World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue at the opening of the World Taekwondo Cultural Festival ©World Taekwondo

The Gangwon Chuncheon 2023 World Taekwondo Cultural Festival has officially opened with a spectacular ceremony on a day where competition continued.

The Opening Ceremony featured performances from the Korean Air Force’s aerobatic team the Black Eagles and the World Taekwondo demonstration team.

The athlete oaths were made by Para taekwondo athlete Jeong Hun Joo of South Korea and beach taekwondo and demonstration team athlete Claudia Cianci of Italy.

World Taekwondo Octagon Diamond Games referee Ghazi Mubark Alghanem of Saudi Arabia and World Taekwondo Beach Championships referee Linda Pace of Australia took the referee oaths.

An implementation agreement on the relocation of the World Taekwondo headquarters to Chuncheon was also signed.

Competition continued in the Octagon Diamond Games with action across three categories.

In the male pairs South Korean duo Min yeong Lee and Hakesong Lee took gold medals, while silver went to their compatriots Jaehyuk Lim and Jin soo Choi.

The bronze medals were shared by Mohammad Kheirallah and Aghiad Abd Alaal of Syria and Mohsen Rezaee and Omid Sahak of Afghanistan.

Action from the second day of the World Taekwondo Beach Championships, which are being held as part of the World Taekwondo Cultural Festival ©World Taekwondo
Action from the second day of the World Taekwondo Beach Championships, which are being held as part of the World Taekwondo Cultural Festival ©World Taekwondo

In the men’s under-58 kilograms category Rezaee was on the podium again with the Afghan athlete taking gold, defeating refugee athlete Mahdi Khavari, who claimed silver.

South Korea’s Junwon Jeon and Mongolia’s Yondonjamts Purevdash won the bronze medals.

The women’s under-49kg category was won by Asifa Ali of Pakistan, with silver going to Cansel Deniz of Kazakhstan.

Deniz’s compatriot Zhadyra Khairullina took the sole bronze medal available.

At the World Taekwondo Beach Championships the recognised poomsae under-17 male and female categories took centre stage.

In the male event gold went to Nattrakron Niyomkull of Thailand, while in the female event the gold was won by Yuri Paige Kim of the United States.

At the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team Championships medals were decided in the team and freestyle performance category, for under-17 athletes, with Italy claiming gold.

Competition at the inaugural World Taekwondo Cultural Festival, which is set to feature around 15,000 athletes, officials and tourists, is due to conclude on Thursday (August 24).