Taekwondo Magazine 2023

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President’s Message

2023: Happy 50th Birthday, World Taekwondo!

Happy New Year and I wish all Taekwondoin around the world a safe and wonderful 2023!

It’s a big year as we celebrate our Golden Jubilee. World Taekwondo was founded on May 28, 1973, and has since turned the sport into a globally recognised brand.

Over the past 50 years, World Taekwondo:

• Has grown its membership base to 212 Member National Associations, plus one Refugee Team

• Was included in six consecutive Olympic Games (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020), with Paris 2024 and LA 2028 on the horizon

• Debuted in the Paralympic Games at Tokyo 2020

• Has organised hundreds of top-tier events including 25 World Championships, 13 Junior Championships, five Cadet Championships, 12 Poomsae Championships, and nine Para Taekwondo Championships

• Has been recognised as the leading international federation on humanitarian activities

We plan multiple events celebrating this history in the year ahead.

Our theme is “Peace in Mind, Taekwondo at Heart.” I ask all Member National Associations to promote the theme and 50th Founding Anniversary logo in your respective events in 2023.

World Taekwondo will organise a special gala at the World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 28 to commemorate the best male and female athletes from each Olympic and Paralympic Games.

During the event, we will also honour the founding Member National Associations of World Taekwondo that participated in the inaugural World Championships and General Assembly on May 28, 1973.

World Taekwondo and the THF will invite international fed-

erations for the inaugural Hope and Dreams Sports Festival for Refugees. I firmly believe that all sports must be inclusive so World Taekwondo will take the initiative to create a Hope and Dreams Sports Peace Corps comprising the international federations of the Olympic and Paralympic movements. Now, let us look back over 2022, the year that saw us accelerate out of the pandemic and return to business.

Among the year’s first were the inauguration of the World Taekwondo Hall of Fame, Para Taekwondo’s entry into the elite Grand Prix Series, and an electrifying World Taekwondo Demonstration Team performance at the ANOC Awards. Taekwondo not only thrilled. We also inspired.

In 2022, World Taekwondo and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation organised the first-ever Hope and Dreams Refugee Taekwondo Championships in Amman, Jordan, with the participation of more than 200 youths and children from the Azraq and Za’atari refugee camps.

Taekwondo won the second highest number of scholarship holders in the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship Program for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with eight athletes, including two from the Azraq refugee camp.

Most importantly - and as always - I wish to thank the Member National Associations and authorities for your support in hosting World Taekwondo events. Your support to develop elite athletes and reach out to the grassroots is the essence of Taekwondo’s promotion globally.

I believe that 2023 will truly be a special year as we celebrate half a century for our sport - and lay the foundations for World Taekwondo’s Centenary.

I thank you in advance for your continued support as we carry on in our journey to strive for excellence.

Be safe, healthy and happy in 2023!

Chungwon Choue President, World Taekwondo

AROUND WT PART 02

PART 03

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

TIT

Para Taekwondo Wows at 1st-Ever Para Grand Prix

‘No Easy Matches Anymore’

That was the sentiment shared by coaches, athletes, and media alike as 85 of the world’s top Para Taekwondoins gathered in Sofia, Bulgaria for the sport’s inaugural Grand Prix event. With G-6 points on the line – the most of any event this season – Para Taekwondo’s best put on a show in a no-frills event held in the Bulgarian capital. In total, 85 athletes from 24 countries, plus one refugee athlete, participated in the invitation-only event.

Some veterans cemented their statuses as medal favouritesfor Paris 2024, while a few newcomers put the world on notice that it won’t be easy for anyone to win that coveted Paralympic Games title.

Para Taekwondo’s developing depth was on display as favourites fell as early as the quarterfinals and medal round matchups were both competitive and strategic, with several decided on the final kick.

In all, 19 countries from four continents managed to medal at this high-calibre tournament – a testament to the global appeal of one of the world’s fastest-growing Para sports.

In addition, refugee athlete Zakia Khodadadi, who made international headlines for her frightening escape from Afghanistan to compete at Tokyo 2020, managed to win bronze at her first Grand Prix event.

In the quarterfinal, she faced Six-Time World Champion Vika Marchuk – who had a harrowing escape of her own from Ukraine – in a rematch from the Paralympic Games, where Khodadadi lost despite leading in two rounds.

“I had a lot going on in my head [in Tokyo]. I’m unsure what happened. didn’t even know what to do – not block, not kick,” she said. “Now I don’t have any stress. I’ll do better than Tokyo.”

Turkiye led the medal table with six in 10 events, including Grand Prix Gold Medalists Ali Can Ozcan, Mahmut Bozteke and Meryem Cavdar.

‘Winning a Grand Prix Has Always Been My Dream’

The best-on-best format of the Grand Prix ensured there were plenty of Paralympic and world championship grudge matches.

Uzbekistan’s reigning Paralympic and World Champion Guljonoy Naimova continues to show that she’s top of class in the +65kg category by again getting past Great Britain’s former World Champion Amy Truesdale 15-10 in the latest compelling

clash between these two great fighters.

Alongside Mexico’s Juan Diego Garcia Lopez, they are the only fighters to have won titles at the Paralympic, World and Grand Prix levels. Naimova is the only fighter to hold them all at the same time.

“I always dreamed of competing in a Grand Prix because it means you are part of an Olympic sport,” Naimova told World Para Taekwondo. “Winning a Grand Prix has always been my dream.”

In a rematch of one of Tokyo 2020’s best fights, Turkiye’s Mahmut Bozteke once again edged out Mongolia’s five-time World Champion Bolor-Erdene Ganbat 10-8 in a thrilling semifinal before besting Brazil’s reigning Paralympic Champion Nathan Torquato in the final.

In a rematch of the World Championship final – the most exciting fight of that tournament – Turkiye’s Ali Can Ozcan was able to flip the script to edge out Israel’s reigning World Champion Asaf Yasur 36-24 in another entertaining -58kg finale.

In a battle of the last two women to win world championships, Thailand’s two-time and reigning World Champion Khwansuda Phuangkitcha showed she still is a force in the division by edging Mongolia’s Enkhtuya Khurelbaatar out by golden point to win the premiere -47kg Grand Prix title.

Brazil’s Silvana Cardoso continues to lead the field in the -57kg category, picking up the Grand Prix title with a comfortable 28-10 win over Turkiye’s Gamze Gurdal. Cardoso hasn’t lost

since a semifinal against Denmark’s Paralympic Champion Lisa Gjessing in one of Tokyo 2020’s most memorable matches. Other winners include Turkiye’s reigning World Champion Cavdar, who needed a late flurry to get past Egypt’s Salma Ali 9-8 in a thrilling -52 semifinal; Garcia Lopez, whose 15-4 win over Azerbaijan’s Imamaddin Khalilov was much cleaner than the golden point win he needed at the European Championships last month; and the USA’s Evan Medell, who topped the world’s No. 1 – Croatia’s Ivan Mikulic – in the latest installment of their long-running rivalry.

For those that are counting, that’s silver for Mikulic at the Paralympic Games, World Championships, and now the inaugural Grand Prix, with losses in the final to three separate fighters.

‘Floating on Air’

Not all favourites had such an easy time.

The first to fall was Italy’s World Championship runner-up Antonino Bossolo, who was stunned by Iran’s Saeid Sadeghianpour 15-13 in the -63 kg quarterfinal.

In a tournament to remember, Sadeghianpour nearly topped Brazil’s Paralympic Champion Nathan Torquato in the semifinal, before losing by golden point.

The biggest upset of the tournament was the shocking gold medal won by France’s Djelika Diallo. The young French fighter stunned Great Britain’s European Champion Beth Munro 28-26 in a wild -65kg final that throws the division wide open.

Five different fighters have won -65kg tournaments over this season. Besides Diallo and Munro, these include Denmark’s Gjessing; Turkiye’s reigning World Champion Secil Er; and Cameroon’s African Champion Marie Antoinette Dassi.

“The first people I called were my parents,” Diallo said. “I felt like I was floating on air with the sensation of having done something [that is] hard to believe.”

There were plenty of upsets in the -80kg group, which saw two first-time finalists face off in the final. Iran’s Alireza Bakht won his first international title with a 19-9 win over Mexico’s up-and-coming Luis Najera.

“I still have many things to improve, but today I took a great step in learning,” the 21-year-old Mexican said. “I learned about distance, how to perfectly time a kick, about new competitors and how to face them at future competitions.”

Part of the reason for the all-newcomer final was a surprise loss by Great Britain’s European Champion Joe Lane to Ukraine’s fast-rising Vladyslav Nechai, who escaped Ukraine and is now training in Denmark with Ukrainian National Team Coach Andriy Starkov and the rest of Ukraine’s Para Taekwondo team.

“When Joe Lane won gold [at the European championships] in Manchester, said ‘I want to fight him’,” Nechai said. “I was psychologically ready to fight him. wanted to beat the champ.”

The +65kg group also saw new fighters emerge as elite fighters in the category.

Spain’s Dalia Moreno continues to impress, winning bronze. alongside Serbian newcomer Jelena Rasic.

Seeds Tumble at Paris 2022 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix

The Para Grand Prix in Paris confirmed that Para Taekwondo is as competitive as ever.

It also showed that nations have some work to do to catch up to Para Taekwondo powerhouse Turkiye.

Turkiye won seven medals from 10 events in Paris, including three golds from four finalists. The team was beaming at the post-event awards ceremony.

“We trained all summer,” one of the team’s coaching staff stated. “We started months ago. We did everything – to improve their health, their psychology, their technique, their knowledge of opponents. It paid off today!”

The Turkiye medal parade started when Mahmut Bozteke came back from an 8-point deficit in the last minutes to top Brazil’s Paralympic champion Nathan Torquato in the -63kg final.

“It wasn’t really my plan,” Bozteke said, detailing going down on points before coming back. “I felt the pressure [of being behind on points], so after the time out – I just gave it my all.”

Teammates Meryem Cavdar and Gamze Gurdal also added golds for Turkiye – Cavdar with her second straight Para GP title, while Gamze edged Brazil’s Paralympic Bronze Medalist Silvana Cardoso to win gold and flip the results from the first Para GP.

Fatih Celik also made his first Para GP final, before falling to Mexico’s Paralympic Champion Juan Diego Garcia Lopez in the -70kg final.

“We keep adding points for the world ranking,” Garcia Lopez said after his second straight Para GP gold. “Great experience –and so happy to achieve my goals in this competition.”

Not all top seeds were as successful as Garcia Lopez. Three Paralympic champions fell in the Paris Para GP finals, including Torquato, Denmark’s Lisa Gjessing, and Uzbekistan’s Guljonoy Naimova.

Still, four fighters managed to retain their Para GP titles, becoming the sport’s first two-time winners.

Bozteke and Cavdar won their second titles each, while the USA’s Evan Medell and Mexico’s Garcia Lopez also stood on top of the Para GP podium for a second time.

As had been the case in the first event in Sofia, the Paris Para GP saw newcomers win some of the biggest medals of their careers.

Brazil’s Ana Carolina Silva de Moura battled past Turkiye’s World Champion Secil Er, Great Britain’s European Champion Beth Munro, and Denmark’s Paralympic Champion Gjessing in a riveting walk to her first international title.

“Not winning a medal at the first Para GP hurt. I used this everyday to motivate me,” she said. “I’m so happy right now – I want to call my mom!”

Brazil now has a third Para GP champion, after Torquato and Cardoso picked up golds in Sofia.

“If we can find more athletes, we can find more quality at the top of the pyramid,” explained Brazil’s Head Coach Rodrigo Ferla after Silva de Moura’s surprise win. “We had 73 athletes at our nationals last month; more importantly we had 21 new athletes …so, we created a junior national program for fighters to move into the national team.”

Spain’s Dalia Moreno sent shockwaves through the Para Taekwondo world by ending the impressive winning streak by Uzbekistan’s Naimova. Since her last loss, Naimova had won Paralympic, World, Asian, and Para Grand Prix titles. But in a fight she largely controlled, Moreno edged Naimova 6-5.

Uzbekistan’s Asad Toshtemirov continued his strong form in

2022 by winning his first Para Grand Prix gold. After winning bronze in Sofia, Toshtemirov looked strong in toppling the No. 1 seed from Kazakhstan, Nurlan Dombayev, 9-0 in the final.

Israel’s reigning World Champion Asaf Yasur added his first Para GP title by beating Azerbaijan’s up-andcoming rival Sabir Zeynalov in an explosive -58kg final.

After losing out on gold at the first Para Grand Prix by a golden point kick, Mongolia’s Enkhtuya Khurelbaatar showed she can still compete with the division’s best by winning gold in the ultra competitive -47kg group.

PARIS, France (Sept. 5, 2022)

Ukraine Offers Thanks to WT, Denmark and GB

Ukraine’s Para Taekwondo team wants to express its gratitude. After a tumultuous year that saw the team flee an active war zone and adapt to entirely different living conditions and training regimens, the athletes publicly acknowledged the support they received during this life-changing experience.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue was all ears when he met Ukraine’s most successful Para Taekwondoin of alltime, Vika Marchuk, after she was knocked out of the -47kg Para Grand Prix Finals quarterfinal.

World Taekwondo and several other organisations helped the team get out of Ukraine. As a result, they have competed in five competitions since the war began in February.

“This year was very difficult for our country, and for all our athletes,” said Ukraine’s National Paralympic Committee in a post on social media. “Because of the terrible military actions on the territory of our country, athlete training and participation in international competitions seemed impossible.”

