Rwanda will be the second country to host the African Para Taekwondo Open (G4/G2), according to the World Taekwondo Federation. WFT says the African Para-Taekwondo open will be organised by Rwanda Taekwondo Federation and promoted by the African Taekwondo Union. The second edition will be held in March next year in Karongi District. The first was held in Cairo, Egypt. Rwanda Taekwondo Federation secretary general Placide Bagabo said Rwanda was given the rights to host the continental championship during the WTF General Assembly after the World Junior Taekwondo Championship last month in Canada. “WTF also officially approved our local national championship, ‘Gorilla Taekwondo Open’ as an international event on the WTF calendar to be organised every year,” Bagabo added. He noted that they expect over 30 participants to compete in the annual tournament and the results will be used in the continental rankings. Early this year, top WTF officials visited Rwanda to observe whether the country had the required infrastructure needed to host the event, such as stadiums and hotels. Participants from the African continent will be counted towards the K40 G4 World Ranking points. The K40 G2 World Ranking points are awarded to the participants from non-African Member National Associations. Meanwhile, all athletes and officials registering for the event must have an approved 2017 WTF global license and signed event waiver. In January, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that taekwondo will make its historic debut in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
