Bermuda?s Hall of Fame Martial Arts Master Al Wharton is throwing his support behind the Mihdi Brock fundraising effort.

Mr. Wharton?s 11th Annual International Invitational Martial Arts Festival began yesterday and runs until Sunday at the Bermuda College Gymnasium.

The Festival will help to raise funds for Mihdi Joon Brock, who suffers from a curvature of the spine due to a rare disorder, progressive kyphoscoliosis. Master Wharton, who has been a Martial Artist for over 40 years, said he recognises a fighter when he sees one.

?The Academy?s motto is ?energy and persistence will conquer all things?,? said Mr. Wharton, ?And this certainly applies to Mihdi.

?The nine-year-old has been in a fight for his life since he was in his mother?s womb and ten years later, he continues his fight under daily care by internationally respected physician and Martial Arts Master Dr. Baolin Wu.?

Mihdi?s father, Marvin, said his mission to keep Mihdi alive would not be possible without the help of people like Master Wharton and others in the Bermuda community.

?It has been the people and businesses of Bermuda that have been the backbone in this effort,? he said. ?Without this spine of support, Mihdi would not be alive today.

?We are most grateful to Master Al and the Bermuda Arts and Fitness Academy for their support and effort in this fight. Al has told me for years ? so has his brother, Paget ? ?I got your back Brock!?

?They have been there for the last ten years of this effort.?

The funds raised will help sponsor Mihdi?s training abroad in Tae Kwon Do, a Korean system with emphasis on lower body stretching and high kicks. This is a prescription of his Chinese physician Dr. Wu intended to address the curvature in Mihdi?s lower spine.

This, combined with swim class once or twice a week, works to support his spine and lungs, added his father.

Some of the participants in this weekend?s Martial Arts Festival are Bill ?Superfoot? Wallace, Larry Trott, Sensei Ron Fagan, Christine Bannon-Rodrigues, Greg Pinney and Sifu Jef Naayers.

There will also be seminars over the course of the weekend on full-contact kick-boxing, deepening your practice with Qi Gong, Silk Reeling, Chin na, street fighting, Yang Style Tai Chi and other martial arts forms. Tickets, $20 for adults and $17 for those 17 and under, are available from Sports ?R? Us and the International Sports Shop.

For more information visit or email or ( 504-6040 or 331-3474.