Seventy-seven deaf students just threw down at a Taekwondo tournament in Akuapem Mampong. The event was the second Chung Do Kwan and Deaf Empowerment Open Championship. It pulled kids from two schools, the Koforidua School for the Deaf and Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the local Akuapem Mampong Demonstration School for the Deaf. There were forty four girls and thirty three boys competing.
The whole point was to use martial arts to fight isolation and abuse against deaf people, with a special focus on girls. They did all the standard Taekwondo stuff. That means board breaking, which they call Gyeokpa, sparring or Kyorugi, and forms displays known as Poomsae. Esther Asomaning from the Mampong school won gold for the girls in the basic display, while her schoolmate Desmond Adesan Gbenor took it for the boys. For smashing boards, Leticia Oboh from Koforidua won gold on the girls' side, and Bright Henyo, also from Koforidua, won for the boys. In sparring, Christabel Ansah from Mampong got gold for the girls, and Emmanuel Obeng from Koforidua won for the boys. The forms display saw Kelvina Arhin from Koforidua win for the girls, and Emmanuel Obeng from the same school double up with another gold for the boys.
The head of the organizing group, Master Raphael Sylvanus Akoto, called it a big win. He said it let the students show their skills and feel better about themselves. He noted that more guys showed up this year, which he thinks means the kids are starting to get into martial arts. Akoto also mentioned a downside, saying some students from Koforidua could not afford the trip to Akuapem Mampong. He hopes for more money next time so they can get more hearing-impaired students involved.
The whole point was to use martial arts to fight isolation and abuse against deaf people, with a special focus on girls. They did all the standard Taekwondo stuff. That means board breaking, which they call Gyeokpa, sparring or Kyorugi, and forms displays known as Poomsae. Esther Asomaning from the Mampong school won gold for the girls in the basic display, while her schoolmate Desmond Adesan Gbenor took it for the boys. For smashing boards, Leticia Oboh from Koforidua won gold on the girls' side, and Bright Henyo, also from Koforidua, won for the boys. In sparring, Christabel Ansah from Mampong got gold for the girls, and Emmanuel Obeng from Koforidua won for the boys. The forms display saw Kelvina Arhin from Koforidua win for the girls, and Emmanuel Obeng from the same school double up with another gold for the boys.
The head of the organizing group, Master Raphael Sylvanus Akoto, called it a big win. He said it let the students show their skills and feel better about themselves. He noted that more guys showed up this year, which he thinks means the kids are starting to get into martial arts. Akoto also mentioned a downside, saying some students from Koforidua could not afford the trip to Akuapem Mampong. He hopes for more money next time so they can get more hearing-impaired students involved.
