The opportunity to achieve world ranking points was first offered at the Canada Para-Taekwondo Open in February, before the inaugural Asian Para-Taekwondo Championships and the fourth edition of the European Para-Taekwondo Championships followed suit last month.

The WTF launched the ranking system in December as part of its pledge to guarantee the highest level of competition at Tokyo 2020.

The rankings consist of four classifications, with each divided into three male and three female weight categories for a total of 24 divisions.

There are currently 97 athletes - 78 male and 19 female - ranked in 19 divisions, but the WTF expects this to grow to 150 athletes by the end of 2015 as it hosts more world ranking events including the first ever Oceania Para-Taekwondo Championships from June 27 to 28.

“We are very happy with the participation we have seen in our initial world ranking events,” said WTF President Chungwon Choue.

“Since we had the honour of being included in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic programme we have seen an increase in the sport across our 206 member national associations.

“By the end of this year we will have hosted the first ever Para-Taekwondo Championships in Asia and Oceania which shows the global appetite that exists for our sport.”

Choue says the WTF are working closely with the International Paralympic Committee to continue to develop its world ranking system and increase Para-taekwondo participation, particularly among women.

“World rankings are vital in ensuring that the very best athletes compete against each other regularly, improving the quality of competition and guaranteeing the very best spectacle for fans,” he added.

“This will be reflected in the strength of field and quality of sport the global Para-sport fan base will be able to enjoy at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020.”

The top four athletes in each class and division are seeded in all Para-taekwondo world ranking events.

The K44 over 75 kilogram category is the largest male division with 17 ranked athletes, while the K44 under 58kg is the largest female division with seven ranked athletes.

Final_WTF_Para-Taekwondo_World_Ranking_as_of_April_30_2015.pdf

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