The 3rd Arab Taekwondo Championships, organised by the Fujairah Martial Arts Club and supervised by the UAE Taekwondo Federation has launched on Thursday. The tournament is being held at the Zayed Sports Complex Fujairah with a record 742 fighters representing 20 countries participating.
The tournament will continue through to tomorrow and is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, who is closely following the tournament which is welcoming Arab fighters from a number of age groups.
The host nation got off to a great start with 13 medals, including three gold, four silver, and six bronze.
Morocco topped the medal table with 16 medals, including three gold, four silver and nine bronze, while Jordan won eight medals, including three gold, two silver and three bronze medals.
Egypt took six medals, three each for gold and bronze, while Palestine won their first Arab gold through Yasser Ismail, picking up three medals in total on day one.
The first UAE gold medal came through the Fujairah Club player, Sina Al-Ariza, in the -46kg competition, while Setayesh Habibullah added the second gold medal in the -73kg category.
Success continued with Mohammad Amir Hussein winning gold in the -74kg weight after Palestinian Ahmed Bahloul in the final.
The fights were watched by a number of dignitaries on Day One including Dr. Ahmed Al-Zeyoudi, President of the Emirates Taekwondo Federation and the President of the Organising Committee; the President of the Arab Taekwondo Federation, Idris Al-Hilali; the representative of the International Taekwondo Federation, Maher Meqabla; Presidents of the Mauritanian and Iraqi Federations, Mohamed Al-Soufi and Ibrahim Jarrar.
Dr. Al-Zeyoudi expressed his pride in the large participation at the start of the first day’s activities.
“A large number of players from different age groups are participating in the tournament, which reflects the huge interest in the tournament,” he said.
“Today we saw a tremendous level of excellence and we wish success to all participating countries.”
He also praised the organising committee and the staff involved with staging the event at the Fujairah Club for Martial Arts.
Mr. Nader Abu Shawish, Tournament Director, highlighted the quality of the competition with a number of world-class fighters taking part.
“A number of Olympians participating showed just how highly regarded this tournament is,” he said, adding that young fighters will benefit from the experience of competing against and alongside world-class fighters.
The event will continue with competitions for various age groups including the juniors.