Even so, “despite all the difficulties, the Ukrainian Para Taekwondo team was able to take part in all the important competitions this year, which gave our athletes the opportunity to score points and raise their ranking to become closer to their cherished dream –the Paralympic Games,” the message continued.

A Special Relationship

The relationship between Choue and Marchuk, one of Para Taekwondo’s original stars, goes back a long way. She met him in 2012 – shortly before winning the first of her six world titles.

“My coach told me that President Choue really liked the way I move; that he was delighted with my technique,” she said. “He even asked that my final be postponed so

he could watch it.”

The two met again at the 2015 World Para Taekwondo Championships, where she presented him with a hand-stitched flower embroidery – a traditional Ukrainian art form. Given the impairments she suffers to both arms, it took Marchuk weeks to prepare.

“It was really touching. It was the first time I have ever received a gift like that”, Choue said at the time. “How long did it take her to make that?”

The embroidery is on display in his office and stands as a reminder of the dedication people with impairments are able to demonstrate – both in sport and in life.

Choue, in turn, has been deeply dedicated to building Para Taekwondo into one of the fastest growing Para sports in the world.

One year after its Paralympic debut in Tokyo, World Taekwondo introduced Para Taekwondo into its prestige Grand Prix Series and offered Para athletes the opportunity to compete alongside

their able-bodied teammates at the European Championships in Manchester in May.

World Taekwondo has aided Ukraine’s Para Taekwondo team after they were forced to flee the conflict.

Ukraine is among the world’s top Para sports nations; its teams usually enjoy generous government funding. But due to war, Kyiev has been forced to redirect funds from all sports federations. That is when foreign friends stepped in.

Friends in Need

For those friends, the first order of business was getting the Ukrainian athletes out of the country. Marchuk was unable to leave on her first attempt, as her scheduled train never arrived. When she did make it to the border, she was forced to walk over 12 kilometres, due to long lines of fleeing Ukrainians.

A bond forged through Para Taekwondo led to aid for Ukraine’s team.

Marchuk had competed alongside Denmark’s Paralympic champion Lisa Gjessing since the pair both won at the 2014 World Championships. That relationship led to the idea of housing Ukraine’s refugee athletes alongside the Danish national Para Taekwondo team.

Talks between Elite Sports Aarhus – a program that operates out of the same venue in which Gjessing trains – the Danish Paralympic Committee, and World Taekwondo birthed a special program to host the team.

End result: Ukraine’s full Para Taekwondo team was welcomed to Denmark.

Others helped, too. WT covered the cost of travel and accommodations for major tournaments. GB Taekwondo and the 2022 European Championship Organising Committee facilitated the team’s participation in the European Championships in Manchester.

The Ukrainian Paralympic Committee publicly thanked the federations.

“The Paralympic Committee of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Para Taekwondo team would like to express our gratitude to World Taekwondo and its president, Chungwon Choue, for the incredible help you provided to our team when it was needed,” Ukraine’s NPC wrote on Facebook.

“We are grateful to you ... for doing everything possible to help the athletes continue to move forward to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games – just like athletes from other nations – in this difficult time for our country”.

Ukraine’s NPC and Para Taekwondo specially thanked those in Denmark who housed the team through 2022.

But Danish Head Coach Bjarne Johanssen pointed out what the Danish team and staff had also benefitted from their experiences with Team Ukraine.

“We’ve had to explain things in a different way – Northern Europe does things differently than Eastern Europe,” he said. “As persons, as human beings, the humble way they see things has given more meaning to what exactly our job is. You learn to excel with what you have”.

The teams have formed a special bond. No one cheered louder when Gjessing qualified for the Para Grand Prix Finals gold medal match than the Ukrainian athletes.

A Life-Changing Gift

Marchuk extended the gratitude of the Ukrainian team when she met Choue at Riyadh’s Green Hall on December 8, 2022.

“Growing up with no family, no home, Para Taekwondo has allowed me to stand on my feet and go on, to not give up, no matter what,” she said. “I will be forever grateful to Chungwon Choue and my coaches for changing my life!”

It’s a sentiment shared by Ukraine’s Para Taekwondo team.

“Thank you once again to everyone who actively helped our Para Taekwondo team this year,” the team said in its statement. “We appreciate all you’ve done and will never forget everything you’ve done for us!”

Iran Tops Para Grand Prix Final, Nepal Claims Historic Gold

Iran set a record with four gold medals, while athletes from Nepal and Israel made history

It was a historic day in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as Para Taekwondo made its Grand Prix debut – and the athletes responded with history-making performances.

Iran set a Para Grand Prix Series record by winning four gold medals, and Nepal won its first-ever gold medal at a major international event.

Para Taekwondo’s new wave of stars shone as just three world champions from 2021 – and only a single Paralympic champion – managed to find gold in Saudi.

“2022 was a good year,” said Uzbekistan’s Paralympic Champion Guljonoy Naimova, who won gold at three of four Para Grands Prix, the Asian Championships, and the President’s Cup – Asia this year, “But I’m ready for 2023”.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Dec. 8, 2022)

Iran Dominates

Iran marked its return to the Para Grand Prix Series in style with a dominant showing that included five medals, including four golds, in the 10 events.

World Champion Hamed Haghshenas led the way for Iran, again beating Croatia’s Ivan Mikulic in a rematch of the last World Championship final.

“I think silver is my color,” Mikulic said after receiving his medal. Mikulic also won silver at Tokyo 2020, the 2021 World Championships, and both Para Grands Prix he competed in this year. “But it will be a different story at Paris 2024”.

Alireza Bakht picked up where he left off by winning the -80 kg gold. He had also won gold at his last event – the first Para Grand Prix in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Saeid Sadeghianpour and Maryam Deroei won gold at -63 kg and -47kg, respectively, while Roza Ebrahimi added a bronze in -57kg to put the world on notice that Iran plans to pick up multiple medals at Paris 2024 to add to the gold and silver won by Asghar Azizi Aqdam and Mehdi Pourrahnama at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Sadeghianpour savoured his victory, waxing stoic after a disappointing bronze at the Asian Championships earlier this year.

“Sometimes it is necessary to embrace the storms of our lives,” he said about rebounding from the Asian Championships loss to win gold in Riyadh. “Nothing grows without rain. May this always remain as a memory”.

Himalayan High

The most stunning result was in the -52kg weight category, where Nepal’s Shrijana Ghising upended the Meryem Cavdar (Turkiye)/Jessica Garcia (Mexico) lock on the category’s golds and silver that was seen at the previous three Para Grand Prix this year.

It was the first time in history that an athlete from Nepal had won gold at a major, international Taekwondo event.

“I am so happy right now,” an elated Ghising said. “This achievement goes to my mom, my coach, and the Nepal Taekwondo Association.”

In just her third major tournament, the 23-year-old won in style, topping the world’s Top 3-ranked fighters, including a convincing 12-0 win over reigning World Champion Cavdar in the final.

Despite the loss, Cavdar was named the Top Female Para Fighter in the world at World Taekwondo’s post-tournament Gala Awards ceremony.

It was the second time Ghising has beaten the world’s top female fighter this year, marking her as a serious medal threat for Paris 2024. No Nepalese athlete has ever won a medal at the Olympic or Paralympic Games. That means Ghising will be fighting to write Nepalese sporting history should she qualify for Paris 2024.

The win in Riyadh will likely move her into the Top 6 in the rankings, which would earn her automatic qualification to Paris 2024 should she maintain the ranking throughout 2023.

Advance, Youth

The inaugural Para Grand Prix Finals proved that Para Taekwondo’s newest generation of fighters is ready to challenge the sport’s biggest stars.

Only three world champions managed to win gold in Riyadh – Iran’s Hamed Haghshenas, Brazil’s Silvana Cardoso, and Uzbekistan’s Guljonoy Naimova – with Naimova being the only Paralympic champion to win a Para Grand Prix Final gold as well.

In fact, Naimova is the only fighter to win gold at the Paralympic Games, World Championships, Asian Championships, and Para Grand Prix Finals – all titles she currently holds.

But it was the up-and-coming stars, like Ghising and Azerbaijan’s 17-year-old Sabir Zeynalov who stole the show in Saudi Arabia.

Zeynalov upset Israel’s reigning World Champion Asaf Yasur in the -58kg semifinal before winning his first Para Grand Prix Series event in dramatic fashion by taking advantage of an injury to Turkiye’s Ali Can Ozcan to win the -58kg gold by golden point.

“May our successes be continuous,” Zeynalov said after receiving his medal. “And may our country’s three-coloured flag wave at the Paralympic Games.”

Yasur claimed a piece of sporting history by becoming the first Israeli athlete to ever win a medal in Saudi Arabia. Egypt’s teen star Salma Ali solidified her status as Africa’s greatest Para Taekwondo fighter by winning bronze in the -52kg. Other Para Grand Prix Final champions include Azerbaijan’s Imamaddin Khalilov, who benefited from the absence of his top-ranked rival from Mexico, Juan Diego Garcia Lopez, to win his first Para Grand Prix gold in -70kg; and Brazil’s Ana Carolina Silva de Moura, who won her second Para Grand Prix gold of 2022 when Denmark’s Paralympic Champion Lisa Gjessing was forced to withdraw from the -65kg final with an injury.

‘Sometimes it is necessary to embrace the storms of our lives. Nothing grows without rain.’

‘Para Ti, Para Mi, Para Taekwondo’

‘For You, For Me, For Taekwondo:’ Motto of Mexican Para Champ

GUADALAJARA , Mexico (Nov. 14, 2022)

Juan Diego Garcia stands proudly holding Para Pan-American, Para World and Paralympic titles. European Championship and Grand Prix successes make the picture even clearer: Diego Garcia is top of his game.

He is also a fitting ambassador for our sport. His ferocity on the mat, where old-school skills light up the crowd, are perfectly contrasted with his easy-going charm, one of the many reasons he was selected as a flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships.

“I felt very happy to be part of the opening ceremony, to show my support for such an important event and for the whole Mexican team,” Diego Garcia said. “It was very emotional when we came out with the flag, had goosebumps as we enjoyed the celebration of Mexican culture and everyone cheering our names.”

Some 6,000 fans packed out the stadium to welcome all the fighters from across the world and sang the Mexican national anthem at full volume.

“It was just an amazing feeling to listen to the Mexican national anthem here at home, but it’s also so nice to listen to the anthem on the other side of the world!” Diego Garcia said. “And I hope it will be playing again as I aim to win gold at Paris 2024.”

The 2024 Paralympics will be shared globally on TV for the first time after the sport’s highly successful debut at Tokyo 2020. Without pandemic restrictions, Paris 2024 should be the first chance for the whole Diego Garcia family to share the moment.

“I am fully focussed on qualifying directly for Paris 2024 and staying number one in the rankings,” he said. “I want to hear the anthem played again - this time with my family - and we will do everything possible to be together.”

Family is a major motivation for Diego Garcia who sees their support as central to his success. Likewise the guidance of his coach Janet Alegria. In Guadalajara, the two took the opportunity to study the Olympic champions who had arrived for the event.

“We have seen many top fighters here and there are some useful techniques that we will implement in our training to keep innovating,” Diego Garcia said. “In 2023 we have the World Championships, the Grand Prix and the Para Pan American Games, so we must always seek out new ways and techniques to improve.”

That perpetual path to improvement is one that the man from the coastal state of Sinaloa, Mexico, knows well with rigor-

ous training alongside his Olympic compatriots at the National Center for High Performance.

He stepped onto that path at the age of 14 and sees his success as a way to clear the way for others.

“This really motivates me and pushes me to do better in order to give a good example of how things should be done,” he said.

“I feel really happy that there are people, and many kids, that are getting into Para Taekwondo.”

Significant progress has been made this year to fully incorporate Para Taekwondo into the World Taekwondo calendar.

Diego Garcia approves.

“This equality makes me very happy since the federation is being inclusive and Paralympic and Olympic athletes are being treated the same,” he said.

As 2022 drew to a close it gave everyone time to reflect on a very busy and successful year. With champions like Juan Diego Garcia the future looks bright and his final message typifies the fighting spirit that is the core of our sport.

“My message is that every time you do any activity, do it with your heart, it is important - at least, for me, everything works better this way,” he said. “Always give your best in order to achieve what you wish for.”

Wise words from a young man who has made it to the top of his profession with his motto, “Para Ti, Para Mi, Para Taekwondo”a perfect reminder of how much he has done for the sport.

2022: Para Taekwondo’s March toward Parity

From its introduction into the prestigious Grand Prix Series, to its first fully integrated event, Para Taekwondo took major steps towards parity in 2022.

2022 has been a sensational year for Para Taekwondo. Here are eight key developments that illustrate the strides made throughout the year.

1. Para Taekwondo Joins Grand Prix Series Bright lights, ring walks, big-time fights – Para Taekwondo athletes joined their able-bodied siblings this year at Taekwondo’s biggest top-tier event series, the Grand Prix.

“The Para GP Series was a great success. It was a great feeling to see Para athletes have the same opportunities and compete at the same level as able-bodied athletes,” said WT Para Taekwondo Committee Chair Chakir Chelbat.

2. Para Taekwondo Goes to the Gala

Para Taekwondo’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year were named at World Taekwondo’s year-end Awards Gala – the first time Para Taekwondo was invited to the sport’s year-end shindig.

3. Para Taekwondo Leads Para Sport Integration

Para Taekwondo flexed its innovative muscle by becoming the first Para sport to hold a concurrent competition with its able-bodied counterparts. That paid dividends in media coverage: The European Championships in Manchester had Para Taekwondo’s finals feature on Great Britain’s national broadcaster BBC alongside Taekwondo’s biggest Olympic stars, offering Para fighters unprecedented access to eyeballs – both in the stadium and on TV.

