Muju Taekwondowon will host the World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix on September 4 and the World Taekwondo Grand Prix from September 5-7, marking the first time the Grand Prix will be held in Korea and a landmark occasion for one of the sport’s most iconic venues.
The World Taekwondo Grand Prix features the world’s top athletes competing in their Olympic
weight categories, and this marks the second event of the year following the first stop in Rome
in June.
Muju Taekwondowon has a strong history of hosting major World Taekwondo events, having
staged the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge in 2022, 2023 and 2025, the World
Taekwondo Diamond Games in 2024 and 2025, and the World Taekwondo Championships in
2017.
September 4 will also mark the annual celebration of Taekwondo Day at Muju Taekwondowon,
making for a particularly special occasion as the venue welcomes the world’s best Para
Taekwondo athletes.
A total of 119 athletes from 27 countries will compete at the World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix,
followed by 248 athletes from 46 countries along with the Taekwondo Refugee Team and World
Taekwondo (Costa Rica) for the three-day World Taekwondo Grand Prix.
World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix – September 4
Para Taekwondo competition will be held across 10 weight categories, spanning M K44 -58kg, –
63kg, -70kg, -80kg and +80kg, and W K44 -47kg, -52kg, -57kg, -65kg and +65kg.
The event is set to feature an elite field, with nine of the 10 Paris 2024 Paralympic gold
medallists in attendance, including Great Britain’s Matt Bush and Türkiye’s Mahmut Bozteke,
who claimed gold at the Roma 2026 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix in the M +80kg and –
63kg weight categories respectively.
World Taekwondo Grand Prix – September 5-7
The World Taekwondo Grand Prix will feature competition across eight weight categories: M –
58kg, -68kg, -80kg and +80kg, and W -49kg, -57kg, -67kg and +67kg. Among those set to compete are 21 medallists who qualified at the Muju Taekwondowon 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge.
Seven of the eight Roma 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix gold medallists are included in the
entry list, headlined by Hungary’s Viviana Márton, the reigning Paris 2024 Olympic champion in
the W -67kg. Korea’s Yujin Kim, also a Paris 2024 Olympic gold medallist, will compete in the
Women’s -57kg, alongside Brazil’s Maria Clara Pacheco, who defeated her to win Grand Prix
gold in Rome.
Côte d’Ivoire’s Kimi Laurene Ossin, Roma 2026 gold medallist in the W +67kg, and Russia’s
Alisa Angelova, who claimed W -49kg gold in Rome, will also be in action.
On the men’s side, Spain’s Juan Antonio Milan Canovas – M -80kg winner in Rome – and Italy’s
Vito Dell’Aquila, who took M -58kg gold at his home Grand Prix, add further depth to a world-
class field.
Russia’s Rafail Aiukaev in the M +80kg completes the list of returning champions from Rome.
The stellar line-up in Muju Taekwondowon additionally includes 2025 World Taekwondo Female
Athlete of the Year Sarah Chaâri of Belgium, 2025 World Taekwondo Male Athlete of the Year
Henrique Marques Rodrigues Fernandes of Brazil, along with gold medallists from the Wuxi
2025 World Taekwondo Championships Luana Márton of Hungary, Korea’s Eunsu Seo, Iran’s
Abolfazl Zandi, Egypt’s Seif Eissa and Tunisia’s Masghouni Wafa.
USA’s CJ Nickolas, the 2025 Best Kick award winner, and Great Britain’s Caden Cunningham
have also entered.
With history in the making and some of the sport’s biggest names on the start list, Muju
Taekwondowon promises an unmissable week of world-class Taekwondo.
WT.
