Medallists from the World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Italy's capital stood proudly with their medals alongside World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue inside the nearly 2,000-year-old amphitheatre.

Among the athletes in attendance were South Korea's Jang Jun, Spain's Jesús Tortosa Cabrera, Croatia's Matea Jelić, Egypt's Hedaya Malak Wahba, China's Zhao Shuai, Kazakhstan's Ruslan Zhaparov, Turkey's Hatice Kübra İlgün and the United States' Anastasija Zolotic. 

It was the first time such an event has been hosted inside the Colosseum and the occasion was marked by a short performance of the World Taekwondo demonstration team.

The ceremony was arranged by Italian Taekwondo Federation President and World Taekwondo Council member, Angelo Cito.

"It was very special to have had the opportunity to stage a medal ceremony in the world-famous Colosseum," Choue said.

"Standing here, you are struck by the history. 

"As you look around, you can imagine what the atmosphere must have been like when it was full of tens of thousands of cheering Romans.

"Over the last three days, during the Roma 2019 World Taekwondo Championships, we have witnessed first-hand the noise the people of this city can make when supporting athletes.

"But thankfully our sport is a lot safer than what took place here in the Colosseum nearly 2,000 years ago."