National Sports Council Member Secretary Bista to Open 11th IOFTC Event in Portland

Rabin Man Shakya

Media Coordinator, 11th IOFTC, Portland.

Member Secretary of National Sports Council of Nepal Keshab Kumar Bista  is scheduled to inaugurate the 11th International Open Friendship  Taekondo Championship  (IOFTC) and International Cultural Festival amid a gala function at International Convention Center in Portland, Oregon on Oct 15, 2016.

Meanwhile, intensive preparations are underway for successful organizing of the 11th International Open Friendship Taekwondo Championship to be hosted by IOFTC headquarters. 107 volunteers are being mobilized for the event. Likewise, 28 referees and 11 referee assistants will be involved during the championship events. Similarly, 30 different committees have been set up to facilitate the championship event.

Taekwondo players from Nepal, the US, the UK, Canada, Guatemala, Qatar, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, Austria, Macao, Mexico and Haiti are participating at the IOFTC event.

It goes without saying that IOFTC champions the cause of enhancing significance of taekwondo and popularizing it across the world.

It will not be an exaggeration to assert that the IOFTC events are playing  a tremendous role in internationalizing the taekwondo spirit.

The objectives of the IOFTC games are to enhance fraternity and solidarity among the taekwondo players across the world, to promote taekwondo skill and competition among the players.

Going by the history of IOFTC, it was first organized in Kathmandu, Nepal and was inaugurated by His Royal Highness the late Crown Prince Dipendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev in December, 2000 AD.

According to IOFTC sources, subsequent championships have been held in Pokhara, Nepal in December 2002, Portland, Oregon in 2004, Hong Kong in 2005, Portland, Oregon in 2006, Kurukshetra, India in 2007, Portland, Oregon in 2008, Kathmandu, Nepal in 2010, Portland, Oregon in 2012, London, the United Kingdom in 2014.

Diwakar Maharjan of the IOFTC says:"This is an excellent opportunity for competitors from throughout the world to develop bonds of friendship and camaraderie that will last a lifetime. The experience gained by participating in these championships can be used to establish milestones for the development of life skills, as well as taekwondo skills."

Throwing light on the IOFTC event, Maharjan went on to say:"As in the past, this event is sanctioned by USA Taekwondo, the national governing body for the Olympic sport of Taekwondo, recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and a member of the Pan-American Taekwondo Union, a WTF Continental Member."

Asked to shed light on the importance of taekwondo, Maharjan said:"The art of taekwondo is most suitable for those children who are active and sporty. It teaches not only how to stay fit and healthy but also moral values which are so important in our life."