Many South Sudanese disregard kickboxing as a form of sports but one man-Puro Okelo Obo-defied all the odds to turn a once widely frowned upon martial art into a popular and loved one in the country and region.
Okelo, an internationally renowned professional kickboxer and promoter, uses mixed martial arts (MMA) which includes among others, kickboxing, wrestling, karate, and Muay Thai, to train young people at the Youth Training Center in Juba City.
The two-time world full-contact champion says forging peace through sports has been his lifetime passion.
Radio Tamazuj caught up with Puro Okelo Obob, and he began by explaining how he started as an amateur in the 1970s.
“I started Karate training during my elementary school in Khartoum in 1978,” Okelo narrated. “As a child, martial arts was my passion and I had to venture into the practice because it was necessary for self-defense as a pupil.”
The world over, boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, and karate among other techniques widely practiced among young people for self-defense, military and law enforcement applications, competition, and maintaining good health. However, in South Sudan, martial arts often took the form of traditional wrestling, volleyball, dance, and football.
In early the 1980s, the little Okelo took a leap of faith and became the first to introduce karate to the southern region of the then Sudan-now the Republic of South Sudan.
“I introduced Shotokan (a form of karate) in Juba in early 1980. I was the first in Sudan to introduce the practice of Karate to the people in Juba,” Okelo proudly says.
He adds: “In 1984, I left for Kenya and enrolled for more training and I was awarded a Black belt (one of the highest awards in karate).”
As the Sudanese civil war raged in the mid-1980s, the martial artist said returning to his home country was not an option.
“From there I was unable to get back to Sudan because of the war so I left for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and in 1985 left for Canada. There, I went on with the karate practice and became a professional,” Okelo says.
Born in Otallo village, Pochalla County, Jonglei State on the South Sudan-Ethiopian border village in 1968, Okelo divulges that his passion for martial arts remains as strong as was 40 years ago, even after joining a Canadian university and earning an electrical engineering diploma.
“In Canada, I attained two diplomas. One in electrical engineering and another in public administration but that did not stop me from kickboxing,” he said.
For Okelo, kickboxing was not just a passion but also a profession with practical applications in every aspect of human life.
“Kickboxing is necessary for improvement of balance, flexibility, and strength, mental and physical health. And that is why sportspeople are often several years younger,” he stressed.
In a country torn apart by protracted wars, Okelo also explained how kickboxing forges unity among young people.
“At this center, on average I train about 1000 youth from all walks of life every year. The development comes from all of us, whether you are an athlete or a journalist,” Okelo explains with conviction. “Building South Sudan requires collective efforts from all of us.”
He adds: “I would like to see all South Sudanese putting their heads together because this country is bigger than all of us and it needs all of us to develop. So, let us stop the war for young people to have a better future.”
While representing Canada, Okelo became the world full-contact champion in Chicago, the USA in 1995. In 1997, he also won a similar championship in Canada earning him recognition as the undisputed and unstoppable middleweight MMA fighter in the World.
He again won the inter-continental full contact championship in 2007. Those championship titles and awards, Okelo says, motivated him to return to Africa to develop martial arts.
“In 1995 I founded the first Africa martial arts academy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Later, I opened a branch in Nairobi, Kenya,” he said.
Okelo who heads the World Kickboxing Federation in South Sudan says his lifetime goal is to promote kickboxing internationally.
“I returned to South Sudan in 2008 and have been promoting kickboxing and mix martial arts here in Juba since then,” OKelo says. “We are also promoting the international championships between Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, and Sudan. I aim to promote kickboxing internationally. Hopefully, we will bring a better team out of this country.”