The October 1-6 event features a record number of 963 athletes from 127 countries, Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) and the World Taekwondo Refugee Team.

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Athletes perform at the opening ceremony of the 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships on October 1. (Photo: worldtaekwondo.org)

The talented young athletes set to compete across 10 weight categories in both the men’s and women’s divisions at the Songam Sports Town Air Dome in Chuncheon.

It began with the men’s U63kg and women’s U52kg and U59kg categories on October 1, with a further five action-packed days of taekwondo set to follow.

Men’s weight categories at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships are from U45kg to over-78kg. Women’s competition will be held from U42kg to over-68kg.

The RoK topped the medals table at the last World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2022. Supported by a home crowd this time around, they will be aiming to repeat the feat. This year marks the second time the RoK has hosted this event after Suncheon staged the 2004 edition.

Vietnam has not won a medal from this biennial tournament. Vietnamese athletes selected for the Chuncheon event are national junior champions and said the potential for international competition's victories.

Before the championships, organizers held a World Taekwondo Council meeting and the World Taekwondo General Assembly on September 30.

Source: VNA