Irish Open Korean Ambassadors Cup – Dublin 2013
LOCATION: Tallaght Arena
DATE: 08/09/2013
PARTICIPATING TEAMS/ATHLETES: Athletes from Dublin, Wexford, Kerry, Louth, Meath, Tipperary, Kilkenny, Laois, Northern Ireland and Netherlands.
HOST: Irish Taekwondo Union (ITU)
ABOUT ITU: The ITU is the sole body responsible for the promotion and development of World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) Olympic style, Taekwondo within Ireland. The WTF are the largest and most innovative Taekwondo body in the world and has over 80 million registered members in 191 countries. Most recently, the exploits of the WTF have succeeded in securing Olympic recognition for the sport of Taekwondo.
EVENT HISTORY: This is the inaugural Irish Open.
EVENT PREPARATION: The event has been in planning for at least 6 months with the Korean Embassy co-ordinating the visit of the Kukkiwon demonstration Team
THE EVENT:
Venue
The Arena ,Tallaght
Spectators/Attendees
There were at least 600 spectators on the day
Volunteers
The event was staffed by a crew of 30 volunteers
How was the event structured?
he Irish Open was organisedin the same way as an international competition ,we ran 3 rings each using the latest PSS electronic scoring equipment as used in the Olympic games and the world championships. The competition was an elimination style event with the winner progressing to the next round. At half time we had the prestigious Korean Kukkiwon Demonstration team who had flown in specially for the event.
Where next for the Irish Team?
The ITU are sending two athletes to the Junior European Championships in Portugal and after that we are preparing for A class tournaments in 2014 as well as qualification tournaments for the 2016 Olympics
How the event went, Martin Fleming, President, ITU:
The event was a fantastic success and a great spectacle. There were some top class fights on the day from National team members and newcomers all under the watchful eyes of top international referees . The presence of the Kukkiwon Demonstration team ,who had travelled from Korea for the event ,was a huge bonus. The team received a standing ovation for their breathtaking performance of taekwondo including some staggering breaking techniques. The 2013 Irish Open Korean Ambassadors cup is a showcase event for the ITU and indicates how far the sport and our organisation have come in the last few years.
For more information see:
Website: www.taekwondoireland.ie
Twitter: @irishtaekwondo
Facebook: facebook.com/irishtaekwondounion