Inaugural Taekwondo Premier League to be held in June

The logo of the TPL was unveiled on Sunday in the presence of the team owners in Hyderabad.

Officials at the formal launch of the Taekwondo Premier League in Hyderabad on May 22, 2023. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The inaugural edition of the Taekwondo Premier League, featuring 12 teams, will be held from June 22 to 26 with prize money worth Rs 15 lakhs will be up for grabs. Several other individual prizes will also be on offer for the players, according to Dr. Venkata K. Ganjam, Founder and Director of the League.

Interestingly, the TPL also has four women being the team owners - former Miss India Asia Pacific and Miss Asia Pacific World Srishti Rana (Haryana Hunters), Ruchita Mittal (Maharashtra Avengers), a diamond businesswoman, Shilpa Patel (Bengaluru Ninjas), an entrepreneur in hospitality, and Isha Patel (Chennai Strikers).

The logo of the TPL was unveiled here on Sunday night in the presence of the other team owners Shyam Patel (Delhi Warriors), owner of Global Sports, Allu Venkat Reddy (Hyderabad Gliders) Chairman of iMark Developers, Vijay Kumar Bhansali (Gujarat Thunders), a social activist of international repute, and Bijit Gogoi (Assam Heroes), India 2006.

“The League is a team event with each team comprising five members including a captain and each contest will be of five rounds of 1.30 min each with a strategic time out of 30 seconds. We have restricted the League to 58.1kg-67.9 kg category,” Founder Director Duvvuri Ganesh said.

“All ranked players from across the country have been selected for the League which will be telecast live on Doordarshan Sports,” he said.

“We hope the League will be a huge success for it has been long due. And we have plans to have a similar league at the international level too,” Mr. Ganesh said.

“This is a proud moment for all of us at the TPL,” Dr. Ganjam, Founder Director, said. “Taekwondo is a very popular sport in India, with over 10 lakh registered players. The TPL will be a great opportunity for players to hone their skills,” he added.

Founder-Director Navneetha Bachu, a Founder Director, said that the TPL would be a turning point for the sport.

“I’ve been associated with taekwondo for nearly two decades. I am happy to see the TPL taking shape. It’s going to lift the profile of the sport,” she said.

Mr. Suresh Chukkapalli, honorary Consul General of the Republic of Korea, hoped the League would usher in a new era for the sport in India.