SPECTATOR GUIDE KICKINGFORGLORY.COM

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1 SPECTATOR GUIDE KICKINGFORGLORY.COM

2 WORLD TAEKWONDO GRAND PRIX COMES HOME Manchester has left an indelible mark on the history of the World Taekwondo Grand Prix series. When World Taekwondo s leaders went looking for an inaugural host city, Manchester stuck up its hand and successfully won its bid to stage edition one in December A total of 231 athletes took part at the Manchester Central Convention Centre, including four London Olympic gold medallists and two from Beijing in Mahama Cho and Lutalo Muhammad, revelled in the home atmosphere and struck gold; Stockwell Slayer Cho having the distinction of capturing the first British GP title. Jade Jones - then at the height of her rivalry with Spain s Eva Calvo Gomez - had to settle for silver in the -57kg final. In 2014, the Chinese city of Suzhou was the next host city and Bianca Walkden won bronze in the heavyweight division only to suffer the second cruciate ligament injury of her career. Cho added bronze to his Manchester gold and then completed his full set of Grand Prix medals with silver at the event in the Kazak city of Astana. Maham Cho having the distinction of capturing the first British GP title.

3 Jones and Calvo Gomez renewed hostilities and the Welsh star again had to settle for silver. Astana confirmed the emergence of Iranian power house, Mehdi Khodabakhshi, at -80kg where Damon Sansum secured bronze. Then it was Manchester s turn once more where home success was limited to another silver for Jones as Calvo Gomez, then world number one, claimed a fourth successive GP crown. For the first ever overall Grand Prix final, the action turned to the Mexican city of Queretaro. And if you are going to fly 5,400 miles, there s no point coming back empty handed. So, Jones finally got the better of her Mediterranean nemesis and also came home as female athlete of the year. In 2015, Moscow made its debut as GP host city. Walkden, back in Russia after becoming world champion three months earlier in Chelyabinsk, finished with bronze. Damon Sansum suggested it was an omen when Turkish city, Samsun, was selected to hold a Grand Prix. Instead, he went out in the quarterfinals. Nothing though could stop Jones adding another title, beating Yun-Wen Huang of China in the final. Manchester was chosen as hosts for a third occasion in October 2015 and for an eighth successive GP GB athletes won at least one medal. Pride of place went to Jones for successfully defending her -57kg title at Calvo Gomez s expense. London 2012 bronze medallist Muhammad enjoyed a sensational win over then world title holder, Khodabakhshi, in the semi-final only for tiredness and Tunisian Oussama Oueslati to deny him in the final. Muhammad though had his day with a convincing performance to clinch gold in Mexico, and the overall 2015 Grand Prix Series title. As 2016 was an Olympic year the series consisted of a single Grand Prix Final event, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. South Korea and Russia won most medalsfive-but GB Taekwondo topped the table. Jones denied Malak adding to her collection, Walkden overcame Zheng Shuyin of China but top accolade went to Charlie Maddock. The Pride of the Potteries stunned South Korean favourite and Olympic champion, Kim So-hui, in the final of the -49kg division. The 2017 series got off to a late start due to the staging of the World Championships. But Londoner Christian McNeish made up for lost time winning a first ever GP medal, finishing with -68kg bronze behind Korean champion, Lee Dae-hoon. Walkden, now world champion for a second time, continued to dominate the globe by defeating Kim Bich-na of Korea in the +73kg final. Queen B reigned supreme again in Rabat - this time at Milica Mandic s expense while Cho upped his game to also take heavyweight gold against Russian Roman Kuznetsov. London became only the second UK city to host a Grand Prix when the Copper Box welcomed the world s best in October Of GB Taekwondo s 12 medals in the 2017 series, including eight golds, five were served up in London. Jones, Walkden and Lauren Williams claimed GP titles with Bradly Sinden and Mahama Cho winning bronze. Jones and Walkden duly won the overall title when Ivory Coast hosted an event for the first time. And so to Athletes travelled to Rome and Moscow for the first two tournaments which have brought six British medals, including doubles for Sinden and Williams with gold for Jones in the Italian capital. Taoyuan and Manchester are further stopping off points before a ground-breaking hosting of the series final in November for Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates.

