The 12th ASEAN Taekwondo Federation (ATF) Championships kicked offat the Lanh Binh Thang Sporting Hall in Ho Chi Minh City on March 23,attracting a record number of athletes.
The eventbrought together 337 taekwondo fighters from 10 Southeast Asiancountries: Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, thePhilippines, Myanmar, Laos, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.
They will vie for 172 sets of medals, including 56 sets in the combat category and 116 for demonstrations.
ATF President Kris Wiluan said the 12th tournament has drawn thelargest number of fighters, illustrating the strong development ofregional taekwondo practice.
The championship isalso a chance for countries to prepare and select its best athletes forthe 28th Southeast Asian Games (SEA GAMES 28), scheduled to take placein Singapore in June, said Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue, Director of the HCMCity Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
It will help regional nations to exchange taekwondo promotion experience and foster relations, he added.
The tournament, which will run through March 26, is organised by theVietnam Taekwondo Federation and the municipal department.
At the 11th ATF Taekwondo Championships held in Myanmar in 2013,Vietnam ranked first with 24 gold, 12 silver, and nine bronze medals.-VNA
The eventbrought together 337 taekwondo fighters from 10 Southeast Asiancountries: Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, thePhilippines, Myanmar, Laos, Timor-Leste, and Singapore.
They will vie for 172 sets of medals, including 56 sets in the combat category and 116 for demonstrations.
ATF President Kris Wiluan said the 12th tournament has drawn thelargest number of fighters, illustrating the strong development ofregional taekwondo practice.
The championship isalso a chance for countries to prepare and select its best athletes forthe 28th Southeast Asian Games (SEA GAMES 28), scheduled to take placein Singapore in June, said Phan Nguyen Nhu Khue, Director of the HCMCity Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
It will help regional nations to exchange taekwondo promotion experience and foster relations, he added.
The tournament, which will run through March 26, is organised by theVietnam Taekwondo Federation and the municipal department.
At the 11th ATF Taekwondo Championships held in Myanmar in 2013,Vietnam ranked first with 24 gold, 12 silver, and nine bronze medals.-VNA
