Locals represent at Taekwondo Championships

The championships will be hosted at Ravenscraig Sports Facility in Motherwell in September.

Central Taekwondo’s Natasha Wilson from Stenhousemuir, a multi-international medal-winning cadet player who has recently been selected to represent Great Britain at the World Championships in Taiwan later this year, is one of the event’s top competitors.

The championships feature fighters from Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but there’s an international flavour with athletes from Denmark, Germany and Norway also coming to perform.

The event organiser is Eighth Dan Grand Master David Bailey from Larbert, one of Scotland’s most senior Taekwondo instructors and founder of Falkirk’s Central Taekwondo Academy.

He said: “We’re delighted to have a record entry of over 600 athletes and excited to be staging the Championships at Ravenscraig which is an excellent venue and has made us very welcome.

“Our Scottish athletes will get a wonderful opportunity to showcase their skills in front of a capacity home crowd and compete against top international players.

“I’d also like to thank our many volunteers from Scottish clubs who have made this event possible.

“They are the unsung heroes and the vital cornerstone of this event - from cleaning equipment to operating scoreboards; thank you for your dedication and commitment to our sport.”

Taekwondo, the world’s most widely practiced martial art, originates from Korea dating back to 50BC.

It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the United Kingdom, with approximately 50,000 people of all ages participating across the country.

The Championships will take place on Saturday, September 1 and Sunday, September 2 with a 10.00am start on both days.