Taekwondo

Athletes compete at the National Taekwondo Age Groups Championship in 2022. This year tournament will be held on July 7-14 in Hà Nội. — Photo webthethao.vn

HÀ NỘI — The 2023 National Taekwondo Age Groups Championship will see more than 1,000 athletes and coaches competing in Hà Nội from July 7-14.

This year sets a new record for the number of participants, hailing from 45 cities and provinces, at the annual tournament sponsored by CJ Group.

Competitors will be split into four age groups for male and female fighters. There are 17 events for the U12s; 31 events for 12-14-year-old group; 32 for 15-17-year-old ones and 30 for those from 18-20 years old.

"This tournament will give us a chance to discover new taekwondo talents who will be the core of the future national team. I have been involved in the event for many years and believe that it is a great stage for the youngsters to show their abilities," said Lê Thị Hoàng Yến, deputy director of the Sports Authority of Việt Nam (SAV).

The organisers said that outstanding athletes from this year's tournament will be added to the national youth team and take part in the 12th Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships in Beirut, Lebanon, in early September.

Among the notable athletes are Nguyễn Thị Mai and Nguyễn Thị Loan, 2022 Asian Youth Championship silver medallists and bronze medallist Trần Trịnh Trọng; alongside Nguyễn Thị Thùy Linh and Nguyễn Hữu Phát, 2023 Southeast Asian Youth Championship gold and silver holders.

CJ has been a long-term partner of SAV and the Việt Nam Taekwondo Federation. The South Korean firm has been involved in a number of activities and pays salaries for South Korean taekwondo experts working for the national team; covers Vietnamese players' and coaches' expenses when they were training in South Korea, provides training equipment and delivers bonuses to those who earn good results from international competitions.

With their help, Việt Nam pocketed remarkable achievements at the Tokyo Olympics by Trương Thị Thanh Tuyền and at the 31st SEA Games in 2022. — VNS