Bendigo to host 2022 Australian Taekwondo National Championships

Australian Taekwondo has announced Bendigo as the host city for the 2022 National Championships with the event anticipated to attract hundreds of athletes, coaches, officials, and fans to Red Energy Arena, the largest indoor stadium in Regional Victoria, for two days of competition from 3rd – 4th December.

Undergoing a $23 million expansion in 2018, Red Energy Arena attracts some of the state's most significant sporting and entertainment events.

Australian Taekwondo's Chief Executive, Heather Garriock, is delighted to bring Taekwondo back to regional Victoria and enthused “we’re excited to return to Bendigo with a new-look event for the local region to enjoy and the opportunity to showcase Taekwondo’s fight night in a way not seen before.

"Event feedback from our 2021 National Championships showed 37% of state representation came from Victoria, followed by New South Wales at 28%. We took this information into consideration when determining the location for this year's event.”

 The Mayor of the City of Greater Bendigo, Andrea Metcalf, said she was delighted to see the city attract another significant sporting event to the region.

“We are thrilled to welcome these national championships back to Bendigo, having previously hosted this event from 2016-2018.

“Our city has an established reputation of hosting state, national and international sporting competitions, and we are grateful for any opportunity to have people visit and stay in our region. We wish all competitors the best of luck.”

The Australian Taekwondo National Championships presented by OBG Productions will see athletes, who have qualified through their respective State Championships, compete with two disciplines on offer, Kyorugi (Sparring) and Poomsae (Patterns). Board Breaking will also appear on the schedule at this year's event.

Athletes from developing colour belt grades through to the elite black belts will compete in the Sparring disciplines, with ages ranging from 8 to 60 years in the master's divisions.

Poomsae will include individual, pairs, teams, family and freestyle events, while breaking will be individual (hands).

The marquee Fight Night, which was introduced at the 2021 National Championships, will be the decider for gold and silver in the World Championship Weight Divisions.

The night will see Australia's top 32 black belts fight under lights and the opportunity for Regional Victoria to get a glimpse at Australia's potential Olympians for Paris 2024.

Garriock adds "we seek to produce our events with an international flair and deliver an experience for our athletes, coaches and fans that is usually only found overseas.

"We're really grateful for the generous support of the City of Greater Bendigo and the Victorian State Government in supporting our event and our vision to transform Taekwondo in Australia. We encourage Victorians who enjoy combat sports to make the trip to Bendigo and experience Taekwondo."

Spectator tickets are on sale through Ticketek. A limited number of Fight Night sponsorship packages are also available.

Images Credit: Australian Taekwondo