TEHRAN - Iran has sent 16 boy and girl taekwondo athletes to the 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships to be held in Chuncheon, Korea from Oct. 1 to 6 with a record number of athletes participating in the competition.

There are 963 of the world’s most talented young athletes set to compete across 10 weight categories in both the men’s and women’s divisions. In addition to athletes from 127 Member National Associations (MNAs) and Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), the World Taekwondo Refugee Team will be represented at the Championships, in a showcase of the sport’s universality and inclusivity.

Korea topped the medals table at the last World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2022. Supported by a home crowd this time around, they will be aiming to repeat the feat. This year marks the second time Korea has hosted this event, after Suncheon staged the 2004 edition.

Competition in Chuncheon will be held at the Songam Sports Town Air Dome, a proven host of Taekwondo events including the World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series, Demonstration & Breaking Championships and Para Taekwondo Open Challenge in July.

It begins with the men’s under-63kg and women’s under-52kg and under-59kg categories on Oct. 1, with a further five action-packed days of Taekwondo set to follow, worldtaekwondo.org reported.

Men’s weight categories at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships are -45kg, -48kg, -51kg, -55kg, -59kg, -63kg, -68kg, -73kg, -78kg and +78kg.

Women’s competition will be held in -42kg, -44kg, -46kg, -49kg, -52kg, -55kg, -59kg, -63kg, -68kg and +68kg.

Athletes born between Jan. 1, 2007 and Dec. 31, 2009 are eligible to compete at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

The Championships will be preceded by a World Taekwondo Council meeting and the World Taekwondo General Assembly on Sept. 30.