4 DARLEY STREET GREY MARE LANE THE VENUE Manchester Regional Arena Rowsley St, Manchester M11 3FF River Medlock Philips Park Ashton Canal P Car Park JOE MERCER WAY P Car Park SPORTCITY WAY River Medlock Tennis Courts Tennis Centre ALAN TURING WAY Etihad Campus Metrolink Stop GIBBON ST HSBC UK National Cycling Centre Ashton Canal City Store & Museum Regional Athletics Arena Holt Town to Manchester City Centre ROWSLEY ST ASHTON NEW ROAD City of Manchester Stadium A662 ALAN TURING WAY Velopark ASHTON NEW ROAD PARKING Parking is available at the Manchester Tennis Centre, Sportcity Way - accessible from Alan Turing Way. Head for the blue car parks which are at Gate 2, off Alan Turning Way. The Regional Arena can then be accessed from a short walk along Joe Mercer Way. Look out for our helpful Volunteers to direct you along the route. There is no parking at the Regional Arena. PLEASE NOTE: SATURDAY 20TH OCTOBER Please be advised that on 20th October, Manchester City FC are scheduled to play a home football match with kick off at 3pm. Travel to the Etihad campus for the World Taekwondo GP ahead of kick off is likely to affect your travel. We advise you arrive early to avoid any problems.

5 Darley St Travel Guide TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER For journey planning on bus, train and tram, news on delays and disruptions, and information about tickets and passes: Phone: Monday to Friday: 7am to 8pm Weekends and bank holidays: 8am to 8pm Or alternatively visit the Transport for Greater Manchester website where you can see a detailed travel timetable or plan your journey: BUSES Approximately minutes from the city centre to the venue. There are bus stops adjacent to the Etihad campus and stadium area. To get to the Manchester Regional Arena from the city centre. Use buses 216/231 from Manchester City Centre Piccadilly Gardens Stop D. Buses will run approximately every seven minutes. For a detailed timetable and live updates please visit: METROLINK The Etihad stadium has its own, dedicated tram stop, listed as Etihad Campus. This stop is adjacent to the Regional Arena, just by City Square. Metrolink trams run between Manchester City Centre and the Etihad Campus and then onto Ashton-under-Lyne every 12 minutes and the journey between Manchester City Centre and the Etihad Campus will take around 10 minutes. For a detailed timetable please visit Tickets must be purchased before travel; ticket machines are located one every Metrolink platform. CYCLING Approximately minutes from the city centre. This route is the same as the walking route. A detailed cycling route can be seen at WALKING Approximately minutes. The route for walking from Manchester City Centre is along a safe, well-lit route. Follow the signs that say: Etihad Campus/ City Link Detailed route can be seen at Metrolink Manchester Tennis & Football Centre Manchester Regional Arena Etihad Campus 47 More detailed information on buses, cycling routes, metrolink and walking routes can be found at: HSBC UK National Cycling Centre (Velodrome & Indoor BMX) M60,M62 M60 North Briscoe LaneRiverpark Road Roc hdale Road A664 GAS GAS Philips Park Safe Walk/Cycle Route Map Metrolink Tram Station Pick-up Point Buses to Manchester Safe walk/cycling route Metrolink Tram Station I c Pick-up Points Buses Piccadilly Gardens Metrolink Tram Station Oldham Road A62 Great Ancoats Street I Metrolink Tram Station Store Street Manchester Piccadilly Station Fairfield Street Old Mill Street Pollard Street Every Street Metrolink Tram Station Palmerston Street Pollard St E Cambrian t Holt Town Viaduct Street Bradford Road S t re e New Viaduct Street Manchester Regional Arena Rowsley St Rylance Street Sportcity Way TRAINING CENTRE Manchester Tennis & Football Centre Metrolink Tram Station TAEKWONDO Joe Mercer Way Etihad Stadium Ashton New Road Buses to Manchester/ Other routes Albert Street Alan Turing Way A601 Commonwealth Way Grey Mare Lane 0 Manchester Velodrome Ashton Canal Metrolink Tram Station Ashton Road Canal Ashton Route to shops Wilson Street Bank Street M60 East Clayton Lane Ashton Old Road Bell Crescent

