I refer to the Brunei Taekwondo Championship 2012 article published in your paper on December 18, 2012.

I was also there at the venue and thoroughly enjoyed witnessing little boys letting out battle cries and kicking at each other. When the victor was announced, it was heart-breaking to see the crestfallen loser trudge back to his camp to be consoled.

But something bugged me when I went home. Is this contact sport good for such young boys? We are talking about eight to 10 year olds.

Brunei is a very peaceful country but there is so much of violence happening around us in the world that even some of the children at home get to see on the telly.

Have we ever thought about what they might think when they 'watch such mindless violence on TV?

And how many parents check the content of PlayStation games that they buy for their children?

Most of the CDs involve shooting people dead to reach the target.

It is proven that children who watch or play such violent games grow up with a mindset that little arguments in life are best dealt with one good whack!!

Period. We read so much in the news with experts saying how important it is to keep children away from violence as the atmosphere the children grow up in tends to shape their future.

To cut my long explanation short, I found the Taekwondo Championship a little too physical for comfort in hindsight.

Yes, every effort was taken to minimise any injuries these little kids could have sustained as they wore protective gear. But there was still physical contact as the children went for broke and kicked each other in their thighs and calf muscles.

At eight, a boy can hardly fathom that winning and losing is just part of the sport. And this kind of activity is only meant for that day and they should not do that with anyone at home. But I am sure some of the little ones would have either tested their skills on their parents or against their hapless siblings.

It's my humble opinion that such contact sport should only be for youths above the age of 16 as they will be mature enough to know that it is just a sport.