National taekwondo team prepares for Olympic qualifiers

The Afghan national taekwondo team has been training hard for the Olympic qualifiers ahead of this year’s Games scheduled to take place in Tokyo, say officials from Afghanistan’s Taekwondo Federation.

The 2021 Asian Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament for the Tokyo Olympic Games will take place in Amman, Jordan from May 21 to May 22.

Afghan officials are upbeat about the team’s ability to secure a place at the Olympics stating the athletes have been training hard for several months and are in top shape.

With limited facilities, a lack of accommodation, and poor nutrition, the team members are determined to qualify for the Olympics, officials said.

One team member, Farzad Mansouri is undergoing grueling training in a bid to qualify and make history – as he aims for gold in Tokyo.

He has won six gold and three silver medals in domestic and international tournaments and says it is his dream to make it to Tokyo and win gold.

Along with Farzad, three other national taekwondo players have been selected to take part in the qualifying tournament in Jordan. They are Mohsen Rezaei, Somaya Ghulami and Zahra Mirzaei.

For four years these taekwondo athletes have been training under the supervision of Bashir Turki, the national team coach. However, their training regime has been stepped up in the last few months in the lead up to Jordan.

Afghanistan has in the past done well at the Olympics with Ruhollah Nekpa having won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games and bronze again at the 2012 Olympics in London.