6 Dear Taekwondo Family Members, IT IS A PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU TO MANCHESTER FOR THE 2018 WORLD TAEKWONDO GRAND PRIX SERIES 4. Over the next three days, over 200 of the world s best athletes, including Olympic and World Champions, from over 50 different nations, will compete with the hope of becoming Grand Prix Champions. So far this year, we have had three very successful and thoroughly entertaining Grand Prix s in Rome, Moscow and Taoyuan. I have no doubt Manchester and next month s Grand Prix Final in Fujairah, will be no different and will complete one of the best Grand Prix series we have had in many years. Manchester 2018 will provide a platform for fans around the world to watch the best compete against the best and give athletes the chance to boost their World Taekwondo Olympic Ranking points ahead of Tokyo Finally, I would like to thank everyone involved in the organisation of this event. As we all know from the first ever Grand Prix in 2013 and Grand Prix events in 2014 and 2015, Manchester is an excellent host of taekwondo and we have no doubt this will be a fantastic event. I wish all participating athletes and their travelling family members the best of luck and good health. Thank you, Dr Chungwon Choue President, World Taekwondo

7 WELCOME TO MANCHESTER Manchester is a globally recognised sporting capital that has secured its place as an international destination for leisure, tourism and business, and has rightfully gained a reputation as a place that makes things happen. On behalf of Manchester City Council and its partnership with World Taekwondo, UK Sport, GB Taekwondo and British Taekwondo, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the 2018 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Manchester. We are delighted that the World Taekwondo Grand Prix is once again in Manchester after our Grand Prix successes in 2013, 2014 and Partnerships are at the heart of our sports strategy and we are looking forward to further strengthen our relationship with the World Taekwondo when we host the World Taekwondo Championships at the Manchester Arena next May. Finally, may I wish you an enjoyable and memorable visit to our sporting city and may I wish all competitors the very best of luck for the event. Sir Richard Leese OBE Leader, Manchester City Counci

8 THE NATIONAL LOTTERY IS PROUD TO PRESENT 2019: A YEAR OF WORLD CHAMPS WORLD TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS MAY, MANCHESTER NETBALL WORLD CUP JULY, LIVERPOOL ROAD WORLD CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS SEPTEMBER, YORKSHIRE GYMNASTICS WORLD CUP MARCH, BIRMINGHAM DIVING WORLD SERIES MAY, LONDON MODERN PENTATHLON EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS AUGUST, BATH PLUS WORLD WHEELCHAIR CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS MARCH, STIRLING CANOE SLALOM WORLD CUP JUNE, LONDON EUROPEAN SHORT COURSE SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS DECEMBER, GLASGOW #FEELPARTOFIT uksport.gov.uk/tickets

