The world's leading taekwondo fighters are in Wuxi for the WT Grand Slam Champions Series that starts tomorrow ©WT

Leading world class fighters, including the previous Grand Slam winners and gold medallists in the year’s Grand Prix events, will take part in the lucrative World Taekwondo (WT) Grand Slam Champions Series starting tomorrow in Wuxi in China.

Winners will receive cash prices of $70,000 (£55,000/€61,590), runners-up will win $20,000 (£15,865/€17,600) and bronze medallists will win $5,000 (£4,000/€4,400), making the Grand Slam the richest event in WT’s portfolio of tournaments.

Britain’s Jade Jones and top seed Irem Yaman of Turkey are in the women’s under-57 kilograms field.

Jones’s British team-mate Bianca Walkden is top seed in the women’s over 67kg class.

South Korea’s Tae-hun Kim is top seed in the men’s under 58kg, and his colleague Dae-hoon Lee tops the rankings in the men’s under 68kg category.

Russia’s Maksim Khramtcov is seeded one in the men’s under 80kg category, where the ninth seed is former British international Aaron Cook, now competing for Moldova.

Another Korean fighter tops the list in the men’s over 80kg class - Kyo-don In - against a field that includes Britain’s London 2012 bronze and Rio 2016 silver medallist Lutalo Mohammad.  

The Grand Slam - featuring each of the four male and four female Olympic weight categories - is designed to maximise TV exposure, so boasts the very highest production values with world-class sound and light systems, WT claim.

The event does not take place in a stadium but in a custom-designed studio.

Britain's Jade Jones, right, is among the athletes set to compete in Wuxi ©World Taekwondo
Britain's Jade Jones, right, is among the athletes set to compete in Wuxi ©World Taekwondo

"I am extremely excited to see the Grand Slam advance into its second year, and thank the Organising Committee for its hard work and its investment in the series,” said WT President Chungwon Choue.

“As a media showcase for taekwondo, as a benchmark for presentation and production, and as a test laboratory for rule modifications, the Grand Slam points toward the future of our sport.”

Twelve World Taekwondo-appointed international referees will officiate during the five-day event.

Matches will be decided by best of three, two-minute rounds, with a tie after three rounds being decided by a Golden Round.

The male bronze and gold medal matches will be decided by best of five rounds.

Winners will be declared early if a 20-point difference in score is reached or if an athlete commits five “Game-jeoms” in one round.

If a fighter is knocked down by a legal attack, their opponent will receive an additional three points.

The eastern Chinese city of Wuxi, near Shanghai, is investing heavily in sports, notably taekwondo.

In addition to the Grand Slam series, it will also host the 2021 World Championships.