Wellington hosts 2011 Taekwon-Do World Champs

Preparations are underway for Wellington to host the 2011 Taekwon-Do World Championships.

The event, being held in March, will kick off a milestone year for New Zealand, culminating in the Rugby World Cup in September and October.

Last July, the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) voted to accept New Zealand’s bid to host the event, and since then the New Zealand branch of the ITF has been working closely with the Wellington City Council on preparations.

Nick Lourantos, the chairman of 2011 World Championships, says the decision to host the event in the Capital was not a difficult one.

“Wellington is really a perfect fit for this event – it’s a compact, exciting city and the locals have a great reputation for getting behind events.”

Combining elements of combat technique, self-defence and philosophy, Taekwon-Do is (in terms of practitioners) the most popular martial art in the world.

With more than 3000 students, New Zealand has a thriving Taekwon-Do scene and, going by previous results (finishing third overall in 2007), New Zealand is likely to field one of stronger teams at the 2011 Championships.

The date for the World Champs are 9th - 13th March 2011.  The venue will be the TSB Bank Arena on Queens Wharf in Wellington.

For more information, visit: www.itfnewzealand2011.com