4. As Good as Able-bodied

Can Para Sport achieve true equality? If Para Taekwondo is any example, the answer could be “yes.” Take the Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU), which selected Juan Diego Garcia Lopez as its 2022 Athlete of the Year – ahead of able-bodied athletes.

“It is important for federations to recognise Para athletes to make us feel like part of an inclusive family,” Garcia Lopez told the IPC after receiving the prestigious award. “That motivates us to continue seeking to be the best.” The audience gets it, too.

“Spectators kept asking about the difference in rules [between able-bodied and Para Taekwondo”, said WT Para Taekwondo Committee Vice-Chair Usman Dildar. “They noted that able-bodied was more touching [with precision] while Para was more powerful and passionate. They preferred Para.”

5.

Participation Support Works

When Nepal’s Shrijana Ghising kicked her way into sporting history by winning Nepal’s first-ever gold medal at the Para Grand Prix Finals in December it showed more than just how athletes from small, less-funded national programs could compete and

excel with better-funded competition.

“Nepal’s success is a testament to the support of World Taekwondo,” said WT Para Taekwondo Director Olof Hansson. “It shows what can happen when athletes get the opportunity to show their skill against the world’s best when they might otherwise not have that chance.”

World Taekwondo participation support also helped Ghana and the Central Africa Republic send three athletes each to the 2022 African Championships.

Uzbekistan which won 14 medals at Para Grand Prix events this year, and Azerbaijan, which won nine medals, were previous recipients of World Taekwondo participation support.

World Taekwondo has set aside $50,000 for 2023 to continue its support of underrepresented groups.

7. Para Taekwondo Supports Ukraine

Despite the war tearing apart their nation, five different Ukrainian athletes stepped onto the medal podiums at events in 2022, led by six-time World Champion Vika Marchuk’s European Championship silver and her pair of Para Grand Prix bronze medals. In a noble sign of the fraternal nature of the sport, the Ukrainian Para Taekwondo Team has enjoyed massive support from their counterparts in the Danish Para Taekwondo Team.

8. ‘Undisputed’ is a Disputed Label

World Para Taekwondo’s introduction of the “undisputed” label for fighters that had won each of the first three Para Grand Prix Series events caused a stir in the Para Taekwondo community, with international media jumping on the term, while athletes and coaches debated exactly who should earn the title. More widely, even 2022’s top fighters showed the difficulty of going an entire calendar year undefeated. With the busiest Para Taekwondo calendar in history on hand for 2023, the days of prohibitive favourites at the top of weight categories look to be a thing of the past.

Biggest Ever! Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships Kicks off

The biggest-ever World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships began in Goyang, Korea, today with athletes from a record 62 countries taking part.

Female athletes in the Recognized Team over 30 and Recognized Single under 65 categories kicked off the tournament in style, proving that athletes of all ages can excel in Poomsae.

In the Women’s Recognized Team over 30 category, it was Team Korea who took the gold medal, with the USA claiming silver and Brazil and Mexico sharing bronzes.

In the Women’s Under 65 event, Barbara Brand of the USA saw off a challenge from Belgium’s Vera Moens to win gold with the Belgian taking silver. Canada’s Shelley Vettese Baert and Austria’s Leni Niedermayr secured the bronze medals. Before the competitions began, a spectacular opening ceremony featured media art, a colourful LED light display and a performance from the awe-inspiring World Taekwondo Demonstration team.

And a new flag was seen at the opening ceremony after the Maldives became the 212th member of World Taekwondo, following the WT Council’s decision on its membeship the day prior.

Ukraine’s Yeva Gavrylova (Cadets) and Korea’s Min-ki No (Over 30s pair) took the athletes’ oath and Mongolia’s Erdenbaatar Naranchimeg and Korea’s Kim Gyurin took the oath of the referees.

“Taekwondo is a gift to the world and is a great unifier of society, but Poomsae in particular is truly a sport for all,” World Taekwondo President said during the ceremony. “You just have to look at the athletes who are competing in Goyang this week – we have athletes who are teenagers and we have athletes who are grandparents. Age is truly just a number in Taekwondo.”

Given that fighting is not for everyone, Choue praised the non-contact practice of Poomsae as a component in the global health and fitness movement.

Choue also delivered a plaque of appreciation to Goyang Mayor Jae-Joon Lee for the city’s organisation of the Championships and presented an honorary 7th dan black belt certificate to Raffaele Chiulli, President of the Union Internationale Motonautique.

Against the backdrop of current world events, it was notable that a duo of cadet siblings from Ukraine had made it to Goyang. The two spoke during a press conference, where the expressed their happiness at being able to arrive, and to achieve their dreams of participating in Poomsae’s biggest event.

GOYANG, Korea (Apr. 21, 2022)

Korea Takes Lead, Followed by Chinese Taipei, Spain, USA

The Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships got into full swing today, after mainly preliminaries and the opening ceremony on Day 1.

At the end of the day, host country Korea was leading the medal tables with 11 golds, followed by Chinese Taipei with three, and Spain and USA with two each.

Multiple categories were in play – recognized and freestyle, male and female, individuals and teams, mixed and pairs.

With the creative categories offering musical accompaniment, the sound system got a workout as the huge venue echoed to the sound of rock, orchestral and electronic arrangements. And the crowd was equally audible,

letting rip with chants and songs as favored athletes strutted their stuff on the mats.

The biggest applause of the day went to refugee athlete Gasto Nsazimukiza, originally from D.R. Congo, but currently resident in Kenya. Not only did he win the hearts of the crowd when he performed in a special showcase event, he was mobbed for photos afterward by spectators and staff of the UNHCR.

One of the highest profile teams at the tourney were unable to medal. However, Team Ukraine’s participation alone inspired the World Taekwondo family, who are united in their support for the country at this difficult time.

All the Action, All Day Long

It was another day of thrills and spills, spins and flips, tricks and kicks as the Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships stormed on.

At the end of the day, Korea was leading the medal tables with 16 golds, followed by Chinese Taipei with four, and Spain and USA with three each.

The day’s schedule was not as packed as the multiplicity of finals that were contested on Day 2. However, the atmosphere was even more electric.

Day 3 was a Saturday. The venue, the KINTEX Exhibition Center in Goyang, is a popular spot for weekend getaways by Seoulites.

And the COVID pandemic is – at

long last – fading away. This combination of circumstances saw the public flood into the venue, filling the seating, raising the volume and granting the athletes a crowd to perform to.

Among many, many notable performances a very special one was delivered by one of the great – and longest serving - characters in the World Taekwondo family.

Sister Linda Sim won gold in the Recognized Individual Female Over 65 category. A great result for the high-kicking nun, and a tribute to the longevity that Taekwondo instills.

“I feel on top of the world!” the Singaporean said. “This is my dream come true.”

Her prior best performance had been a bronze at the Taipei 2018 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

GOYANG, Korea (Apr. 23, 2022)

Team Korea Wins 12th Consecutive Poomsae Title

World Taekwondo has held a total of 12 World Poomsae Championships since the inaugural event in 2006 - and Team Korea, following their victory in Goyang today, has won every one of them.

At the close of the Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, with four days of competition over and done, Korea held 20 gold medals, followed by Chinese Taipei with four, then Spain and USA with three each. The top teams of the event were named as Korea, followed by Chinese Taipei, USA, Spain and Iran.

In addition to the countries mentioned above, Denmark, Iran, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines and World Taekwondo each took home one gold medal. There was a wide medal spread. Overall, 24 of the 62 teams which came to Goyang went home with medals.

The end of the championships also saw various MVPs being named.

The Male MVP for recognized Poomsae was Wanjin Kang of Korea, who won the Recognized Individual Male Under 30 category. The Female MVP for recognized Poomsae was Eva Sanderson of Denmark, who won the Recognized Individual Female Under 30 category.

The Female MVP for Freestyle Poomsae was Yeeun Cha of Korea, who took the title in the Freestyle Individual Over 17 division. The Male MVP for Freestyle Poomsae was Nam-hoon Lee, also of Korea, who captured the Freestyle Individual Male Over 17 title.

The Best Coach, Male Team, was Korea’s Myunghwan Cha. The Best Coach, Female Team, was Jinho Lee of Chinese Taipei.

The Best Male Referee was Yong-won Jeong of Korea. The Best Female Referee was Nesibe Altun of Turkiye.

The winner of the Active Participation Prize was Team Colombia. The winner of the Best Fighting Spirit award was – to nobody’s surprise – Team Ukraine.

Chinese Taipei Trio Discover Perfect Chemistry

‘All for one, one for all’

For Chenbo Chang, Poh Yeh and Muen Chiou, the three members of Chinese Taipei Under 30 Male Team for Recognized Poomsae, unity was the ingredient that delivered gold.

“All of us are individuals, we have different styles, but as a team, we needed to get rid of some of our specialties,” said Chiou, 23. “We spent a lot of time developing the chemistry.”

While all are – obviously – elite Poomsae players, the central issue for the team was coordination: Moving as a single well-oiled machine, rather than three well-oiled individuals.

“How to perform as a team, but at the same time, not lose your specialties, is very important,” said Yeh, 25.

The three teamed up at short notice: The national tryouts were held in March, meaning they only had a month and a half to find the perfect mix of chemistry before heading to Goyang.

“We needed to adjust our own movements - for example the angles, the time differences, and the height of kicking,” Chiou said. “Those are most important.”

Unlike the roadwork, body conditioning and pad-kicking drills that are the bread and butter of the Kyorugi athlete, the three spent their time working on strength training for power, and multiple Poomsae for precision.

“We’d practice a Poomsae - Koryo Poomsae, say – then take a brief stop, then do another Koryo,” said Chang, 20.

One thing that was central to their success was that the three are all students based at the same location. And in a spirit of equality, nobody is in charge.

“We are a democracy – we are just like friends” said Yeh, the oldest of the three. “If we run into problems we just communicate.”

The win was particularly tasty given that they had beaten the home team on

home turf.

“It was unbelievable!” said Chiou. “We beat Team Korea - in Korea!”

The trio’s next major battle will also be on Korean soil.

“Next, we are going to attend the Asian Championships in Chuncheon, Korea, in June,” said Chang.

Book your tickets to Chuncheon now if you want to see the three lads from Chinese Taipei at the top of their game – because after that, the team will be no more.

The three members go their own separate ways in their studies later this year.

Still, taking home a world title in their very first competition is a stunning achievement for a team that has existed for less than two months.

While Yeh thanks God for the win in Goyang, Chang is more prosaic.

“I just want to thank my teammates for all their hard work,” he said.

GOYANG, Korea (Apr. 22, 2022)

In the Under 30 Team Male, three students discover it’s

Devastated by Tragedy, Searching for Peace

Gaston Nsazumukiza lost his family, his youth, his country. He found Taekwondo

GOYANG, Korea (Apr. 23, 2022)

If suffering forges the soul, Gaston Nsazumukiza is a man of steel. Aged 10, he lost his family, his home and his country –everything but the will to live. Aged 19, he discovered a path to hope and dignity: Taekwondo.

A decade after starting the sport, he was mobbed by admirers at the World Poomsae Championships in Goyang. Later this year, he expects to fight in the World Championships in Kyorugi. Nsazumukiza’s story is that of an orphan, alone in the world, enduring misfortune after misfortune. It is the untold story of millions of refugees - the tragedies lost behind the headlines of global conflict reports.

A Child’s Odyssey

He was a boy of 10 years old when his life was devastated. It was 2003. Nsazumukiza was the only child of his parents, cattle herders in the Democratic Republic of Congo - a nation racked by civil war. Still, his life, growing up, was that of a normal, rural child –though he often helped his parents ere scattered across the vastness of the continent. Nzasumukiza took to dusty roads, walking for two months. He did manual work in Rwanda, then moved on to Uganda. There, he worked as a water carrier in return for food.

Still seeking family members, he proceeded to Kenya, a country with a vast refugee population. Nzasumukiza found a new home in a new camp. But his quest for surviving family members, came up empty. “I did not find anyone,” he said It was 2012. In Africa, a continent of 1.2 billion people, he was utterly alone.

But in the camp, a fellow refugee from Ethiopia was teaching something that caught his eye. It was a sport that is almost perfect for those with nothing for it requires no special space, no special equipment, just the human body: Taekwondo.

The Power of Sport

He started training. His lean physique and stoic mentality – both forged in the hardships he had experienced - suited the sport. He found a talent.

Subsequently, in 2018, he found a top level coach in Nairobi: George Wasonga Oyoo. After just one year under Oyoo’s tutelage, he started competing in African opens. He won his first medal, a bronze in Rwanda, in 2019 - then another in Botswana. Things were finally looking up. Then fate intervened.

“The pandemic came to Kenya, and was taken back to the

camp,” he said. “There, was doing Taekwondo, but had no training partners.”

His hopes of joining the Refugee Olympic Team for Tokyo were dashed. “I had expected to get to the 2020 Olympics in Japan,” he said. “I felt bad.”

Only in 2021 was he able to return to training under Oyoo. That year, he entered his first continental-level event: The African Championships in Dakar, Senegal. He won his first bout, but lost his second.

Despite the lack of a medal, Oyoo was pleased with his student’s performance. “We thought he did a good job,” he said.

A Better Tomorrow

Nsazumukiza is now 30 – old for a full-contact sport where players tend to peak in their early-mid 20s. He also has tight hamstrings from his running training, and his earlier experiences of long, long walks.

“His cardio is very good, but not so much his flexibility and agility,” said Oyoo. “He is a very strong fighter – powerful - but we need to give him skills, we need to expose him to competition so he develops consistency.”