9 RULES & TIPS A QUICK GUIDE The matches are scored by: 1 Point A strong punch to the chest area of the body protector 2 Points A strong kick to the body protector 3 Points A kick to the head protector 4 Points A spinning kick to the body protector 5 Points A spinning kick to the head protector FORMAT OF A MATCH A taekwondo contest comprises of three rounds of two minutes each with a one-minute break between each round. The whole taekwondo competition area is an 8 metre Octagon. Victory in a taekwondo bout can be achieved by knockout, by scoring the most points, or by default if the opponent is disqualified. PENALTIES Penalties in taekwondo are awarded for offences such as grabbing, holding, pushing and stepping over the boundary line. If a penalty is given by the referee (this is called a Gamjoen) then a point is added to the opponents score making it more exciting! Taekwondo which translates into the way of foot and fist is the national sport of South Korea where speed and accuracy are the most important factors. MANDATORY 8 COUNT If an athlete is staggered as a result of a legal attack, then the referee will step in a give a mandatory 8 count to give the athlete time to recover. If they cannot recover, then the referee continues the count until 10 and awards the match to the attacking athlete. EXTRA TIME If a contest ends with the competitors level on points, then the contest goes into a 4th round, where the first to score wins. If no result is achieved during this round then the final decision is calculated automatically by the number of strikes that an athlete made on the opponents protectors that were not sufficiently strong enough to score. If that does not give a winner, then the number of warnings an athlete was given throughout the match is also considered. THINGS TO LISTEN OUT FOR IN A MATCH Chung and hong the Korean words for blue and red, the colours worn by the two competitors. Shi-jak the instruction to start fighting. Gam-jeom the shout issued when an athlete receives a penalty. WHAT THEY WEAR The white uniform that each athlete wears is called a Dobok. Each athlete also wears electronic protective equipment on the body and head that keeps athletes safe and automatically measures and records the impacts.

10 GB ATHLETES IT IS 10 years since Sarah Stevenson struck the first major blow for GB Taekwondo athletes on the world stage. Sarah had already been crowned world champion by the time she travelled to the Far East to compete at the Beijing Olympic Games. But nothing better than an Olympic medal raises the profile of athlete and sport. So, Sarah s battling bronze medal heralded the start of an exciting success filled era for British athletes that has continued for a decade through to the current World Grand Prix. Here we profile the GB stars who are taking on the world in Manchester. Jordyn smith Date of birth: From: Falkirk, Scotland Weight category: -49kg FEMALES Youngster Jordyn Smith was encouraged by her Dad to take up Taekwondo for self-defence and quickly grew to love the sport. Before joining the elite team, she had been a member of the Sport England funded Development Programme for a number of years. During this time she won gold at the 2015 Cadet European Championships, bronze at the Cadet World Championships and became Junior World Champion in Scottish-born Smith has made quite a name for herself and her move to the senior divisions hasn t been any different. In 2018, just 1 month after her world s win she gained a bronze medal at the senior European Championships in Kazan, Russia. MADDISON MOORE Date of birth: From: Wordsley Weight category: -49kg A former European and Junior Karate Champion, Maddison Moore joined the GB Taekwondo Academy via the Talent Scout Portal. She began her martial arts journey at the tender age of seven after attending a Karate lesson with a friend and grew to love the sport in no time. It also became a family affair for the fighter, as her Dad was her coach for a number of years before the big move to Manchester. Led by her passion, Moore secured her first Taekwondo medal at the Polish Open in 2018 (a silver) and hopes to one day land herself a coveted place on the Olympic podium.

11 Jade Jones Date of birth: From: Flint, Wales Weight category: -57kg World number one Jade announced her arrival on the international scene by winning the Youth Olympics gold medal of Since then it s been success all the way for the Headhunter. She became Team GB s first ever Olympic taekwondo champion when winning at London 2012 and then successfully defended it four years later. She s added European and World Grand Prix crowns to her collection though a maiden world title has so far eluded the Welsh star. RACHELLE BOOTH Date of birth: From: Wigan Weight category: -57kg Former Fighting Chance graduate, Rachelle made the switch from the ITF to WT fighting style in 2014, a decision that had proved to bring her nothing but success. KYLA JULIEN Date of birth: From: Huddersfield Weight category: -57kg The athlete made her debut at the European Championships in 2014 where she reached her round of 16 match. Never one to let a loss get her down, she then took to the Commonwealth Championships where she was first place on the podium. Most notably, Rachelle was selected to compete at the WTF World Championships in 2015 which was held in Chelyabinsk, where she reached the semi-final stages and went onto win a bronze medal. Rachelle was also chosen as a reserve for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

