NAIROBI, Kenya, December 28 – Kenya Tong Il Moo Do Federation president Clarence Mwakio believes the decision to shift the Mombasa Open International from its usual month of December to August will allow as many nations as possible to participate in the annual tournament.
Mwakio said the decision was informed by the logistical and travel challenges experienced by many participants during the festive period in December.
“We had expected many countries to come (for the 11th edition) but for the fact that most of them could not secure flights to Mombasa considering the hectic schedule of the festive season. That is why we have decided to shift the competition to the month of August because during that period, many countries are in summer and hence in a good position to travel,” Mwakio said.
This year’s edition of the competition attracted 13 countries, including Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Thailand, India, Paraguay, Nigeria, Iran, the Philippines and Cote d’Ivoire among others.
For the 11th year running, Team Jasiri were crowned champions after topping the medal standings with 191 medals – 46 gold, 54 silver and 93 bronze.
The president admitted that home advantage had worked in favour of Kenya accentuated by the ability to enroll competitors in all the categories.
He remains optimistic that other countries will bring a large contingent to future editions so as to spice up the competition.
“Indeed, Kenya has shone in this competition and this has been enabled by the fact that we have the home advantage and are able to register competitors in all the categories. I hope other countries will invest resources in the sport by turning out in large numbers as this will make it more competitive and interesting,” the president said.
Mwakio further said Kenya is looking to host more of such competitions in the near future as they seek to identify and nurture more budding talent in the sport.
“A special thank you to the CS (Ababu Namwamba) and the Principal Secretary (Peter Tum) for their support in hosting this tournament. We now look forward to hosting other competitions in the future as we strive to nurture talent and grow the sport around the country as well as in Africa,” he said.
Team Jasiri’s in-tray for 2024 will be full with the World Championships set for the Philippines, some time in the new year.
