Celebrating 100 days to go until the opening of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) announced, millions of fans around the world to be treated to one of the most exciting elite taekwondo competitions set against Rio’s world-renowned carnival atmosphere. “The WTF is aiming to embrace the vibrancy and energy synonymous with the Brazilian host city to deliver one of the most exciting and engaging taekwondo competitions ever hosted.
For the first time in Olympic history taekwondo athletes will wear colored bottoms to represent their national team color, transforming the look of the competition and contributing to the colorful, carnival atmosphere of the Games. The WTF will also place a greater emphasis on sport presentation with music and unique sport demonstrations to be employed to keep fans entertained during breaks in play,” says a WTF press release, with WTF President Chungwon Choue stating:
“With 100 days to go until Rio 2016 the excitement is really building not just for the athletes and coaches but for the millions of taekwondo fans around the world. We are working closely with the organisers to make sure everything is in place to provide our athletes with the world-class environment they need to compete at their best and to give our fans inside and outside the stadium the most interactive and engaging experience. Brazil is known for its rich and vibrant culture and we really want to capture this to deliver a carnival of Olympic taekwondo. The Olympic Games is the pinnacle of our sport
and following the numerous innovations and reforms we have introduced over the last four years we are confident that Rio 2016 will bring more excitement, action and drama than ever before.”
A total of 128 taekwondo athletes, from 63 countries will compete in Rio – the same number of nations that competed at London 2012. This number will include many countries which are competing in Olympic taekwondo for the very first time such as Aruba, Cape Verde, D. R. Congo, Mongolia and Tonga.
This story first appeared in the blog, The Sport Intern. The editor is Karl-Heinz Huba of Lorsch, Germany. He can be reached at ISMG@aol.com. The article is reprinted here with permission of Huba.