Martial Arts: Kenya Tong-Il Moo Do team off to Korea

This year’s event has adopted the Olympic model and is designed to be the future Martial Arts Olympic. [PSCU]

The national mixed martial arts team, Jasiri, leaves today for South Korea for the 2019 Chungju World Martial Arts Masterships Championship confident of a good outing.

After a colourful flag-off at State House, Nairobi by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday, a team of three officials and 19 players left for South Korea.

The 19 players will take part in Individual Forms, Individual Sparring, Team Special Techniques and Team Forms, with gold medals at stake.

World Martial Arts Masterships Championship, commonly known as Tong-Il Moo-Do, is an international multi-discipline global competition with over 18 different styles.

This year’s event has adopted the Olympic model and is designed to be the future Martial Arts Olympic. Over 4,000 martial artists from over 100 countries are expected to converge in Chungju.

The Kenya Tong-Il Moo-Do chairman Master Clarence Mwakio said the national team had made huge strides and expect an improved performance from the 2016 championship, where Jasiri bagged one gold medal, two silver and five bronze medals.

“Thanks to the government through the Ministry of Sports, Tong-Il Moo-Do has grown in leaps and bounds. Sports CS ambassador Amina Mohamed and her team have pulled all the stops to ensure this team participates in this global event,” Mwakio said.

“Technically, we are in better shape than three years ago. We are going to South Korea sure of the support of millions of Kenyans,” he said.

The team’s head coach Master Hillary Wahanda said: “Martial arts is a highly technical game that calls for discipline, fitness and high degree of mental strength. We have done our best to instil these values in addition to working on the team’s technical know-how.”

Sports CS Amina Mohamed wished the team well, noting that Kenya’s sportsmen and women are the country’s foremost ambassadors.

“They make us proud and always raise the national flag high at international events,” she said.

The tournament ends on September 3.

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