A total of 150 athletes from 24 nations of the Americas are in Mexico from September 22 to October 1 at the Olympic Training Center (CDOM) to participate in the Taekwondo Training Camp and Training Course organized by Panam Sports.
“This camp was scheduled for 60 participants, but we are here with 150 from 24 countries and with great athletes of the Olympic and world rankings such as the complete teams of the United States, the Dominican Republic and even the Cuban team with two-time world champion Rafael Alba Castillo, among many other athletes and coaches,” said PATU President Juan Manuel Lopez Delgado.
The opening ceremony martial art display was held in the main gymnasium of the CDOM and was attended by authorities such as Mexican Olympic Committee President Maria Jose Alcala, Panam Sports Secretary General Ivar Sisniega, Sport Director of Panam Sports Ricardo Probert and COM Secretary General Mario García de la Torre.
“The intention of this camp is none other than to mold and train future PATU Olympic medalists and their coaches. That each country is nurtured and can expand on the latest trends in sports training according to the current systems of taekwondo competition,” said Lopez Delgado.
“We are having a great Training Camp for which we have invested time, money and effort so that this takes place in the most beneficial way,” continued the leader and Vice President of World Taekwondo.
The first day of the camp welcomed the attendees during the morning with a physical adaptation training that was led by Arlen Gonzalez, the technical director of the Cuban women’s Olympic team and part of the staff of speakers of the Camp.
Gonzalez also led the first meeting with the coaches from the Americas present in Mexico to share organizational aspects of sports training based on current competition trends.
“Olympic taekwondo has changed the rules a lot and therefore the preparation processes require a change in their structure and praxis, and this is what we will try to convey to the coaches in the work sessions throughout this camp.”
The next session of work was directed by Oscar Salazar of Mexico, the Olympic runner-up in Athens 2004 and strategist for the Egyptian taekwondo team.
“After this first training organized by Panam Sports, I can say that we have the presence of very high level athletes such as Olympic, World and Pan American champions. It is one of the first times that a taekwondo training camp of this style has been held. The attitude of the athletes is excellent,” said the Olympic medalist.
SUPERSTARS
Great taekwondo stars of the Americas who have competed throughout the recent Olympic cycles are in Mexico: Anastasija Zolotic (USA), Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion; Rafael Alba Castillo (CUB), two-time world champion and Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medalist; Luisito Pie (DOM), Olympic bronze medalist in Rio 2016 and his brother Bernardo Pie, Olympic athlete and two-time Pan American champion (2018,2022); Andrea Ramirez (COL), Olympic athlete, world medalist (Muju 2017), three-time President Cup champion and Pan American champion (2022); Moises Hernandez (DOM), world medalist (Manchester 2019) and Katherine Rodriguez (DOM), two-time Olympian and Pan American champion (Queretaro 2016), Jose Angel Cobas (CUB), Toronto 2015 Pan American Games champion, Carl Alan Nicholas (USA), current Pan American champion and Grand Prix medalist.
TOP COACHES
Outstanding coaches, referees and doctors also make up the staff of participants in the Panam Sports Camp. Among them are Paul Green, coach of the United States with results in the Olympic Games and a large number of international medals; Gareth Brow (USA), coach of the United States; Oscar Salazar (MEX), Athens 2004 Olympic runner-up and coach of Egypt; Arlen Gonzalez (CUB), methodologist and coach of the Cuban Olympic team; Araceli Ornelas, administrative director of arbitration PATU with multiple participations as International Referee in world and Pan-American events; David Jeong, head of medical services for World Taekwondo and PATU.
The activities at the CDOM will run until October 1. In addition to physical, technical, tactical and combat work, the camp will include topics such as the fight against doping, psychological, medical and official competition regulation aspects, as well as content related to the role of the training preparation.
This initiative is part of Panam Sport’s continental strategic plan in alliance with the Mexican Olympic Committee and the Pan American Taekwondo Union to support taekwondo, athletes and coaches with the necessary updating and expansion of knowledge on the latest trends in sports training in a key year for the Olympic route to Paris 2024.
