The ambitious Indian Taekwondo Premier League (TPL) was launched at a grand ceremony with the promise of transforming the sport in the country and grooming international champions.
The franchise-model league to be held in Delhi in June 2023 has already found takers in Hyderabad, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Assam, Delhi, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chennai, and Gujarat. Taekwondo Grandmasters Jun Lee and Moon Dae Sung, who is a World, Olympic, and Asian Champion, hailed the TPL as a path-breaker while addressing a power-packed audience, including 400 players, during the launch.
“There are 10 lakh registered players in the country, making it one of the more popular sports in India. The top players will get the opportunity to hone their skills at the highest level, and I am sure India will soon see an Olympic medal winner,” Moon Dae Sung said.
Taekwondo, which finds its origins in South Korea and is a form of martial art that involves kicking and punching, is practised by over 20 million athletes in about 200 countries and is an Olympic sport.
“This is the start of a new chapter, a new era, in taekwondo. We have been working on this for the last two years and are delighted to see so many entrepreneurs and business houses interested in backing the sport,” Ganesh Duvvuri, GK Venkat, and Navneeta, Founder Directors, said.
An international panel led by Grand Master Jun Lee, the TPL Commissioner, Master Kim Chang Kwon, the Chief TPL Coach, and Moon Dae Sung will pick the players from selection trials to be held in 12 cities. The mentors and coaches for each team have already been identified.