World Taekwondo (WT) confirmed on 15 October that Para Taekwondo at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games will take place from 19 to 21 October at Mizuho Park Gymnasium in Nagoya. The competition will feature 83 athletes from 18 countries competing across 10 weight categories - the largest Para Taekwondo field in the history of the Asian Para Games, and the first edition to use a three-round contest format.
The field: 83 athletes, 18 countries, 10 categories
According to World Taekwondo, the entry list comprises 43 men and 40 women. Compared with Hangzhou 2022, women's participation has risen from 32 athletes to 40, a clear increase in the share of women's categories.
Ten weight categories are on the programme. The men's K44 categories are -58kg, -63kg, -70kg, -80kg and +80kg; the women's K44 categories are -47kg, -52kg, -57kg, -65kg and +65kg.
Para Taekwondo made its Asian Para Games debut at Hangzhou 2022. Four years on, the move to Mizuho Park Gymnasium brings both a larger overall field and a higher share of women, reflecting how the sport has grown across Asia.
Key change: a record participation (83 athletes / 18 nations / 10 categories), women up from 32 to 40, and a move from the single-round system to a three-round format.
Format change: three rounds replace single-round contests
Unlike the single-round format used at Hangzhou 2022, every category in Nagoya will be contested over best-of-three rounds. Each contest now covers more rounds and more time, which stretches the window for managing stamina and tactics. Coaching teams will need to re-align pre-event load planning and in-competition adjustment accordingly.
The change also affects court turnover on competition days. Ten categories have to be completed within three days, so consistent mat and protector specification - and the ability to reset a court quickly between bouts - directly determines how smoothly the schedule runs and whether one court can serve several categories back to back.
Athletes to watch: Paralympic champions and home favourites
World Taekwondo highlighted several names to follow. In the men's K44 -70kg, Japan's Shunsuke Kudo is the home favourite: he won gold at the Roma 2026 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix and took bronze in Muju last month, and will be looking to add to that record in front of a home crowd.
In the women's field, two reigning Paralympic champions share the stage: Mongolia's Sürenjav Ulambayar in the W K44 -52kg and China's Yujie Li in the W K44 -57kg.
Iran's Mahdi Pourrahnama, a five-time world champion, won gold in the men's K44 -80kg at Hangzhou 2022 and topped the same podium in Muju last month. Iraq's Shad Khoshnaw also features after taking silver at this year's Asian Para Taekwondo Championships in Ulaanbaatar.
"With Paralympic champions and home favourites among the field, Nagoya is set for three exciting days of Para Taekwondo."
Full schedule: ten categories in three days
Day one, 19 October, covers the women's K44 -47kg and -52kg plus the men's K44 -58kg. Day two, 20 October, covers the men's K44 -63kg and -70kg plus the women's K44 -57kg and -65kg. The final day, 21 October, closes with the men's K44 -80kg and +80kg and the women's K44 +65kg.
What it means for venues and equipment
Ten categories plus a longer contest format mean that one court and one equipment set have to serve ten categories within three days. For organisers and dojangs, three variables decide how efficiently that runs: how modular the flooring is, how consistent the mat specification is, and how completely protector sizes and specifications are covered. Specification consistency between categories is also what keeps officiating standards aligned from one bout to the next.
For the reuse logic behind event flooring and equipment, see the in-site article World Taekwondo Launches Sustainable Competition Management Case Study Series: Three Events; for the previous stop on the international Para Taekwondo calendar, see Paris 2026 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix closes with golds for seven nations. Venue measurement and turnkey flooring planning are handled through the Facility Customizer service, and more tournament coverage is collected on the Tournament News category page.
MOOTO is an official partner of World Taekwondo, a partnership that dates back to 1984. Clubs, dojangs and event organisers looking for a complete flooring and protector package - interlocking mats, headgear, chest guards, shin protectors and more - can request configuration advice and bulk pricing through an enquiry on the official site.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- →Para Taekwondo runs from 19 to 21 October at Mizuho Park Gymnasium in Nagoya, with 83 athletes from 18 countries across 10 weight categories.
- →Women's participation rises from 32 at Hangzhou 2022 to 40, and the total field is the largest since the sport joined the Asian Para Games.
- →The single-round system has been replaced by best-of-three-round contests, lengthening each bout.
- →Ten categories in three days makes modular flooring and consistent protector specification key to operational efficiency.
