The Australian Taekwondo National Championships will take a fresh look in Brisbane this year, unveiling its new tournament branding today.
The country's best martial artists will head to Brisbane in April for Australian Taekwondo's National Championships, with over 800 athletes expected to descend on the sunshine state for two days of competition at Nissan Arena from April 1-2, 2022.
“We're thrilled to unveil a new identity for our national event,” said Heather Garriock, Chief Executive Officer for Australian Taekwondo.
"Australian Taekwondo has undergone significant change over the last 12 months, focusing on modernising and professionalising to showcase a sport and martial art that everybody can enjoy. Having a solid identity for our marquee event is critical to this strategy and is an extension to our rebrand six months ago."
The Taekwondo National Championships is a premier event on Australia's combat sports calendar. Hosted at Nissan Arena in Nathan from April 1-2, 2022, it is the first major Taekwondo event since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner encouraged Brisbane residents to take up the chance to watch Australia's top taekwondo athletes in action.
"Hosting these national championships further cements Brisbane's reputation as Australia's premier sporting destination," Cr Scrhinner said.
"As we edge closer to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, I expect many more sports and other events will want to be based in our city.
"This shows the dividend from our success landing the Games in Tokyo last year is already being delivered."
Cr Schrinner said given taekwondo was an Olympic sport, holding the national championships in Brisbane was an ideal way of showcasing the city's fantastic sporting facilities as well as other attractions.
"Hosting events like this benefits Brisbane's cafes, restaurants, accommodation and tourist attractions because thousands of participants, officials, families and fans come to stay, play and spend time in our great city," he said.
The event's highly anticipated "Friday Fight Night" will see the best 16 Black Belts in Australia, consisting of eight women and eight men, sparring over two hours with four matches per hour.
Athletes from developing colour belt grades to the elite black belts will be competing, with ages ranging from 8 to 60 years in the master's divisions.
"We're really delighted to have the opportunity to showcase Taekwondo to Brisbane," said Garriock.
"We welcome the Brisbane community to join us and experience everything that Taekwondo has to offer. The event provides the opportunity to see the best martial artists in Australia compete, from juniors to elite, and will showcase Taekwondo as a sport and martial art that enhances everything from self-discipline to physical fitness."
The Australian Taekwondo National Championships will be an open entry sparring only event with participants competing at their current belt level.
The Australian Taekwondo Championships is proudly supported by the Brisbane City Council via Brisbane Economic Development Agency (BEDA), New Balance, ProYou Business Advisory, Shogun Martial Arts, and the Australian College of Physical Education.
Spectator seating will go on sale in February via the Australian Taekwondo website.
