You can watch action from Taekwondo World Championships on the Red Button, iPlayer, Connected TV and online, as well as highlights on BBC Two on Monday, 20 May at 14:45 BST.

Schedule

Friday, 17 May

18:00-20:30 - Semi-finals W-49kg, W-57kg, M-74kg & Finals W+73kg, M-54kg, M-68kg

Saturday, 18 May

18:30-21:30 (19:30-21:30 on Red Button) - Semi-finals W-53kg, W-67kg, M-63kg, M-80kg and Finals W-49kg, W-57kg, M-74kg

Sunday, 19 May

15:30-17:00 & 17:30-20:00 - Finals W-53kg, W-67kg, M-63kg, M-80kg, W-62kg, M-87kg & M+87kg

Image source, Getty Images

Liverpool’s Bianca Walkden will be focused on a third world title in Manchester this week, but her long-term focus remains on Tokyo next year.

In contrast to her flatmate Jade Jones, a double Olympic champion still trying to win her first world title, Walkden, the long-time World No 1, has won the world crown twice already but admits she is still motivated by the memory of her Olympic disappointment in Rio three years ago.

The 27-year-old went to Brazil as the strong favourite but had to settle for bronze. "It's still really hard to live with that,” she admitted. "My mind is not straying from winning a third world title - then finally that Olympic gold medal in 2020."

Between her world title wins in 2015 and 2017, Walkden dominated the sport, staying unbeaten in 2016 until her semi-final defeat in Rio and scooping all four Grand Prix events in a single season.

"It's about leaving a legacy behind now," she said. "I'm never happy unless I get the gold. I got four silvers and three golds last year, and I wanted all golds.”

Olympic medallists Jade Jones, Bianca Walkden and Lutalo Muhammad will lead a 15-strong British team at the World Taekwondo Championships in Manchester.

Walkden is bidding for a third successive world crown, while Jones hopes to claim her first after previous silver and bronze medals

Muhammad and Mahama Cho are among a group aiming to become Britain's first male world taekwondo champion.

Also one to watch is 20-year-old European gold medallist Lauren Williams from Blackwood in south Wales, who started out in kickboxing and won her first world title aged six.

You can see the full British squad here.

Image source, AFP

Rio 2016 silver medalist Lutalo Muhammad comes to Manchester seeking a world championship title that has so far eluded him in 10 years in the sport.

Muhammad’s career has had its share of controversy. His bronze medal in 2012 in his home Olympics came after he had been selected ahead of Aaron Cook, whom many rated as a gold medal prospect.

In Rio, his last-second defeat to Cheick Sallah Cisse of the Ivory Coast in the 80kg category brought him sympathy and incredulity in equal measure from the public.

Muhammad, 27, now fights in the 87kg category, meaning he has to challenge friend and team-mate Mahama Cho for a place in Tokyo. Muhammad is unconcerned, pointing to boxers like Sugar Ray Robinson who moved up a weight to great effect.

“If you truly believe you're the best fighter in the world, like I do, weight divisions are not a restriction. The last three Olympic champions have been middleweights who moved up to heavyweight,” he said.

Muhammad, born in London, now lives in Manchester – his second home as he calls it. “My mum was born here and I've lived here for seven years,” he said. “It feels like destiny in a way."

Image source, Getty Images

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach will be among the visitors to Manchester for Taekwondo’s World Championship as Britain hosts the tournament for the first time in its 46-year history.

Bach, who also attended the 2017 Taekwondo Worlds in Muju, South Korea, will be in Manchester on 18 May, the penultimate day of the tournament, with other IOC members and International Federations present.

Bouts will take place on seven mats and a 4D camera rig has been set up around the main court to record matches, including the semi-finals and finals.

The camera, developed through the Grand Slam Champions series in the last two years, is also set to be deployed at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.

Manchester will host 975 athletes from 150 countries competing in the 16 weight categories. One team of refugees will compete under the flag of World Taekwondo.

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Korea-inspired taekwondo requires patience, self-discipline, dedicated training - and seriously flexible legs!

The second Olympic discipline, taekwondo requires effective self-defence, strength development and cardiovascular fitness, all developed through a combination of mental and physical training.

Information about where you can locate your nearest club can be found on the British Taekwondo, external, British Taekwondo Council, external, Taekwondo Association of Northern Ireland, external, Taekwondo Scotland, external and Taekwondo Cymru websites.