Turkiye to send the most Para-Taekwondo athletes to Paris 2024. WORLD TAEKWONDO

The sport's second appearance at the Paralympics promises high-quality action with 25 nations from four continents already qualified. Türkiye will field a maximum of eight athletes.

After a brilliant 2023, in which athletes displayed incredible skill and technique to gain vital ranking points on the road to the Paralympic Games, the final countdown to Paris 2024 has begun. The qualification process is underway as Para Taekwondo athletes have begun their final preparations even for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which are just seven months away. 

A total of 25 countries from four continents - Africa (1), Asia (9), Europe (10), Pan Am (5) - and one Affiliated Individual Nation have qualified for the Paris 2024, which will host the Para Taekwondo events for the second time in the history of the Games. It should also be noted that Türkiye has qualified the most athletes with eight, followed by Brazil, Mexico and Uzbekistan with five each. 

Among the top names in the men's competition are Turkiye's Ali Can Ozcan and Israel's Asaf Yasur (K44 men -58kg), Turkiye's Mahmut Bozteke and Brazil's Nathan Torquato (K44 men -63kg), Mexico's Juan Diego Garcia Lopez (K44 men - 70kg), Uzbekistan's Asadbek Toshtemirov (K44 men - 80kg). 

The women's competition will also feature top names such as Mexico's Claudia Romero and Uzbekistan's Ziyodakhon Isakova (K44 women -47kg), Türkiye's Meryem Betul Cavdar (K44 women -52kg), Brazil's Silvana Mayara Cardoso Fernandes (K44 women -57kg), Great Britain's Beth Munro, Brazil's Ana Carolina Silva de Moura (K44 women - 65kg) and Uzbekistan's Guljonoy Naimova (K44 women +65kg).

Action at the 2023 Para-Taekwondo Grand Prix in Manchester. WORLD TAEKWONDO
Action at the 2023 Para-Taekwondo Grand Prix in Manchester. WORLD TAEKWONDO

A total of 61 spots have been allocated through the World Para Taekwondo Paralympic rankings and host nation allocation methods. There's still more opportunities for the athletes to qualify, as the process for the Continental Qualification pathway and the Bi-Partite Invitation pathway to the Games hasn't started yet. 

Registration for the African Qualification Tournament has closed, with countries such as Niger, Kenya, Central African Republic, and Democratic Republic of the Congo having registered. The process for the Asian and European Qualification Tournaments for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games is open. The African Qualifier will take place on 9 February at the Dakar ARENA in Dakar, Senegal.

Meanwhile, the European Tournament will take place on 8 March 2024 in Sofia, Bulgaria, while the Asian Tournament will be held at the Taishan International Convention and Exhibition Center, Tai'an City, China, on 17th March 2024.