Top jins vie in Smart Best of the Best

MANILA, Philippines - The finest blackbelt gold medalists from 12 regions will display their wares in the 2013 Smart MVP Best of the Best Taekwondo Championships on Sunday at the San Miguel by the Bay, Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia.

“It’s going to be an exciting battle as only gold winners in the blackbelt levels of national events are qualified to participate,” according to Philippine Taekwondo Association CEO Sung Chon Hong.

Tournament director Jesus Morales III lists the events as Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao championships as well as UAAP, NCAA, AFP-PNP Olympics and all PTA competitions in Metro Manila and the regions including high-level organizations such as the Taekwondo Blackbelt Brotherhood (TBB), Taekwondo Blackbelt Sorority (TBS) and the Philippine Taekwondo Contingent (PTC).

The participating regions include ARMM, CAR, CARAGA and NCR.

Around 600 blackbelts in the senior, junior and cadet divisions – both male and female – are expected to see action.

The prestigious tournament is supported by SMART Communications Inc., MVP Sports Foundation, PLDT, TV 5 and Meralco.

The taekwondo officiating system will be utilized to eliminate human error and ensure accurate, fair scoring and spectator-friendly competitions.

These are the PSS (Protective Scoring System) and ESS (Electronic Scoring System), electronic armors and socks together with the IVR (Instant Video Replay) to score points which reflect on the monitor.

Martial arts enthusiasts and sports aficionados, especially children who are interested to learn the sport, are invited to watch.  Matches start at 8 a.m.