Rome brings together the world taekwondo elite: Foro Italico hosts the Grand Prix and para Grand Prix
Rome will become one of the centers of world taekwondo in early June, as the Foro Italico complex will host two consecutive competitions from the highest international calendar from 4 to 7 June 2026. According to the announcement by the Italian Taekwondo Federation FITA, the program begins on 4 June with the Roma 2026 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix, followed from 5 to 7 June by the Roma 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix. This connects Olympic and para taekwondo in the same sports venue, with the participation of medal winners from the biggest competitions, world champions and athletes fighting for important points in the international ranking.
According to data published by the specialized taekwondo portal MASTKD, the para Grand Prix brings 111 athletes from 29 countries to Rome, while the main World Taekwondo Grand Prix will gather 255 competitors from 52 countries, along with the Taekwondo Refugee Team. The event has been announced as one of the more important stops of the season, not only because of the number of registered participants and the quality of the fighters, but also because of the broader format which, in addition to top-level competition, includes technological innovations, youth programs and humanitarian initiatives. The organizers point out that the Rome edition is being held under World Taekwondo’s motto for 2026, "Reborn, Together", while the local slogan "Make History" emphasizes the ambition for the event to leave a more lasting mark on the development of the sport.
Para taekwondo opens the program on 4 June
The first competition day, Thursday 4 June, will be dedicated to the Roma 2026 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix. According to FITA’s announcement, the competition is intended for athletes in the K44 class, that is, competitors with functional limitations of the upper limbs. The program includes five men’s and five women’s weight categories: men will compete in the categories up to 58, 63, 70 and 80 kilograms and over 80 kilograms, while women will compete in the categories up to 47, 52, 57 and 65 kilograms and over 65 kilograms. According to the same source, the maximum number of participants per category is 12, and the selection of competitors is based on the World Para Taekwondo ranking from March 2026.
The list of announced athletes includes several prominent para taekwondo names. MASTKD states that Paralympic champions from Paris 2024 are expected in Rome, among them Asaf Yasur from Israel, Mahmut Bozteke from Turkey, Imamaddin Khalilov from Azerbaijan, Asadbek Toshtemirov from Uzbekistan, Surenjav Ulambayar from Mongolia and Brazil’s Ana Carolina Silva de Moura. Moroccan athlete Ayoub Adouich, named the best para taekwondo athlete of 2025, has also been announced in the field. Zakia Khudadadi is also attracting special attention; she won bronze for the Refugee Paralympic Team in Paris 2024 and, according to the same source, has since obtained French citizenship.
The para Grand Prix in Rome carries both financial and sporting stakes. According to data from FITA and Sportface, winners in the para categories receive 2,000 US dollars, silver medalists 1,000, and bronze medalists 500 dollars. More important than the prizes for most athletes will be competitive continuity and the opportunity to measure themselves against the best in the period after the Paralympic Games in Paris and ahead of a new cycle of major competitions. In the context of para taekwondo, the Rome program is also important because it is being held directly alongside the main Grand Prix, so the Olympic and Paralympic competition profiles share the same sports venue and part of the same organizational infrastructure.
The main Grand Prix brings eight Olympic categories
From 5 to 7 June, the World Taekwondo Grand Prix follows on the same field of play. According to the program published by FITA, the men’s competition will be held in the categories up to 58, 68 and 80 kilograms and over 80 kilograms, while female athletes will compete in the categories up to 49, 57 and 67 kilograms and over 67 kilograms. These are the eight Olympic weight categories, and the competition, according to the official program, is conducted using an elimination system and the "best of 3" format. In practice, this means that fighters in a match try to win two rounds, with each round lasting two minutes and one minute of rest between rounds.
The daily program further structures the competition. According to Sportface, the categories W-57 kg, W-67 kg and M-80 kg are scheduled for 5 June, W+67 kg, M-68 kg and M+80 kg for 6 June, and W-49 kg and M-58 kg for 7 June. Evening slots from 17:30 to 20:30 are reserved for semifinals, finals and medal ceremonies. Such a schedule makes it possible to concentrate each day’s key matches in time slots intended for the audience, with a clear competition drama from early bouts to decisive medal contests.
The Grand Prix in Rome has the status of a G-6 level event. According to FITA and the Taekwondo.tv platform, this status means that results carry significant points for the WT World Ranking and WT Olympic Ranking. FITA’s announcement states that the winner of a category can earn 60 points, while points are also awarded to those placed lower in the standings. For athletes building their position in the international ranking, such points can be as important as a medal, because they affect status during the season, seeding order and the path toward the next major competitions.
The entry list includes world champions and Olympic medalists
The quality of the entries makes the Rome Grand Prix one of the strongest taekwondo events in the first half of June. MASTKD states that 22 medalists who earned the right to participate at the Charlotte 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge will compete in the main competition. In this way, the Rome tournament connects two important parts of World Taekwondo’s competition system: the challenge level, which opens space for rising athletes, and the Grand Prix series, reserved for the highest-ranked fighters and holders of major results.
Among the announced names, Korean athlete Eunsu Seo stands out, named the men’s MVP of the 2025 World Championships in Wuxi, as does Brazil’s Maria Clara Pacheco, who according to MASTKD won two gold medals at the Grand Prix Challenge last year before becoming world champion. Hungarian athletes Luana Márton, the women’s MVP of the same world championship, and her sister Viviana Márton, Olympic champion, are also expected to compete in Rome. Belgian representative Sarah Chaâri has been announced as a world champion and World Taekwondo’s best female athlete for 2025.
