Taekwondo Canada Improves Athlete Safety with OPRO in Pursuit of International Podium
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OTTAWA—Taekwondo Canada took an important step forward towards reducing the risk of facial and head injuries for the nation’s high-performance taekwondo athletes by establishing a partnership with OPRO, the leading provider of custom-fit mouthguards across the globe, on Wednesday.
OPRO will supply Taekwondo Canada’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes, along with senior to junior level athletes in the national program with elite level mouthguards. OPRO will also provide members of Taekwondo Canada with access to their range of market leading mouthguards, which in 2019 and 2007, were awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation.
“Canada’s taekwondo athletes understand the inherent risks associated with our sport, and the need to wear an elite level mouthguard, to train properly, and to make smart choices in order to minimize those risks,” said Carla Anderson, Executive Director, Taekwondo Canada. “Having the proper oral protection can significantly reduce the severity of injury. OPRO are proven performers in our sport, and will be a critical member of our team on the road to 2020 and beyond.”
With more than 20 years’ experience, OPRO is dedicated to bringing leading technology, innovation and safety to athletes at all levels of sport, and has had a longstanding relationship with more than 50 sport associations – supplying custom mouthguards each year to athletes from rugby and hockey to combat sports.
“OPRO has been the mouthguard of choice for many of the world’s top taekwondo federations including GB Taekwondo, USA Taekwondo, UFC and the German, French, Italian, Cameroonian and Northern Ireland Mixed Martial Arts Federations. Adding Taekwondo Canada to this impressive lineup, confirms OPRO as the world-leader in mouthguards for the top athletes in combat sports,” said David Allen, Chief Executive Officer, OPRO.
Taekwondo was adopted as an official Olympic sport for the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia where Taekwondo Canada celebrated a bronze-medal triumph by Dominique Bosshart. Canada was back on the taekwondo podium at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games when Karine Sergerie captured a silver medal. These Olympic breakthroughs have helped inspire a new generation of elite athletes in Canada committed to building on these past successes.
“What an honour it is to be partnered with such an iconic organization. By providing Taekwondo Canada’s athletes with the very best in oral protection, they can focus on their performance distraction free which we believe will serve and benefit Taekwondo Canada’s continued efforts to enable excellence and build champions.
About Taekwondo Canada
Taekwondo Canada is the National Sport Governing Body for Taekwondo in Canada. We are recognized by World Taekwondo, Pan American Taekwondo Union and are members of the Canadian Olympic Committee, and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. Taekwondo Canada is supported by Sport Canada. Taekwondo Canada sends national teams to the Olympic Games, World Taekwondo Championships, Pan Am Taekwondo Championships, Pan Am Games, World Taekwondo Junior Championships, Poomsae World Championships, Pan Am Poomsae Championships, and is also targeting the 2020 Paralympic Games.
About OPRO
Founded over 20 years ago by dentist Dr Anthony Lovat, OPRO is the world’s most technically advanced mouthguard company and a leading pioneer in oral protection. Through the development and deployment of cutting-edge technology and the use of innovative design and production methods, OPRO has been at the forefront of protecting the safety of athletes at all levels, across a range of different sports, for more than two decades.
The family owned and run company is based in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, and all products are designed and manufactured within the UK, and available worldwide through a network of retailers and distributors.
OPRO is the official mouthguard partner of a number of professional sporting organisations, including Great Britain and England Hockey, South African Premier Hockey League, England Rugby, New Zealand Rugby, Australia Rugby, Great Britain Taekwondo, USA Taekwondo, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), USA Rugby, American Youth Football, Pop Warner Little Scholars, 11 Gallagher Premiership Rugby teams and the German, French, Italian, Cameroonian and Northern Ireland Mixed Martial Arts Federations.
All OPRO mouthguards are legally CE certified and in 2019 and 2007 the company was awarded the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: Innovation in recognition of its ground-breaking work in the field of oral protection. For more information, please visit www.opromouthguards.com/
