FUJAIRAH, Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, the 10th G2 Fujairah International Taekwondo Championship has been launched at the Zayed Sports Complex by the Fujairah Martial Arts Club and UAE Taekwondo Federation.
1,458 fighters from 36 countries have travelled to the emirate, which is celebrating the 10th anniversary since it was first hosted there in 2013.
The Juniors launched proceedings across a range of age groups today, and it was Fatima Al Jami who grabbed the spotlight by wining gold in the -55kg weight for the Refugee Team, which has been supported by the World Taekwondo. This is the second time that the team has participated in Fujairah, following Wael Farrag from the Azraq Camp in Jordan last year, and comes following the tremendous support from Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, who has contributed to the formation of the centres in various refugee camps across the world.
Also on opening day, Khazakhstan collected an incredible 28 medals with the central Asian country winning seven gold, six silver and 15 bronze medals. As for the host nation, the UAE fighters won 15 medals, consisting of four gold, two silver and nine bronze, including one for Shamma Al-Suwaidi who also won bronze last week at the Arab Cup for the -59kg competition. Egypt won seven medals, including three gold, one silver and three bronze, while Uzbekistan managed achieved two gold, two silver and four bronze medals. There were gold medals apiece too for Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Lithuania, while Syria and Bahrain settled for a silver medal each.
The day’s awards’ ceremony was attended by Dr. Chung, President of the World Taekwondo Federation and Professor Lee, President of the Asian Taekwondo Federation, Abdullah Al Samai, UAE Teakowndo Secretary-General, event Manager Nader Abu Shaweesh as well as number of key Taekwondo dignitaries.
The tournament concludes tomorrow with competitions included for children, an important part of the drive by the Fujairah Club and the Emirates Taekwondo Federation to provide a big tournament experience for the next generation of fighters.
Source: Emirates News Agency