XII Panamerican Karate Championship opens 2 May in Santiago de los Caballeros. Karate athletes from 24 countries will participate in the sports event that opens on Saturday. Best athletes from the Americas will compete in the event that serves as training for the Central American Sports Games of this summer in Maracaibo, Venezuela and the Panamerican Games scheduled for Winnipeg, Canada in 1999. President Leonel Fernández will be present at the 7:30 pm inauguration of the event in Palacio de los Deportes of Santiago.
