Head of Team meeting hosted ahead of Baku 2023 World Taekwondo Championships

BAKU, Azerbaijan (May 27, 2023) – The Head of Team meeting was held today in the Crystal Hall Conference Hall ahead of the Baku 2023 World Taekwondo Championships.

The meeting was attended by World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue, World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo, Azerbaijan Taekwondo Federation Vice President Naghi Safarov and six World Taekwondo Vice Presidents: Aicha Garad Ali, Kyu seok Lee, Juan Manuel Delgado, Maria Rosario Borello Castillo, Issaka Ide and John Kotsifas.

The World Championships will take place on May 29-June 4 and feature athletes from 144 countries plus a Refugee Team competing across 16 weight categories (8 men and 8 women) for the coveted world title as well as vital qualification points for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

World Taekwondo President Choue said:

“Azerbaijan has a proud history of hosting major Taekwondo events, from the first ever World Para Taekwondo Championships in 2009 and first World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in 2014 to the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final and Gala Awards and World Cup Team Championships in 2016.

“This year’s World Taekwondo Championships will be particularly special as it coincides with our 50th founding anniversary. Over the last 50 years we have worked hard to develop Taekwondo around the world cementing our position as a key Olympic sport since it was first included at Sydney 2000.

“The World Championships will also see refugee athletes compete for the first time with many of the participating refugee athletes IOC scholarship holders. Yehya Al Ghotani will also be the first athlete from the Taekwondo Humanitarian Centre in the Azraq Refugee Camp to participate at a World Championships.

“To mark our 50th anniversary we will host a World Taekwondo Golden Jubilee Gala where we will honour the 17 founding Member National Associations who attended the first General Assembly in 1973. We will also award the best male and female athletes from each Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Taekwondo has featured in since Sydney 2000.

“Our strong Olympic position will be reflected when a Taekwondo statute is installed at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne in November.”

A press conference was also held and was attended by Azerbaijani athletes Farida Azizova and Aliaskar Aliev and Azerbaijan Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport Ms. Mariana Vasileva.