500 vie in Best of the Best tilt
Some 500 of the country's tough taekwondo athletes are expected to show their wares in the 2019 SMART/MVP Sports Foundation Best of the Best Championships on Sunday at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.
Featured in the much-awaited event are blackbelts from 12 regions including ARMM, CAR, CARAGA and the NCR who have Olympic weight in the Senior division and WTF weight in the Juniors, Cadet and Grade
School.
Only gold and silver medalists in the advance division of national events in Kyorugi (free sparring) and Poomsae (forms) are qualified to compete, according to tournament director Raul Samson.
Free Style Poomsae (FSP) aims to present a high level of taekwondo foot techniques like jumping yopchagi, 720* spinning kick and kicking with acrobatic action.
Among these national events are the 2019 CPJ, National Poomsae, National Taekwondo, Palarong Pambansa, National Batang Pinoy, 2018 National Interschool, 2018 National Age Group and 2018 Best of the Best, UAAP, NCAA, including high-level blackbelt organizations such as Taekwondo Blackbelt Brotherhood, Taekwondo Blackbelt Sorority and Philippine Taekwondo Contingent.
The tourney will utilize the officiating system (PSS, ESS), electronic armors and socks and the IVR (Instant Video Replay) to eliminate human error and produce accurate, fairscoring and spectator-friendly matches.
Manny V. Pangilinan, Smart Communications and PLDT chairman, has been a solid patron of Philippine Taekwondo. He has thrown his full support behind top and upcoming jins over the past decade in a bid to see a Filipino Olympic gold medalist.