Kalimpong: About 60 taekwondo referees from Bengal and Sikkim will participate in the National Referee Seminar to be held here from July 6 to 8.
To be hosted by the Gorkha Hill Taekwondo Association under the aegis of the Taekwondo Federation of India, the referees of will undergo a refresher course to be conducted by first class national referee L. Shokun Singh during the seminar. The meet will be held at the gymnasium of Scottish University Mission Institution here.
Addressing a news conference here today, association secretary Pravin Pradhan said the programme was originally scheduled to be held in Calcutta, but due to some unforeseen circumstances the venue had to be shifted here.
“A state-level taekwondo championship will also be held here in August to select players who will represent Bengal in future national-level tournaments,” said Pradhan.
Among the major tournaments coming up in the next few months, he said, are the senior nationals in Nagaland in September, junior nationals at Margao in Goa from November 16 to 18 and the sub-junior nationals at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh in December.
The members of the association said though players from the hills have huge potential, they have not been able to translate that into results at the national level for various reasons.
“There is potential, but we have not been able to tap them primarily due to lack of funds,” said Paul Simmick, a referee from the hills.
According to the association’s records, there are only about 300 active players in the three hill subdivisions, though the sport was introduced in the hills way back in 1976.
Simmick said the association was committed to correcting the problem provided it receives help from all quarters.
“It will help if our players are allowed to compete in the Northeast games,” said Pradhan.
To be hosted by the Gorkha Hill Taekwondo Association under the aegis of the Taekwondo Federation of India, the referees of will undergo a refresher course to be conducted by first class national referee L. Shokun Singh during the seminar. The meet will be held at the gymnasium of Scottish University Mission Institution here.
Addressing a news conference here today, association secretary Pravin Pradhan said the programme was originally scheduled to be held in Calcutta, but due to some unforeseen circumstances the venue had to be shifted here.
“A state-level taekwondo championship will also be held here in August to select players who will represent Bengal in future national-level tournaments,” said Pradhan.
Among the major tournaments coming up in the next few months, he said, are the senior nationals in Nagaland in September, junior nationals at Margao in Goa from November 16 to 18 and the sub-junior nationals at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh in December.
The members of the association said though players from the hills have huge potential, they have not been able to translate that into results at the national level for various reasons.
“There is potential, but we have not been able to tap them primarily due to lack of funds,” said Paul Simmick, a referee from the hills.
According to the association’s records, there are only about 300 active players in the three hill subdivisions, though the sport was introduced in the hills way back in 1976.
Simmick said the association was committed to correcting the problem provided it receives help from all quarters.
“It will help if our players are allowed to compete in the Northeast games,” said Pradhan.