On the converse, his many misfortunes have gifted him with some powerful attributes. “He is highly disciplined,” Oyoo said. “And he is a strong character – fearless!” And he is – at last – getting some support, courtesy of the Kenyan sporting community and the IOC.

The Kenyan government is working with the Tegla Loroupe Foundation - set up by Tegla Loroupe, a former marathon world record holder -to help. The government paid for his air tickets; Nsazumukiza also holds an IOC scholarship.

He is clearly well liked by his colleagues on Team Kenya, with whom he trains every day. Though he is by nature a Kyorugi athlete, he has always been drawn to Poomsae.

“We bought him into Poomsae, as we want him to be engaged as much as possible,” Oyoo explained. “Poomsae teaches basic skills, and those will help him advance his Kyorugi.”

Hence, Nzasumukiza’s presence at the Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships. The only refugee athlete to perform in a special showcase, he earned the loudest applause of the championship.

He was “surprised” by the reception, he admitted.

“As a refugee you lose many privileges, but still do Taekwondo,” added Oyoo. “That touched the hearts of so many people.”

Toward Peace

There is no question that his fate has shaped Nsazumukiza’s character and outlook.

Despite his athleticism, he has a gentle demeanor and a very soft voice – several times, this interviewer had to ask him to repeat himself. His smile carries within it a hint of sadness that makes him look older than his 30 years.

“In life, you have to accept anything,” he said. “The question is whether you can take care of yourself.”

Now, he at last has some security and a goal. He has has also reached the point where he is not just thinking about sports.

Nearly two decades after the calamity that devastated his life, the chance of finding any surviving family members looks slim. Instead, has a new hope: To be offered a home.

“Maybe, if I can get citizenship, will be happy,” he said. “I am tired. To be a refugee from 2003 to 2022 – now it is 19 years.”

He pauses, then speaks more softly than ever.

“Sometimes, just ask myself why I can’t be like other people,” he mused. “But meeting different people through sports gives me peace in my mind.”

For US Maestro, Less is More

Barbara Brand

Beginners like to keep adding to their Taekwondo. Masters take the opposite approach.

Case in point: Barbara Brand, who won gold in the Recognized Individual Female Under-65 category at the Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

“I really enjoy the sculpture aspect of it,” said Team USA’s newly crowned champ. “Each time you practice, you try and make the movement more and more clear - you try to take away the extra movement to leave the most beautiful part.”

That advice may surprise beginner and intermediate students of the art - who commonly want to keep learning techniques, while adding more flair, flash and flourish.

But they would be wise to heed the voice of this 63-year old, 7th dan, who currently teaches in Sacramento, California.

Taking a chisel to Taekwondo carves the art down to its essential core, she advises.

“I love to deconstruct the Poomsae: I do one technique at a time to make it as clean as possible, and turn that into a line of clean techniques,” she continued. “Crisp and sharp!”

Silver Star, Golden Run Brand should know: She has been practicing the sport since 1979. And now, in her silver years, she is on a gold run.

Brand has been on Team USA’s Poomsae squad seven times. Prior to 2020, her top competitive achievements in top-tier Poomsae competition had been three bronzes.

But that year – in the midst of the unprecedented global pandemic that closed down not just dojangs and competitions, but entire nations – she captured her first world championship gold medal, in cyber competition.

Would she be able repeat that feat, live, in Goyang? For Brand, that was not even a question.

“Sometimes, people say, ‘I hope I will do well,’ or ‘I try to do my best,’” she said. “But this time, for me, it was, ‘I am going to Korea to win a gold medal.’ Period!”

The achievement of two consecutive golds puts her at the pinnacle of the game. But now, with nothing more left to win, she is retiring from elite competing to focus on a new challenge: elite coaching.

“This was my last competition,” she announced. “I have joined the leadership of USA Taekwondo so that I can

help develop their Poomsae programs and help the next generation of Poomsae athletes achieve their dreams through educational platforms, training opportunities and superbly organized competitive events.”

That will be an expansion of her current coaching. It is coaching that pays off: One of her students, Anthony Do, won the Freestyle Individual Male Under 17 silver.

“She is very attentive to detail and she makes sure I am at my best and hit everything I need to be at my best,” Do said. “And she is very fun to be around.”

Of course, retiring from competition does not mean hanging up her black belt and dobok: Brand will continue her personal training.

“It sounds like a cliché, but this is like a fire inside,” she said. “You get up in the morning, lace up your shoes, go for a run and start kicking and you feel fantastic.”

While recognized Poomsae are set templates of choreography that all practitioners must follow, top-level players naturally develop a personal style.

What defines Brand’s brand of Taekwondo?

“My style is very grounded, sinking into the mats with my stances - feel that if my stances are stable and strong I can highlight the hand technique,” she said. “For the kicking technique, I try to kick as high as possible and at the same time, try to focus on accuracy. I try to put it all together with a rhythm that will create a flow that can be appreciated not just by the referee, but by me as I perform.”

Chasing Elation

Now in her sixth decade, Brand is slim, fit and buzzing with energy. Her condition is testament to the long-term engagement that Poomsae offers to the Taekwondo player who will, inevitably, have to cease Kyorugi at a certain age.

“I will never be younger than am now,” she joked. “One of the wonderful things about Taekwondo Poomsae is that it is available to athletes from a very young age to 100.”

The physical benefits include balance, flexibility, stamina and core strength, she says. The non-physical benefit that Poomsae training offers is the ceaseless search for self-perfection.

“Those days when we get it all feeling just right - those days are just magical,” she said. “We get the equivalent of a ‘runners high’ - an elated feeling.”

Even at her level of skill, Brand admits that does not happen with predictability or consistency.

“It is not everyday - just like most things, not everything falls into place every time you train,” she said. “So we chase that day when every technique feels absolutely superb.”

Image provided by Team USA

GOYANG, Korea (Apr. 24, 2022)

Nun Walks Path with Gentle Feet

a small but gutsy Singaporean nun, attired in the uniform of a bona fide Taekwondo master - the Pope assented.

“I kissed his hand and said, ‘Could we have a picture?’” Sim recalled.

Again, Pope Francis assented. Shutters clicked.

Images taken on the day show his bodyguards frowning“They were appalled, flabbergasted,” Sim laughed – but the Pope himself grinning next to a radiant Sim.

It was unconventional behavior by Sim. But she is an unconventional woman.

From Singaporean Army to ‘God’s Army’

Sister Linda Sim, who captured gold in the senior category in Goyang, is tiny in stature but huge in character.

The 67-year old is also fearless.

Case in point? Her behavior when she met His Holiness Pope Francis. In 2018, Sim was invited to join the World Taekwondo delegation that the Italian Taekwondo Federation arranged to visit the Vatican. During the audience, as the Pope walked by the Taekwondo group, a selfie was taken, but the diminutive Singaporean was not in it.

Sim made a snap decision to go off-script.

“I thought, ‘This will not do!’ So, jumped up from the seats and grabbed his hand,” she said – even though she knew that the Pope is not a fan of that behavior. “I said, “Father! am a Franciscan Sister! Give me a blessing - please!”

Apparently surprised but charmed by this unusual package -

Sim took up Taekwondo in 1971. “Ever since I was a child, as far back as I can remember, something in me longed for martial arts,” she said. “I have always been petite and small in stature, so wanted to learn something so that I don’t have to carry a weapon – I wanted to be the weapon!”

Her youthful ambition was to join Singapore’s military. “I went to the armed forces, but at that time, there was no field service for women – only clerical duties.”

That was not what Sim had in mind. She did a rethink and decided to aim for the police.

“I thought if I learned a martial art, I could join the police force, but I did not have the height or the weight,” she said. “I tried to grow - but couldn’t!”

She enrolled in a Taekwondo class in a local church – and has never looked back. Today, she wears a 5th dan black belt, is a certified Singaporean referee for both Kyorugi and Poomsae and has 32 competitive medals.

She did change her career choice, though.

When she encountered Sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood, she saw a different kind of service. “I thought, ‘Why not join God’s army? If that is not service – what is?” she asked.

Joining the order, she embarked upon a life of poverty, chastity and obedience. As a Franciscan missionary, she would serve in hospitals in Zimbabwe and at a retreat in England. Subsequently, back home in Singapore, she would serve in hospitals, and in a hospice for children with cancer.

Throughout it all, she never stopped Taekwondo. Which raises an obvious question: What use is a martial art to a Catholic nun?

“It has always been a contradiction,” she admitted, “People say, ‘What has Taekwondo got to do with a sister?’”

She has the answer.

“For me, there is only one spirit, whether it is the Christian spirit or the Taekwondo spirit - it is a universal spirit,” she said. “Values matter: Love! Peace! Respect! Harmony! Unity!”

Her Taekwondo training also helped in her early religious years.

“My Taekwondo training before became a sister instilled values of disciple, love, service and respect,” she said. “This helped me throughout my religious formation years, which were difficult.”

The Dancer and the Dance Sim’s competitive career started in Kyorugi, in Singapore’s second national competition in 1978. It proved a rough experience.

“It was contact sparring and there was no padding and no weight categories,” she said. “I really went for it and got a bronze, but was really beaten up, so that was the one and only!”

After joining the Franciscan Sisters, she walked the missionary path across the world from 1999, only returning to Singapore to settle down in 2004. For that reason, she came late to international competition, in her 50s.

Of course, that competition was Poomsae.

“I love doing Poomsae! For me, it is a meditation where the player and the Poomsae become one, like a dancer and a dance, it is a deep experience of one-ness,” she said. “It is about excellence, not perfection. It is an ongoing journey. You don’t arrive.”

She won bronze in the Taipei 2018 Worlds, but in 2022, questions hovered over her fitness.

“Age is catching up with me,” she said. “I have injuries all over.”

In February, she sustained a knee injury and had to stop training for two weeks. In recovery, she applied a brace and soldiered on. But in Goyang, there was another shock.

“When I came up to the mats, they told me, ‘No braces and no taping.’ thought, ‘I never kick without a brace or support!”

Momentarily taken aback, Sim nevertheless marched onto the field of play.

“Because of the spirit of Taekwondo, I could overcome the pain barrier,” she said. “That taught me what indomitable spirt is – it’s, ‘Go for it!’”

Her performance was spot on; The announcement came that she had won gold in the Recognized Individual Female Over 65 category. “It was a dream come true,” Sim said.

So, what is next?

“I thought this was the ultimate and if I got a gold medal for my country, would retire from competition,” she said. “But now that World Taekwondo is considering an over-70 category – why not?

The Gentle Path

Sim’s Taekwondo is not just about herself. It is a gift she has given to others in places such as Singapore’s Mount Alvernia Hospital and the Assisi Hospice.

In 2007, she started teaching Taekwondo to institutionalized children with cancer. “There were 10-15 children and they were just playing computer games and board games, so we thought, ‘Why not teach them something physical?’” she said.

Some of Sim’s students became so good that they won titles in national-level competition. But of course, there were losses – losses far graver than any failure to mount the medal podium.

“The cancer took three of them,” Sim said.

As her life story – bringing hope in places of tragedy, travelling the world, competing with the elite – suggests, Sim does not believe in locking herself away in a cloister.

In person, Sim is bubbly, talkative, energetic and vivacious. In Goyang, she was dressed in training gear; she said she rarely wears her religious habits. Her role, like that of the rest of her order, is about walking among humankind.

“Evangelism should be at the periphery,” she said. “It is about being among God’s people in the world.” In that line of business, sports training is a plus.

“There are people who never go to church but there are human universal values that unite us, and Taekwondo allows me to speak that common language, to connect to people,” she said.

Can combat sport be a path to peace?

“Taekwondo is the way of foot and fist, and as human beings, we need to tread the earth gently,” she said. “The fist can be used for violence but in Taekwondo, it is used for friendship - for connecting, for nurturing and for embracing.”

GOYANG, Korea (Apr. 28, 2022)

Linda Sim Singapore

Dreams Delivered to Ukrainian Siblings

SEOUL, Korea (Apr. 25, 2022)

Representing their country on the highest international stage is the pinnacle of athletes’ careers.

For Davyd and Yeva, the Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships were particularly special. Indeed, they represented more than a sporting event. For the young Ukrainians siblings, the event demonstrated their strength and resilience in the face of adversity - a hallmark of the Ukrainian people during the current war ravaging their nation.

At, respectively, 13 and 12 years old, Davyd and Yeva have already experienced what very, very few people would want to experience in their lifetimes. When Russia invaded Ukraine, their father, Ruslan, converted his dojang into a shelter for refugees from the war. Despite the unimaginable conditions, Davyd and Yeva continued to train. For two hours a day they practice Taekwondo with their coach - who is 800km away - over Zoom. They have been practicing Taekwondo for the last seven years, and have focused on Poomsae for the last two.

It was their dream to come and compete at the World Poomsae Championships in Goyang, but war threatened that dream.

Ukraine had originally planned on sending six athletes as part of their national team but after the invasion and during martial law, men over 18 years are not allowed to leave the country. This would have prevented their father and manager, Ruslan, from travelling with them to Korea, but an exception is provided for men with three or more children under 18.

With the help of World Taekwondo, Ruslan could therefore travel with Davyd and Yeva while his partner remained at home with their youngest child and continued to support refugees at their gym.

The journey was not without its challenges. All Ukrainian airports are closed due to the war and so they had to drive more than 1500 km and 30 hours to Warsaw, Poland, before catching a flight to Korea.

“Ukrainian National Team athletes are strongly wishing to participate in international competitions,” Ruslan said. “We are very thankful to World Taekwondo who helped us realize our dream – make dreams come true.”

