Athletes from Dublin, Wexford, Kerry, Louth, Meath, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Laois, Northern Ireland and Netherlands recently took part in the Irish Taekwondo Union Irish Open at the Tallaght Arena.
The ITU is the sole body responsible for the promotion and development of World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) Olympic style, Taekwondo within Ireland. The WTF are the largest and most innovative Taekwondo body in the world and has over 80 million registered members in 191 countries.
The event was staffed by a crew of 30 volunteers and watched by 600 spectators on the day with the Korean Embassy co-coordinating the visit of the Kukkiwon demonstration Team
The Irish Open was organised in the same way as an international competition – 3 rings each using the latest PSS electronic scoring equipment as used in the Olympic games and the world championships.
The competition was an elimination style event with the winner progressing to the next round. At half time the prestigious Korean Kukkiwon Demonstration team who had flown in especially for the event.
The ITU are sending two athletes to the Junior European Championships in Portugal and after that we are preparing for A class tournaments in 2014 as well as qualification tournaments for the 2016 Olympics
Martin Fleming, President, ITU said “The event was a fantastic success and a great spectacle. There were some top class fights on the day from National team members and newcomers all under the watchful eyes of top international referees. The presence of the Kukkiwon Demonstration team, who had travelled from Korea for the event, was a huge bonus. The team received a standing ovation for their breathtaking performance of taekwondo including some staggering breaking techniques. The 2013 Irish Open Korean Ambassadors cup is a showcase event for the ITU and indicates how far the sport and our organisation have come in the last few years”
Photo: Paul Griffen
For more information see:
Website: www.taekwondoireland.ie
Twitter: @irishtaekwondo
Facebook: facebook.com/irishtaekwondounion
