Stage set for Mombasa Open Tong Il Mo Doo competition

The stage is set for this year’s Mombasa Open Tong Il Mo Doo competition which begins Sunday until Monday at the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa.

Speaking at a press conference Saturday evening at the Mombasa Light International Academy, the federation president Clarence Mwakio said a number of teams have already arrived in the country for the competition including Japan, Paraguay, India, Thailand, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Turkey and Angola and they are expecting more to arrive this evening.

"We are delighted by the support we have received from the government and other stakeholders ahead of the competition,” he said. “It’s a big motivation to the federation and the players and we hope that we will retain the title," said Mwakio.

World Tong IL Mo Doo President Hoshiko Takamatsu hailed Kenya’s commitment to the growth of the sport saying that he is impressed with the way the federation is committed to spreading the game across the country.

"Kenya has shown commitment to spread game from a lower age in schools and across all ages and that is very impressive, we are hoping that very soon this game will be included in the Olympics," stated the president.

The 11th edition of the tournament is set to kick-off Sunday evening and conclude on Monday with Kenya winning the previous ten editions.

Cumulatively Kenya has bagged 185 medals in the previous editions.