As-Pac taekwondo tilt kicks off Saturday

ILOILO CITY—As a kid, John Paul Lizardo was deeply fascinated with taekwondo. Now an ambassador of the sport, the many-time champion is giving back to the martial art closest to his heart.

Lizardo has shifted to coaching after a colorful career with the national team and hopes that more children will draw inspiration from the country’s staging of the 2015 Asia Pacific Taekwondo Invitational Championship which begins Saturday.

“We haven’t hosted an international tournament for a long time,” said Lizardo, 28, a three-time silver medal winner in the Asian championship and 2011 gold medalist in the Southeast Asian Games. “This is a chance for kids to see some of the top athletes in the world and be inspired by them.”

A total of 60 jins from nine countries will fight for gold medals in eight weight divisions at SM Mall here in the Olympic-style tournament organized by city officials led by Mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog and Vice Mayor Joe Espinosa III.

The two-day tournament featuring jins from China, Guam, United States, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Chinese Taipei and Vietnam is supported by the Philippine Sports Commission and Senate President Franklin Drilon.

“This is one sport where we have a strong chance of winning an Olympic medal,” said Mabilog. “We’re committing to host this kind of tournament each year to get more kids involved in taekwondo.”

Southeast Asian Games gold medalists Kirstie Elaine Alora (+67 kg), Kristopher Robert Uy (+80 kg), and seasoned veterans Samuel Thomas Morrison (-80 kg), Francis Aaron Agojo (-58 kg), Paul Romero (-68 kg) and Mary Anjelay Pelaez (-49 kg) will banner the Philippine team.

Tournament director Raul Samson said South Korea would field three tough college teams.

“This is a good friendly tournament, but the level of competition is high,” said Samson, a former national coach.

Vietnam has brought its team from the Incheon Asian Games.