The event, due to take place in the city's Convention Centre from December 3 to 4, will feature 64 top athletes from 27 countries, including five male and three female Olympic gold medalists.

Four of the five males - Turkey's under 68 kilogram Servet Tazegul, Spain's under 58kg Joel González Bonilla, Argentina's under 80kg Sebastian Eduardo Crismanich and Italy's 80kg Carlo Molfetta - triumphed at London 2012, while South Korea's Dong-min Cha recorded his success at Beijing 2008 in the 80kg division.

All three females - China's under 49kg Wu Jingyu, Great Britain's under 57kg Jade Jones and Serbia's 67kg Milica Mandic - achieved the ultimate accolade at London 2012.

Hosts Mexico have the largest crop of athletes with nine, six males and three females, followed by Korea with four males and three females.

France are represented by one male and five females, Russia are sending two males and two females and Iran will field four males.

Germany, Spain, Great Britain and Egypt have three athletes each.

The two-day Grand Prix final features four male and four female Olympic weight categories and will involve the use of the protector and scoring system (PSS) head gears, or e-head gears.

The female division consists of the under 49kg, under 57kg, under 67kg and 67kg categories, while the male division is made up of the under 58kg, under 68kg, under 80kg and 80kg classes.

The 2014 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships is due to take place in Queretaro, Mexico, from December 6 to 7 ©WTF



A bronze medal contest will be held in a single elimination format.

The gold medal winner in each category will receive a prize fund of $6,000 (£3,800/€4,800), while the silver medalist will earn $3,000 (£1,900/€2,400) and the bronze medallist will be awarded $1,000 (£600/€800).

A total of 30 international referees will officiate at the Grand Prix final.

The 2014 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships will be held at the same venue on December 6 and 7

Hosts Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Côte d'Ivoire, France and the United States will participate in both the men's and women's divisions, with Iran and Germany completing the men's line-up and China and Colombia rounding off the women's category.

A mixture of traditional team match and tag-team match formats will be used at the two-day Championships, which will feature a round-robin system in the preliminary group stage and a single elimination format from the quarter-finals onwards. 

In between the two events, on December 5, the WTF will hold its first-ever gala dinner at the Government Palace to honour the sport's star players and officials in what it is planned will become an annual event.

During the dinner, the 2014 WTF Male Player of the Year, Female Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Referee of the Year and National Federation of the Year will be voted for.

The top two competitors in each of the eight Grand Prix final Olympic weight categories will be eligible for the player awards.

Those eligible to vote will be the 64 participating athletes, the 30 international referees and the 27 national federations attending the Grand Prix final, as well as registered journalists covering the event. 

The red carpet gala will feature cocktails, dance and taekwondo performances, presentations and speeches from dignitaries, including the WTF President Chungwon Choue.

"This event grants us in the WTF the opportunity to recognise, thank and honour our sport's top stars, as well as the officials who work so hard," said Choue.

"We need to recognise these people, and we need to promote them."

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