The highly anticipated Indian Taekwondo Premier League (TPL) was finally launched in India in front of a large crowd consisting of over 400 players, check out all the details of the upcoming new competition along with the schedule and teams in 2023
The TPL is being launched with the aim to transform the sport in the country and also groom international champions.
Taekwondo Premier League (TPL) India 2023 schedule, teams, format, players and categories
Taekwondo Premier League with 12 teams launched#Taekwondo #TaekwondoPremierLeague #TPLhttps://t.co/b5pj75hwQl
— NewsDrum (@thenewsdrum) March 27, 2023
Taekwondo, which originated in South Korea, is a form of martial art involving the use of kicks and punches. Over 20 million athletes around the world practice the sport across 200 countries and it is also an Olympic sport.
Taekwondo Premier League (TPL) launched in India
While speaking in the official launch in front of a power-packed audience including 400 players, Taekwondo Grandmasters Moon Dae Sung, who is a World, Olympic and Asian Champion, stated that the TPL will be a path-breaker. He added:
There are 10 lakh registered players in the country, making it one of the more popular sports in India”.
“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 Premier League franchise teams and format
The TPL will follow a franchise-model and will take place in Delhi later this year in June. So far, there are 12 franchise teams who have already confirmed to participate from the following states:
- Hyderabad
- Rajasthan
- Maharashtra
- Assam
- Delhi
- Bengaluru
- Dehradun
- Punjab
- Haryana
- Himachal
- Chennai
- Gujarat
The competition will have an international panel consisting of Jun Lee, the TPL commissioner Kim Chang Kwon, chief TPL coach, and Moon Dae Sung. The panel will be responsible for picking the players through selection trials across 12 cities. As of now, each team have confirmed their mentors and coaches for the upcoming competition. While the official date hasn’t been revealed yet, the competition will get underway in June.
Among the owners who attended the launch ceremony were Sristi Rana (Haryana Hunters), A Venkat Reddy, Raja (Hyderabad Gliders), Vijay Kumar Bhansali (Gujarat Thunders), Ruchita Mittal (Maharashtra Avengers), RK Gupta ( Delhi Warriors), TL Rao and Mohammad Raees (Rajasthan Rebels).
Ganesh Duvvuri, the founder director shared on the league’s format saying:
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”.