Wuxi to host 2021 Para taekwondo Worlds

Wuxi, China, has been awarded the 2021 World Para Taekwondo Championships. It will be the eighth Worlds, but the first to take place after the sport’s Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020; the competition dates will be announced later.

Wuxi will also host the able-bodied World Championships that year. Wuxi Vice Mayor Liu Xia said: “I am happy and excited. We will do our best for preparing those big events.”

The last Worlds were held 2017 in Great Britain at the same venue that hosted taekwondo during the London 2012 Olympics. The 2017 Championships saw 260 athletes from a record-breaking 59 countries fight for titles across 14 medal events.

A number of fighters had memorable performances in London. Denmark’s Lisa Gjessing won her fourth consecutive world title in the women’s under 58 kg K44. Mongolia’s Enkhtuya Khurelbaatar continued a breakthrough year in the sport. She had upset the world No. 1 to win the Asian title earlier that year, and then captured the world title in the women’s under 49 kg K44. Multiple-European champion Amy Truesdale also celebrated on home mat after winning the women’s over 58kg K44.

The 2015 Championships took place in Samsun, Turkey, and saw 130 athletes from 38 countries compete. It was the first Worlds held after the International Paralympic Committee announced Para taekwondo would be part of the 2020 Games programme.