Local and international athletes are excited and ready for the action to begin at the inaugural World Taekwondo Virtual Championships 2024 this weekend. Taking place at the OCBC Arena from 1 6 to 1 7 November, the championships will see over 110 athletes from all over the world battling to be crowned the first world champion of their respective categories.

The categories are:
1. Junior Mixed (13-15 years old)
2. Young Adult–Individual Male (16-35 years old)
3. Young Adult–Individual Female (16-35 years old)
4. Young Adult–Mixed (16-35 years old)
5. Adult Mixed (above 35 years old)

Local fans will also get to cheer on 12 Singapore athletes in person, including Sherri Yap and Tan JiaWei,who gave a demonstration of the sport in a media session on Friday (15 Nov). Also present at thesession were fellow athletes Angelito Ong and Hadi Tiranvalipour, Prof Yang Jin-bang (World Taekwondo council member and technical delegate of the Singapore 2024 WTVC), Prof Tan Cheng Han(Singapore Taekwondo Federation president), Mr Ng Chong Geng (Refract Technologies founder) andLim Peng Siah, PBM (chairman of the local organising committee).

The World Taekwondo Virtual Championships 2024 marks the return of the sport to Singapore afterthe city successfully hosted the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in June 2023, where VirtualTaekwondo made its debut.The world championships will showcase the key attractions of Virtual Taekwondo as a barrier-free,innovative and fun sport as World Taekwondo makes its mark in the Esports world. The game, a virtual-reality rendering of taekwondo, sees players wearing VR headsets as well as motion-tracking nodes ontheir body. In-game, the aim is to land kicks to drain the opponent’s health bar to seize victory. Thegame provides a level playing field for athletes regardless of their weight class.

Says Angelito Ong (USA):“Singapore is very good in virtual taekwondo. I want to be the best as well, I want to learn more andshare that with people back home in the United States. I want to encourage them so that one day my team can come and train in Singapore, where the technology is. Of course, we want to go to the best country. That’s my goal in the future, as well as the Olympics. My opponent is very good, but I’ll do my best. I don’t expect anything except a lot of learning. My goal is to learn and if I win a medal, that’s a bonus.

Says Tan Jia Wei (SGP): “It’s on home ground, so it’ll be more fun because my parents and friends can come and see how I perform. I’m very proud that the first world championship for Virtual Taekwondo is in Singapore andI’m participating in it. I feel very honoured. Muju was thefirst time that (my) parents and friends watched me, and they watched online. It’ll be pretty interesting (in Singapore) because VirtualTaekwondo is a new sport and they can get to know more about it, and who knows, maybe in three years or 10 years later they can also be a part of it because there are three different age categories. From Muju, the main thing I learnt is coping with the noise. Because the voices from outside candistract you from the court inside so you must be really focused on the competition instead of thebackground noise. I’m excited, it’s my home ground and I want to just have fun.”

Says Professor Yang Jin-bang, World Taekwondo council member and technical delegate of the Singapore 2024 WTVC: “This is a historic launch for a new format of a taekwondo world championship. Last year we had Virtual Taekwondo at the OEW and since then, many members of the taekwondo community from across the world have had new interest in this game. It’s not very much popularised yet because of factors like technical problems and timelines. I believe this championship will become a real stepping stone and a starting point for virtual taekwondo in the community. We are looking at a bright future from this meet.”

Says Prof Tan Cheng Han, Singapore Taekwondo Federation president: “The Singapore Taekwondo Federation is really delighted that Singapore has been chosen to host this historic inaugural championship, and we are pleased with the response from the participating teams. Singapore is playing a pivotal role in virtual taekwondo in 2024, with good results from the Muju Taekwondowon 2024 International Open Virtual Taekwondo Championships in Korea. This goes to show that virtual taekwondo is a sport in which Singapore can excel and I’m looking forward to seeing how well they perform in front of a home crowd including their family and friends all supporting them. The inaugural virtual championships represent a milestone in the development of taekwondo. It leverages off emerging technology and will strengthen taekwondo as one of the leading combat sports in the world.”

“The advantages of virtual taekwondo include allowing people to compete remotely with others. It is more conducive to mixed gender sparring and better facilitates sparring for very young children and more senior practition ers. In other words, it bridges geographies, levels the playing field, while allowing more people to experience the sport and to practise it for a long time. It is my hope and expectation that virtual taekwondo will, over time, grow in popularity and become mainstream. This inaugural championship is only the start of a journey of growth. This journey would not be possible without the support of World Taekwondo and its technology partner Refract Technologies and STF is delighted to partner them. The innovative technology in use is representative of our Singapore spirit, as we are constantly striving to come up with new ways and new things, including revolutionising sport and making different variations of sport available to our residents. I’m confident that o ur Singapore athletes will bring pride to Singapore in this tournament, and the spectators will enjoy a thrilling championship. And beyond this inaugural championship, we look forward to witnessing and supporting virtual taekwondo’s continued success through future major competitions such as the Olympic Esports Games in 2025.”

The World Taekwondo Virtual Championships 2024 will take place in Singapore from 16th to 17th November 2024. Tickets to the World Taekwondo Virtual Championships are complimentary and available for redemption here