TOKYO Olympian Kurt Barbosa leads a star-studded cast in the Smart/MVP Sports Foundation National Carlos Palanca Jr. (CPJ) Taekwondo Championships set October 8 and 9 at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Pasay City.
The country’s lone taekwondo bet in Tokyo last year who’s a two-time Southeast Asian Games champion is favored in the -54 kgs class of the tournament organized by the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) as part of the qualifying process for slots for the 2023 national team.
The tournament also serves as a tune-up to members of the national team to the World Taekwondo Championships in November in Guadalajara, Mexico, as well as to the Asian Taekwondo Championships, Asian Junior/Cadet Taekwondo Championships and Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games next year.
Also joining the competition sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Milo are Barbosa’s fellow National University standout and 2019 SEA Games gold medal winner Dave Cea, and national team mainstays Arven Alcantara, Alfritz Arevalo, Joseph Chua and Laila Delo Baby Jessica.
More than a thousand participants from PTA-affiliated organizations, schools and clubs nationwide have confirmed their participation in the Kyorugi (free sparring) and Poomsae (form) events.
The Kyorugi will feature competitions in Senior, Junior, Cadet, Grade School and Toddler for both male and female, while Poomsae will be divided into Recognized (Individual, Team and Mixed pair) and Freestyle (Individual and Mixed Pair).
Varsity players who competed in last week’s inter-collegiate championships also sponsored by Smart/MVP Sports Foundation will also compete.
Competitions start at 9 a.m.