Eric Nkurunziza and Jean Basile Kalisa will represent Rwanda at the upcoming Commonwealth Taekwondo championships scheduled for November 15-16 in Edinburgh, Scotland. This will be Rwanda’s debut appearance at the biennial event that will also serve as a qualifier for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Nkurunziza, who lives in the United States of America, will compete in the middle weight category against competitors in the U-80kg while the Canada-based Kalisa will participate in the heavy weight category (plus 87kg). “We are hopeful that Rwanda will perform well and our aim is to get points and a good position at the end of the competition,” said Placide Bugabo, the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation secretary general. First held in Brisbane, Australia in 2006, the event which is held under the auspices of the World Taekwondo Federation, Commonwealth Taekwondo Union and Commonwealth Games Federation is expected to attract more than 500 martial artists from 64 commonwealth countries. The championship will feature poomsae (a defined set of movements including striking, kicking and blocking techniques), kyorugi (fighting) and para-taekwondo in an effort to develop athletes with disabilities. The tournament organisers believe that this event will strengthen taekwondo’s bid to be included among the sports disciplines for the 2022 Commonwealth Games that will be held in either Durban in South Africa or Edmonton in Canada. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
