At the pre-competition press conference, World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue called the Grand Palais venue magnificent.

“At this Olympic Games, Taekwondo will shine. I don’t think we will have another venue like this,” said Choue, who also praised Paris for installing an effective temperature management system in the antique, glass-roofed site.

WT Technical Delegate Mohammad Shaaban said that the venue’s acoustics, combined with the roar of the audience will create a good atmosphere for the athletes.

French athlete Althea Laurin, 2023 World champion, said that she feels the pressure of the event as it is in her homeland. She also compared Paris 2024 to Tokyo 2020, which was held amid the global pandemic.

“Tokyo was without a crowd, it was very hard, but in Paris, it will be a very passionate crowd. The athletes need to manage their feelings and stay focused, but I think we will enjoy it,” added Laurin.

The draw is made, and on the first day of the competition, the athletes of the men’s -58 kg and women’s -49 kg categories will take the stage. 

Defending Olympic champion and World Number one Vito Dell’Aquila can face 2022 World champion, Hungarian rising star Omar Gergely Salim already in the quarterfinal. That will be one of the most anticipated bouts of the first day of the competitions. 

Another interesting confrontation can be in the women’s -49 kg category among two world champions Lena Stojkovic (Croatia) and Daniela Paola Souza (Mexico) who can meet in the quarterfinals. Another top athlete from the upper side of the bracket is Thailand’s Panipak Wongpattanakit, the Tokyo 2020 gold medallist. 

Current World Champion Merve Dincel Kavura (Turkiye) and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Adriana Cerezo Iglesias (Spain) are the most decorated athletes from the bottom part of the bracket.

The taekwondo tournament at the Paris 2024 will feature  134 athletes from 60 NOCs, who will compete from 7-10 August.