By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
France won three gold medals to clinch the overall title at the first World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) World Para-Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Thursday.
The host finished second after claiming one gold medal, two silver medals and two bronze medals, followed by Turkey with one gold, one silver and three bronze.
South Korea earned one bronze medal.
The one-day, 30-country championships, featuring one category for women and seven for men, marked the first WTF-promoted event to use electronic protectors.
Under the WTF new competition rules, an instant video replay system and a new scoring system were introduced for the event.
In addition, head kicks were not allowed and a one-minute, three-round system was adopted.
The taekwondo governing body plans to hold the second WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships next year, with the aim of including the sport in the official program of the Paralympic Games in the near future.
``Taekwondo has been a sport growing fast and is reaching out to all parts of the world. With the growing popularity and balanced development, taekwondo has established itself as a global sport that is enjoyed by tens of millions of people around the world regardless of their race, age, gender, or disability,'' WTF President Choue Chung-won said during the opening ceremony.
``The first Para-Taekwondo event, in particular, is part of the step to bring taekwondo closer to every individual and to the Olympic ideal of promoting the universality of sport.''