Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
ATHLETES from 10 countries will take part in a Taekwondo Expo hosted by Panthers Academy at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair from March 26-27.
According to Panthers Academy founder Vusa Ncube, they are expecting close to 250 athletes from Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa, Angola, Zambia, Egypt, Botswana, Nigeria and Mozambique.
“We are excited that we are finally returning to action after such a long break. As per our tradition as Panthers Academy, every year in March we try and have a continental meet like this. Preparations are going on well and we hope that Bulawayo will support this work,” said Ncube.
“We are trying to market taekwondo so that people have an appreciation of the sport because most people confuse taekwondo with karate. Besides the different uniforms and style, taekwondo is a full contact form of martial art, while karate is semi-contact.
Panthers Academy was running taekwondo in 16 schools around Bulawayo before Covid-19 hit, but that number has dropped significantly.
Ncube said they plan to embark on a taekwondo awareness and recruitment drive around Bulawayo where he believes a lot of talent remains untapped.
They also want to improve students’ grading after two years of inaction.
A grading assesses one’s technical ability, knowledge, indomitable spirit and physical conditioning, and most importantly allows rank advancement.
Taekwondo, Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do is a Korean form of martial arts, characterised by punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping spinning kicks and fast kicking techniques. – @innocentskizoe
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