The Mexican Taekwondo Continues Fighting for Tokyo 2020 Paralympics

Time continues its march towards the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, and Mexican Taekwondo continues to make great strides in order to have more options for that event, as currently there are only five Mexicans in the combat category who are consolidated.

In order to have more athletes in the national team, the Mexican Federation of Taekwondo has decided not to charge a membership fee for ParaTaekwondo athletes, nor the black belt registration fee, and not to charge an entry fee for national events.

"When the World Federation notifies us that Taekwondo is included in the official program of the Paralympic Games, we naturally undertook the task of seeking out the athletes, working with them, motivating and encouraging them. When we started the project, it was to support these individuals, not necessarily to go to a Paralympic Games, but to help them become good people," declared the president of the Mexican Federation of Taekwondo, Raymundo González.

At the second National Championship of this category held last weekend in Veracruz, 50 athletes registered, twice as many as last year's edition in Guadalajara. However, the majority were in poomsae, a category that is not part of the Tokyo 2020 program.

"We need more people to join, not to stay stagnant, but to come with us since their lives change with the sport. I would like more people with intellectual or physical disabilities to join, and to have stronger opponents for other international events," mentioned Taekwondo athlete Claudia Romero, who is a world runner-up.

Meanwhile, Jessica García, bronze medalist at the last World Championships in London, called for not being afraid to practice a contact sport.

"In my opinion, there is a need for a greater attitude. There are people and there is talent, and they must have the mentality that they can do it. So, if they come here, they just need to give a little extra because they can really achieve their goals," García said.

Francisco Pedroza (bronze medalist in the world), Juan Diego García, and Luis Enrique Campos are the other three athletes who already have international participation and a world ranking. However, the federation's intention is to have other options since being a combat sport, injuries are a daily occurrence.

"We will see who meets certain parameters to be part of a national team. Unfortunately, there are some Association presidents who do not pay attention to a young athlete, so we are raising awareness. Therefore, all those who have a young person in these conditions should simply support them," expressed the federation's representative.

In the combat category, Mexico currently ranks ninth worldwide after winning three medals at the world event in London. According to the coordinator of Parataekwondo in Mexico, Verónica Santana, this was a good result for a national team with a year and a half of work.

"The fact that athletes have achieved medals and a world ranking is very good at the American level. Furthermore, we have entered the fight against powers such as Russia and Iran in such a short time. Now, if there are new athletes joining, we must try to integrate them because preparation time is very short, and for those who have previous points, we need to continue their training to have a good performance in the 2019 ParaPan American Games and achieve good positions in the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020," Santana said.

In the case of poomsae, which involves athletes with Down syndrome or with some intellectual disability, it is expected to be included in the program of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Therefore, the coach also pointed out that work must continue with the athletes who have already started their journey, including world champion Alejandro Gutiérrez.

"It is very important to not only take into consideration the technical aspect but also go beyond that, such as the fact that they have the opportunity to travel. For example, we have athletes who have a medical regime of taking certain medications at certain times, and if we take them to another country with different time schedules, we can alter their metabolism. This issue is very complex, but we are very responsible in that regard to protect the integrity of the athlete," concluded Santana.