12 LAUREN WILLIAMS Date of birth: From: Newport, Gwent Weight category: -67kg Having previously been a kickboxer, Lauren made the switch to taekwondo after watching Welsh compatriot, Jade Jones, become Olympic Champion in Lauren joined the GB Academy through the successful talent identification initiative, Fighting Chance, and has been a brilliant recruit. MOLLY DUNBAVIN Date of birth: From: Wakefield Weight category: -67kg She ruled the world at junior level in 2014 and then defended her crown two years later in Canada after graduating into the senior ranks. Lauren also won a senior European title in 2016 and was understudy to Bianca Walkden at the Rio Olympics. It s been a great year so far for Lauren defending her European crown in Russia and taking Grand Prix medals in Rome and Moscow. REBECCA MCGOWAN Date of birth: From: Dumbarton, Scotland Weight category: +67kg Scottish-born Rebecca started Taekwondo from a young age and has competed as a cadet since The teenager has built quite the name for herself in the sport and has medalled at a number of tournaments, including the Dutch Open where gold was achieved in 2014 and Since then, she was selected to represent Great Britain at the 2016 Junior World Championships where a bronze medal was achieved. Queen B reigns supreme over the women s heavyweight division. She is the world number one, the world champion and the one to beat in Manchester. Bianca s only disappointment is an Olympic gold medal has so far eluded her. Having missed out on selection for London 2012, Bianca made her Games debut in Rio. Bianca Walkden Date of birth: From: Liverpool Weight category: +67kg She lost to China s Shuyin Zheng in the semifinals but recovered to defeat Morocco s Wiam Dislam in the third and fourth place match. Having won her first World crown in 2015, Bianca doubled up her global success last year by beating America s Jackie Galloway 14-4.

13 GB ATHLETES MALES HASSAN HAIDER A longstanding member of the Sport England backed Development Squad, Hassan joined the elite academy in 2016 via the Fighting Chance talent ID initiative. Date of birth: From: Falkirk, Scotland Weight category: -58kg Having previously won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Championships in Edinburgh, the Scottish-born athlete has gone onto medal at the German, Serbian and Austrian Opens to name but a few was a big year for the Scot, as he was selected to represent Great Britain at the World Championships and the Grand Prix in London. Despite going out in the preliminary rounds, both major events were a great experience for the youngster, as he later medalled at the President s Cup in the African and European edition of the tournament too. Christian began competing at the age of 16, after having completed a successful career in kickboxing, where he had previously both WAKO Junior European and World Championship titles. Quickly got to grips with his new martial arts discipline by earning a bronze medal at the Youth Olympic Games of 2014 before winning impressive golds at the Commonwealth Championships and the Turkish Open too. Still a teenager, won bronze at the 2015 University Games. Christian McNeish Date of birth: From: Plaistow Weight category: -68kg Stepping up into the senior ranks, he made his World Championship and Grand Prix debuts in 2017 but has really blossomed in The highlight of titles in America, Bulgaria and Morocco was a European Championship gold in Kazan, Russia. Liverpool lad Josh has always had a passion for all things Taekwondo and originally trained in the ITF style before changing to WTF in order to follow his dream. Calland has previously won gold at both the German and Dutch Opens and was chosen to represent Great Britain at the WTF World Championships in He bowed out during the preliminary stages however deemed the experience as a learning curve. JOSH CALLARD Date of birth: From: Liverpool Weight category: -68kg He left the World Class Performance Programme in 2017 and is one of three athletes to rejoin in the team s history. Since coming back, the determined athlete has added a bronze medal to his collection from the 2018 Luxembourg Open. Bradly hails from Doncaster, the home town of trail blazer, Sarah Stevenson. Indeed, he was inspired to take up the sport after seeing Sarah s performances in Beijing. Bradly Sinden Date of birth: From: Doncaster Weight category: -68kg In 2015, Bradly won the Junior European Championships by beating Nikola Djurdjevic of Serbia. Last year was breakthrough time for the Yorkshire battler including a brilliant bronze medal at the World Championships and a first Grand Prix medal - exactly 12 months ago - in London. Team mate Christian McNeish was one of his scalps on the way to second place. There s been no let-up in the medal rush in 2018 with European Championship bronze and Grand Prix silver in Moscow.

