A record 15 teams are expected to take part in the 6th edition of the annual Taekwondo National Championship scheduled for December 11-13 at Amahoro National Stadium, according to the organisers. The three-day multi-sport competition will be comprised of; youth competitions, junior competitions, senior competitions and Para-taekwondo competitions in both Poomse and Kyrogi categories. Poomse is a Taekwondo style to express the mental and physical refinements as well as the principles and techniques of offense and defense while Kyrogi is the actual practice of Poomse with someone else in a battle for points to determine the winner. Speaking to Times Sport on Wednesday, Rwanda Taekwondo Federation secretary general, Placide Bagabo said that, “Everything is in place for the tournament to happen, and it’s going to be bigger and more entertaining than the previous editions.” “Registration deadline for competing teams is December 9,” the former Rwanda national team captain noted. Dream Taekwondo Club dominated last year’s championship and are among pre-tournament favourites along with Kimironko-based Dream Fighters Club. By press time, only six teams had registered for the competition but Bagabo remains positive that more teams would register towards the deadline, “as they always do.” This year’s Taekwondo National Championship is expected to attract record 15 teams, a three more than last year’s number. Martial fighters to compete in the championship will be looking to impress and earn better continental and global rankings in their respective categories – one of the criteria based on to earn a spot in the national team for international competitions. Morocco will host next year’s African Taekwondo Championships in March, while Tunisia is set to host qualifiers of the Youth Olympic Games in April 2018. Rwanda will be represented in both events. Meanwhile, Boniface Mbonigaba (-58kgs) claimed a silver medal on Tuesday at the just concluded World Taekwondo Poomse Championships in South Korea while Zura Mushambokazi (-57kgs) finished in 7th position. The two-day event took place on December 5-6. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
