China wins sixth Olympic licence for taekwondo. WORLD TAEKWONDO

The Asian Taekwondo Qualifiers took place on 15-16 March in Tai'an, China, with 16 finalists securing their places at Paris 2024. Asian champion Song Zhaoxiang (China) and runner-up Arian Salimi (Iran) reached the men's +80 final. Both won Olympic licences. Song became the sixth Chinese taekwondo athlete to earn an Olympic berth, and China will have the most athletes in Paris.

Iran, Jordan, South Korea and Uzbekistan will have four representatives in Paris. Iran's Mobina Nematzadeh has qualified for the women's -49kg category alongside Saudi Arabia's Dunya Abutaleb. The latter will be the first woman from Saudi Arabia to compete in the Olympic Games. Kim Yu Jun of South Korea reached the final of the women's -57kg category alongside Laetitia Aoun of Lebanon. 

Rama Abu Al-Rub of Jordan and Munira Abdusalomova of Tajikistan will compete in the women's +67kg category at the Olympic Games. Sasikarn Tongchan (Thailand) and Ozoda Sobirjonova (Uzbekistan) won the last two spots in the women's taekwondo.

Dunya Abutaleb will be the first woman from Saudi Arabia to compete in taekwondo at the Olympic Games. WORLD TAEKWONDO
Dunya Abutaleb will be the first woman from Saudi Arabia to compete in taekwondo at the Olympic Games. WORLD TAEKWONDO

Uzbekistan's second licence for the tournament was won by Asian champion Jasurbek Jaysunov in the men's -80kg category. Batyrkhan Toleugali (men's -80kg) and Samirkhon Ababakirov (men's -58kg) won two Olympic licences for Kazakhstan. Palestine's Omar Yaser Ismail reached the final of the men's -58kg category to secure his country's only quota in taekwondo. 

Ali Reza Abbasi from the refugee team and the 2023 World runner-up in the men's -63kg category, Banlung Tubtimdang from Thailand, will compete in the men's -68kg category at the Olympic Games.

The next continental qualifier will be held on 6th April in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The winners of each weight category at the Oceania Qualifiers will qualify for Paris 2024.