Ten taekwondo players off to eSwatini

MASERU – The Lesotho Taekwondo Association (LTA) is sending a 10-member team to eSwatini for the 2019 Confederation of Southern African Taekwondo Association (COSATA) Championships this weekend.  The regional tournament will form part of Lesotho’s preparations for the 2020 AUSC Region 5 Youth Games to be held in Maseru next December.
The two-day COSATA Championships will take place on Friday and Saturday in Mbabane and Lesotho’s squad is made up of six female and four male athletes across different weight categories.
The team will leave the country on Thursday and LTA general secretary Teboho Masimong said the travel party includes senior athletes that are headed to the 2020 Tokyo Olympic qualifiers next year February in Rabat, Morocco.

Masimong said it is important to use every opportunity available to prepare the athletes.
The 10-strong team is divided into three categories which are the seniors, juniors and cadets.
The cadets are preparing for the 2022 African Youth Games which will be held in Lesotho and Masimong said the COSATA Championships will be a good measuring stick for the country’s taekwondo.

“This is a curtain raiser for the Region 5 Games in December next year but this is one of a series of competitions we are going to participate in and prepare with,” Masimong said.
“We want to beat two birds with one stone. We have athletes going to the Olympic qualifiers next year and we have taken them on the trip and this is part of their preparations as well. This competition will also allow us to see how far we are from other countries as we have not been participating in lot of tournaments,” he added.

Masimong said it is important for Lesotho to compete at international events in order to retain ranking points and scholarship opportunities.
One beneficiary, for example, is Marumo Moloisane has been based at the 2017 Taekwondo Competence Centre (TCC) in Germany since 2017 under an Olympic scholarship for athletes preparing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“Besides preparations we also have other international competitions that are coming where we have to attend and participate in order to avoid Lesotho being blacklisted and lose the scholarships we are getting like the one for Marumo,” Masimong said.

Team Lesotho:
Team Manager:
Relebohile Moletsane
Men:
Ramosoeu Nkuebe, Rethabile Shea, Khojane Ratlali, Kamoho Rapotsane
Women:
Teboho Phasumane, Keabetsoe Monyalotsa, ‘Matšola Mohloai, ‘Mamotšeare Ntute, Tebello Mootisa, Mapuleng Tiheli.

Tlalane Phahla