The third edition of the Mount Everest International Open Taekwondo Championships scheduled from September 22 to 25 in Pokhara has been officially recognised as G2 by World Taekwondo, the international governing body of the game.

Nepal Taekwondo Association (NTA) President Prakash Rana claimed at a press conference on Tuesday that it was the first event in a South Asian country recognised as G2, the event authorised to evaluate international rankings of the players.

The event to be organised jointly by NTA and Gandaki Province Taekwondo Association (GPTA) is co-sponsored by International Nepalese Taekwondo Association of USA.

Jagan Bahadur Gurung, the president of GPTA, said they were expecting more than 1100 players in the event and 811 players have already registered for participation.

“The registration is open for G2 rankings from all across the globe on an individual basis. Nepali players also need to register individually to compete in the G2 rankings,” said Gurung.

In the senior ranking category, the male’s gyeorugi (fight) would vie in eight weight categories—the U-54kg, U-58kg, U-63kg, U-68kg, U-74kg, U-80kg, U-87 kg, and above 87kg. The women’s player would compete in the U-46kg, U-49kg, U-53kg, U-57kg, U-62kg, U-67kg, U-73kg and above 72kg weight division.

The junior men’s gyeorugi will have U-45kg, U-48kg, U-51kg, U-55kg, U-59kg, U-63kg, U-68kg and below 73kg weight divisions. The junior women’s event will have U-42kg, U-44kg, U-46kg, U-49kg, U-52kg, U-55kg, U-59kg and U-63kg weight divisions.

Apart from seven South Asian countries, the event will see participation of players from the USA, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Hong Kong, among others.

The third edition of the event is being held after eight years following the first two editions in 2012 and 2014. The organisers have expected expenses of Rs25 million to conduct the event.