Korea Cup taekwondo from Nov. 13

YASARATNE GAMAGE

The 2012 Korea Cup Taekwondo Championship organized and sponsored by the Korea International Cooperation Agency ( KOICA ) in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation will be held for the ninth year from November 13 to 18 at two venues in Colombo.

The event is conducted in three categories Schools championship, Universities championship and Open championship. The preliminary rounds of the schools championship has already completed. The preliminary rounds of the Universities and Open championships will be held on November 13 to 15 at the Sports Hostel Gymnasium of the Sports Ministry.

All the finals will be held on November 18 at the St Joseph's College Indoor Sports Complex. This was revealed at a press conference convened by the KOICA Sri Lanka office at Jaj Samudra Hotel on Wednesday.

This year around 300 school children have participated in the preliminary rounds and about 40 have been qualified for the finals, said T V Priyantha Kumara, Secretary of Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation.

We have invited nine universities except for Jaffna and Sabaragamuwa who are yet to start the sport in their institutes.

November 5 is the deadline for applications and the official draw will be held on November 10, he added.

The tournament inaugurated in 2001 in Colombo with Korean support. A total of 1000 competitors from 60 schools, 10 universities and 16 clubs participated in the inaugural championship where they competed in two segments, Kyorugi ( sparring ) and Poomsae ( forms ).

The Korea Government has been actively supporting to popularize Taekwondo in Sri Lanka since 1997. The sports is significant as a physical training subject in schools and also a national sport as well.