O.N.A.K.A.I.
NGB for Karate in Ireland
NGB for Karate in Ireland
Women in Sport Week 2026 is Here Since 2021, Women in Sport Week has been Sport Ireland’s national initiative celebrating women and girls in sport, shining a light on the people, moments, and communities that make it happen across Ireland. This Year’s Theme: Same Energy Same Energy is a call to all of us to show up for women’s sport with the same anticipation, visibility, and respect it deserves — every single day. Whether you’re a member, athlete, coach, official, volunteer, supporter, or fan — this week is about you! Get Involved. Show Up. Bring the Same Energy. It’s happening this week, and we’re excited to be part of it! Throughout the week, we’ll be highlighting our fantastic team of females across our social channels — celebrating their achievements, dedication, and the impact they make every day.
We Kicked off Women in Sport week early with our Conference in Dublin! What a fantastic event it was, bringing together females of all ages from across our karate community for a day of learning, connection, and empowerment. The day began with an inspiring keynote from Kellie Fennell, who shared her powerful journey in “How I Built My Journey from the Ground Up.” Kellie spoke openly about navigating self-doubt, setbacks, and uncertainty, while staying deeply connected to her purpose — a message that resonated strongly with everyone in attendance. This was followed by an engaging and interactive session with our own WKF Guardian Girls instructor and Women in Sport team member Carol Grogan. The Guardian Girls programme empowers women by building confidence, driving cultural transformation, and advancing global gender equality through karate training. Her session truly captured the spirit of the day. After lunch, we heard from Onakai President Chris Kelly, who addressed attendees and reinforced our ongoing commitment to supporting and championing women in karate. We closed the conference with an impactful presentation from sports psychologist Dr. Ciara Losty, titled “Using Injury as a Performance Accelerator.” Her talk focused on how athletes can turn forced downtime into opportunities for mental skill development and tactical growth — a powerful way to reframe challenges as stepping stones to success. Overall, it was an inspiring and energising day that truly set the tone for Women in Sport Week. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to making it such a meaningful event.
I was privileged to be invited to go to Limassol as a national referee, to participate in the EKF Referee programme, at the Cadets, Junior and U21 Championships in Cyprus. This was both a fantastic experience and a formidable challenge. I flew out with Onakai referee colleagues, Oliver Brunton and Violet Brown. We had a long stopover in Heathrow where we spent 4 hours studying the rules and thrashing out the theory questions for both Kata and kumite, rigorously going through every possible true or false rationale. Our first day in Cyprus we spent doing the same together, in addition to watching YouTube videos, discussing referee and judge decisions and generally aspiring to complete Referree "nerd" level. Read full story on our social media.
ONAKAI Coaching Teenage Girls Workshops, offer a valuable opportunity to educate, upskill, and support coaches who work with teenage girls. By providing practical knowledge and effective tools to better understand, engage, and motivate this age group, the workshops help address barriers to participation, build confidence, and promote long-term involvement in sport. Through this initiative, O.N.A.K.A.I. aims to enhance the sporting experience of teenage girls across Ireland, ensuring they feel supported, encouraged, and empowered to remain active during these important developmental years. Tuesday 10th March 19:30-21:00 Thursday 12th March 19:30-21:00 This training is free to male and female members +18 and can be booked by emailing wis@onakai.ie Thanks to our Women in Sports team and to Sport Ireland for their continued support which enables us to run these trainings.
