Taekwondo medallists at 13th South Asian Games honoured

A felicitation ceremony to mark the South Asian Games Taekwondo achievements was held at the Grand Monarch Hotel recently with the participation of Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Santhush Woonjin JEONG as the guest of honour. 

Youth and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa also graced this event as the Chief Guest to felicitate the Taekwondo medallists. The event was organised under the patronage of Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation President Kanchana Jayaratne.

Kanchana Jayaratne, in his welcoming speech, appreciated the presence of Youth and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa, Korean Ambassador Santhush Woonjin JEONG and State Minister of Rural and School Sports Infrastructure Thenuka Vidanagamge. 

“Korea is the mother country of Taekwondo, and the support extended by World Taekwondo and Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters to promote Taekwondo in Sri Lanka has been a pillar behind the success of the national team at the South Asian Games in 2019,” he stated. He also expressed his confidence that the glorious achievement at the South Asian Games is a stepping stone for bigger achievements for our Taekwondo team.  

The national athletes representing Sri Lanka in the Taekwondo event contributed immensely to the country’s success in sports at the 13th South Asian Games by securing a total 27 medals including four Gold, seven Silver and 16 Bronze medals. Sri Lanka was placed third in the entire South Asian Games.  

Ambassador Santhush Woonjin JEONG congratulated all the winners in the South Asian Games in this remarks. He further stated: “I hope to see you achieve not only medals at the South Asian Games but also medals at the Asian games and even at the Summer Olympics. I am confident that the steadfast support and commitment of the Sri Lanka Federation of Taekwondo and the Ministry of Sports will assist all of you to achieve such great goals and make your motherland very proud.”

The Ambassador promised the fullest cooperation of the Embassy to advance and promote the Taekwondo movement in Sri Lanka. Riding on this momentum, He announced that the Korean Embassy is planning to hold a Taekwondo Championship tournament in a face to face gathering this year. “It is indeed delightful to witness cooperation between the young people on sportsmanship which will create a new highlight in Korea - Sri Lanka relations,” he added.

Namal Rajapaksa expressed his thankfulness to Korea for providing its fullest support to advance the sport in Sri Lanka and for the guidance provided for the national team to achieve their goals in the world circuit. 

He said: “It is an important time for sports in Sri Lanka as the sports culture is experiencing a new revitalisation. In order build future goals for sports men and women in Sri Lanka, we need to look beyond the South Asian games to future Asian and Olympics achievements. The work plan should include the ultimate goal of winning medals at the Olympics games.”