Hapkido comes to Teesside as the second european championships are hosted by Teesside University.

Knife Defence

The event runs annually, and this year is being held at the Olympia building of Teesside Uni, from Saturday 6th to Sunday 7th March.

With events ranging from "Self Defence" and "Long Pole" team events to "Knife Defence" and a medal ceremony, there's a lot going on.

Chris Dwyer tells us about the event:

Fans watch in anticipation

"The event is a chance for all Hapkido students to get together to compete and show their audience what they've been training to do.

"The weekend is open for public supporters to come in and watch any part of the championships that they want to.

"We encourage people to show their support, or if anyone's interested in following the sport, or taking part themselves, this is a perfect opportunity to see what we do."

Long Pole action

Victoria Putson is the Societies and Recreation Officer of the University's Student Union, and she helped to organise the event.

"We have a budget to spend on these kind of events, and decided to put £1000 towards the Hapkido championship because we think it's important to our students to offer the Uni as host for the event," she said.

If you're interested in getting involved contact Chris Dwyer on 07966454150, or just go along to the event.