In line with its continued support of Qatar’s major sports events, Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF), in collaboration with the Qatar Taekwondo & Judo Federation (QTJF), will host the second edition of the Qatar International Taekwondo Open, from March 13-15 in the Aspire Ladies’ Sports Hall.
The first edition of the championship, which was also held at Aspire Zone, saw great success at the technical and organisational levels, and provided the sport’s local players with an opportunity to interact with their international counterparts.
Commenting on the tournament, AZF’s acting CEO Mohamed Khalifa al-Suwaidi said, “Aspire Zone Foundation continually provides comprehensive logistical and professional support and expertise to major sports events that take place in Qatar, given its role as the State’s premier sports destination. Through its continuous collaboration with local, regional and international sports entities and federations, Aspire Zone Foundation has become the top destination of choice for organisers of sports events and activities.”
He added: “The main goal of organising such tournaments is to elevate the performance of local athletes by providing an opportunity for them to participate in international sports events in a competitive environment. This contributes towards fulfilling Aspire Zone Foundation’s aim of developing local sporting talents into champions of sports excellence, and its vision to be the reference in sports excellence by 2020.”
QTJF president Mohamed Ahmed al-Sulaiti added: “The organisational and technical success of the first edition of the tournament was promising, and we are certain that this edition will be an important milestone in the journey of Qatar’s team, and reflect positively on their skills and competition fitness.”
AZF is providing comprehensive support to the championship’s organisational, logistical, information technology and marketing aspects.
The championship will also take advantage of Aspire Zone Foundation’s Integrated Event Management system – BRIDGE – to support some of the key operational functions of the event. BRIDGE is an integrated application suite designed to support end-to-end operations of major sporting and non-sporting events.
In addition, Aspetar, the leading orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital and member of AZF, will provide medical support to the tournament.
The championship is considered one of the most important events in taekwondo. It will also prepare the players for the qualifiers of the Rio 2016 Olympics. The previous edition saw the participation of more than 45 countries including Qatar, France, Korea, and Uzbekistan, in addition to a number of other top-ranked countries in taekwondo.