The establishment of the Postojna Karate Club reaches back into the year 1973. It was then that karate enthusiasts and sympathizers realized that Postojna needed a club to charish the martial art, namely karate.

All through the years the driving force of the club has been Josip Kovšca who unselfishly runs the club even today. He hopes that young people will get to love this sport and thus exceed all the stereotypes about karate being a rowdy sport. It was in the recent times that the nobleness and the persistence of the coach (J. Kovšca) were realized to full extent; as a result, the club now has over 100 members. What is more, a branch of the club opened in Planina in 2005 which now has over 20 members of different age groups.

The Postojna Karate Club tends to realise its mission by competing in numerous competitions in and outside Slovenia and thus making the club recognized for its competitory achievements. With his work throughout the years, Josip Kovšca has made the club recognizable in the neighbouring countries as well as in the countries of former Yugoslavia. In 2001, he received a diploma of the International Olympic Committee for a longterm volunteer work and the promotion of friendship and sympathy among sportsmen.

 

The Postojna Karate Club is not successful only in terms of competitory achievements but also in terms of organisation. In the last five years the club became well known among karate lovers and experts for its organisation of the international competition known as the Postojna Cave Championship which will be held for the fifth time in the year 2006. The main sponsors of this competition are the Postojnska jama company and the Postojna Commune. The club also attracts many other sponsors and donators who are willing to participate in the largest competition in Slovenia and who see karate as an important factor in terms of binding young people and promoting their cooperation. Each year the Postojna Cave Championship attracts over 700 competitors from many European countries and thus makes the city of Postojna even more recognizable in terms of tourism as it already is.

The club members are bound together by firm and genuine friendships. This can be observed in now already a traditional competition, known as the memorial to Ziko. The memorial is held each year to honor the memory of a deceased member and assistant to coach Zikret Agić – Ziko. In the memorial the club members compete among each other in katas.

The persistence and the right approach to this martial art have made the club successful all through the years. Inspite of all ups and downs which occured in its path the effort was not in vain. After more than 30 years the members of the Postojna Karate Club have finally got what they were striving for; the club is recognized outside Slovenia and its coach Josip Kovšca has become a synonym for this sport. Josip already sees his replacement in his son, a karate coach and referee, Marko Kovšca and in the karate instructor Hadis Lišinović.