial government supported these senior martial artists to upgrade their skills to become internationally recognized instructors before mentoring emerging fighters in New Ireland.

Honorable Chan explained that he and the Provincial Government sponsored the athletes’ trip to fight and train Down Under, aiming to resurrect the martial arts code in the province. 

“Out of this training program that the New Ireland provincial government has undertaken with our new administrator, we aim to revive martial arts, especially taekwondo and karate. New Ireland has missed out for some time, but we’ve come again to revive martial arts and create opportunities for our athletes,” Chan said. 

The Governor stressed that taekwondo and karate are Olympic events, highlighting the province’s investment in these disciplines to train, nurture, and develop the next generation of martial artists in New Ireland. 

New Ireland Provincial Administrator Dennis Kosam echoed Governor Chan’s sentiments, congratulating the fighters and assuring the provincial government’s support of not only martial arts but also other sports in the province.

The trio sincerely thanked Governor Chan and the New Ireland provincial government for sponsoring their trip to Australia. They hope to pass on the knowledge they learned to the martial arts students in the province.

They said it was a new learning experience for them, where they learned a lot from internationally recognized martial arts instructors, and look forward to honing their craft and passing the same knowledge to the rising fighters.  

New Ireland Province has over 10 mixed martial arts clubs. The provincial government has equipped Steven, Lindoln, and Brandon with martial arts skills to train emerging talents in the province.