Kenya Tong Il Moo-Doo Federation chairman Clarence Mwakio has revealed that foreign nations are expected to start arriving in Mombasa from December 10 ahead of the 11th edition of the Mombasa Open international Tong Il Moo-Doo championships.
About 42 countries will grace the three-day assignment set for December 15-17 at Aga Khan Academy.
The world competition will see Kenya field a pool of about 50 players in different categories as team Jasiri, currently in a training camp, finalise preparation ahead of the global assignment.
Kenya is expected to defend its title but faces competition from perennial rivals Philippines, Thailand and Iran.
"As a federation, the plan is to have countries arriving from December 10. They need time to acclimatise before the competition serves off," Mwakio said.
The government has promised to support the championship and Mwakio said they will introduce more new members into team Jasiri.
"With more countries coming in, it means there will be competition so we will introduce new members for the competition. We have a huge number of young players who we want to see them rubbing shoulders with their rivals," Mwakio, who is also the President of the Africa Tong-IL Moo-Doo Federation added.
10-time champions Kenya will compete in sparring forms and special techniques, both individually and as a team.
According to Mwakio, Kenya is a focal point for the growth and development of the sport across the continent, and hosting the Mombasa Open Tong-IL Moo-Doo Championships is putting Kenya on the world map.
