Somalia's First Female Taekwondo Athlete to Compete in Tokyo
2021-06-28
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1With the Olympics in Tokyo now just a month away, Somalia is set to send its first female taekwondo athlete to the games.
2No athlete representing Somalia has ever a won an award at the Olympics.
3But 20-year-old Munirah Warsame is working hard to be the first when she competes at the summer games.
4The taekwondo athlete was born in Britain after her parents fled violence in Somalia.
5She began learning taekwondo at the age of six.
6Warsame says flying the Somali flag in Japan will give her a sense of pride.
7"Feelings of representing my country in the Olympics for the first time is unreal as I have dreamed about this my whole life," she said.
8"God willing, I will do myself and my country proud."
9The Somali Olympics agency says at least six athletes will represent the country in Tokyo.
10They will compete in three areas: taekwondo, boxing and track and field, which involves running, jumping and throwing.
11Dudley Ricardo is coach of the Somali taekwondo team. He said his team is very well prepared even though it does not have the finances it needs.
12"I believe we have a small but strong current team with up-and-coming young team members," he said.
13He called the possibilities for the Somali national team "bright and promising."
14He said that his team's only weakness is a lack of money for the players to get "valuable ring time and more competitions and training camps."
15Taekwondo is not a well-known sport in Somalia.
16Ahmed Issa is the vice president of the Somali Taekwondo Federation.
17He says the organization has a campaign to spread knowledge about taekwondo throughout the country.
18The group wants to find more athletes like Warsame who could represent Somalia in international competitions.
19The Somali Taekwondo Federation is planning to bring in more young people to learn the sport, especially at schools and universities, Issa said.
20To create more interest, he said that his organization is trying to give free trainings and get special coaches on the international level.
21More than 11,000 athletes from around the world are expected to compete in the Tokyo Olympics.
22The games were delayed from last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
23I'm Alice Bryant.
1With the Olympics in Tokyo now just a month away, Somalia is set to send its first female taekwondo athlete to the games. 2No athlete representing Somalia has ever a won an award at the Olympics. But 20-year-old Munirah Warsame is working hard to be the first when she competes at the summer games. 3The taekwondo athlete was born in Britain after her parents fled violence in Somalia. She began learning taekwondo at the age of six. 4Warsame says flying the Somali flag in Japan will give her a sense of pride. "Feelings of representing my country in the Olympics for the first time is unreal as I have dreamed about this my whole life," she said. "God willing, I will do myself and my country proud." 5The Somali Olympics agency says at least six athletes will represent the country in Tokyo. They will compete in three areas: taekwondo, boxing and track and field, which involves running, jumping and throwing. 6Dudley Ricardo is coach of the Somali taekwondo team. He said his team is very well prepared even though it does not have the finances it needs. 7"I believe we have a small but strong current team with up-and-coming young team members," he said. He called the possibilities for the Somali national team "bright and promising." He said that his team's only weakness is a lack of money for the players to get "valuable ring time and more competitions and training camps." 8Taekwondo is not a well-known sport in Somalia. Ahmed Issa is the vice president of the Somali Taekwondo Federation. He says the organization has a campaign to spread knowledge about taekwondo throughout the country. The group wants to find more athletes like Warsame who could represent Somalia in international competitions. 9The Somali Taekwondo Federation is planning to bring in more young people to learn the sport, especially at schools and universities, Issa said. To create more interest, he said that his organization is trying to give free trainings and get special coaches on the international level. 10More than 11,000 athletes from around the world are expected to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. The games were delayed from last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. 11I'm Alice Bryant. 12Mohamed Kahiye wrote this story for VOA News. Alice Bryant adapted it for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. 13__________________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15taekwondo - n. a style of fighting that originated in Korea and that uses kicks and punches but no weapons 16athlete - n. a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength 17pride - n. a feeling of happiness that you get when you or someone you know does something good, difficult, etc. 18boxing - n. the sport of fighting someone with your hands while wearing very thick gloves - often used before another noun 19coach - n. a person who teaches and trains an athlete or performer 20ring - n. an area that is used for shows and contests and is usually surrounded by ropes or a fence