On Sunday 7th May, The Imperial National Team Championships, “Battle Royale” was held at the Harrow Leisure Centre.

The choice of venue for the event was particularly significant, as it was at Harrow Leisure Centre that Master Nicholls took part in his first ever Taekwon-Do tournament, and these were the first team championships that Imperial have hosted. It is testimony to the growing strength and depth of the Imperial TKD Association, that there were 87 and over 250 competitors at this inaugural event.

In the 17 different divisions on the day, most teams had to go through at least three rounds of competition, to have a chance of winning a medal, it truly was a “Battle Royale”.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the Instructors for their incredible support of the event. Special thanks to Master Wolf, who had 18 teams competing on the day, and with all their supporters came down with more than 100 people; Mr Yogi Chand who had 19 teams and over 50 spectators come from his Academies in Bedford and Milton Keynes; Mr Don Dedigan who brought an elite group of fighters from his Academies in Bristol; and Miss Catherine Divine, with several fighters all the way from Scotland; Mr Paul Cain and Danny Weyland with their teams from the Spirit Academies in Reading and Brentford; and Mr Nick Gardner with his teams from his recently opened Gardner TKD Academy in Kent.

The intention with “Battle Royale” was to create a brand new tournament experience for all involved. A high level of technical sparring and competition for all fighters, and fun and enjoyable day out for all the spectators.

Thanks to the spirit and commitment of all the competitors, the incredible support of all their friends and family on the day, and dedication of all the Instructors involved, to prepare all the students for the event, this was truly achieved.

We look forward to seeing you all next year!

Taekwon.
Johann de Silva