By: Troy MacNeill

ORLANDO, Fla. (January 18, 2024) – The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is proud to announce that President Jo Mirza has received the Humanitarian Award from the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society (IRKRS) for his bridge-building work, dedication, and ongoing efforts to improve the art of Karate.
 
As part of the 2023 IRKRS Honour Roll, Jo Mirza has been named the recipient of the Kinjo Hiroshi Humanitarian Award. He is being recognized for his valuable technical contributions and efforts to preserve and promote the fighting arts.

“I have spent my life practicing the art of karate, traveling through a journey of self-discovery, health, and discipline as well as attempted to take this art and honor its heritage and meaning throughout my life,” President Mirza said. “To be recognized by this organization as someone who has taken the art and teachings of karate and used them to continue to preserve the sport and bring people together in new ways is an amazing honor and incredible reward.”
 
Karate represents a fusion of science and art coming together to create a transformative-like pathway. It is a challenging method of conditioning the body, cultivating the mind, and nurturing the spirit. The International Ryukyu Karate Research Society is dedicated to studying the origins, the evolution, and the tactical application theories of Karate.
 
Established in Japan in 1988 and opened to the general public in 1996, the IRKRS has built success from the outside-the-box mindset and finding ways to build bridges across different styles of the fighting arts for decades. The principal focus of their attention is mentoring and empowering enthusiastic learners of all rank and style while helping educators better understand and develop more effective curriculums to impart the functional application practices of kata.
 
President Mirza is joined on the 2023 Honour Roll by some other remarkable names in the sport of Karate. Gerardo Manuel Pimentel is being awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award, Higaonna Morio has won the Person of the Year Award, Dan Antonsen is receiving the IRKRS Ambassador of the Year Award, and many more.
 
To learn more about the International Ryukyu Karate Research Society, click here.