The inaugural World Beach Taekwondo Championships have been pushed back to avoid a clash with the Muslim holy month Ramadan.
Bali was confirmed as the location for the new event earlier this month by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), with competition initially scheduled to be held on June 4 and 5.
Ramadan will be held from June 6 to July 5 and with the vast majority of the Indonesian population being Muslim, a decision was made to shift the date of the Championships.
“The previous date for the Beach Championship was considered as not good as it was very close to the Ramadan holiday,” a WTF spokesperson told insidethegames.
“Although Ramadan holiday begins on June 6, the Indonesian Organising Committee told us that people do not work from two to three days before Ramadan, which will make the event difficult.”
The Championships have now been rescheduled to take place on July 23 and 24.
Many muslims opt to fast in daylight hours during Ramadan.
The WTF are hopeful that the event, in which men will wear sleeveless shirts and women will compete in tank tops, will help the discipline be added to the programme for the inaugural Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) World Beach Games, due to be held in San Diego in September 2017.
Competition categories will be recognised poomsae, free style poomsae, technical breaking, free style dynamic kicks and team demonstrations, rather than the kyorugi sparring competitions held at the Olympic Games and other major events.
Poomsae is a non-sparring event where individuals or teams perform a "sequence of movements arranged in a meaningful order in response to attacks from multiple imaginary assailants".
Kyupka consists of objects being broken at speed using powerful taekwondo moves.
There is no need for protective clothing, due to the lack of sparring, meaning far skimpier uniforms can be worn which it is hoped will add to the appeal.
Long sleeves, tights and hijabs will be permitted for religious reasons, while sunglasses will also be allowed.
The Championships are open to any athlete with a WTF Global Athlete License and dan or poom rank certificates as issued by the Kukkiwon, the sport’s classification body.
A total of 20 WTF international referees will oversee the tournament, which will have two male and two female age divisions, based on the modified WTF Poomsae competition rules and interpretation.
