Taekwondo athletes will compete this weekend at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament in the Philippines’ capital Manila, where the last 16 places for Rio 2016 will be up for grabs ©WTF

Taekwondo athletes will compete this weekend at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament in the Philippines’ capital Manila, where 16 places for Rio 2016 will be up for grabs.

A total of 98 athletes from 36 countries across Asia will compete in eight Olympic weight categories - four male and four female - during the tournament, which will be held in the Marriot Hotel Convention Center.

The winner and runner-up in each weight category will claim an Olympic qualification spot for their respective countries.

The event is the final continental qualification tournament to take place ahead of Rio 2016 and is the final chance for athletes to secure Olympic qualification, with 108 places having already been awarded.

Supported by the instant video replay system and protector and scoring system (PSS), 30 international referees will officiate.

Japan's Mayu Hamada won the women's under 57kg gold medal at the Rio 2016 taekwondo test event
Japan's Mayu Hamada won the women's under 57kg gold medal at the Rio 2016 taekwondo test event ©Getty Images

As many as 128 taekwondo athletes will compete at this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.  

The best 48 fighters won quota places for Rio 2016 at the end of last year via ranking points accrued in World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) tournaments, most notably in the World Championships and Grand Prix series.

Once the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament has concluded, 72 athletes will have ensured their berths via the five continental qualification events. 

Of the remaining eight places, four are automatically awarded to Olympic hosts Brazil and four wild cards are still to be decided and distributed.

A Rio 2016 taekwondo test event was held at the Carioca Arena 1 in February, when Japan's women’s under 57 kilograms world champion, Mayu Hamada, was among the winners.