Rabat in Morocco will stage the second WT Grand Prix of the year ©WT

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue has expressed his delight that Africa will stage a leg of the sport's Grand Prix competition for the first-time.

Taekwondo players will gather in Rabat for the second Grand Prix of the year, where they will compete for Olympic ranking points and prize money.

Action is due to take place between September 22 and 24 at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah in Morocco's capital, with 221 taekwondo players set to attend. 

"Taekwondo is one of the world's most economic and deployable sports and it was great to see the results won by athletes from Africa at Rio 2016," said Choue.

"Now, one year into a new Olympic cycle, I am delighted that an African city, Rabat, is hosting this Grand Prix."

Rabat is the first city in Africa to host a WT Grand Prix event ©WT
Rabat is the first city in Africa to host a WT Grand Prix event ©WT

Invitations to the tournament were based on last month's WT Olympic Rankings.

A maximum of 32 athletes are invited in each of the eight Olympic weight categories.

All but one of the gold medallists from the Moscow Grand Prix in August, the first tournament of the season, will be competing in Rabat.

The victor in each category wins $5,000 (£3,600/€4,100) in prize money.

Following the event in Rabat, the WT Grand Prix moves to London for the third stage from October 20 to 22.