Laila Khan - Taekwondo Olympic Sparring

My name is Laila Khan. I’m a 16 year old Taekwondo athlete from Ottawa, and I am Canada’s 2024 Senior National Champion in Olympic-style sparring, the youngest person to win my division in at least the last ten years.

2023 was so big for me. Your support allowed me to travel to the Dominican Republic, the Netherlands, Las Vegas, and Vancouver where I won globally ranked tournaments, including the US Open and the Canada Open. With Taekwondo Ontario’s support, I traveled to Korea last summer and won the Kim Un Young Cup and Korea Open, which are also globally ranked.

Taekwondo is an Olympic sport. To be competitive at this level, I train at least 5 days every week. In addition to tournaments, I attend training camps across Canada and the United States. I'm on the road with my coach 2-3 times a month during the high season.

Training camps and tournaments are essential for progressing as an international-level athlete. Expenses include travel, competition fees, training camp fees, sparring gear, physiotherapy, personal training, and working with a nutritionist.

In 2024, I will be attending the Senior Pan Am Championships in Brazil. If I also win the Junior Nationals in July, I’ll represent Canada at the Junior Pan America Championships in Mexico and the Junior World Championships in Korea.

These opportunities are unfunded - the estimated cost of my 2024 training year is over $30,000. While I have been fortunate to get support and some sponsorship, the travel and training costs far outweigh what funding is available.

Because of this, I am reaching out to you. Your financial assistance will allow me to take developmental opportunities and stay competitive at the international level. Your help will allow me to concentrate on continuing to represent Canada internationally as a Taekwondo athlete, and to make Canada proud!

Thank you so much for your consideration of my GoFundMe! Every bit helps, and even if you can't contribute, please consider sharing this post. To see my progress this year, you can follow me on Instagram @lailakhan_tkd, and I'll update here too.