This weekend, Australian Taekwondo’s senior, junior and cadet stars in both Kyorugi and Poomsae, will compete with Oceania’s best at the Salle Omnisports Henri Christian Helme in Tahiti.
Four Taekwondo events will be held in the Tahitian capital of Papeete, from 30 September to 2 October – the WT President’s Cup (Oceania), Oceania Taekwondo Championships, Tahiti Open and Oceania Poomsae Championships.
Throughout these events, all competition areas will be equipped with video replay and Daedo electronic body protectors and headgear for Kyorugi.
On day one, athletes ranging from cadet through senior will contest the WT President’s Cup, an Open competition with entry dependant on Australian Taekwondo membership for Aussie athletes.
This event also offers the opportunity for the highest ranked Australian, if medalling in the competition, to participate in the Oceania Championships as a Wild Card entrant.
The Aussies’ first matches in the President’s Cup are as follows:
National Team athletes will also be competing in the Oceania Championships for Kyorugi on day two (see below), having won national selection in their respective weight divisions at the Gold Coast Recreation Centre earlier this year. National Poomsae Team members, who also won Gold at the national selection event, will be contesting the Oceania Poomsae Championships on day three.
In addition to the listed national team members, many club athletes and Australian Taekwondo’s high-performance squad, will have the opportunity to qualify for the Oceania Championships with strong performances at the WT President’s Cup. Together, CombatAus and Australian Taekwondo provide contemporary technical leadership to ensure the strategic direction of Taekwondo in Australia excels.
A number of Australia’s junior and cadet Kyorugi athletes will gain valuable international experience in Tahiti. The following young stars will take to the mats at the Oceania Championships, along with Sara Wong and David King in Poomsae.
Australian Kyorugi Junior and Cadet team
Australian Poomsae Team
Each of the Aussie athletes may also participate in the Tahiti Open, in available divisions, to enhance their competition experience.
Our referees are also represented in Tahiti with Jenny Crutchett, Ernie Civeratese, Keith McCoombes, Raymond Pham, Zohreh Saeidi, Carlos Lakerdis, and Denzil Ray representing Australia. Denzil was appointed as the WT Technical Delegate for the Oceania Championships (Kyorugi & Poomsae) and the Tahiti Open. We wish all referees attending this weekend the very best, as well as the additional team staff in attendance:
National Kyorugi Senior Team
National Kyorugi Junior & Cadet Team
National Poomsae Team
Many other Australian competitors and club coaches will be participating across the three days, and we wish all our members the best of luck.
Draws, results and further information
Day 1
Day 1 Facebook Live Stream
Day 1 Draw
For further information on each event in Tahiti, please visit World Taekwondo Oceania’s website and Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.
It has been an action-packed start to 2024 for the Australian Taekwondo National Performance Pathways program and the tangible outcomes already appear promising.
Athletes kicked off the year in full force with a four-day training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Combat Centre – a multi-sport Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Canberra.
At the age of six, Amy Tierney – now the Owner and Head Instructor at Tierney’s Taekwondo Academy in NSW – discovered Taekwondo through a lucky break. Originally from Ingleburn in the south-west of Sydney, Tierney attempted to take up boxing at nearby Campbelltown PCYC, only to be told by an instructor that “girls don’t box”.
International Taekwondo events are set to return to Brisbane in 2024, with the World Taekwondo President's Cup (Oceania) and the Australian Open confirmed for September 18-22 at Nissan Arena. Open to the world's top black belts, athletes from World Taekwondo's 212 Member National Associations are invited to attend.
