International Tae Kwon Do Tournament to Begin in Saratov

The second international open tae kwon do tournament for children of 9-12 years of age - the Commonwealth Cup competition - is beginning in Saratov (the Volga area) on Thursday.

As RIA Novosti was told in the Ministry of Youth Policy, Sports and Tourism of the Saratov Region, once an open championship of the Saratov sports club of tax police (it was held under this name for the first two years), the competition is international now.

More than 300 athletes representing 36 teams from 21 regions of Russia and the Uzbek team took part in the previous tournament.

The coming tournament is to gather about 350 athletes representing more than thirty regions of Russia. Teams from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Latvia, Estonia and Moldova were also invited to participate in the competition.

The juniors will wrestle in 24 weight categories for girls and boys.

The winners in the tournament will receive cups, medals and diplomas, and the silver and bronze medallists - medals and diplomas. The entrants will also vie for the cups in overall team classification and for the special prizes for the winning spirit and the best technique.