Taekwondo will be featured at the upcoming Parapan American Games for the first time, according to the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), Monday.
The Taekwondo governing body said International Paralympics Committee and Americas Paralympic Committee notified it that they decided to feature the sport in the Lima 2019 Parapan American Games after a two day meeting on Feb. 29 and March 1 in Lima.
With a total of 17 sports, including para-taekwondo, the event will be the largest ever Parapan American Games.
“It is a huge honor to have been included in the Parapan American Games for the first time. At the World Taekwondo Federation, we have always been committed to making taekwondo a sport for all. Inclusion in the Parapan American Games reflects the progress we have made and will also allow us to engage with more people in the Pan American region than ever before,” WTF President Choue Chung-won said in a statement.
The WTF has been making great efforts to feature the sport on the Paralympic Games program since 2006. The decision this time followed the inclusion of the sport in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.