14 Damon Sansum Date of birth: From: Elgin Weight category: -80kg A former kickboxing champion, this son of a former bodyguard to Princess Diana, has always excelled at martial arts. Switching to taekwondo in 2010, Damon has been a mainstay of the GB squad ever since. In 2015, he became the second British male after Michael Harvey to win a silver medal at the World Championships. A year later Damon missed selection for his first Olympic Games by a whisker. But he knuckled down after that major disappointment and showed his class by collecting another World Championship medal in South Korea in One of GB s most experienced Grand Prix campaigners having medalled for the first time four years ago. A longstanding member of the GB Taekwondo team. MAHAMA CHO Date of birth: From: Stockwell Weight category: +80kg His Taekwondo legacy began when he was chosen as a wild card option at the inaugural Manchester Grand Prix in 2013, which he went onto win in the heavyweight category. In 2014, Mahama once again fought in the Grand Prix series and despite losing in the Manchester leg, won silver and bronze abroad. Mahama also qualified to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games by winning the European Qualification Tournament in January of that year. He missed out on medalling at the Games but respectively finished 4th. In 2017, Mahama gained his first major medal in the form of a silver at the World Championships in Muju, which was swiftly followed by a gold medal win at the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Rabat. The first British male to win an Olympic taekwondo medal, claiming an emotional bronze medal at London If there were tears of relief in his home city, there were tears of frustration after seeing gold snatched from his grasp by Cheick Sallah Cisse four years later in the closing seconds. His post final interview tugged at the nation s heart strings and will be one of the most popular winners, if he can succeed in Manchester. LUTALO MUHAMMAD Date of birth: From: Walthamstow Weight category: +80kg Fought sparingly since Rio but has shown glimpses he s getting back to his best, including a silver medal at the Presidents Cup in Agadir.

15 OVERSEAS ONES TO WATCH Dae-hoon Lee Born: Seoul Date of birth: Country: South Korea Weight category: -68kg An Olympic gold medal is just about the only major honour this South Korean star needs to complete his collection. Twice an Olympic medallist, Lee s greatest honours have come at the World Championships where he has been a three-time gold medallist, winning in 2011, 2013 and again in Four years ago, Lee captured his first Grand Prix title, won in Manchester in 2015 and went seven-up in 2018 with victory in Rome. Grew up practicing martial art at his father s taekwondo academy from the age of five. Jackie Galloway Born: Crownpoint, Indiana Date of birth: Country: USA Weight category: +67kg The Texan based athlete, with dual nationality, trained to represent Mexico at the London 2012 Olympics but after failing to make the team moved back to the USA. There was no mistake for Jackie in 2016 when she became the first American heavyweight to qualify for the Games. And she didn t disappoint, collecting a bronze medal. A Grand Prix winner in Astana in 2014, she s enjoyed plenty of battles with Brit, Bianca Walkden, over the years but came off second best in the 2017 World Championship final. The pair also clashed at this year s Grand Prix in Wuxi, China when Walkden again prevailed Panipak Wongpattanakit Born: Surat Thani Date of birth: Country: Thailand Weight category: -49kg One of Thailand s top sportswomen and though still only 21 has been a prolific medal winner already in her career. Panipak certainly upset the form book in 2015 when she went to Chelyabinsk and claimed the -46kg World Championship title beating Iryna Romoldanova of Ukraine. Moving up to -49kg (flyweight) for the 2017 edition of the Worlds, she reached another final only to lose against Vanja Stankovic of Serbia. A Grand Prix winner last year in both London and Abidjan, Panipak defeateduzbekistan s Madinabonu Mannopova to win a first Asian games crown.

