Taekwondo Premier League with 12 teams launched

New Delhi: As many as 12 teams will vie for honours in the Indian Taekwondo Premier League (TPL), which was launched here on Sunday.

The franchise-based league, to be held in Delhi in June this year, has found takers in Hyderabad, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Assam, Delhi, Bengaluru, Dehradun, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Chennai and Gujarat.

Top taekwondo exponents Jun Lee and Moon Dae Sung, a world, Olympic and Asian Champion, hailed the TPL as a path-breaker.

"There are 10 lakh registered players in the country, making it one of the more popular sports in India," Sung said while addressing about 400 players.

"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." Taekwondo, which finds its origins in South Korea and is a form of martial art that involves kicking and punching, is practiced by over 20 million athletes in about 200 countries and is an Olympic sport.

An international panel led by Jun Lee, the TPL commissioner, Kim Chang Kwon, chief TPL coach, and Sung will pick the players following selection trials in 12 cities.

The mentors and coaches for each team have been identified.

"The TPL will be played out in a team format, with each team boasting five top players. We have also restricted ourselves to the 58.1kg-67.9kg category to keep the competition fast and thrilling," Ganesh Duvvuri, the founder director, said.