HCM City (VNA) – The 23rd AsianTaekwondo Championships kicked off in Ho Chi Minh City on May 24.
The event is jointly held by the municipalDepartment of Culture and Sports and the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation.
President of the Vietnam Taekwondo FederationTruong Ngoc De said the event creates a good opportunity for Vietnameseathletes to learn experience before joining the 18th Asian Games (ASIAD) inAugust in Indonesia.
Vietnamese aces Ho Thi Kim Ngan and Truong Thi Kim Tuyen strive for goldmedals.
The tourney is drawing nearly 700 athletes from50 countries and territories.
Powerhouses such as the Republic of Korea,China’s Taiwan, Iran, China and Thailand sent their strongest athletes to theevent.
It features two categories: the kumite(combat) events and the poomsae (performance) disciplines.
The same day, the fifth AsianTaekwondo Poomsae Championship and the fourth Asian Para-Taekwondo OpenChampionship were also opened in HCM City.
The fourth Asian Para-Taekwondo OpenChampionship attracts 120 athletes with disabilities from 50 countries andterritories. This is the first time disabled Taekwondo athletes have competedin Vietnam.
The continental Taekwondo events are scheduledto run until May 28.-VNA