Meadowbank Stadium will be the stage for the Championships, first held in Australia in 2006.

It is hoped the event could bring more than £1 million ($1.7 million/€1.2 million) to the local economy, coming less than four months after Scotland hosts the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The Championships will feature Kyorugi (fighting), Poomsae (a defined set of movements incorporating blocking, kicking and striking techniques) and, for the first time, Para-taekwondo.

Organisers hope the event will strengthen taekwondo's bid to be included on the programme of sports for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, to be held in either Durban in South Africa, or Edmonton in Canada.

"I am thrilled that the 2014 Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships will be coming to Scotland for the first time later this year," said Louise Martin, vice chair of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.

"2014 is a massive year for sport in Scotland and this is yet another international event to add to an already bursting calendar with, of course, the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this month.

"Sportscotland works very closely with Taekwondo Scotland to help promote and expand the sport and I am delighted that recent developments mean that taekwondo - including Para-taekwondo - now has the opportunity to feature in future Games."

Louise Martin (second from left), vice chair of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games Organising Committee, has hailed "Scotland's massive year for sport" ©Taekwondo Scotland



The biennial competition is held under the auspices of the World Taekwondo Federation and the Commonwealth Taekwondo Union.

Invitations have gone out to 64 Commonwealth federations and large national teams are expected from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, India and Malaysia, as well as the Home Nations.

Taekwondo Scotland chairman Dr William Darlington said: "I've been looking forward to this for over 10 years since my colleagues and I started lobbying vigorously for taekwondo to become a fully-fledged Commonwealth Games sport.

"Recently we achieved the breakthrough by becoming a Category 2 Commonwealth Games sport and we may feature in future Commonwealth Games, but unfortunately that decision came too late for Glasgow 2014.

"But we're delighted to invite top players to come to Scotland in the Commonwealth Games year.

"I'm looking forward to welcoming the national teams from around the world to the capital this winter for what promises to be an unforgettable event."

Today's announcement at Meadowbank included short taekwondo bouts featuring Hassan Haider and Kristian Kinnon and Jordyn Smith and Tegan O'May from Falkirk's Central Taekwondo Academy.

The Championships are due to be held on November 15 and 16.