On Day 1 of competition, the siblings made it to the finals (best of eight teams) but were not able to claim a medal. In the individual categories they both performed valiantly but did not secure titles, though Davyd secured an impressive 5th place in the Male Cadets.

Irrespective of their finishing position, they inspired the arena with their resilience and determination.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue praised the athletes when he met them at the World Taekwondo headquarters after competition.

“Taekwondo is a leading sport to help people in need,” he said. “Ukraine is in a difficult situation, but their participation in Poomsae sends a message of hope around the world.”

Davyd

Perfect Equilibrium

GOYANG, Korea, (Apr. 24, 2022)

Ainhoa Delgado Ruiz, Alejandro Marin Borras Spain

The 2021-2022 competition season shone upon Ainhoa Delgado Ruiz and Alejandro Marin Borras.

The Spanish duo won the Recognized Poomsae Pair Over 30 category at the European Poomsae Championships in Seixal, Portugal, in November – and then captured an even bigger title at the World Championships in Goyang, Korea.

“This year left work and left everything to be more focused on this,” said Delgado Ruiz. “So having this outcome is very exciting, am very happy.”

“It’s very satisfying result,” added Marin Borras. “After many years of hard work, it feels like a gift for all our efforts.”

The pair have trained together for four years and have been a team for two. Who or what linked them together?

“Sometimes, the federation takes the highest ranking individuals and puts them together - but not in this case,” said Team Spain Coach Jean Miguel Gomez Gomez. “They actually are from the same club.”

The duo, who are both aged 32, train together in a suburb of Barcelona. The next question is: In a team of two, who is in charge?

Both agree: It is Marin Borras - who is, in fact, Delgado Ruiz’s teacher.

“There is very special equilibrium in this team,” he said.

“I have long years of experience in international championships, but she has been very easy to work with, she easily takes my instructions and adapts to my style.”

“I think that, with him, I have a very special connection that is about more than just Poomsae,” she said. “This connection transfers to others, it is a different level of coordination.”

Asked if the two are intimately linked, both laugh.

“Not romantic,” said Marin Borras. “Just professional!”

Regarding their future plans, Delgado Ruiz says simply, “Rest! We were so focused on getting ready for this that we have not thought about the next one – we are living in the

moment.”

Still, their partnership looks set to have considerable longevity.

In Marin Borras’ words, Poomsae is an art that matures with the practitioner - and indeed, there are categories available for players in their 60s and 70s. Looking ahead, there is no reason for the two to break their winning partnership.

“[Changes in] life circumstances might give us limits,” said Marin Borras. “But if not, it could last as long as we want.”

Taekwondo is a combat sport and many Poomsae players prioritize power, ferocity or boldness. But it is also a highly demanding athletic endeavor, which may be why Poomsae players emphasize flexibility, strength or balance.

“We are not focused too much on power,” said Marin Borras. “We mostly focus on performing elegantly.”

World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships Gallery

World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships Gallery

Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix

Grand Prix Returns to the City of Gladiators

The long COVID pandemic receded into the rear view mirror as the Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix got underway with China, Korea and Turkiye taking the first three gold medals on offer at the iconic Foro Italico venue.

It was the first Grand Prix to be held since 2019. It was also the first time the Grand Prix has been conducted with the new “best of three rounds” format which requires athletes to battle with maximum effort from start to finish, maximizing Taekwondo’s potential as a combat sport spectacle.

Day 1’s action was spread across the W-57kg and the M-58kg and M-68kg. China’s Zongshi Luo won gold in the W-57kg, Korea’s Jun Jang won the M-58kg and Turkiye’s Hakan Recber won the M-68kg.

-57kg

The W-57kg final brought together Double Olympic Gold Meda list Jade Jones of Great Britain and China’s Luo, who was returning to competitive Taekwondo for the first time since winning bronze at the World Taekwondo Grand Slam in Wuxi in 2019.

In the first round, Jones came out the more aggressive, but it was Luo who registered the first points with a kick to the body protector. Consecutive body kicks extended Luo’s lead before Jones pegged her back with a spinning kick to the body. However, Luo took advantage of her height and leg advantage to land head kicks and

Luo took an early 2-0 lead in the second. A head kick from Jones momentarily put her ahead before Luo pulled it back and the score was tied at 5-5. The board remained close until the closing moments when Jones, searching for the winning kick, suffered a string of penalties. Luo won the round 12-5 to win the fight and take gold,

In the earlier semifinals, Team USA’s Tokyo 2020 Champion Anastasija Zolotic had faced Jones. Zolotic won the first round after Jones had taken an early lead, only for Jones to tie the match by winning a hard fought-second round before taking the third and

In the second semifinal, Canada’s Skylar Park faced Luo. Park was coming off the back of gold medals this year in the Sofia 2022 Open and Pan American Championships, but despite those recent successes, Luo proved too strong and won the first and second rounds to take the match decisively.

Grand Prix

-58kg

Tokyo 2020 Bronze Medalist Hakan Recber from Turkiye with Sweden’s Ali Alian. Recber made an early signal of intent with a kick to the head to take a 3-0 lead. Three Gam-jeoms brought the score to 4-2 in Recber’s favour and from there he never looked like being caught as he extended his lead to win the first round 9-4. The second round began with another early strike from Recber, this time a punch to the protector. With the two fighters grappling to get an advantage, both gave away a number of Gam-jeoms. But once again it was Recber who was able to make it count as he landed a kick to the body to take a 6-1 lead which he steadily extended before winning the round, and the match, 10-3.

Recber had faced Tokyo 2020 Silver Medalist Bradley Sinden of Great Britain in the semifinal. Sinden had managed to outdo Recber at Tokyo 2020 but the Turk was keen to avoid a repeat of that in Rome 2022 and overcame the Brit in the first and second rounds.

The second of the semis saw Alian face Korea’s Ho-Jun Jin. Jin took a commanding lead in the first round but was not able to build in the second round as he failed to land a point against the Swede. Alian won the final round to take the match and move into the final.

-68kg

Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix

Golds Go to France, Korea and Turkiye

Jordan’s Julyana Al-Sadeq and France’s Magda Wiet Henin met in the final. Al-Sadeq had never won a Grand Prix medal before so went into the match knowing she would set a new personal record, whatever the outcome.

Wiet Henin took an early lead in the first round with a kick to the body. Al-Sadeq grew into the round and landed a body kick of her own before unleashing a spinning kick to take a 7-3 lead. A kick to the head followed by a body kick extended her lead and she finished the round 15-3.

Two early Gam-jeoms saw Wiet Henin take a 2-0 lead at the start of the second round. The two fighters defended well without either able to break through. Wiet Henin landed a front kick to the body in the closing seconds to win the round 4-1 and take it to the third.

In Round 3, Wiet Henin opened the scoring with a kick to the body. The score remained 2-0 for the majority of the round but in the last 15 seconds the two fighters exchanged fire with Al-Sadeq landing a head kick and Wiet Henin registering three consecutive kicks to the body to win the round

In the semifinal, Al-Sadeq had faced Korea’s Jan-di Kim. In the first round it was just one kick to the body which separated them and gave Al-Sadeq an early lead. A low scoring second round saw Al-Sadeq claim the match as she won the round 4-1. In the second semifinal, Côte d’Ivoire’s former World Champion Ruth Gbagbi was matched against Wiet Henin. In the first round the pair couldn’t be separated on points as it finished 2-2 but Wiet Henin won on superiority. The second round reflected how evenly matched the two fighters were as

The second day of competition at the Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix once again delivered spectacular Taekwondo and last-second drama as France, Korea and Turkiye took home golds.

For Team Turkiye, it was their second title in two days as Emre Kutalmis Atesli won gold in the M+80kg. France’s Magda Wiet Henin won in the W-67kg and Korea’s Da-bin Lee won gold in the W+67kg.

Silver medals were shared between Jordan, Puerto Rico and Côte d’Ivoire, while the bronze medals were split between Côte d’Ivoire, Great Britain (two), Italy, Korea, and North Macedonia.

ROME, Italy (Jun. 4, 2022)

+67kg

Puerto Rico’s Crystal Weekes and Korea’s Da-bin Lee came together in the final of the W+67kg.

Lee took an early lead with a kick to the body; Weekes responded quickly with a kick to the head. Weekes looked as though she was heading for the win but with 15 seconds on the clock, Lee did the necessary - landing to the head and winning the round, 5-4. In the second, Weekes took the lead again with a kick to the head. Lee thought she had landed one of her own only for it to be ruled out by the referee. With 25 seconds remaining, Weekes was 4-0 up but in a repeat of the first round, Lee managed to end the round the stronger. She landed a kick to the body followed by a head kick which knocked Weekes to the ground. A highly professional performance from Lee, who took the round, 7-4 the match and the gold.

Weekes had overcome Great Britain’s Rebecca McGowan in the first semifinal earlier in the evening. The Puerto Rican scored within the first few seconds and won the first round 9-0. McGowan started the second aggressively but could not convert it into points. A successful review gave her the lead but she was quickly pegged back by Weekes who landed a last-second kick to the body to win 6-4.

Lee had faced hometown favourite Maristella Smiraglia of Italy in the second semifinal. Smiraglia was first to score but Lee had too much in the first round and won 6-1. With the crowd roaring her on, Smiraglia took the lead in the second, but Lee’s experience proved too much and a head kick restored her lead and won her both the round and the match.

+80kg

The fight got off to a frantic start with Turkiye’s Emre Kutalmis Atesli landing an early head kick to take a 3-0 lead against Rio Olympic Champion Cheick Sallah Cisse from Côte d’Ivoire. A punch and Gam-jeom for leaving the mats brought the score

to 3-2. Cisse found his range with a double punch combination to bring the score to 5-5. With seven seconds left, the scores were tied at 6-6 but with the last kick of the round Atesli connected cleanly with Cisse’s body protector to win the round 8-6.

Just under ten seconds into the second round, Cisse was forced to retire due to injury - granting Atesli gold. Atesli celebrated with compatriot Hakan Recber who had won gold for Turkiye the previous night.

Atesli had faced Great Britain’s Caden Cunningham in the semifinal. The young Brit had led for the majority of the first round. With only three seconds to go both fighters landed head kicks but with Atesli’s spinning kick he took the round. Cunningham was unable to recover and lost the second round 7-5.

Cisse had taken on Macedonian Dejan Georgievski in the second semi. Both fighters brought high energy to the first round and landed a number of powerful kicks to the body. It was a round full of plenty of drama and excitement but after a number of reviews, it was Cisse who won 14-6. The second round did not deliver quite the same high scores but was no less enthralling as Cisse managed a narrow 4-2 win.

Roma

World Taekwondo Grand Prix

Home Favourite, Spanish Sensation Strike Gold

The Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix drew to a close today with some superb matches as Italy and Spain grabbed the last remaining gold medals.

The Italian crowd had hoped for a gold medal all competition and their 2019 World Champion, Simone Alessio delivered the honors inthe M-80kg. In the W-49kg it was Spain’s teenage Olympic Silver Medalist Adriana Cerezo Iglesias who won her country its first gold of the competition.

The silver medals on the day were won by Egypt and Croatia, while Korea and Mexico took bronzes in the W-49kg and Korea and Uzbekistan won bronzes in the M-80kg.

Spain’s Cerezo Iglesias and Croatia’s Bruna Duvancic faced each other in the final of the W-49kg. Neither fighter had competed at a World Taekwondo Grand Prix before and so were guaranteed their first-ever medals.

Cerezo Iglesias came out on the front foot and after a series of front kick jabs, landed one to go 2-0 up. Another kick to the body shortly after extended her lead to 4-0. Two Gam-jeoms for being forced out of the area brought Duvancic to within touching distance, but another kick to the body by Cerezo Iglesias won her the round 6-2. The second round was very tight as both fighters defended

well and struggled to land with sufficient accuracy. Cerezo Iglesias managed to break the deadlock with a kick to the body and take a 2-0 lead. With 10 seconds left Duvancic managed a body kick of her own to leave the round tied at 2-2. But it was not enough, and Cerezo Iglesias won the round and the gold medal. The Spaniard flipped across the mat in joy, much to the delight of the crowd.

Cerezo Iglesias had faced Korea’s Double World Champion Jae-young Sim in the first of the semifinals. Cerezo Iglesias won the first round 5-2. In the second round Kim took the lead with a punch to the body but Cerezo Iglesias fought back to 7-1 win and booked her place in the final.

Duvancic faced Mexico’s Daniela Paola Souza in the second semifinal. Well executed head kicks from Duvancic ultimately proved too much and she won the round 8-3. An exciting second round saw both fighters land spectacular head kicks to the delight of the crowd. Despite Souza having held an early lead, Duvancic fought back to win 7-6.

-80kg

Italy’s Simone Alessio entered the arena to deafening noise for his battle with Egypt’s two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist, Seif Eissa. The Italian took an early one-point lead courtesy of a Gamjeom but gave one away himself to tie scores at 1-1. Then, an over-the-top head kick gave Alessio a 4-1 lead. Eissa, mindful of getting too close and leaving himself open to another head kick, tried to control the distance but could not land his kicks and the round ended 4-1 to the Italian.

Spurred on by the crowd, Alessio opened the scoring in the second round with another of his trademark head kicks. Two penalties from the Italian took the score to 3-3. With under 10

seconds to go, Eissa was judged to have pushed Alessio to the ground and so received a Gam-jeom - giving Alessio the round, the match and the crowd. The crowd erupted as, overcome with emotion, Alessio dropped to his knees and was embraced by his coach.

