London has won the right to host the 2017 World Para Taekwondo Championship – the first time Britain has staged the prestigious tournament! The event will take place at the Copper Box Arena, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park on Thursday 19 October. The successful bid comes less than two months after the sport’s world governing body awarded the World Taekwondo Championship to Manchester in 2019.

It has delighted three-time Para Taekwondo European Championship gold medallist, Amy Truesdale. After winning two World silver medals and one bronze medal in the past seven years, the 27-year-old Chester based star is delighted by the prospect of fighting in front of a home crowd.

“It’s great news, not only for me but Para Taekwondo,” says Truesdale who completed her European hat-trick last September. “It will be fantastic to have the support of a home crowd for a change. And hopefully the Championships and Grand Prix will showcase the sport to a wider audience and encourage more people to participate.”

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has welcomed the award of the World Championship to the capital: “We have been working closely with GB Taekwondo and UK Sport on developing and increasing levels of participation in this fantastic sport in London, and staging major sports competitions like this reinforces our reputation as a world-class host."

Khan also added "I look forward to welcoming Taekwondo fans from around the world to our great city and it’s a great opportunity to build on the success of our record-breaking Olympians as well as showcasing this exciting sport in London.”

Chris Miles, Copper Box Arena Event Manager, said, “All the staff at the unique Copper Box Arena are excited to be the first British hosts of this prestigious international event alongside the WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix.

“As part of the UK’s largest leisure social enterprise, GLL, we aim to inspire and help more people get more active more often. Hosting global championships like these help us achieve that aim while providing a world-class facility for the event.”

Keep an eye on our event page to find out more information about this event, including how to get tickets, in the future.