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The four-day championship ended on Friday at the Liaquat Gymnasium in Islamabad, with the final rounds of the men’s competitions in the light, welter, middle and heavyweight categories.

In addition to the 21 gold medals, Pakistan Army also won three silver and two bronze medals to secure overall first position among the competing departments, provinces and regions.

Wapda took second place with one gold and six silver medals, while the Higher Education Commission (HEC) stood third with one gold and three silver medals.

The ninth annual championship was organised by the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) in collaboration with the South Korean Embassy in Pakistan. The championship also marked the 30th anniversary of Pakistan-Korean diplomatic relations. A team of 20 taekwondo professionals from South Korea flew in and gave a taekwondo demonstration at the start of the championship on May 14.

The martial art taekwondo is an Olympic sport which originated in South Korea.

Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) General Secretary Lt Col Waseem Ahmed said the performance by the South Korean professionals was a great learning experience for the Pakistani taekwondo students.

The championship also marked a first in taekwondo technology for Pakistan.

Ahmed said it was the first time that an electronic sensor system was used in the contest. The system, which is made up of electronic belts to be worn around the waist and electronic socks, reduces the chance of human error by referees by automatically updating the scoreboard when contact is detected. The technology was also during the 2012 London Olympics, Ahmed said.

Sajjad Hussain of Pakistan Army, who won the gold medal in the heavyweight category on Friday, said he had trained around the year for the competition. Hussain appreciated the use of the electronic system and said it had enhanced fair play in the sport. Chief Guest Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hassan, president of the Pakistan Olympic Association, and Guest of Honour Mansoor Sohail, a Federal Public Service Commission member, distributed trophies and medals among the winners.