Alessio had been paired against Korea’s Woo-hyeok Park in the first of the semifinals which turned out to be one of the most exciting matches of the Grand Prix. From start to finish the crowd were on their feet as both fighters landed head kicks. The first round finished 10-10 but Alessio won on superiority. The second round saw Park lead for large portions, but a head kick from Alessio with 13 seconds remaining was enough to secure the match. The second semifinal saw Eissa face Uzbekistan’s Shukhrat Salaev. Salaev drew first blood, winning Round 1 6-3. In the second, it was Eissa’s turn to exert his dominance as he fought to a relatively comfortable 9-4 win. The first two rounds took their toll and the third round was played out at a less frantic pace. It was 0-0 until the last second when Salaev thought he had won with a head kick - only for it to be ruled to have been executed illegally giving Eissa the win courtesy of penalty.

ROME, Italy (Jun. 5, 2022)

Taekwondo Grand Prix

WT Appoints First Female Head of Referee Committee

ROME, Italy (Jun. 5, 2022)

Amely Moras

The appointment of American Amely Moras as chair of the World Taekwondo Referee Committee was a first. As World Taewkondo marches toward equality in all areas, she is the first woman to head the critically important committee.

“My vision is to be able to grow and further refereeing,” Moras said. “I want to be able to give opportunities so everyone can take advantage and take it back to their countries and hopefully grow, so that everyone is familiar with the rules.”

Aiming to make fights as action-packed as possible, World Taekwondo has introduced a “best of three rounds” system. The new format was

first implemented at the recent Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix.

It was Moras’ job to ensure all referees were properly informed and trained to adapt to the changes this system has on the way athletes fight.

“The best of three system creates a very exciting match and everyone is really focused on winning that first round,” she said. “If you don’t win then you have a clean slate for the next round.”

These changes to the rules, offer more “dynamic and exciting action” she said. That is good for the crowd, but is more work for the refs.

“My job is to be able to guide and

help the referees know how to interpret the rules and how to execute them properly so that we have a fair and transparent game,” she said. “There are adjustments as we go along but overall the concept and the vision is there and we received a lot of great feedback from athletes, coaches and referees themselves on how much more action there is now.”

Overseeing the field of play at elite-level competition, Moras is focused on her task of ensuring all play is fair. Back home, she is focused on running her Taekwondo schoolsher full-time job.

But there is no getting away from the fact that as a female chair she is inspiring others.

“I feel very humbled to be given this job as the first female: One of the things I’ve heard a lot from female referees is that seeing me in this position has motivated and inspired them to pursue refereeing more,” she said. “It has been encouraging for them that a female is watching out for them and that they can also grow within the sport on the refereeing side so that has been nice to hear.”

Of course, equality is the core issue- as WT pursues a 50:50 gender split in its referee corps

“It’s not about ‘Males can do this’ or, ‘Females can do this,’” she continued. “Both can equally do this and that’s part of my responsibility to coordinate that.”

It was the potential of contributing to the sport that made Moras turn to refereeing.

“There was a time when I should have been competing. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to for some personal reasons but I wanted to stay involved in the sport so I was going to competitions and wanted to be able to do something so I took a national referee seminar,” she recalled. “I really enjoyed being a part of something and contributing to the sport.”

Her focus is on ensuring the players have the best possibility to deliver their best on the field of play.

“I really felt I can do a good job for the athletes so they can have a fair game,” she said. But she admits that the well-known camaraderis of the WT referee corps was a draw.

“The more I did it, the more I enjoyed it,” she said. “And not only that, made a lot of friendships with the referees as this is the Taekwondo family and that is one of the things really loved.”

Vatican Taekwondoin Visited by Choue

ROME, Italy (Jun. 2, 2022)

During his stay in the city for the Roma Grand Prix, World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue visited the Pontifical Council of Culture of the Vatican on June 2 to meet with the body’s secretary, S.E.R. Mons. Paul Tighe, and with seven students training in Taekwondo in the seminary.

The Italian Taekwondo Federation has partnered with the Saint Pius X Institute of Vatican City to organize training for the students of the seminary. It sees boys aged 13-17 practice Taekwondo three times a week as part of their curriculum.

“We must celebrate the desire to compete which brings out the best in athletes,” said Tighe. “But we should never lose sight of the integrity of the athlete whose primary challenge is to achieve his or her own potential and who will value more the intrinsic satisfaction of competing well than the extrinsic awards of success and victory. “

Choue agreed.

“As the secretary said, Taekwondo is about more than winning; it is about challenging yourself to be the best you can be and treating others with understanding and respect,” he said. “As we always say: ‘Peace is more precious than triumph.’”

Vatican Taekwondo was recognised as an official Member National Association of World Taekwondo in November 2021 and maintains a strong connection with the sport.

MagdaWietHenin JUN JANG

Elite athletes face enormous pressure. Pressure they place on themselves to achieve. Pressure from the weight of expectation of teams, families and countries.

France’s Magda Wiet Henin is well accustomed to it: She has spent more than a decade competing at the highest level, holding Olympic bronze and numerous World, Grand Prix and Open medals. Now, it’s time to relax and have fun.

“I really want to enjoy every Grand Prix and every tournament I do because am getting old,” she said. “I want to have a different approach to the fight. I want to enjoy my training; want to enjoy my fights. I really want to give 100 percent and have no regrets.”

There were no regrets in Rome where she made it “third time lucky” to finally claim Grand Prix gold in the Italian capital.

“I did the [Roma Grand Prix] in 2018 and got silver. In 2019 I got bronze and this time I got gold, so I’m really pleased. It feels really great. My mom was watching me,” she said.

Feeling more pressure in European and World Championships, she said, “In

ROME,Italy(Jun.4,2022)

Grand Prix, I feel more free. I can do different types of fights. I can enjoy more. I feel great to fight with the top athletes; with people we don’t always see when we are in Europe. So, it feels really good.”

She continued, “I can be less focused on strategy and enjoy doing new stuff. At the Grand Prix I just want to have fun.” Even so, nobody gets to this level of the sport without having a very strong without having a strong desire to win

“I am very competitive,” Wiet Henin admitted. “When I come inside the ring I will do everything to win. But do not want to put in my head want gold. I did this at the Olympics [Tokyo 2020] and it brought so much pressure and I didn’t enjoy the fighting.”

She makes the point that training, however hard, does not mirror competition.

“Training is not the real fight. You can do everything training but when you walk into the ring with the opponent, it’s very different.”

The next GP will take place in Paris, Wiet Henin’s home city. Naturally, she is relishing the opportunity to compete in

front of a home crowd.

“It will be the first Grand Prix in Paris., it will also be good to see how the Olympics will be,” she said. “I can’t wait to fight in Paris.”

Understandably as a French athlete, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is never far from her mind and she is well aware of the ambitions of her federation, which has never won an Olympic gold.

“Every Olympics we get a medal; we get silver, we get bronze, but we’ve never got gold,” she said. “So, for them we want to get the first gold. For myself, I’m looking forward to fighting in Paris in the Olympics and of course I want to win at home.”

After the restrictions placed on Tokyo 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Magda is confident that her fellow Taekwondo athletes will have a positive experience when the Olympic rings appear over the City of Light.

“The arena will be in the center of Paris so will be very beautiful,” she said. “I hope the organisation will be done very well and we will have the supporters back in the real spirit of the Olympics.”

Jang

Kicks COVID, Grabs Gold in Rome

At just 22 years of age, Korea’s Jun Jang has already got a medal collection any seasoned athlete would envy, and under the spotlight at the Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix he added another gold to his impressive tally.

Jang competed at his first Grand Prix in 2017. By the end of 2019, he had won five GP gold medals, one silver and one bronze. But with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, like all athletes, he faced a long break without any bouts before competing at Tokyo 2020 and winning a bronze.

So, as COVID-19 appeared to be lifting, he entered 2022 full of confidence. But the pandemic is not quite over. One month ahead of the Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix he caught COVID-19.

“The last month I got COVID so the recovery was very hard. It was difficult to train while was recovering,” Jung said. “It has been a long time since I participated, so to have competed and won gold - I am delighted!”

It was not just the break from COVID-19 which presented challenges, but also the introduction of the new “best of three rounds” format which was inaugurated at the Roma GP.

Regarding the new rules, ”I was very pleased with how I adapted,” Jang said. “If got to two rounds first, I was able to save my energy and didn’t have to fight in a third round

which helped me later on.” Verdict? “I like the new format!” he said.

Looking ahead, Jung has very clear ambitions - “only gold medals,” he says with a smile.

“This year I already competed at the Turkish Open and the Fujairah Open so already have 40 ranking points. Now want to focus on the Grand Prix. I will go step by step.”

It’s a busy year: next is the Paris GP, then the Guadalajara World Championships. But the goal is 2024.

:I am focused on participating at the Olympic Games in Paris,” he said.” I want to qualify with a top ranking so need to win as many gold medals at the Grand Prix as I can.”

At Tokyo 2020, Jung won bronze - a fine achievement at his debut Games. However, he did not make it to the final after being stopped by Tunisia’s Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi.

In Rome, Jang faced his Tokyo nemesis - and beat him.

“When I faced [Jendoubi] in the Olympics it was the first time had competed against him,” Jung said. “I didn’t know his style. After the Olympics, I did a video analysis so that’s why here in Rome I was able to make other strategies.”

At Paris 2024 he hopes his increased experience and knowledge will pay off in the same way.

“In Paris will know the other athletes and their strategies better,” Jang said. “I didn’t know them in Tokyo. So now I know more, I hope to do better.”

New Chances, New Talent, New Event

CHINA, CHINESE TAIPEI, GRAB GOLDS

AT

MUJU TAEKWONDOWON 2022 WORLD TAEKWONDO GRAND PRIX CHALLENGE

The first day of action at the inaugural edition of the Muju Taekwondowon 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge ended with China and Chinese Taipei taking the two gold medals on offer.

Set in the purpose-built Taekwondowon complex in the scenic valley of Muju, southwest Korea, the new G1-ranked tournament features fighters ranked below 70 in Taekwondo’s Olympic rankings.

Tickets to this year’s World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Manchester, GB, are on offer to the first and second place finishers in each weight category. As such, the new tourney offers players in the talent pipeline a shortcut to the elite level.

Day 1’s competition saw the W-57kg and the M-68kg weight categories being contested.

In the W-57kg, Jui-en Chang of Chinese Taipei swept through the initial rounds, overcoming Thailand’s Chidchanok Mayneawklang 2-1, India’s Latika Bhandari 2-0 and Korea’s Myeong-jin Kang 2-1 en route to the final. Chang’s power throughout the competition was also on display in the final in which she bested Chen Lin of China 2-1 to take gold.

Korea’s Myeong-jin Kang would go on to win bronze after beating Junli Yang of China.

In the M-68kg, Korea’s Kang-eun Seo bested fellow Korean Do-yun Kwon 2-1 to advance to the final. The Korean would eventually fall to China’s Wenye Lin 1-0 in the final. In the bronze medal match, Kwon overcame Chinese Taipei’s Hao-yu Hsu.

The gold medalists each earned USD4,000 in prize money, securing their tickets to the Manches-

ter 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix on October 21-23. The silver medalists each took home USD 2,000 and booked their own tickets to Manchester.

The opening ceremony took place after the first day of competition concluded.

“The World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge is a pathway for aspiring athletes to fulfil their dreams to become Taekwondo stars,” World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue said. “I wish you all the best and hope that you achieve your goals over the coming days.”

In addition, Choue and executives from the Kukkiwon, Taekwondowon and Muju’s City Hall participated in a tree-planting ceremony to commemorate the event.

MUJU, Korea (Jun. 10, 2022)

CHINA, KOREA, IN LEAD

The second day at the inaugural edition of the Muju Taekwondowon 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge saw athletes from China and Korea dominating the podium. Three weight categories were fought for.

In the M-58kg, Korea’s Tae‐joon Park beat Thanakrit Yodrak of Thailand 2-1 in the final to claim gold. In the bronze medal match, Young-hwan Kim of Korea put on a dominant display, beating China’s Yupeng Li 2-0

In the W-67kg, Zeqi Zhou of China dominated the competition, overcoming Min‐ju Kwak of Korea 2-0 to clinch gold. Team China would also take bronze, after Junhong Liu beat Thailand’s Sasikarn Tongchan 2-0 in the bronze medal match.

In the M+80kg, Yeon-ho Kang and Min-seo Kim both advanced through their semifinal contests to set up an all-Korean final. In a very close contest, Kang overcame Kim 1-0 to take home gold. In the bronze-medal match, China’s Yaoxi Wang would win after beating Korea’s Hyeon-min Jun 2-1.

MORE GOLDS FOR CHINA, KOREA, ON LAST DAY IN MUJU

Fierce competition continued today at the Muju Taekwondowon 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge with China and Korea again dominating the competition and taking home the final three gold medals on offer at the inaugural event. Battle took place in the W-49kg, W+67kg and M-80kg categories.

In the W-49kg, Ye-ji Lee of Korea bested China’s Qing Guo 2-0 in the final to claim gold. In the bronze-medal match, Chinese Taipei’s Tien yu Jhuang overcame Australia’s Saffron Tambyrajah 2-1 in a thrilling contest.

In the W+67kg, it was China’s turn to again take gold with Lei Xu’s strong performance in the final defeating fellow Chinese athlete Huan Wang 2-0. However, Korea’s Hyo-jung Kim would prevent a clean sweep of the podium by China after besting Shunan Xiao 2-0 in the bronze medal match.

In the M-80kg, Korea’s Geon-woo Seo claimed the country’s fourth gold of the event by overcoming fellow Korean, Namgoong Hwan, 2-1 in the final. In the bronze medal match, China’s Kai Zhang would go on to win bronze after besting Thailand’s Athi Sararat 2-1.

