CANFIELD, Ohio - The Ohio State Taekwondo Championship was held inside Canfield High School for the first time Saturday.

This is the first time the event was held outside Columbus since 1979.

The competition allows competitors the chance to compete at the national level and possible compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Master Justin Taylor, who owns the Junior Taekwondo School in Boardman and has been practicing martial arts for at least 35 years, is the president of the Ohio State Taekwondo Association and says this competition is a huge step for competitors.

"This is the gateway, this is the first chance that an athlete has to represent the state of Ohio on the national level. Once they hit the national level, they can make U.S. Team. Once they're on U.S. Team, they fight for the United States in the Olympics," said Taylor.

Competitors came from all over the country to participate in the state championship.

The event was on a hiatus the last 5 years due to COVID-19.

"We have not been able to host an Ohio State Championship in 5 years," Taylor said. "We had no idea what we were going to have as a turnout, and we are very happy we had 12 different schools come in, like I said, just from the state of Ohio and outside the state."

The results from the contest have not been released at this time. 21 News has reached out to find out when the results will be available.

Anyone interested in learning Taekwondo can contact the Junior Taekwondo School in Boardman or reach out to the Ohio State Taekwondo Association on Facebook.