KATHMANDU: Taekwondo referees Dipendra Dhakal and Ashok Khadka are on Friday leaving for Hamburg to officiate the German Open Taekwondo Championship slated for February 29 to March 1.

The two Nepali officials — who officiated in the 13th South Asian Games on home soil in December last year — were invited to take part in the G-2 category tournament as International Referees by Deutsche Taekwondo Union.

Khadka will be officiating in the tournament for the second year in a row, while Dhakal got the appointment for the first time.

Dhakal had gone to China for the Military World Games last year. National Sports Council Vice-president Pitamber Timsina and Department Chiefs Arjun BK and Kul Bahadur Thapa bade farewell to the referees on Thursday.