Kung who? Mystery of the martial arts 'professor' handed an MBE - even though no-one's heard of him
- Leading figures in martial arts baffled by MBE awarded to Alan Thornton
- Describes himself as a 10th Dan Red Belt in a form of karate
- But former karate champions have never heard of him or branch of the sport
- Mr Thornton of Brentford, West London says his work is recognised around the world
Having just been awarded an MBE for services to martial arts you would think Alan Thornton
would be the toast of his fellow karate experts.
But yesterday leading figures in British martial arts were instead angered and perplexed by the gong for a man they have never heard of.
The award in the Queen’s birthday honours list was given to a ‘Professor Alan Stanley Thornton’ who describes himself as a 10th Dan Red Belt in a form of karate called ‘Senai Seisshinryu Shihandokai’.
However, last night former karate champions were lining up to criticise the Honours Committee as they had heard of neither Mr Thornton nor his branch of their sport.
‘I have no idea who he is,’ said David ‘Ticky’ Donovan, who was awarded an OBE for coaching the English and British karate teams for more than 20 years. ‘If he’s a 10th Dan, then I certainly would have heard of him.’
Wayne Otto, also an OBE and the winner of five World Championship gold medals, added: ‘I can honestly say that I have never heard of him. A 10th Dan is pretty rare – there are only very few in this country and I’m pretty sure I know who they are.’
A 10th Dan is, indeed, exceptionally rare as it is the highest rank in many martial arts. Despite their legendary status in karate, not even Mr Donovan or Mr Otto have achieved it.
British martial arts organisations were last night also similarly mystified. ‘I’ve never heard of him,’ said a spokesman for the English Karate Federation.
Bob Weatherall, secretary of the British Council of Chinese Martial Arts, added: ‘I don’t know who he is.’
Absolute disgrace to all of the martial artists who train and teach for their love of the art. There should be a campaign to get this award blocked/rescinded.
ReplyDeleteDo you know that he DOESN'T deserve it?
ReplyDelete