(January 13, 2017) - London has won the right to host the 2017 World Para-Taekwondo Championships - the first time Britain has staged the prestigious tournament.
The event will take place at the Copperbox Arena, Queen Elizabeth Park on October 19, 2017 and run in conjunction with the World Taekwondo Grand Prix.
The successful bid comes less than two months after the sport’s world governing body awarded the World Taekwondo Championship to Manchester in 2019.
The WTF’s decision is a major boost for the sport in the UK at the start of a new four-year Paralympic and Olympic cycle concluding with Tokyo 2020.
It has also delighted three-time Para-Taekwondo European Championship gold medalist, Amy Truesdale.
And after winning two World silver medals and one bronze medal in the past seven years, the 27-year-old Chester based star is delighted by the prospect of fighting in front of a home crowd.
“It’s great news, not only for me but para-taekwondo,” says Truesdale who completed her European hat-trick last September.
“It will be fantastic to have the support of a home crowd for a change. And hopefully the Championships and Grand Prix will showcase the sport to a wider audience and encourage more people to participate.
“Tokyo does seem a long way off at the moment,” adds Truesdale, a winner of a non-disabled National title in 2015. “But these World Championships will be an important first step for me in terms of qualification.”
A taekwondo practitioner since the age of eight, Truesdale now trains three days a week at the National Performance Centre in Manchester –home of double Olympic champion, Jade Jones and Rio 2016 medalists, Lutalo Muhammad and Bianca Walkden.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has welcomed the award of the World Championship to the capital.
“It’s fantastic news London has been chosen to host both the 2017 World Taekwondo Grand Prix and the World Para Taekwondo Championships,” he said.
“We have been working closely with GB Taekwondo and UK Sport on developing and increasing levels of participation in this fantastic sport in London, and staging major sports competitions like this reinforces our reputation as a world-class host.
“I look forward to welcoming Taekwondo fans from around the world to our great city and it’s a great opportunity to build on the success of our record-breaking Olympians as well as showcasing this exciting sport in London.”
Awarding the Para-Taekwondo World Championships to London, WTF President Chungwon Choue said, “The World Taekwondo Federation are delighted that the 2017 World Para-Taekwondo Championships will be held in London, Great Britain, the host of the 2012 Paralympic Games.
“This marks the perfect start of the Paralympic cycle for the athletes in sport classes competing in Kyorugi aiming to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
“The Championships will also feature Poomsae competitions for sport classes for athletes with an intellectual impairment and motor impairments.
“Para-Taekwondo has developed extensively in the past few years and I am certain that London and GB Taekwondo will provide the perfect stage for the athletes to perform, in what is expected to be the biggest Para-Taekwondo event to date.”
