Ashraf Tai
Encyclopedia
Muhammad Ashraf Ali Tai is a martial artist and one of the most famous Grandmasters
in Pakistan
. As a pioneer of martial arts
in Pakistan, he laid the foundation of Pakistan Karate Federation, and succeeded in having the body affiliated with the Pakistan Olympic Association
as well as the Pakistan Sports Board
.
In 2003, Ashraf Tai was awarded the Pride of Performance
by President General Pervez Musharraf for his contribution to Karate
in Pakistan.
Grand Master Ashraf Tai had created a sensation by overpowering Stanley Michael of Malaysia in the final of the Afro-Asia Championship in 1978. He had confirmed his superiority in the continent by outwitting Japan's Koha Yash a year later.After emerging triumphant in a tournament staged in Sri Lanka in 1980, he dared fighting the reigning world champion, Don Wilson of the United States, in 1981. The creditable performance against the world champion elevated his ranking to the ninth place in the world.Grand Master Ashraf Tai then founded the Pakistan Karate Federation (PKF) and succeeded in having the body affiliated with the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) as well as the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).Having received numerous awards in various continents of the world during his illustrious career, he was declared the International Grand Master of the Year in 2000 by an institution based in the United States.The Tai's Bando Karate Centre, founded by him in 1971, has already trained thousands of martial artists. The branches of his centres have not only been functioning with great success all over the country but the students trained by him have also been operating the centres named after him in quite a few countries like the United States, England, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, France, Holland and Bangladesh.Grand Master Ashraf Tai, was conferred the coveted Pride of Performance award by the then President General Pervez Musharraf.The pioneer of Bando in Pakistan, Grand Master Ashraf Tai holds the distinction of claiming the highest degree (8th Dan) in the martial arts history of the country. Only a handful of martial artists have matched his feat worldwide.He had started karate at the age of 9 with my master Lee Phow Shin. He got his black belt at the age of 16. He started participating in a lot of local tournaments, most of which were professional.
Grandmaster (martial arts)
Grandmaster and Master are titles used to describe or address some senior or experienced martial artists. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master stock character in fiction...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. As a pioneer of martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
in Pakistan, he laid the foundation of Pakistan Karate Federation, and succeeded in having the body affiliated with the Pakistan Olympic Association
Pakistan Olympic Association
Pakistan Olympic Association is the National Olympic Committee of Pakistan. The association was established in 1948 to oversee the active participation of the newly independent state at the Olympiad. Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the first Governor-General of the country also became the patron-in-chief of...
as well as the Pakistan Sports Board
Pakistan Sports Board
Pakistan Sports Board is a department of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for promoting and developing standards of sports throughout Pakistan....
.
In 2003, Ashraf Tai was awarded the Pride of Performance
Pride of Performance
Pride of Performance , is one of the highest civil award given and conferred by the Pakistan Government to Pakistan's citizens in recognition of distinguished merit in the fields of Literature, Arts, Sports, Medicines, and Science for civilians in most particular cases.The announcement of civil...
by President General Pervez Musharraf for his contribution to Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
in Pakistan.
Grand Master Ashraf Tai had created a sensation by overpowering Stanley Michael of Malaysia in the final of the Afro-Asia Championship in 1978. He had confirmed his superiority in the continent by outwitting Japan's Koha Yash a year later.After emerging triumphant in a tournament staged in Sri Lanka in 1980, he dared fighting the reigning world champion, Don Wilson of the United States, in 1981. The creditable performance against the world champion elevated his ranking to the ninth place in the world.Grand Master Ashraf Tai then founded the Pakistan Karate Federation (PKF) and succeeded in having the body affiliated with the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) as well as the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).Having received numerous awards in various continents of the world during his illustrious career, he was declared the International Grand Master of the Year in 2000 by an institution based in the United States.The Tai's Bando Karate Centre, founded by him in 1971, has already trained thousands of martial artists. The branches of his centres have not only been functioning with great success all over the country but the students trained by him have also been operating the centres named after him in quite a few countries like the United States, England, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, France, Holland and Bangladesh.Grand Master Ashraf Tai, was conferred the coveted Pride of Performance award by the then President General Pervez Musharraf.The pioneer of Bando in Pakistan, Grand Master Ashraf Tai holds the distinction of claiming the highest degree (8th Dan) in the martial arts history of the country. Only a handful of martial artists have matched his feat worldwide.He had started karate at the age of 9 with my master Lee Phow Shin. He got his black belt at the age of 16. He started participating in a lot of local tournaments, most of which were professional.