NAIROBI, Kenya, August 21 – Turkey and India are the first teams to arrive for this year’s Mombasa Open Tong Il Moo Do International Championships set for this weekend at the Aga Khan Multipurpose Hall in the coastal town.
The two are among 26 nations, which will be angling to dislodge the hosts who are the defending champions by virtue of leading the medal standings of last year’s edition with 46 gold, 54 silver and 93 bronze.
Even as teams begin streaming in for the bonanza, uncertainty remains over whether the event will proceed with the government — via the Ministry of Sports — yet to release funds.
Kenya Tong Il Moo Do Federation president Clarence Mwakio says failure to host this year’s edition will be an embarrassment to the country, which is esteemed as one of the powerhouses of the sport.
“The event is facing looming crisis because of funding delays despite us following all laid down procedures for funding requests as per the Sports Fund regulations. We are making an appeal to His Excellency, President William Ruto, and Cabinet Secretary for Sports to rescue the event from total collapse,” Mwakio said.
He also cautioned of an impending ban should the event become a cropper.
“We hope the Ministry comes through today to save the country embarrassment and possible ban from the World Tong-IL Moo-Do Federation for poor preparation for the event or collapse of it,” he said.
The first edition of the competition was held in 2013.
