TAEKWONDO OPEN NAGOYA ASIAD PARTICIPATION FRIDAY

Jordan’s medal bid for the Taekwondo competitions at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, will launch on Friday.

Mohammad Al-Adarbeh opens the team’s participation in the Mixed Individual Virtual competition, meeting Kazakhstan’s Rita Bakisheva in the round of 16.

Virtual Taekwondo relies on virtual reality technology, as fighters wear sensors that capture their physical movements and translate them into performance within a virtual environment, competing by executing Taekwondo movements and techniques without direct physical contact.

There 16 male and female athletes competing from Jordan, Mongolia, Thailand, South Korea, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, India, Saudi Arabia, Philippines and the hosts Japan.

On the same day, Jaafar Al-Daoud opens his campaign in the -58kg weight, facing Kyrgyzstan’s Alisher Asimbek Ulu in the round of 16.

Razan Al-Rawashdeh fights in the -67kg weight against UAE’s Amna Al-Lughani in the round of 16, while Olympic medallist Saleh Al-Sharabaty faces Tajikistan’s Aslanbek Fazilov in the same round in the -80kg category.

The national team continues its participation on Saturday, as Fadia Al-Kharfan opens her campaign in the -57kg weight at the quarter-final stage, facing the winner of the bout between The Philippines’ Baby Jessica Canabal and Cambodia's Julie Mam.

Zaid Mustafa meets Afghanistan’s Hikmatullah Zain in the round of 16 for the -68kg weight, while Rama Abu Al-Rub faces Qatar’s Noor Mohammad in the round of 16 for the +67kg competition.

In the +80 kg weight, Mohammad Al-Adarbeh meets Japan’s Hidenori Ibata in the round of 16.

Jordan have done well in the history of the Asian Games Taekwondo competition since the Seoul Games in 1986, winning 27 medals comprising of three gold, 13 silver and 11 bronze medals.