Rwanda floors Uganda ahead of World Taekwondo Champs
Fighters take part in the fifth edition of the Korean Ambassador Cup over the weekend. PHOTO BY REGINA NALUJJA
What you need to know:
With seven golds, Rwanda won the Senior Cup, while Uganda Police and Prisons gathered four and one respectively.
Children and Sports Charity Academy (CSCA) came first in the junior’s category. They also emerged the overall winners though they only had junior fighters
KAMPALA
Ugandan fighters have less than three weeks to up their standards ahead of the World Taekwondo Championships due June 22-30 in Muju, Korea.
Going by their performance in the fifth edition of the Korean Ambassador Cup at the MTN Arena-Lugogo last weekend, Ugandans must improve if they can dare to dream of international glory.
Uganda entered 17 of the 20 teams that participated in the tournament—graced mostly by Korean nationals and taekwondo fighters—but Rwanda floored them all in the senior categories.
With seven golds, Rwanda won the Senior Cup, while Uganda Police and Prisons gathered four and one respectively.
Children and Sports Charity Academy (CSCA) came first in the junior’s category. They also emerged the overall winners though they only had junior fighters.
For the first time, Uganda used electronic sensors for determining kicks and blows, which were borrowed from Rwanda.
Hussein Kato, the vice president Uganda Taekwondo Federation admitted that most Ugandan fighters cried foul because they were not comfortable with the electronic scoring system, but he said, “We are soon getting our own sensors.”
Uganda needs about US$20,000 to enter a team of five males and two females into the Worlds since their only appearance 2009 in Denmark.
Kato said the fighters have been selected basing on their performance in the league plus some qualities observed by the technical committee.
He confessed that taekwondo is still a budding sport in Uganda and in Korea, “all they are looking for is exposure; medals and trophies will be won a huge addition.”
