Taekwondo World Opens in Central Mexico's City of Puebla

The 2013 World Taekwondo Championships began in Central Mexico’s city of Puebla this weekend. This year marks the 21st annual Championships for men’s events, and the 14th annual for women. Over 800 athletes from 134 countries and regions will be competing for seven days for an audience of over 5,000 locals.

The opening ceremony was held on Saturday, with a folk dance performance depicting the traditional Mexican legend of Popocatepetl – an active volcano in the Puebla region. Also, Puebla’s governor Rafael Moreno Valle and the World Taekwondo Federation’s president Choue Chung-won spoke and opened the biennial Championships, which are scheduled for July 15-21st. They expressed their hopes for the best championships in the Federation’s history and thanked Puebla’s local government for hosting the tournament.

"Dear athletes please train hard and compete fairly, to show the audience of Puebla, Mexico and the whole world how wonderful is taekwondo," Choue Chung-won said.

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Viva Taekwondo! Mexico Steps Up as Taekwondo Powerhouse

http://www.arirang.co.kr/Player/News_Vod.asp?code=News&nSeq=141122

It's almost 8 p.m. here in the Mexican city of Puebla, but children haven't gone to bed yet.

Rather, they're sweating and shouting, practicing Taekwondo with their friends.

"How many times do you come here to practice "Everyday. An hour each day."

Parents here don't just drop their kids off and leave -- they sit and watch them kick and jump through the entire hour.

[Interview : Angela Maria Avendano Luna, Mother of a student] "I come here everyday to see my son.

This class is for the advanced, red belt kids. And because the national championships are only a week away, the training is more intense these days."

[Interview : Gabriel Diaz Rodriguez, Taekwondo Master

Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo Reforma] "After football, Taekwondo is the sport most practiced in Mexico.

Here in Puebla, there are about 200 Taekwondo schools in town with about 50 students enrolled on average per school."

Whether they're 5 years old or 12, their dreams are nothing less than those of the grown ups.

[Interview : ] "I want to be a professional athlete and go to the Olympic Games."

[Interview : ] "I want to go to the Olympics."

And their dreams of becoming world-level Taekwondo athletes and meeting those who actually took part in the summer Olympics, may soon become reality.

Continue reading the interview on Taekwondo in Mexico at Arirang.co.kr!

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Meet Mexico’s Champion and Flag-Bearer: María del Rosario Espinoza

For the few of you who don’t know María del Rosario Espinoza yet, that is about to change. Espinoza, reigning Olympic champion in the +67 kg weight class for taekwondo, will be the official flag bearer for Mexico in the 2012 London Olympics. In addition to competing for another gold medal in London, she was chosen to represent her country in the parade of nations that will take place on July, 27th.

Born in La Brecha, Sinaloa, Espinoza showed potential in martial arts from a young age. After winning the 2003 Pan-American Youth Championships in 2003, she has been on a mission to dominate the female taekwondo circuit. Espinoza caught the eyes of millions around the world after defeating Nina Solheim of Norway for the gold medal in Beijing. Although taekwondo has only been a full medal sport since the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Espinoza has made her country proud through her success and determination in the ring thus far.

After being selected as the national flag-bearer, Espinoza stated that, “this is something so important to my family and me”. Being able to compete in Taekwondo and to represent her nation is an incredible opportunity from her perspective. “For me, it is a dream come true to have the ability to represent Mexico in the Olympic Games, but to be the flag bearer is the culmination of another dream.” At just 24, María del Rosario Espinoza has already made history in becoming the second woman to win a gold medal for Mexico in 2008.

If past performance is any indication of success in the future, then keep a close eye on Espinoza, who has already established herself as the favorite to take home the gold in London. In addition, Espinoza’s teammate and fellow Mexican competitor, Janet Alegría, will compete in the 49-kg and under event in London. The Olympic taekwondo event will consist of a single elimination tournament for each of the weight categories. Coverage starts August 8th through the 11th.

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