MUJU, Korea (Jun. 11, 2022)

MUJU, Korea (Jun. 12, 2022)

Talent Pipeline in the Spotlight in Sofia: World Taekwondo Cadet Championships

The World Taekwondo Cadet Championships kicked off in Sofia today, with young athletes competing across five of the 20 weight categories which will be showcased over the next four days.

The competiton sees 683 athletes, aged 12-14 years, from 77 countries take part. It is the fifth edition of the event; the previous edition was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the opening day it was the turn of the M-65kg and M+65kg categories and the W-29kg, W-33kg and W-51kg categories. Korea and Iran came out on top, winning two gold medals each, while Thailand won one.

In the M-65kg, Dong-min Kang from Korea won the gold, overcoming Iran’s Mohammaderfan Zare in the final after winning the first two rounds.

In the second of the male’s categories, the M+65kg, it was another Korean, Min-joon Kim, who won gold as he beat Egypt’s Mohamed Ahmed Fawzy 2:0.

Baran Jamal Livani won Iran’s first gold medal as she defeated Kazakhstan’s Yarina Pugantsova in straight rounds in the W-29kg.

Sayna Alipour added to Iran’s gold medal tally as she beat Magdalini Klakala from Greece 2:0 in the W-51kg.

The last of the female gold medals of the day, the W-33kg, went to Arisa Zaelee from Thailand who overcame Aleyna Nur Ili from Turkiye.

World Taekwondo Cadet Championships

Golds for Azerbaijan, Korea, Thailand and Uzbekistan on Day 2 in Sofia

The second day of the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships picked up from where the first day left off with plenty more action showcasing the best of the sport’s future stars.

Young athletes from five different weight categories competed.

After winning two gold medals on the first day, the Korean team continued its rich vein of form, winning two more titles. The three other available gold were snapped up by Azerbaijan, Thailand and Uzbekistan.

In the first of the day’s competitions, Mehdi Budagli Bufrom Azerbaijan won gold in the M-33kg, defeat-

Laylo Khasanova went one better than her compatriot, Marufjonov, and won gold in the W-41kg as she beat Korea’s Yu-min Lee, 2-0.

The M-37kg saw Nitipoom Chaiyotha win Thailand’s second gold medal of the tournament as he beat Korea’s Jeong-hun Park, 2-0.

Having missed out on gold in two finals, Korea finally managed to claim the top prize as Hyang-gi Kim won the W-47kg, beating Turkiye’s Esila Deniz, 2-0.

On the back of Kim’s victory, Jun-hyuk Lee added to Korea’s gold medal haul as he beat Turkiye’s Nusret Efe Cakir in the M-53kg.

On Day 3 in Sofia, Iran and Mexico Grab Double Golds

Mexico and Iran secured two golds a-piece today on Day 3 of the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships.

The day saw young athletes compete across five weight categories with Iran, Korea and Mexico grabbing golds.

In the W-44kg, Parnian Noori from Iran won the first title of the day as she beat Yada Sangthong from Thailand, 2-0.

Mexico’s Guillermo Manuel Cortes Labastida won the M-41kg as he overcame Korea’s Dong-gun Lee, 2-1.

Da-won Seo was able to go one better than her compatriot Lee as she won gold in the W-55kg, beating Aranya Thakur from India, 2-0.

Axel Daniel Vazquez Montoya won Mexico’s second gold medal of the day as he beat Korea’s Min-gyu Kim 2-0 in the M-45kg.

In the last match of the day Hana Zarrinkamar Roudbari secured Iran’s second gold medal of the day as she beat Serbia’s Elena Bradic in the W-59kg.

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Jul. 29, 2022)

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Jul. 30, 2022)

Multiple Firsts on Last Day of Cadet Championships

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Jul. 31, 2022)

The World Taekwondo Cadet Championships drew to a close today with a number of new records set on the final day.

Iran continued its strong form in the championships winning two gold medals, while Côte d’Ivoire, Korea and Thailand all won one each.

History was made by Israel when Lipaz Hajama won bronze in the W+59kg - the country’s first ever medal at the cadet level. And Georgia’s Nika Gogoberidze’s silver in the M-61kg was his country’s first medal in any World Taekwondo competition.

Iran’s Mohammad Mehd Saadati won the first gold of the day in the M-49kg as he beat Eun-seok Lee from Korea, 2-0.

Thosiri Singthong continued the Thai women’s team’s impressive form at the event as she secured gold against Iran’s

Parnian Saki in the W-37kg.

With Korea heading for a top-place finish in the males overall standings, Keon-woo Kim added another gold to their tally as he beat Belgium’s Yassine El Haddaoui 2-1 in the final of the M-57kg.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Kimi Laurene Ossin win came at the expense of Thailand’s Suphaphon Srimahathat, who she beat 2-0 in the final of the W+59kg.

The final bout of the day saw Radin Zeinali from Iran win gold in the M-61kg with victory over Georgia’s Nika Gogoberidze.

And that was it for the Cadets 2022. The 2023 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships will be held in the city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Awards:

Most Valuable Player Men: Guillermo Manuel Cortes (Mexico) M-41kg

Most Valuable Player Women: Laylo Khasanova (Uzbekistan) W-41kg

Women’s Team’s Standing: Iran, Thailand, Korea, Uzbekistan, Côte d’Ivoire

Men’s Team Standing: Korea, Iran, Mexico, Azerbaijan, Thailand

Best Men’s Team Coach: Han-sam Hwang (Korea)

Best Women’s Team Coach: Mohammadian Masoumeh (Iran)

Best Male Referee: Gyeong-seop Park (Korea)

Best Female Referee: Aygul Abdullayeva (Azerbaijan)

Fighting Spirit Award: Ukraine

Active Participation Award: Chinese Taipei

Georgian Aspires to Inspire

Hero’s Welcome Greets

Mexico’s Double Winner

At just 13 years of age, Georgia’s Nika Gogoberidze is already a role model for many in his country.

Competing at the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in Sofia, he made history by winning silver in the M-61kg. That was the first medal Georgia has ever won at a World Taekwondo event.

This is a remarkable achievement and one which Nika hopes will inspire others.

“I’m very proud of myself - and of course my coaches, teammates and all the country are proud of me,” he said. “It gives me more motivation to win big competitions.”

But it is not just about himself. “I hope it will inspire Georgia’s next generation, and you will see more Georgian medalists,” Gogoberidze said.

He worked incredibly hard to achieve what he has.

“It feels amazing because I sacrificed everything training and preparing for this competition,” Gogoberidze said. “I trained twice a day for two hours every day. Sometimes it was very difficult to do school and train, but now I can say it paid off.”

And this is just the beginning.

“This is not over, you will see me in the European Championships,” he vowed. “My goal is to become Olympic champion!”

Guillermo Manuel Cortez Labastida returned home to Mexico following the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships with two titles. Not only had he secured gold in the M-41kg, he had also been named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player in the men’s division.

His achievements have been the cause for much celebration back home.

“Everyone is very happy, they have given me several celebrations,” Cortez Labastida said. “Some in Mexico City and others in Guadalajara, the last one was in our school, Car Jalisco, I feel very happy and grateful to God for this achievement.”

It was all unexpected.

“I never imagined it! it was a great surprise, the prize for the best athlete in a sporting event is something that I saw in other sports and since was a child dreamed of being the best in the world,” he said. “Now I feel so happy to win this MVP. can't believe it.”

National pride is something which drives him and is something he cites as being a key driver in his love of competing internationally.

“This has been the best and greatest experience in my life, listening to the national anthem of my country is something always dreamed of and finally achieved it,” Cortez Labastida said. “None of this would be possible without the support of my family and my brother who is my great idol - Damián Cortes the ‘Kid Azteca.’”

Taekwondo is a big part of Manuel’s family, who have a shared passion for the sport. But beyond his family, he also won many global fans with his energetic style of Taekwondo.

“That has always been my style - a 100 percent combative style!” he said. “I have always fought that way - strong and hard.”

His style is about spirit as much as physique.

“If my opponents are stronger and more difficult, the harder try to fight,” he said.

This fighting spirit is going to be essential to achieve his goals, which are clearly listed in his mind.

“Win the next World Championship, the Pan-American Championship and be an Olympic medallst in the Youth Olympic Games,” Cortez Labastida said.

World Taekwondo Cadet Championships

Refugee’s Daughter Falls in Love with Taekwondo’s Cosmopolitan Camaraderie

The pressure was on for Australian 13-year-old Akon Baak at the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria.

“I’m pretty nervous because it’s my first ever international competition,” Baak said. “Travelling halfway around the world to compete for Australia is really exciting, but also feels a bit nerve-wracking.”

Travel and globalism are arguably in Baak’s blood - for she is the daughter and granddaugher of refugees.

“My dad was a refugee from South Sudan and my great grandparents on my mom’s side were refugees from Poland and Russia,” she said.

“My family background helps me realise how lucky am to have these opportunities to excel in sport and travel the world to compete,” Baak said. “I hope I can do them all proud.

Refugee experiences have also informed her Taekwondo.

“My coach, Mohammad Reza Hassani, was a refugee from Afghanistan and many of the other students in my club have also come to Australia as refugees,” Baak said. “I feel really lucky to be to able live in a country and be part of a Taekwondo club and sport that brings together people from all backgrounds to do something that they love.”

This community is clearly a strong driver for Akon. And Taekwondo - an equitable sport that requires no special space or equipment so can be practised by all, regardless of income

level - has provided plenty of opportunities to make new friends.

“Since started Taekwondo, so many different people at my club and in the broader Taekwondo community have helped me develop my skills and challenged me to be the best I can be,” she said.

She offers special gratitude to her coach, as well as her club, Total Taekwondo Academy, and all my club members.

“Also to John Haggerty at Caledonian Taekwondo in Glasgow, Scotland, who first introduced me to Taekwondo when was living there with my family,” she added.

Baak applauds the camaraderie that is a special feature of the sport.

“I like Taekwondo because I get to make new friends at each competition that I go to, and there is a community that supports each other to improve and have fun,” she said.

“ I also like going to training and always working towards improving my Taekwondo skills.”

That is a long path. But there could be a big reward at the end of it.

“My ambitions for the future are to be able to attend more international competitions so that I can keep on improving... and then, maybe one day, represent my country at the Olympics,” she said.

SOFIA 2022 Bulgarian President Attends

World Taekwondo Junior Championships

Day 1

The Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships got going today with President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev and World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue officially opening the event following a thrilling performance by the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team.

More than 1,250 athletes, aged 15-17, from 90 countries plus a refugee team are competing in Sofia. The semifinals and finals of the W-42kg, M-45kg and W-44kg followed the opening ceremony and saw gold medals go to Iran, Korea and Thailand.

Radev and Choue were joined by President of Taekwondo Bulgaria Slavi Binev to open the event.

“For centuries, ancient combat sports developed perfection of the physique and character; provided education in discipline and responsibility; and promoted respect not only for the partner, but also for the opponent,” Radev said in his address. “That is why even today Taekwondo is one of the most popular sports, but not only that, Taekwondo is a symbol of peace and good neighborliness.”

The Bulgarian president urged all players to be examples of the principles of fair play and values in physical education. Choue focused on the potential for future glory.

“Cadets and Juniors are the foundation of Taekwondo,” he said. “At the Olympic Games last year, 17 out of the 32 medals were won by athletes who had medalled at the Youth Olympic Games or at the World Taekwondo Cadet and Junior championships.”

Given that, many of the juniors in Sofia would go on to become senior-division champions, Choue said - adding “Taekwondo is your pathway to fulfilling your dreams.”

Then the action began.

In the first of the night’s finals, Iran’s Sogand Shiri faced Hayrunnisa Gurbuz of Türkiye in the W-42kg. It was an exceptionally tight match with the first round ending 7-7, but Shiri was awarded the round on superiority. In the second round, little could separate the two with the score tied at 11-11 with just 45 seconds remaining, but Shiri turned up the pressure and won the round and the match.

In the second final it was the turn of Yeon-ui Choo from Korea and Yi-chi Li of Chinese Taipei in the M-45kg. Choo narrowly overcame Li in the first

round with a score of 9-8. With just 15 seconds to go in the second round the scores were all even. Both fighters recognised the round was there for the taking and upped their intensity but it was Choo who was more accurate with his kicks and he won the round 9-6 to take gold.

The last final of the night, the W-44kg, followed the two that preceded it in the first round as the score was very close with Iran’s Parnia Salmani narrowly beating Natkamon Wassana from Thailand 4-3. However, the second round was a completely different story as Wassana won 12-0. In the final round Wassana picked up from where she left off and took an early and commanding lead. Salmani fought back valiantly in the last 30 seconds but Wassana was too strong and won the round 15-8.

Day 2 is Golden for Iran, Korea

Day 2

The second day of the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships saw Iran and Korea win two medals each.

The first final of the night drew Abolfazl Zandi from Iran against Pornpawit Toruen from Thailand in the M-48kg. The opening round set the tone for what would be a breathless and highly competitive match. With both fighters landing head kicks the round finished 15-12 to Zandi. The second round followed in the same vein but Zandi was ultimately too strong and won the second and the gold with a score of 25-12.

Korea’s Yun-seo Kim and Kazakhstan’s Aidana Sundetbay faced each other in the final of the W-46kg. There was little to split the two with Sundetbay taking the round 1312. The evenly fought match continued where it left off in

deciding round, the score was 9-9 but a kick to the body from Kim secured gold for the Korean.

