The national taekwondo team left for Bangkok on Nov. 24 for the
Asian Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for the London 2012 Olympic
Games.
The team, led by head of the taekwondo section at
the National Sports Administration Vu Xuan Thanh, includes Le Huynh Chau
(men's U-58kg), Duong Thanh Tam (men's U-80kg), Tran Thi Duong (women's
U-57kg) and Chu Hoang Dieu Linh (women's U-67kg).
"This
is the last chance for Vietnamese martial artists to earn tickets to
London . We know that this qualification tournament is very
competitive. However, we have prepared carefully in the hope that all
four athletes will qualify for the Games," Thanh said.
In preparation for the tournament, the team took part in a two-month training course in China .
The Thailand tournament will be held on the weekend at the John Paul
II Sports Centre at Assumption University in eastern Bangkok .
It was originally scheduled to take place on November 4-5 at the Mall
Convention Centre in the centre of Bangkok but was postponed because
of the flooding in Thailand , the worst for 50 years.
A
total of 24 athletes – the top three in each of the four male and four
female weight categories – will qualify for the next summer Olympics.
To ensure judging is as fair as possible, the tournament will use an
instant video replay system and the Daedo protector and scoring system. A
total of 30 international referees, including four review juries, will
officiate at the tournament./.