Asian Taekwondo Open Championship to kick-off on Wednesday
Over 500 athletes to participate in the 5-day International fixture: Mohammad Wasim JanjuaAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: President, Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF), Lt. Col (Retd) Mohammad Wasim Janjua officially announced that the 5th Asian Taekwondo Open Championship would be kicked off on November 1, 2023, at the Liaquat Gymnasium, Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad on Monday.Janjua was addressing a press conference at a local hotel flanked by the president, the Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU), Professor Kyu Seok Lee, and Omar Saeed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) PTF and further added that martial arts players from 27 countries would take part in the different taekwondo disciplines during the five days international prestigious showpiece.“The opening ceremony of the championship will take place on November 2 at the mentioned above venue while the closing ceremony will be celebrated on November 5, 2023. Taekwondo players from all over the world would chip in the mega event, as it will be a nice occasion for the local players to show their game skills in the mega international fixture, “he further said.While responding to a question, the head of the PTF said that the same venue had hosted the 4th Asian Open successfully. “Sports events are uplifting the positive image of Pakistan all over the world. This time, a huge number of international players will fight for medals. We invited India after completing all the requirements for the documentation but now the ball is in Indian court. I think they will not visit Pakistan, “he asserted.“Around 500 to 600 athletes from different 27 nations will compete for gold and different medals in Khyrougi and Poomsae disciplines during the 5-day competitions. The players Afghanistan, Bahrain, Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Palestine, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Türkiye, United Arabs Emirates (UAE), Uzbekistan and The Humanitarian Foundation (THF) have confirmed their participation, “Wasim Janjua concluded.