It’s a season of major tournaments in taekwondo. Recently, the World Youth Championship held in Al-Fujairah, UAE, concluded, where Azerbaijan earned a silver medal thanks to Saleh Heydarov (57 kg).
The main event for the national team will be the World Championship in Wuxi, China, scheduled for October 24–30, Idman.biz reports.
The new Olympic cycle is expected to answer many questions. Last year, Gashim Magomedov (58 kg) salvaged Azerbaijan’s taekwondo reputation by winning Olympic silver. Naturally, this year, the focus of the top athletes is on the World Championship, where they must once again prove themselves and compete for medals.
This is particularly crucial for Azerbaijani athletes, as recent performances at World Championships have been disappointing. Although Javad Aghayev (68 kg) secured bronze in Guadalajara in 2022, the following year’s home championship in Baku ended without any medals. Thus, there are high hopes for the upcoming trip to Wuxi.
Since the beginning of the year, the team has participated in several tournaments in Belgium and the Netherlands, earning medals of various levels. Coaches have assessed the current training status. Now, the team enters a critical stage — early competitions are over, and the most important events lie ahead.
It’s essential to consider the international taekwondo calendar, which includes several “Challenge” series events that serve as qualifiers for Grand Prix tournaments. The packed schedule is due to changes in the World Taekwondo’s Olympic qualification system for the 2028 Los Angeles Games. The new system is multi-layered, allowing athletes to qualify via both ranking points and continental qualifiers.
Ranking points will be divided into two phases:
- Phase 1: June 2023 – Summer 2026
- Phase 2: The final two years leading up to the Olympics
Importantly, only 50% of the points earned in Phase 1 will carry over into Phase 2.
While rankings aren’t the only route to the Olympics, consistent performance can secure a spot through points. By January 2028, the top five athletes in each weight class will automatically qualify for the Games.
Where will these points come from? The Grand Prix Series, which includes multiple stages, will be key. Only athletes who qualify through “Challenge” events will be eligible to compete.
In the Grand Slam Championship Series, Olympic quotas are awarded to tournament winners. However, if a winner has already qualified via rankings, the quota passes to the runner-up. If both have qualified, it goes to the next athlete in the rankings. This is significant because Gashim Magomedov earned his spot at the last Olympics in Paris thanks to a silver medal in the Grand Slam.
At the Paris Games, Azerbaijan was represented by just one taekwondo athlete, who also medaled. Naturally, the goal for Los Angeles is broader participation. To achieve this, Azerbaijani athletes must improve consistency and boost their rankings. The main event of the year, without a doubt, will be the World Championship in Wuxi this October. This tournament could define the core of the future Olympic squad. Thus, the season marks the beginning of a new Olympic qualifying journey — everything starts anew.
Returning to the Los Angeles selection format, it’s worth emphasizing that most participants will be determined by early 2028. However, those who fail to qualify will still have a chance via continental qualification tournaments.
Zaki Feyzullayev
Idman.biz
