12 Countries confirm participation in the Ghana International Taekwondo Championship

Twelve countries have so far confirmed their participation in the upcoming first Ghana Open International Taekwondo Championship to be held on August 18-19, at the DG Hithramani sports hall at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The Ghana Taekwondo Federation (GTF) revealed the list of countries which have comfirmed their participation at a media briefing at the Accra Sports stadium, yesterday, when  a special logo for the event was also launched.

The president of the GTF, Frederick Lartey Otu, named Morocco, Cote D’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Senegal and Nigeria as some of  the  countries who have so far completed their  registration and have confirmed  their participation in the competition.

According to the GTF, the competition which is being hosted for the first time in Ghana, would provide an opportunity for taekwondo athletes in the country to earn points to be seeded at the international level, as well as expose the athletes to the standards of competing at international competitions.

"This competition will be an opportunity for our athletes to earn points ahead of bigger championships such as the Commonwealth Games and Olympics.

We are also expecting 20 international taekwondo referees and three supervisory board members will be arriving in the country next week for the competition,” Mr Otu Lartey explained.

He further said it would also help to develop the sport across Ghana and the West African sub-region, as the international federation has made it a policy to popularise the sport.

The Director General of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Robert Sarfo Mensah, gave an assurance that his outfit and the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MOYS) would support the federation to ensure a successful competition.