Refugee Fighter strikes gold as Fujairah Championship kicks into gear
Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, the 10th G2 Fujairah International Taekwondo has been launched at the Zayed Sports Complex by the Fujairah Martial Arts Club and UAE Taekwondo Federation.
An incredible 1,458 fighters from 36 countries have travelled to the emirate, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary since it was first hosted there in 2013.
The Juniors launched proceedings across a range of age groups today, and it was Fatima Al-Jami who grabbed the spotlight by winning gold in the -55kg weight for the Refugee Team, which the World Taekwondo has supported.
This is the second time that the team has participated in Fujairah, following Wael Farrag from the Azraq Camp in Jordan last year, and comes following the tremendous support from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, who has contributed to the formation of the centres in various refugee camps across the world.
Also on opening day, Khazakhstan collected an incredible 28 medals with the central Asian country winning seven gold, six silver and 15 bronze medals.
It was an excellent opening day for the host nation, with UAE fighters winning 15 medals, consisting of four gold, two silver and nine bronze, including one for Shamma Al-Suwaidi who also won bronze last week at the Arab Cup for the -59kg competition.
Egypt won seven medals, including three gold, one silver and three bronze, while Uzbekistan managed to achieve two gold, two silver and four bronze medals.
There were gold medals apiece too for Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Lithuania, while Syria and Bahrain settled for a silver medal each.
The day’s awards ceremony was attended by Dr. Chung, President of the World Taekwondo Federation and Professor Lee, President of the Asian Taekwondo Federation, Abdullah Al Samai, UAE Taekwondo Secretary General, event Manager Nader Abu Shaweesh as well as a number of key Taekwondo dignitaries.
The tournament concludes tomorrow with competitions included for children, an important part of the drive by the Fujairah Club and the Emirates Taekwondo Federation to provide a great tournament experience for the next generation of fighters.