In the men’s competition, additional weight is given to the entries by Thailand’s Banlung Tubtimdang and Brazil’s Henrique Marques Rodrigues Fernandes, whom MASTKD lists as World Taekwondo’s best male athlete for 2025. The announcements also include fighters who regularly win medals or are recognizable in the strongest international fields, among them American CJ Nickolas, Briton Caden Cunningham and Italian Simone Alessio. For the home audience, Alessio has special significance, but the organizers present the Rome event above all as a global meeting of the top of the rankings, not merely as a national sports project.
Technological innovations on the Foro Italico field of play
The Rome edition also brings announced technical innovations in the judging system. According to FITA’s official announcement and the Turismo Roma portal, sensor gloves are being introduced at the Grand Prix, intended for the automatic recognition of body strikes. The organizers state that such a system should change the way individual technical actions are assessed, because in combination with existing electronic equipment it could reduce the need for a larger number of corner judges when evaluating certain strikes. In addition, Daedo Gen3 PSS will be used, meaning electronic protectors and helmets with sensors, as well as the Instant Video Replay system.
For taekwondo, technology has been an important part of the sport’s development for years. Electronic body protectors and video reviews were introduced precisely to increase objectivity and reduce the space for controversial decisions, especially in bouts where nuances decide the winner. In Rome, that direction continues through additionally automated recording of contact, but the organizers are not announcing the complete removal of human judgment. The referee still leads the fight, manages the rhythm and sanctions irregularities, while technology takes over an increasingly large part of checking scoring actions.
The venue further reinforces the symbolism of the competition. Foro Italico is one of the best-known sports complexes in Rome, and according to FITA, a special Grand Prix Arena will be set up for this event. Sportface states that it is a temporary structure measuring 58 by 26.5 meters, with three tatamis on an elevated platform and stands for the audience. The project is, according to the same source, connected with Sport e Salute and is designed to simultaneously meet the needs of athletes, referees, technical staff and spectators.
The broader program includes youth, virtual taekwondo and a humanitarian dimension
The competition in Rome is not conceived only as a series of fights for medals. According to FITA and Sportface, the Torneo Kim e Liù 2026, a competition for younger age groups, is also being held alongside the Grand Prix, with a program of poomsae, freestyle and combat disciplines. The organizers present the inclusion of young competitors in the same venue where world champions compete as a way of connecting elite sport with grassroots development. Such an approach can be important for taekwondo because young athletes gain not only competitive experience, but also direct contact with international standards of organization, judging and sports preparation.
Rome will also host the Virtual Taekwondo Roma Open 2026 under the slogan "Strike the Future!". According to Sportface, the competition is scheduled for 4 June and is based on the AXIS system and the use of PICO 4 virtual reality devices. MASTKD states that this is the first G1-ranked virtual taekwondo competition, with 19 athletes from five countries in a knockout tournament. During the main Grand Prix days, the virtual station is expected to remain available as a demonstration area for visitors, thereby connecting the traditional martial art with new digital formats and potential models of audience development.
The humanitarian component is especially connected with the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation. Vatican News reported that eight children, young athletes from the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, will have the opportunity to participate in the program in Rome thanks to the initiative of that foundation and the support of FITA. According to the same source, the children will take part in the Kim e Liù tournament, and a meeting with Pope Leo XIV is also planned. Azraq is described in that report as a camp where around 60,000 people live, so the Rome program is also presented as an opportunity for sport to serve as a means of inclusion, education and personal empowerment.
Marking 60 years of taekwondo in Italy
The event fits into the commemoration of 60 years of taekwondo in Italy. Turismo Roma states that the world taekwondo elite returns to Rome precisely in the year marking six decades of the presence of this Korean martial art in Italy. The program, according to the City of Rome’s tourism platform, connects the elite, para taekwondo, technological innovations and youth participation. The announcements also mention a special city event on Ponte della Musica, with performances by demonstration teams and visual content, thereby extending the competition beyond the closed sports framework into the city’s public space.
In its announcement, FITA emphasizes that organizing such a tournament represents recognition of Italian taekwondo and its position within the international federation. FITA president Angelo Cito appears in several announcements as one of the key organizational actors, and Sportface states that the Italian federation is building an entire week of taekwondo events around the Grand Prix. After the end of the main Grand Prix program, the Italian senior championship for black belts is also scheduled for 8 June, which means the temporary Grand Prix Arena will also be used for the domestic competition calendar.
For World Taekwondo and the organizers in Italy, the Rome week has several levels of importance. Sportingly, it brings points and direct duels between the strongest competitors in Olympic and para categories. Organizationally, it tests a model in which the Grand Prix, para Grand Prix, virtual taekwondo and children’s programs are placed within a connected whole. Socially, it emphasizes the inclusion of athletes from refugee programs and young competitors who are only entering the sport. Because of such a combination, Rome 2026 is not just another stop on the calendar, but an event that shows the direction in which taekwondo is trying to expand after the Paris Olympic and Paralympic cycle.
Sources:
- Federazione Italiana Taekwondo – official program and description of the Roma 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Prix event, including dates, categories, format, ranking and technical innovations (link)
- MASTKD – competition announcement with data on the number of registered athletes, countries, prominent competitors and accompanying programs (link)
- Sportface – overview of the daily program, prizes, Grand Prix Arena, accompanying FITA events and the Italian competition week (link)
- Turismo Roma – official tourism announcement by the City of Rome on the location, broader program, technological innovations and commemoration of 60 years of taekwondo in Italy (link)
- Vatican News – report on the participation of children from the Azraq refugee camp through the initiative of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation and FITA (link)
- Taekwondo.tv – tournament page with information on the date, location, G-6 status and basic information about the event (link)