More than 300 athletes competed in the fifth Legend Taekwondo Championships at Bluport Hua Hin on Saturday, 3 October, with participants and their families travelling from across Thailand.
The national-level competition took place at the Convention Hall on the shopping centre’s third floor. Organisers reported that more than 1,000 accompanying supporters, staff and parents also attended.
Hua Hin Mayor Nopporn Wutthikul presided over the opening ceremony. Yaowapa “View” Boorapolchai, a former Thai national taekwondo athlete and Olympic bronze medallist, addressed the ceremony as chair of the organising committee and director of The Legend Arena Hua Hin learning and sports centre.
Youth development and sports tourism
Now in its fifth consecutive year, the Legend Taekwondo Championships provides young athletes with opportunities to compete, demonstrate their abilities and develop skills for international competition.
The event also supports Hua Hin’s sports tourism policy, with visiting athletes and families generating spending on accommodation, restaurants, shopping and local tourism services.
Municipal officials attending the opening included deputy mayors Busaba Choksuchat and Sanphop Ungrasmi, municipal council deputy chairman Sunthi Thiamthat and councillor Thanainan Jungwong.
Other guests included Kittipong Siripetchkasem, president of the Hua Hin–Cha-am Tourism Business Association, and Natsupak Thaweewong, general manager of NH Hua Hin. Representatives from Minimon drinking water joined the organising team, athletes and parents at the ceremony.