World Taekwondo Junior Championships kick off in Tashkent
The opening ceremony of the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships takes place at the Martial Arts Sports Complex in Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk.
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — The Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships kicked off Sunday at the Olympic City complex with a ceremony featuring Uzbek cultural performances, the raising of the World Taekwondo flag and a parade of participating teams.
Dancers in traditional Uzbek costumes perform during the opening ceremony of the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships at the Martial Arts Sports Complex in Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won attended with Uzbekistan’s sports officials, including Sports Minister Adkham Ikramov, National Olympic Committee First Vice President Otabek Umarov and National Paralympic Committee First Deputy Chair Shakhnoza Miziyoyeva, along with International Olympic Committee members Nenad Lalovic and Dagmawit Girmay Berhane.
World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won, left, greets International Olympic Committee member and United World Wrestling President Nenad Lalovic during the opening ceremony of the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships at the Martial Arts Sports Complex in Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk.
In his remarks, Choue noted that this 30th edition of the junior championships is the first World Taekwondo event held in the new Olympic City, with 986 athletes having registered, the most in the competition’s history. He pointed to Uzbekistan’s recent Olympic and Paralympic results and its record of staging international events, and acknowledged the work of the Uzbekistan Taekwondo Association and its president, Sherzod Tashmatov, in preparing the tournament.
Representatives of athletes, coaches and referees take fair-play oaths during the opening ceremony of the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships at the Martial Arts Sports Complex in Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk.
Representatives of athletes, coaches and referees then took fair-play oaths before the Uzbek national anthem was played. Umarov then formally opened the championships, which will run through April 17.
Championships open with high-impact finals
Korea's Eom Si-mok celebrates after winning a final match against Uzbekistan's Alisher Pak in the men’s over-78 kilograms match at Martial Arts Sports Complex, Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Chinese Taipei’s Chieh Ling Wang, Korea’s Eom Si-mok and China’s Kunyue Ren captured gold on the opening day of the competition, each winning their divisions without dropping a round at the Martial Arts Sports Complex in Olympic City.
Chinese Taipei’s Chieh Ling Wang, right, competes with Russia’s Elizaveta Bystrova in the women’s -46 kilogram final match at Martial Arts Sports Complex, Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Wang, the defending junior champion, added the women’s -46 kilogram title to her 2024 crown by defeating Russia’s Elizaveta Bystrova in the final, taking the first round 26-17 and closing out the second on a points gap; Bulgaria’s Deya Peeva and Ukraine’s Olha Malenko took bronze.
Korea's Eom Si-mok, left, competes with Uzbekistan's Alisher Pak in the men’s over-78 kilograms match at Martial Arts Sports Complex, Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
In the men’s over-78 kilograms match, Asian Youth Games winner Eom controlled both rounds against home favorite Alisher Pak of Uzbekistan, winning 14-5 and 8-6, while Greece’s Petros Giannouchidis and Jordan’s Mohmmad Dar Ali claimed bronze.
China’s Kunyue Ren, right, competes with Türkiye’s Cansu Şeyhoğlu in the women’s -59 kilogram final match at Martial Arts Sports Complex, Olympic City, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Ren secured the women’s -59 kilogram title with a 2-0, 12-7 victory over Türkiye’s Cansu Şeyhoğlu, breaking a scoreless first round with a late kick and then pulling away with head kicks in the second; Iran’s Pinar Lotfizadeh and Egypt’s Salma Mohammed Essam El Din Moh completed the podium.