The fire, lighted at the martial art flame holder located in the sports village in Chongchun Street, will be kindled at the flame holder for opening ceremony of the Ninth International Martial Arts Games to be held in Tashkent of Uzbekistan in November this year.

Present there were Kim Myong Hun, vice-premier of the DPRK Cabinet, Kim Myong Gun, chairman of the Korean Taekwon-Do Committee, Taekwon-Do instructors and players and working people in Pyongyang.

Also attending it were executive members of the International Martial Arts Games Committee and the International Taekwon-Do Federation, martial arts delegates from different countries and members of the diplomatic corps here.

Ri Yong Son, chairman of the International Martial Arts Games Committee who is also president of the ITF, made a speech at the ceremony.

The torch to the games was lighted and handed over to Laziz Khasanov, chairman of the Uzbekistan Taekwon-Do Association who is chairman of the organizing committee of the Ninth International Martial Arts Games.

Speeches were made by Laziz Khasanov and Viacheslav Timofeev, an executive member of the International Martial Arts Games Committee and president of the World Karate Confederation.

Then there were an art performance by art group members of the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace and a demonstration by Taekwon-Do, wushu and karate players.