Ammar, Sinan win gold in UAE taekwondo event

DUBAI: UAE-based Pakistani brothers Ammar Ashfaq and Sinan Ashfaq won gold medals in the 4th UAE-Korean Taekwondo Championship held in Sharjah.

More than 230 players from across the UAE participated in the event which was organised by the UAE Taekwondo Federation in coordination with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea.

Ammar and Sinan were part of the Sharjah Club team. Ammar won gold after beating a player from Fujairah Martial Arts Club 23-0 in the final of the junior under 73kg weight category.

Sinan played in the Cadet plus 65kg category and outplayed his opponent 11-2 to claim the gold medal. This was Sinan’s third gold medal this year. He also has two silver medals in international events this year.

Both Ammar and Sinan represent Pakistan in international competitions.

Meanwhile, Sharjah Club’s male team lifted the overall winners’ trophy. Abdullah Hatim, the UAE’s national team coach and technical director of Sharjah Club, received the trophy.

Kwon Yongwoo, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the UAE, was the chief guest on the occasion. He said he was pleased to see the Korean martial arts growing fast in the Emirates. He also appreciated the efforts of the UAE Taekwondo Federation to promote the sport.

UAE Taekwondo Federation President Brigadier Ahmad Hamdan Obaid Ahmad Al Zayoudi thanked the Korean ambassador for sponsoring the event for the fourth consecutive year.

“The UAE Taekwondo Federation is taking steps to help grow taekwondo in the UAE and the region, and this championship will contribute to this goal as a large number of players from all over the country participated in making this event a big success,” Al Zayoudi said.