Asian Taekwondo championship kicks off in HCM City

Taekwondo athletes (Photo: VNA)

The 23rd Asian Taekwondo Championships kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City on May 24.

The event is jointly held by the municipal Department of Culture and Sports and the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation.

President of the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation Truong Ngoc De said the event creates a good opportunity for Vietnamese athletes to learn experience before joining the 18th Asian Games (ASIAD) in August in Indonesia.

Vietnamese aces Ho Thi Kim Ngan and Truong Thi Kim Tuyen strive for gold medals.

The tourney is drawing nearly 700 athletes from 50 countries and territories.

Powerhouses such as the Republic of Korea, China’s Taiwan, Iran, China and Thailand sent their strongest athletes to the event.

It features two categories:  the kumite (combat) events and the poomsae (performance) disciplines.

The same day, the fifth Asian Taekwondo Poomsae Championship and the fourth Asian Para-Taekwondo Open Championship were also opened in HCM City.

The fourth Asian Para-Taekwondo Open Championship attracts 120 athletes with disabilities from 50 countries and territories. This is the first time disabled Taekwondo athletes have competed in Vietnam.

The continental Taekwondo events are scheduled to run until May 28.

VNA