Taekwondo cup to sharpen up athletes for Pacific Games

TAEKWONDO Papua New Guinea says Saturday’s Korean Ambassador’s Cup will be used to sharpen up athletes for next month’s Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.
TPNG president John Cholai said in a statement that they would deliver the annual Korean Ambassador’s Cup as a recognised tournament, with this year’s event to be held at the Caritas Technical Secondary School hall in Port Moresby.
“This will be a one-day event which starts at 8.30am and finishes with the medal presentation ceremony at 5pm,” he said.
“Up to 80 taekwondo exponents from clubs, especially in the National Capital District and Central, have been hard at training to win prizes and medals in their respective weight categories.
“They will compete mainly in the Kyorugi (fighting) categories.”
Apart from the Pacific Games, Taekwondo PNG was looking to compete at the Presidents Cup and Australian Open later this month on the Gold Coast, Australia.
“The Australian tournament will be the final international event for our selected athletes before they compete at the Pacific Games on July 15,” Cholai said.
“Papua New Guineans have a natural flair for sports, including martial arts and taekwondo.
“With the right choice of exponents who have the natural talents combined with great character and given the right dose of coaching and training, taekwondo aims to deliver four gold medals at the Pacific Games as our contribution to Team Papua New Guinea’s goal of winning on foreign soil.
“Taekwondo aims to also deliver podium finish at the July 2020 Tokyo Olympics.”
TPNG commended South Korean ambassador Kymgu Kang for sponsoring the event, and Caritas Technical Secondary School for providing the venue for the tournament.
The TPNG was hoping the tournament to be a success to identify talents.