FILIPINO taekwondo jins will get to size up the opposition in the 32nd Cambodia Southeast Asian Games in May when the Philippine Taekwondo Association hosts the 16th Asean Taekwondo Federation championships from March 11 to 12.
“Vietnam and Cambodia said they could not host the tournament so the PTA decided to secure the rights to the competition,” said ATF president and former PTA secretary general Monsour del Rosario.
“Filipino fans will get to witness again live what’s the level of our national athletes compared to those coming from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Singapore and rest of the other Southeast Asian countries,” Del Rosario said off the two-day, 11-nation competition.
The venue of the tourney has yet to be decided.
“We are expecting close to 200 participants in both kyorugi (sparring) and poomsae (forms) from all over the region,” said the former Makati congressman, adding the ATF will have an online meeting this Thursday to determine the number of events that will be held in the tournament.
With Cambodia limiting other countries to 70 percent participation in combat sports in the 32nd SEA Games, including taekwondo, Del Rosario said the competition would gauge in what events Pinoy jins would have the best prospects of winning gold medals in the regional sportsfest set May 5 to 17 in Phnom Penh and the northwestern city of Siem Reap.
