Karate kid Ngan to compete at World Games in Colombia

Vietnamese karate artist Nguyen Hoang Ngan has been invited to compete at the ninth 2013 World Games, which will be held in Cali City, Colombia, from July 25 to August 4.

Vietnamese karate artist Nguyen Hoang Ngan has been invited to compete at the ninth 2013 World Games, which will be held in Cali City, Colombia, from July 25 to August 4.

In it to win it: Nguyen Hoang Ngan will represent Viet Nam at the coming 2013 World Games in Colombia

This year the Games will feature 32 official sports and four invitationals. Karate remains as one of the traditional events at the Games which also include sumo and jujitsu, both sports hailing from Japan.

Ngan , the former world champion in kata (performance), won a spot at the Games following a successful year of competitions.

The Hanoian, who won a gold medal at an open tournament in Germany last September, is still recovering from a knee injury in the capital city, but is expected to be fit for competition at the Games.

The World Games, first held in 1981, are an international multi-sports event, meant for sports, or disciplines or events within a sport, that are not contested in the Olympics. They, held every four years, are organised and governed by the International World Games Association, under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee.

The most recent Games in Kaohsiung City, Chinese Taipei in 2009, drew nearly 6,000 athletes, officials, coaches, referees and others from 103 countries, setting a record for participation at the multi-sports competition.

Ngan was also the only Vietnamese athlete to win gold in Kaohsiung, which helped Vietnam rank 38th on the overall medal tally.