The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) announced that 121 athletes from a record 40 countries will compete in the Championships, the fifth edition of the event since its inauguration in Baku in 2009.

Nations from all five International Paralympic Committee (IPC) regions have registered to compete in the tournament due to be held from June 21 and 22 inside the Dinamo Sport Palace in the Russian capital.

The Championships have extra significance for the WTF as it battles with badminton for a place on the Paralympic programme for Tokyo 2020.

"This is a very proud moment for the WTF," said Chungwon Choue, President of the WTF.

"With athletes from all five of the IPC regions set to travel to Moscow, it is clear that Para-taekwondo is a truly global sport.

"Working in close collaboration with the IPC, we have made excellent progress, but we know that there is still a lot of room for further development and we remain committed to making the sport as fair and accessible as possible.

"If we are granted the honour of being included on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic programme, it would act as a catalyst for a dramatic rise in participation and provide a platform to promote the shared values of the IPC and the WTF."

Participants from a record 40 countries will make the trip to Moscow for the 5th World Para-Taekwondo Championships later this month ©WTF



The news comes following the amendments and reforms introduced at the WTF General Assembly in March which saw an extension to round times for Kyorugi competitions as well as a new scoring system that it is hoped will encourage athletes to attempt more challenging and interesting techniques.

The 5th WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championship will also see the introduction of Para-Taekwondo Poomsae for Intellectually Disabled athletes.

These changes were made as part of Para-taekwondo's bid for inclusion at Tokyo 2020. 

Taekwondo and badminton were shortlisted by the IPC in March during a meeting of its Governing Board on the eve of Sochi 2014.

A final decision on the matter will made by the IPC Governing Board at its meeting in Berlin in October.

"This month's Championships are set to be the most exciting and competitive we have ever seen," added WTF secretary general Jean-Marie Ayer.

"There will be a real depth of field with over 120 male and female athletes across three weight categories, competing in four classification classes during two days of intense competition.

"We have introduced new competition rules and scoring systems which will be implemented in Moscow to make the matches more dynamic and exciting for fans whilst continuing to ensure athletes' safety.

"We believe that if we have the privilege of being included on the Paralympic programme, we will bring something special and distinctive to the Paralympic Games."

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March 2014: Badminton and Para-taekwondo shortlisted in race to join Tokyo 2020 Paralympics
March 2014: WTF President calls for more work to be done to develop Para-taekwondo in bid for 2020 inclusion
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