[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi](May 26, 2018) - The first World Taekwondo Grand Prix of 2018 will take place in Rome on 1-3 June, bringing together the world’s very  best taekwondo stars as they battle it out to become Grand Prix champions.

A total of 255 male and female athletes representing 51 different countries will compete across eight different weight categories in the multi-purpose sports complex, Foro Italico.Top athletes participating in the event include: Jade Jones and Bianca Walkden of Great Britain; Shuyin Zheng of China; Taehun Kim, Dae-hoon Lee and So-hui Kimof theRepublic of Korea;Cheick Sallah Cisseof Cote D’Ivoire; Radik Isaevof Russia andDmitriy Shokinfrom Uzbekistan.

Before the three-day competition begins, the World Taekwondodemonstration team will perform during the Opening Ceremony at the beautiful Piazza di Spagna on 31 May.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue said:

“We are very excited to take the Grand Prix to Rome for the first time. The Grand Prix always delivers fantastic action and I have no doubt our athletes will put on a thrilling show for fans in Rome and around the world. The rule-changes we have introduced to make the sport more engaging and entertaining have been a great success and in Rome fans will continue to enjoy the benefits of these changes.”

Grand Prix series 2, 3, and 4 will be held in Moscow, Russia on August 10-12, Manchester, United Kingdom on October 19-21, and Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei on September 19-21 respectively. The Grand Prix Final and Team Championships will be held in Fujairah, UAE on 22-25 November.