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Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Taekwondo Association is looking forward to a bigger and better tournament when they host the Korean Ambassador Taekwondo Championships this weekend at the University of Zimbabwe. The event is scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday with athletes between the ages of 13 and 18 battling it out in the juniors section while those above 18 will fight for the honours in the seniors section.

The championships will also include a children’s section from four years to 12 years. The annual event, which is running for the third year is expected to see an increased number of foreign participants with Botswana, Lesotho and Malawi taking part as well as Mozambique who have been participating in this tournament since its inaugural edition in 2015. The national association’s secretary-general Cleopas Nyangoni said they are looking forward to an exciting tournament.

“We are having it at UZ, in the Great Hall and we are going to be hosting four other countries – Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique and Malawi. We have three sets of teams – a children’s team that comprises of children between four years and 12 years. We have juniors from 13 to 18 years and the senior teams. In this senior team we have senior male and senior females’ teams. But for children its one team. For the other countries they are coming with their teams like that,” said Nyangoni.

Nyangoni added that while the championships is a national event, it features other countries as a way of creating a more competition. The national association is also looking at next year’s African Youth Games and Youth Olympic Games where they are hoping to have some athletes qualifying for the two competitions.

“This is an annual event, we hold it normally between September and November. This is the third edition, we started these championships in 2015 and we held it at Prince Edward and then we had it at UZ. Mozambique they have been coming since we started, so this year we have added three more countries. The idea is to up the game because if our fighters just fight on their own, they know each other. But if we have somebody coming from outside the county that’s when we can tell if we are improving or going down. We are also preparing for the Youth Olympic Games and (African) Youth Games,” said Nyangoni. Registration is already underway and the visiting countries are expected in the country by Friday morning just before the competition kicks off in the afternoon.

“We are expecting 200 local athletes, and then foreign athletes we are expecting around 100. Mozambique is going to bring three teams and Botswana are going to bring three teams, their children and junior teams are going to be very large as they are trying to groom athletes for 2020 Olympics and the Youth Olympic Games next year,” Nyangoni said. Winners from the tournament will walk away with a trophy as well as the runners-up. The organisers will also reward the best team of the tournament, best coach and outstanding athletes in the senior and junior sections.