SHARJAH: Over 40 Taekwondo enthusiasts including many Emiratis are taking part in an international Taekwondo camp currently underway in Sharjah.
Organised by Sharjah Sport Club in cooperation with the Kazakhstan National Taekwondo Team, the two-week long camp kicked off on June 18.
“As many as 17 players and three coaches from Kazkhstan’s Junior National Taekwondo team are training alongside players from the Sharjah Sport Club,” said Abdullah Hatim, coach UAE’s national Taekwondo team and technical director, Sharjah Sport Club.
Rich haul
This is the second international Taekwondo camp being organised by the Sharjah Sport Club. Coach Hatim said the UAE Taekwondo National team has fared remarkably well in international competitions and bagged a number of medals in recent years.
In fact, Sharjah Sport Club won the prestigious UAE’s President Taekwondo Championship by clinching the maximum number of gold medals in the category for senior men, senior female and the youth team and the bronze medal in the cadet category.
“Taekwondo is fast gaining popularity in the UAE and many youngsters are showing a keen interest in the Olympic sport. Our players are making steady progress. We are now preparing them for the Asian Games which will be held in Indonesia, in addition to a number of other international competitions this year,” said Hatim, adding that they have launched Taekwondo classes in 10 schools in Sharjah.
Bolat Raibekov, who coaches the Kazakhstan Junior Taekwondo Team, is leading the camp with Hatim. “We hope this camp would be very productive for players from both the countries,” said Raibekov
Engineer Sulaiman Al Hajri, president Sharjah Sports Club for Individual Games visited the camp recently to encourage the players.
