Abstract - 25 years of activity by the OYAMA Sports Club in Rzeszow
Background. Oyama Karate is a full contact style of karate that originated in 1983, and based on Japanese Kyokushin. The creator of this style was Shigeru Oyama, co-founder of the World Kyokushinkai Organization (01.10.1963). The beginnings of Oyama Karate in Poland date to 29th September 1991. The Oyama Sports Club in Rzeszow (KSOR) was created as the Oyama Karate Club in Rzeszow in 1993. The club’s activities prioritised recreational trainings for children, young people and adults, as well as professional trainings for competitors. Currently the club trains approximately 500 people, including 200 children.
Problem. The goal of this article is to investigate and describe the circumstances of the creation of the Oyama Sports Club in Rzeszow, and its activity in the period between 1993 and 2007.
Methods. The article contains qualitative analysis of the sources and materials gathered during research in libraries and archives. The main source of information was the private archive of Patrycjusz Mostek – the chairman of KSOR. The secondary main sources are oral interviews with the first vice-chairman of the club Krystian Niemiec, as well as club contestants Klaudia Bajrasz and Patryk Kosturek.
Results. The material collected facilitated the recreation of the historical background to the events preceding the founding of the organisation, and attention was drawn to the sporting achievements of practitioners training in the club.
Conclusions. The Club’s contestants were distinguished as the best in the country multiple times. The club has been placed in the top 10 best clubs in Poland a number of times. Owing to the diligence and enormous enthusiasm of the club’s instructors, the group of sport masters is still increasing.