DUSHANBE, May 2, Asia-Plus – Tajik taekwondo players (ITF) successfully participated in the 15th ITF (Chang Ung) World Championships that took place in Bled, Slovenia from April 24 to April 29, 2007.
According to Tajik Federation of Taekwondo (ITF), ten athletes, including seven men and three women, represented Tajikistan in this competition. Tajik athletes have won one bronze, three silver and four gold medals in the championships.
Athletes from 53 countries took part in the world championships in Slovenia. Tajikistan’s team with eight medals and was ranked second in the championships, following North Korea.
Masrour Sattorov, Daler Sharifi, Rustam Ulmasov and Shahlo Muhammadrahimova won gold medals. It is to be noted that Shahlo Muhammadrahimova is the first Tajik female taekwondo player that became world champion in the ITF Taekwondo.
According to the source, the Committee for Youth’s Affairs, Sports and Tourism has provided 78,000 somonis to pay travel and other expenses of Tajik athletes in Slovenia.
The International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) was founded in 1996
by Major-General Choi Hong Hi, six years before his exile from South Korea in 1972 and seven years before the WTF. His first visit of good will to North Korea was in 1980, when he introduced Taekwon-Do there. It is one the two major international Taekwon-Do organizations, the other being the public Olympic International Federation called World Taekwondo Federation or WTF.
