Rwanda national team taekwondo begin their bid for medals at the Morocco International Taekwondo Open which starts on Saturday through November 28 in the Moroccan coastal city of Agadir.

The team of four players, two men and two women, has been in Agadir for the past five days following their two-week spell in the French capital of Paris where they held a seven-day training camp alongside their French national team counterparts.

"We have had excellent preparations for this tournament and we are optimistic to win some medals as well as gain more experience ahead of next year’s Olympic qualifiers,” said head coach Allan Irene Bagire in a phone interview with Saturday Sport.

The team currently in Morocco includes Regis Iyumva (U-58kg), Cedrick Mwemezi (U-68kg), Aline Ndacyayisenga (U-57kg) and Zura Mushambokazi (U-49kg).

The tournament is aimed at helping the national team prepare for next year’s Olympic Games qualifiers which will also be hosted in Morocco, from February 13-14, 2016.

The following countries have also confirmed their participation in this year’s Morocco International Taekwondo Open: Belgium, Greece, Algeria, Canada, Iceland, Denmark, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Burkina Faso, Netherlands, Palestine, Russia, Ghana, Afghanistan, Australia, Cote d’Ivoire, and Yemen.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw