The Asian Games Taekwondo competition will officially begin tomorrow. Previously, Pakistan introduced a 14-member taekwondo delegation for the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games. This delegation consists of eight athletes and six officials, including one coach from South Korea.
Notably, this marks the first time in Pakistan’s history that a women’s taekwondo team is participating in the Asian Games. Prior to the competition, the team underwent rigorous and intensive training.
Naila Akrami, one of the female taekwondo athletes competing in this event, stated, “It’s the first time Pakistan’s Women’s Taekwondo Team is participating in the Asian Games. I’m part of it and feel immense pride in representing my country on such a grand stage, Inshallah. Our training is going really well, with about 10 hours a day. We have a Korean coach, and I hope to give my best performance for Pakistan, God willing.”
“The competition will be fierce, but we’re fully committed. We undergo three training sessions—morning, evening, and night—each lasting three hours. This means we train for nearly 10 hours a day. It’s a historic moment as this marks the debut of Pakistani female taekwondo athletes in the Asian Games. We’re optimistic they will demonstrate their utmost potential.“ said Seong Oh Choi, the Head Coach of the Pakistan Taekwondo team.
The male and female team consists of athletes: Haroon Khan, Mohammad Arbaz Khan, Hamza Omar Saeed, Naqash Hamdani, Naila Qadeer, Aqdasullah Qadeer, Mazhar Abbas, and Fateemah Tuz Zahraa.
Pakistan has never won a taekwondo medal at the Asian Games. In the previous edition of the continental multi-sport event held in Jakarta-Palembang in 2018, the country finished with four medals, all of which were bronze.
