Nepal will host the 15th edition of the International Open Friendly Taekwondo Championships (IOFTC) in December, the Nepal chapter of the tournament announced on Monday.

It will be the fifth edition of the tournament hosted by Nepal in its 25 years of history. Nepal hosted the tournament’s inaugural edition in 2000, while the last one was in 2018.

“The IOFTC event is a biennial event,” Grand Master Diwakar ‘Dan’ Maharjan, founder and director of IOFTC, said. “The 15th edition is being organised a year earlier to mark the 25th anniversary in 2025.”

The covered hall of Dasharath Stadium will host the 15th edition for three days, from December 18 to 20, read a press statement issued by the organisers.

The tournament will see participation by taekwondoins from South Korea, the US, the Philippines, Australia, Austria, Canada, Pakistan, India, Hong Kong, China, Mexico and the Maldives, among others.

The participants will compete for 65 gold, 65 silver and 130 bronze medals across eight weight categories each in both men’s and women’s events, Maharjan informed. “The reason behind making the event public around seven months ago was to allow a proper preparation period for foreign taekwondo practitioners,” he said.