Many of Canada’s top Taekwondo athletes are preparing for a battle on home soil. The 2008 Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships (CTC) will be the first international tournament to be held in Canada since the World Championships in 1999.
In 2006 Canadian players made the long trip to Australia for the last CTC. This time, it will be the Australians, the English, the Jamaicans, and players from nearly 20 other Commonwealth Nations who will be making the trip to Winnipeg. The event is being organized by members of various Taekwondo schools in Manitoba, and is sanctioned by Taekwondo Canada and the Commonwealth Taekwondo Union. Competition is being held at the MTS Centre on November 22nd and 23rd.
The level of competition will be high because participants must qualify within their own country to be eligible. At the same time, each country can send up to three players per division, making these games an excellent opportunity for developing athletes. Junior (14-17 years) and Senior (17+) divisions will be following full WTF rules for both sparring and poomsae competition.
According to CTC Executive Director Kate Nosworthy, this event is also notable for its use of LaJust electronic chest protectors. Such protectors have only recently been approved for tournament use, and reduce human judging error by allowing partially-automated scoring. This event will be the first exposure many athletes have to the new system.
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