Beginning tomorrow, the Grand Prix will run for two days until July 6 inside the Suzhou Sports Center.

It is expected to attract 236 athletes from 57 countries as participants compete for invaluable ranking points en route to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

The event is just the second ever World Taekwondo Grand Prix following its inauguration in Manchester last December and is the first of three set to be held in 2014, with two more in Astana, Kazakhstan, in August and Manchester, Great Britain, in October, before the Series final in Querétaro, Mexico, in December.

"The Grand Prix is an exciting new concept in international taekwondo competition, inaugurated last December in Manchester, the United Kingdom," said World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) President Chungwon Choue.

"Our ambition with the Grand Prix is to provide an arena for taekwondo's finest athletes to raise the sport's visibility, and to realise taekwondo's fullest potential worldwide."

The inaugural World Taekwondo Grand Prix was held in Manchester last December
©Getty Images



The Grand Prix event in Suzhou will feature some of the world's top athletes including double Olympic champions Wu Jingyu of China, South Korea's Kyung-seon Hwang and Steven López of the United States.

A number of Olympic 2012 champions will also make the trip to China including Britain's Jade Jones, Argentina's Sebastian Eduardo Crismanich, Serbia's Milica Mandic, Italy's Carlo Molfeta, Korea's Dong-min Cha and Mexico's Maria Espinoza.

The Suzhou event will feature eight Olympic weight categories, four male and four female: the men's under 58 kilogram, the men's under 68kg, the men's under 80kg and the men's over 80kg; the women's under 49kg, the women's under 57kg, the women's under 67kg and the women's over 67kg.

It will also feature a cash prize for the top four athletes of each weight category for the first time, with winners receiving $5,000 (£2,917/€3,679), silver medallists $3,000 (£1,750/€2,207), and $1,000 (£583/€735) for the two bronze medal winners.

The event's official draw and head of team meeting took place yesterday at the New City Garden Hotel in downtown Suzhou, with the Opening Ceremony set to take place tomorrow afternoon.

"Taekwondo is a sport embraced by the Chinese," said Li Qiang, president of the Chinese Taekwondo Association.

"It is our great pleasure to host such a significant World Taekwondo Grand Prix, in consideration of the high technical level of the event.

"I wish to express my appreciation to the WTF for their trust in us as well as their active participation."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
March 2014: WTF names host cities for 2014-2015 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series
December 2013: Inaugural World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Manchester judged "huge success" by WTF chief
December 2013: Jones has to settle for silver after controversial final at World Taekwondo Grand Prix
December 2013: Another golden day for Britain as Muhammad triumphs at Taekwondo Grand Prix
December 2013: Britain's Cho takes gold on first day of Manchester World Taekwondo Grand Prix