16 ABDOUL ISSOUFOU Born: Niamey, Niger Date of birth: Country: Niger Weight category: +80kg Became Niger s first summer Olympic medallist for 44 years when he won silver at Rio Also had the honour of become his country s flag bearer at the opening and closing ceremonies. Still only 23, the African heavyweight showed his Brazil displays were no flukes by clinching a World title in South Korea last year much to the disappointment of Great Britain s own Mahama Cho. Aged seven, Issoufou was warned off taekwondo by his father but four years later though, he borrowed a friend s uniform (dobok) and got back into the sport. African champion in 2015 and a bronze medallist in 2018, Abdoul won a first Grand Prix medal in Abidjan last year. RUTH GBAGBI Born: Abidjan Date of birth: Country: Ivory Coast Weight category: -67kg Taekwondo has become one of Ivory Coast s most popular sports in recent years, helped in no small part by the successes of Ruth and male compatriot, Cheick Salle Cisse. Was still a teenager when she made an Olympic debut at London 2012 and lost in the preliminary round and then repechage. With four years more experience behind her, Ruth collected Olympic bronze with victory against Farida Azizova of Azerbaijan. The upward progress continued and at last year s World Championships she beat Kimia Alizadeh of Iran to take gold. And her fight against Lauren Williams which yielded 66 points was one of the classic contests of last year s London Grand Prix. CHEICK SALLE CISSE Date of birth: Country: Ivory Coast Weight category: -80kg Cisse announced himself to UK taekwondo watchers with his golden shot success over Lutalo Muhammad at the Rio Olympic Games. But he had already started to make the rest of the world sit up and take note. He won Grand Prix gold in Moscow in 2015, took the African title in Brazaville the same year and won Grand Prix bronze in Manchester. Last year was another great year for Cisse highlighted by delighting his home crowd with victory at the World Grand Prix finals in Abidjan. Not too much action in 2018 but he did win the President s Cup in Athens.

17 SCHEDULE FRIDAY 19 FRIDAY 19 - SUNDAY 21 OCTOBER MANCHESTER REGIONAL ARENA Women -67kg Men -68kg Men +80kg 08:30 Doors open to Public 09:30 ROUND 1 MATCHES 13:00-14:30 LUNCH 14:30 ROUND 2 & QUARTER-FINALS 18:15 Pre show begins 19:00-22:00 SEMI FINALS, FINALS AND AWARDS SCHEDULE SATURDAY 20 Women -49kg Women +67kg Men -58kg 08:30 Doors open to Public 09:30 ROUND 1 MATCHES 13:00-14:30 LUNCH 14:30 ROUND 2 & QUARTER-FINALS 18:15 Pre show begins 19:00-22:00 SEMI FINALS, FINALS AND AWARDS SCHEDULE SUNDAY 21 Women -57kg Men -80kg 08:30 Doors open to Public 09:00 ROUND 1 MATCHES 12:00-13:30 LUNCH 13:30 ROUND 2 & QUARTER-FINALS 17:15 Pre show begins 18:00-20:00 SEMI FINALS, FINALS AND AWARDS

18 15-19 MAY 2019 manchester arena TICKETS ON SALE NOW! KICKINGFORGLORY.COM

19 MANCHESTER S BIG ON CHRISTMAS City centre squares brimming with over 300 Manchester Christmas Market stalls, plus the UK s first-ever family-friendly Ice Village in Cathedral Square, with breathtaking ice sculptures, ice rink, vintage winter fun and games, chilled ice bar, festive food, drinks, gifts, and a snowy woodland market. Altogether, Manchester s the ideal city for your Christmas break, great day out or shopping trip. manchester.gov.uk/christmas #MCRChristmas