Taekwondo: Three miss trip to World Championships

Hussein Kato, the Taekwondo federation vice president (R) flags off the team at Lugogo. Photo by Regina Nalujja

KAMPALA-  Three Ugandan athletes and three officials have missed a trip to the World Taekwondo Championships which begin on  Saturday in Muju, South Korea.

A team of six fighters and four officials had earlier been announced for the Korea trip but as the team was flagged off at Lugogo, on Wednedsday, only Royson Okwera, Paul Ogwaro and Amina Namutosi and coach Lee Yang Woo travelled.

Emma Kaggwa, Justus Amanya Mugabi and Joanita Namugumya and three officials were dropped at the eleventh hour due to logistical inadequacies.

The officials have missed the World Taekwondo Federation Council Meeting and a General Assembly which precedes the tournament on June 22 and 23.

The federation vice president Hussein Kato sympathised with the disappointed players saying  their last-minute hopes were dashed by a certain company which did not offer the air tickets in time.

“We only have three tickets for the team provided by the World Taekwondo Federation and National Council of Sports,” Kato said on Wednesday.

Uganda returns to the World Championship since their only appearance in the 2009 edition in Denmark. None of the 2009 members is on the current team, which is being groomed for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.