More teams have arrived in the country for the 12th Edition of the Mombasa Open Tong-Il Moo-Do International Martial Arts Championship.
27 countries confirmed participation in the Championship with this year’s tournament seeing new entrants including Germany, Finland, and Sao Tome & Principe.
Turkey and India teams already arrived for the tournament, more teams are expected to arrive by Friday morning.
Also read: Germany among new entrants in Mombasa Open Tong-Il Moo-Do Championship
Meanwhile, the tournament scheduled to take place at the Aga Khan Hall from Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th of August is facing a looming crisis following delayed funding from the government.
Through a statement, Kenya Tong-Il Moo-Do Federation President Clarence Mwakio said they have yet to receive any funds despite following all the procedures laid down for funding requests as per the Sports Fund regulations.
“We are still lobbying the Ministry of Sports to fund the 12th edition of the Mombasa Open Tong-IL Moo-Do International Martial Arts Championship scheduled for 15th-28th August,” said Master Clarence Mwakio.
“We are appealing to His Excellency, President William Ruto, and Cabinet Secretary for Sports to rescue the event from total collapse,” he added.
The Federation in partnership with the government has held successful championships in the past 11 years.
“Tong-IL Moo-Do Kenya National Team, Jasiri, is also in limbo, not knowing its fate despite training for 8 months to prepare to defend its title once again,” said Mwakio.
“We hope the Ministry comes through today to save the country embarrassment and possible ban from the World Tong-IL Moo-Do Federation for poor preparation for the event or collapse,” he added.
Also read: Tong-Il Moo-Do making strides to enter the Olympics
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Most international fixtures for senior teams shall begin on Saturday afternoon at the Aga Khan Academy.
The competition will feature fierce battles in sparring, forms, and special techniques, showcasing the highest level of martial arts talents worldwide.
Below is the list of the 27 countries that have confirmed participation in the 12th Edition of the Mombasa Tong-Il Moo-Do International Martial Arts Championship.
1. KENYA
2. ZAMBIA
3. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
4. NIGERIA
5. INDIA
6. PARAGUAY
7. ETHIOPIA
8. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
9. ANGOLA
10. IRAN
11. BURKINA FASO
12. REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
13. CÔTE D’IVOIRE
14. DENMARK
15. PHILIPPINES
16. CENTRAL AFRICA REPUBLIC
17. GERMANY
18. VANUATU
19. SOUTH KOREA
20. JAPAN
21. THAILAND
22. NEPAL
23. CAMBODIA
24. TURKEY
25. ARGENTINA
26. SAO TOME É PRINCIPE
27. UGANDA
