Cambodia, Mali, Panama, Yemen Earn 1 Wild Card Each for London Olympic Taekwondo

Seoul – Korea, April 17, 2012: Olympic Taekwondo, The decision was made on April 14, 2012 after months of Tripartite Commission meetings among the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), and the WTF. With the wild-card allocation, the taekwondo competition of the London Olympic Games will feature 128 athletes from a total of 63 countries.

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It compares with 64 countries at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, 60 countries at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and 51 at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Among the wild-card recipients are Cambodia’s Davin Sorn, ranked 51st in the women’s +67kg on the WTF Olympic World Ranking and the fourth placer at the Asian Qualification Tournament for the London Olympic Games; Mali’s Daba Modibo Keita, ranked 42nd in the men’s +80kg and third placer at the African Olympic Qualification Tournament. Mali’s Keita was the world champion in 2007 and 2009.

The other two wild-card holders are Panama’s Carolena Jean Carstens Salceda, ranked 13th in the women’s -49kg and fourth finisher at the Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament; and Yemen’s Tameem Al-Kubati, ranked 167th in the men’s -58kg and a round-of-16 placer at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament. Of the 63 countries, 10 countries are qualified to send their athletes to the taekwondo competition of the Olympic Games for the first time. They are Cambodia, Lebanon, Tajikistan, Grenada, Jamaica, Panama, Armenia, Serbia, Samoa, and Algeria.

Six countries won four berths for the taekwondo competition at the London Olympic Games. They are Mexico, the United States, Russia, Egypt, Korea, and the Great Britain. A country can send a maximum four taekwondo athletes to the taekwondo competition of the London Olympic Games. A total of 15 countries took three tickets each for the London Olympic Games. They are China, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Jordan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan (Asia), Canada, Cuba (Pan America), Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey (Europe), New Zealand (Oceania), and Morocco (Africa).

Seventeen countries clinched two berths each for London. They are Afghanistan, Japan, Tajikistan, Vietnam (Asia), Argentina, Brazil (Pan America), Azerbaijan, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Ukraine (Europe), Australia, Samoa (Oceania), the Central African Republic and Nigeria (Africa).

A total of 25 countries grabbed one ticket each for the London Olympic Games. They are Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Yemen (Asia), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Jamaica, Peru, Panama (Pan America), Armenia, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland (Europe), Papua New Guinea (Oceania), Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Gabon, Senegal, Tunisia, and Mali(Africa).

At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where taekwondo made an Olympic debut, 103 athletes from 51 countries competed for 24 medals up for grabs, compared with 124 athletes from 60 countries for 24 medals at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and 128 athletes from a record 64 countries for 32 medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

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