AS part of preparations for the upcoming Maseru 2020 African Union Sports Council (AUSC) Region 5 Games scheduled for December, the Technical Directorship of Confederation of Southern African Taekwondo Associations (COSATA) held a one-day training programme for local sports reporters.

The focus was on the competition rules and interpretation of taekwondo.

The training was held on Tuesday at the Ministry of Gender and Youth, Sport and Recreation office in Maseru.   

In his opening remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of the games’ Local Organising Committee (LOC), Morake Raleaka said the regional tournament would not be held without the support of the media.

“We are going to host these games in the COVID-19 era, so we have to work hard to make our budget inclusive of all the circumstances. The aim is to still host the games without spectators, so it is through the media that we will be able to reach every part of Lesotho and the entire southern African region during the games.

“We are currently holding orientations for the new LOC support staff in order to speed up the preparation process. Taekwondo is the first sport to induct the media ahead of the games, so it will be an honour for other sporting codes to follow suit,” he said.  

For his part, AUSC Region 5 Taekwondo Technical Delegate, Moshoeshoe Molapo said as a new sporting code in the AUSC Region 5 programme, COSATA found it befitting to introduce the media to the competition rules and regulations in order to report well on the sport, before and during the games which will be held from December 3 - 12.

He said the Daedo Protector Scoring System (PSS) will be used during the taekwondo competition as Region 5 countries asked COSATA to allow them to use the system because many of them already possess the relevant equipment.