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31 January 2022

My name is Emmanuel Okimela, I am 24 years old and since January I have been working as the new sports team coordinator at Foyer. As a person, I would describe myself as a dynamic, fun, disciplined and learning person.

My interests are mainly in sports, reading and traveling. Most of my time is spent on sports. I practice karate at a high level, a sport that has taught me things like discipline, self-control and perseverance by teaching young people myself. I practice this sport with passion. I have been a member of Le Chardon Karate club since 2010. A club that I consider as home.

After years of training I obtained my black belt at the age of 18. I was also part of the elites in the National Belgian Karate Team. I have participated in several international tournaments around the world for Belgium, where I achieved excellent results. I have been Belgian junior champion and senior medalist.

Karate doesn’t just stop for me at the national level. I often go abroad for training sessions to expand my knowledge more broadly. Since 2020, I decided to represent Burkina Faso for the upcoming world tournaments and also to see how karate is evolving in Africa. I participated in the African championship in Morocco and also had my selection for the Olympic karate qualification tournament in Paris, before the Olympic Games in Tokyo. I finished in the top 10 in my category.

My passion for sports extends far and wide, for this reason I also decided to train as a personal trainer for combat sports. This earned me a certificate from the National Academy of Sports Medicine(NASM). I also practice other combat sports such as, Jiu-Jitsu, boxing and mma to keep my combat knowledge and fitness top notch.

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