Olympic champion Jade Jones leads Taekwondo camp in Assam
Olympic gold medallist Jade Jones is leading a high-performance Taekwondo camp in Guwahati, Assam. With 84 athletes and 22 coaches participating, the initiative aims to identify and prepare India’s next generation of Taekwondo talent for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics
Hyderabad: Two-time Olympic gold medallist Jade Jones of Great Britain is leading a high-performance Taekwondo talent identification and development camp at Guwahati’s Karmabir Nabin Chandra Bordoloi Indoor Stadium. The camp was launched on Sunday by the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, Government of Assam, in collaboration with the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS).
The camp will run until January 22 and is part of a long-term effort to identify and prepare India’s next generation of elite Taekwondo athletes for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
The programme brings Olympic and world championship-level expertise to Assam, with Jones joined by Jaouad Achab of Belgium, a World and European Champion, and Gary Hall, High Performance Director at IIS. The initiative focuses on scouting promising young female Taekwondo athletes from Assam and the wider North-East region, while also upgrading coaching standards through exposure to modern high-performance systems.
A total of 84 athletes and 22 coaches from Assam are participating in the five-day camp, which combines a talent identification phase followed by a high-performance masterclass. Athletes are being assessed on technical skills, physical attributes, and competitive potential, while coaches are being trained in international best practices, tactical planning, and athlete development frameworks.
Speaking about her experience in Assam, Jones said, “It’s been a great experience here in Assam. I’ve seen some very good quality athletes and have been genuinely impressed. There are definitely a few athletes here who, with the right support and guidance, can reach a very high level. There is a lot of young talent, and with better tactical awareness and more exposure through initiatives like this, they can improve very quickly. A massive congratulations to the government of Assam. They have put up an amazing initiative, and it has been a massive success so far.”
The camp feeds into a structured international development roadmap designed by IIS. Athletes identified through the regional trials will move into a two-week training and assessment camp at IIS, followed by a two-month advanced training block in Europe, a four-week high-performance camp in South Korea, and finally selection into the full-time IIS Taekwondo High-Performance Programme.
Gary Hall, High Performance Director at IIS, said the initiative reflects a focused Olympic vision. “India’s women athletes have consistently delivered at the Olympic level, winning medals at the last four Games. With Los Angeles 2028 in focus, we are identifying athletes who have already shown promise and giving them the exposure and systems needed to succeed globally. Assam and the North-East remain one of our most important regions for Taekwondo talent.”
The initiative positions Assam as a growing combat sports hub in the North-East, strengthening regional pathways into India’s elite Taekwondo ecosystem and reinforcing the state’s contribution to the country’s Olympic ambitions.
