Para-taekwondo might be “like nothing that has ever beforehand been seen” on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Video games.
That’s the view of Olof Hansson, director of Para-taekwondo, as the game celebrates Para Taekwondo Day in the present day.
Right now additionally marks the sixth anniversary since taekwondo was added to the Paralympic programme for the primary time.
The Worldwide Paralympic Committee (IPC) introduced Para-taekwondo would develop into the Paralympic Video games’ first full-contact sport at a Governing Board assembly on January 31 in 2015.
It was an historic second for the game which was created simply 15 years in the past and now stands on the point of making its Paralympic debut.
“It’s extraordinarily thrilling,” Hansson advised insidethegames.
“It’s undoubtedly the largest occasion that has ever occurred to Para-taekwondo.
“Now we’re simply hoping to make a very good displaying and I’m sure we’ll do as a result of I consider this can be a sport that’s like nothing that has ever beforehand been seen on the Paralympic Video games programme.
“It would play a significant factor within the development of Para-taekwondo within the coming years and we’ll see much more curiosity from Nationwide Paralympic Committees.
“The game was already massive earlier than the inclusion within the Paralympic Video games, however I consider that because of the work of our committees this has been additional elevated.”
Para-taekwondo was poised to make its first look at a Paralympics final yr just for Tokyo 2020 to be postponed to 2021 as a result of coronavirus pandemic.
However Hansson praised the response of World Taekwondo.
“This can be a venture that I’ve been engaged on for fairly a very long time so it did take a number of days to let it sink in that the Video games weren’t taking place in 2020,” stated Hansson.
“However that in a short time went away as soon as we had contact from the IPC and began to seek out out extra info.
“In fact, it was a giant hit to any sports activities organisation concerned within the Paralympic and Olympic Video games.
“You might be set for an occasion to occur at a sure date and it will get delayed by a yr.
“However World Taekwondo has an excellent management that has been capable of restart and refocus the organisation.
“Now we have two fantastic committees related to Para-taekwondo within the Para Taekwondo Committee and the Classification Committee.
“They’ve been working very laborious throughout 2020 to develop training programmes, to assessment guidelines and put us in the absolute best place for the upcoming Video games and the following Paralympic cycle.”
The 2019 Para Taekwondo World Championships practically doubled in measurement from the occasion in 2017 and World Taekwondo anticipate that pattern to proceed on the ninth version in Wuxi in China later this yr.
World Taekwondo stated fighters together with Denmark’s Lisa Gjessing and Britain’s Amy Truesdale had lined up profitable endorsements, whereas world champions Vika Marchuk of Ukraine and Juan Diego Garcia Lopez of Mexico had gained their nation’s highest sporting awards.
Final April additionally noticed World Taekwondo launching its Kicking It At Residence social media marketing campaign which noticed greater than 725,000 individuals watch over 2,000 hours of Para athletes coaching at house.
“All through the entire COVID-19 interval we now have seen that athletes have continued to publish their coaching movies and keep lively on social media,” added Hansson.
“We simply hope the marketing campaign helped to maintain athletes motivated.”
