Rwanda is preparing a team of six players to participate at the XXI World Taekwondo Championship, to be held on July 15-21 in the Mexican city of Puebla. The team is made up of Placide Bagabo [58kg], Allan Bagire [63kg], Boniface Mbonigaba [54kg], Zura Mushambokazi [49kg], Savio Nizeyimana [68lg] and Jean Basile Kalisa [87kg]. The team trains at Amahoro National Stadium everyday under the tutelage of Head coach Martin Koonce. Among the six, Mushambokazi, Bagabo, Bagire and Mbonigaba took part in the German and Dutch Open tournaments in March, all aimed at helping the players gain experience and exposure ahead of the World Championship. Rwanda will be making its maiden appearance in the Taekwondo World Championships which have been held since 1973. Although Korean martial art became an Olympic discipline about three decades later. Mexican city of Puebla beat Croatian candidate Split for the right to host the 21st World Taekwondo Championships in 2013, it has been announced. Puebla, not far from Mexico City in the centre of the country, beat Split by 18 votes to 11. Taekwondo is one of the most popular sports in the world which originated from Korea and was introduced in Rwanda in 2003. “We have already started preparations because its a big tournament and we are going to compete with big countries and hopefully we will do well,” Rwanda Taekwondo federation Secretary General Placide Bagabo, said on Friday.
