Smart/Phl taekwondo up at SM Masinag

MANILA, Philippines - After a successful kickoff at SM Valenzuela (Aug. 18) and SM Marikina (Aug. 19) the Smart Philippine Taekwondo League moves to SM Masinag today, starting at 11:30n a.m., with matches featuring elite teams from various institutions.

Among the participating squads affiliated with the Philippine Taekwondo Association are FEU, San Sebastian College-Recoletos, CSB, DLSU, SBC, UST, UE, UP, Letran, Ateneo de Manila University, Lyceum, EAC, NU, Arellano, LSGH, Don Bosco Makati, De La Salle Zobel, DPS SSA, LSQC and ESS.

According to tournament commissioner Monsour del Rosario and tournament director Stephen Fernandez, the event set at different SM supermalls helps promote the sport, reach out to more people and achieve a higher level of intensity in sparring or kyorugi.

“This is definitely going to sharpen the skills of veteran and upcoming taekwondo athletes,” according to former national players Del Rosario and Fernandez.

The PTL which is supported by MVP Sports Foundation, SMART Communications Inc. and PLDT, is also slated Sept. 23 in SM Consolacon and Sept. 30 in SM Davao.

Officiating procedures like PSS (Protective Scoring System), ESS (Electronic Scoring System) and electronic armors and socks together with IVR (Instant Video Replay) will be used to eliminate human error and ensure accurate and fair scoring.

The PTL will feature a special round called “Tag Round” patterned after one of the events organized by the World Taekwondo Federation.  Under this system, a team can field a maximum of 10 players and make unlimited substitution in one round of five minutes with the team scoring the highest number of points emerging as winner.

Martial arts enthusiasts and sports buffs, especially children interested in learning the sport, are invited to watch.