NAIROBI, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Kenya has selected three athletes for the Africa Taekwondo Championships slated for Feb. 20 in Cairo, and other five later this month to battle for the Olympic tickets to Tokyo 2020.
Emmanuel Karisa, Peter Kabane and Samson Ojuk will represent Kenya at the biennial African Championships set for Cairo, Egypt from Feb. 20.
"Our teams are psyched up for the upcoming games and we are confident the event will give them the much needed exposure," said coach Philip Khaemba.
The other five will be selected later this month for the Africa National Olympic Committees Association Zone V Games in Rwanda in April, the World Championships in Manchester, England in May and the All Africa Games in Rabat, Morocco between Aug. 23 and Sept.3.
"It is a new dawn for us in taekwondo. Since Beijing 2008 Olympics, Kenya has failed to enter any player in the Olympics in London and Rio. This has been mainly down to poor preparations and wrangling," said Suleiman Sumba, the president of the Kenya Taekwondo Federation.
"We are focused on building a formidable team for all upcoming championships, with an eye on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics next year," said Sumba.
Kenya taekwondo made its Olympic debut in the 2008 Beijing Games, represented by Dickson Wamwiri and Milkah Akinyi who failed to win any medals.
After wrangles within fared badly for both London and Rio, legendary athlete Paul Tergat, president of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) is hoping for a bright future for the Kenya taekwondo athletes.
"Taekwondo has shown us the way to go and we are better together than apart," said Tergat. "This team here today can conquer Africa and go on to secure tickets to Tokyo Olympics."