The M-51kg final once again brought together Korea and Kazakhstan. This time round it was not as close as it had been in the previous final as Korea’s Hui-chan Yang took the first round 17-9 against Kazakhstan’s Tamirlan Tleules. Yang continued his dominance in the second round winning 16-3 to claim gold.

Iran’s Mobina Nematzadeh and Thailand’s Kamonchanok Seeken delivered the last of the finals as they faced each other in the W-49kg. Nematzadeh put on a dominant display in the first round as she scored nine points without conceding any. In the second round, Seeken did manage to get on the scoreboard but it was not nearly

Clean Sweep for Team Korea on Day 3

Day 3

The third day of the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Championships saw powerhouse Team Korea win all three golds on offer. Those wins were in the M-55kg, M-59kg and the W-52kg catagories, with USA, Thailand and Uzbekistan winning silvers respectively.

The M-55kg was the first of the day’s finals as Eui-jun Hong of Korea faced the USA’s William Cunningham. Hong was too strong for Cunningham and won 2-0.

Following in Hong’s footsteps, Yeowon Seo overcame Uzbekistan’s Marjona Khudaykulova, 2-0 in the W-52kg.

The hat trick of gold medals for Korea was completed by Woo-hyeok Jung as he beat Thailand’s Banlung Tubtimdangagain, two rounds to none - in the M-59kg.

Of note, Palestine’s Omar Yaser Ismail’s bronze in the category was his country’s first medal in any World Taekwondo competition, be it junior or senior.

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Aug. 3, 2022)

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Aug. 4, 2022)

World Taekwondo Junior Championships

Iran, Italy, Korea, Win Big on Day 4

Day 4

On the fourth day of the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, Italy managed to win its first gold while Korea and Iran continued their impressive form.

The day’s action saw competition across the M-63kg, W-55kg and M-68kg categories. Iran took gold in the M-63kg with Uzbekistan winning silver and Greece and Korea taking bronzes.

In the W-55kg, Korea won gold, Greece silver, and Croatia and Norway took bronzes. While in the M-68kg it was Italy who won gold, with Serbia taking silver and Australia and Kazakhstan settling for bronzes.

In the M-63kg, Matin Rezaei of Iran faced Uzbekistan’s Nazarali Nazarov in what proved to be an exceptionally tight match. The first round saw Rezaei come out on top with a one-point margin, 10-9. In the second round the fighters couldn’t be separated by points as it finished 9-9 but Nazarov was awarded the round

based on superiority. With it coming down to the final round, both fighters were careful not to leave themselves exposed but Rezaei just edged it to win the round 3-2 and take the gold.

In the second final of the night, it was Gah-yeon Kim of Korea against Athanasia Repoulia of Greece for the W-55kg. Unlike the match that preceded it, this final was not close with Kim putting on a dominant display. She won the first round 12-0 and followed with a 10-2 win in the second round for the gold.

The M-68kg brought together Serbia’s Zarko Krajisnik and Italy’s Angelo Mangione. Despite having faced a gruelling semifinal earlier that evening, Mangione came out strongly and won the first round with a commanding score of 8-0. The momentum proved too difficult to reverse for Krajisnik and Mangione was able to win the second round with a convincing score of 5-1.

Day 5 is Golden for Belgium, Iran, Korea

Day 5

Iran and Korea added to their ever-increasing gold tallies on the fifth day of competition at the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, with Belgium winning the fourth title on offer.

Korea won golds in the M-78kg and W-59kg, Iran took gold in the M-73kg and Belgium was victorious at W-63kg. Turkiye, Great Britain, France and Iran won silvers; Morocco, Croatia, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Chinese Taipei, Greece, Serbia and Ukraine won the bronze medals.

In the M-73kg, Reza Kalhor from Iran and Munir Furkan Dogru faced each other. Kalhor got off to a strong start winning the round 9-3. In the second, Kalhor continued his strong form and won Round 2 11-1, to win gold.

Korea’s Hanna Lee faced Great Britain’s Neve McPhillie in the second final, the W-59kg. Lee stamped her authority on the first round winning by a commanding score of 12-0. McPhillie fought back in the second round but Lee proved too strong and won the round, and gold, 9-5.

The third final of the day saw Mohamed Mendy from France face Korea’s In-hyuk Lee. It was a strong opening round with both fighters exchanging blows, but Lee came out on top 11-8. The second round was a very high scoring affair but Lee proved too strong and won gold with a win of 23-15.

The W-63kg saw Saghar Moradi Sheikhlar from Iran matched against Sarah Chaari of Belgium. In the opening round Moradi Sheikhlar won with a score of 15-8. Chaari fought back in the second round winning with a narrow victory of 9-8. Chaari maintained her momentum in the third round and won 10-6, to take gold. As events in Guadalajara would soon prove, it would not be Chaari’s sole world title of 2022.

World Taekwondo Junior Championships

Iran, Korea, Turkiye Grab Gold on Last Day

Awards:

Most Valuable Player Men: In-hyuk Lee (Korea) M-78kg

Most Valuable Player Women: Sude Yaren Uzuncavdar (Turkiye) W+68kg

Men’s Team Standing: Korea, Iran, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Italy

Women’s Team Standing: Korea, Iran, Thailand, Turkiye, Belgium

Best Men’s Team Coach: Kyoung-nam Kim (Korea)

Best Female Team Coach: Seok-hwa Go (Korea)

Best Male Referee: Kun Yi Lee (Chinese Taipei)

Best Female Referee: Victoria Turyk (Canada)

Fighting Spirit Award: Bulgaria

Active Participation Award: Mexico

Day 6

The first final of the day in the W-68kg drew Montenegro’s Anđela Berisaj against Korea’s Hyo-rim Hong. The opening round was a tense and tight affair with Berisaj narrowly edging Hong to take an early lead, 4-3. In the second round it was the turn of Hong to come out victorious as she won 5-2. The deciding, third round followed a similar pattern and was very close but it was Hong who came out on top, winning 7-5 to take gold.

In the M+78kg, Iran’s Abolfazl Abbasi Pouya took an early and commanding lead against Korea’s Kukhwan Lyu, winning the first round 14-4. Lyu tried to turn the tide in the second round but Abbasi Pouya was too strong and won 18-8 to add the World Junior title to his gold medal at the World Cadet Championships in 2019.

The last final of the tournament matched Sude Yaren Uzuncavdar from Turkiye with Su-gee Jung of Korea in the W+68kg. Uzuncavdar started the match strongly and won the first round 12-6. Jung upped her game in the second round but couldn’t quite do enough to win the round as Uzuncavdar won 8-7.

The host of the 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships will be decided next year during the World Taekwondo Council Meeting.

Korea, Iran and Turkiye won the last gold medals of the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships after six days of action which showcased Taekwondo’s strong future.

Korea also won two silver medals on a day which reinforced their impressive form at the tournament and secured their position at the top of the standings in both the men and women’s categories. Montenegro also won silver - the first-ever medal the country has won at a World Taekwondo event. Bronze medals were shared between Brazil, Spain, Mexico, Great Britain, Chinese Taipei and Italy.

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Aug. 7, 2022)

Young Turk Aims at Senior Success

No more than three weeks have passed since Sude Yaren Uzuncavdar won gold at the Sofia 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, but the young Turk already has her sights set on her next goal.

Uzuncavdar won the title in the W+68kg in Sofia, overcoming Korea’s Su-gee Jung in the final.

Such was the quality of her performances in the Bulgarian capital that she left Sofia not only as a champion, but also as the women’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the competition.

“Being chosen as the best among the best is a wonderful feeling - it is an important place in my career that I will never forget!” she said. “I am very happy and proud. I can't find words to describe my feelings.”

Intense pre-contest prep paid off.

“I went through tough times before the tournament, but at that moment when I became the World Champion and ran with the flag, I felt that all the difficulties experienced were worth it,” she said. “I will work harder to experience that feeling again.”

SUDE YAREN

UZUNCAVDAR

Sofia proved transformative.

“It changed my perspective on life and my thoughts,” Uzuncavdar said. “What doesn't change is my character and training.”

If anything, that training will become even tougher, as she plans to shift up a gear and start competing in the elite, senior division.

“It will be very exciting to compete among the best athletes in the world and to fight fiercely,” she said.

Her first stop as she exits the juniors and enters the seniors is the Paris 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix. “My goal is to win the gold medal in the Grand Prix, as in every tournament, and be at the top of the podium.”

And after that?

“I believe that will become the world champion in the seniors category,” she said - “Insha'Allah!”

Assuming that happens, she will then take aim at the biggest prize in global sport.

“As an athlete, my biggest dream is the Olympics and feel that I am closer to this dream, day by day.”

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Aug. 6, 2022)

World Taekwondo Junior Championships

World Taekwondo Grand Prix Paris

M-58 kg

2022

This final was a fitting one for Paris: It featured home-town player Cyrian Ravet of France in his first-ever Grand Prix final. His opponent was Tunisia’s Olympic Silver Medalist Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi.

It was a patient start by both athletes, with the first points on the board not coming until half way through Round 1 when Jendoubi was forced into a series of Gam-jeoms. Ravet would hold a 2-0 lead until the end of the round Though he, too, lost a penalty, with just seconds left on the clock, he would hold on to take Round 1.

Into Round 2, it was clear Jendoubi was not going to give up the final easily. Two punches, and Jendoubi went 2-0 up. The Tunisian would remain in the lead until the final ten seconds of

China, France,Thailand

Win on Day 1 in Paris

the match with a video replay confirming Ravet’s head kick for three points. With just seconds left on the board, Ravet suffered a penalty to bring the score level at 3-3 - then Jendoubi lost a Gam-jeom to hand the lead and the gold to Ravet.

In the semis, Ravet had come back from a 9-2 deficit against Spain’s Adrian Vicenta Yunta to take the first round 10-10, causing roars from the crowd. In ferocious form, Yunta levelled the score after taking Round 2. However, Ravet claimed victory, hanging on in a closely-fought third round where two Gam-jeoms by Yunta made the difference.

In the second semifinal, Jendoubi had faced Australia’s Bailey Lewis, coming through with a convincing two-round win, despite Lewis’ valiant performance.

DAY 1

The first day of action at the Paris 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix saw Thailand, China and France taking gold at the Palais des Sports Marcel-Cerdan in Levallois.

The world’s best Taekwondoin put on a show for the Grand Prix’s Paris debut, giving the city a taste of the combat sport spectacle that is to come at the Olympic Games in 2024.

The Paris GP continued the “best of three rounds” format which was pioneered at the Roma 2022 Grand Prix and which is the sport’s new norm.

The first day of competiton saw three categories contested. Thailand’s Panipak Wongpattanakit emerged victorious in the W-49kg, while Zongshi Luo of China claimed gold in W-57kg and Cyrian Ravet triumphed in the M-58kg in front of an electric home crowd.

tanakit secured gold with a head kick to win 10-6.

In the first semifinal, Wongpattanakit had won an impressive victory against Korea’s Bora Kang. After losing the first round, the Thai fought back to take rounds two and three, and secure her spot in the final.

in the second semi, Dincel had overcome Germany’s Ela Aydin in a fierce contest that had also gone to three rounds.

WThe W-57kg brought together Skylar Park of Canada and China’s Zongshi Luo, who was coming off of an impressive gold medal performance at the Roma 2022 Grand Prix.

The first round was closely contested, with a Gam-jeom eventually breaking the deadlock to see Luo go 1-0 up. Luo and Park then traded head and body kicks, respectively, and Luo closed out the first round, 4-2.

-57 kg

In the W-49kg, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion Panipak Wongpattanakit of Thailand met Turkiye’s Merve Dincel in the final. It was a calm and measured performance from Wongpattanakit who demonstrated her experience, registering the first points with a kick to the body protector. A head kick by Wongpattanakit, followed by Dincel being forced into a Gam-jeom would wrap up Round 1 in Wongpattanaki’s favour. Round 2 saw blows traded before Wongpat-

W-49 kg

Park took the lead in the second, landing a body kick to go up by two. The pair traded kicks throughout the round, with a head kick by Luo taking her score up to 6-4 proving to be the decisive one. A Gam-jeom in the final seconds saw the final finish at 7-4 with Luo claiming her second consecutive Grand-Prix medal and Park taking home her first-ever GP silver.

Luo had overcome Morroco’s Nada Laaraj in the first semifinal. while in the second semi, Park had knocked China’s Lijun Zhou out of the competition.

World Taekwondo Grand Prix

Day 2 Sees Côte d'Ivoire, Italy and Spain Triumphant

The last final of the night saw Norway’s Richard Andre Ordemann face Simone Alessio of Italy. It was an aggressive start by Alessio who took the lead with a head kick. He then forced the Norwegian into two Gam-jeoms before conceding one of his own to move the points to 5-1. Another kick to the head by the Italian would tie up the first round for Alessio, 8-1. Ordemann refused to go down without a fight, landing a kick to the head and forcing two Gam-jeoms while only conceding one to take the second round 1-5. That forced a third, deciding round.

A Gam-jeom by Ordemann gave Alessio the initial lead of 1-0 which the Norwegian tried to reverse with a head shot; it was not given after a review. Later in the round it seemed as if Ordemann had forced a Gam-jeom but this was also challenged and wiped off the scoreboard. In a twist of fate, a Gam-jeom then went in the Italian’s favor - enough to see him through to the gold medal with a tight 2-0 victory.

Ordemann had reached the final by beating Tunisia’s Firas Katousi in the first semifinal which was a match-up of two of the tallest fighters in the competition. A low-scoring round one was won 0-2 by Katousi who landed a kick to the body in the final 30 seconds.

Day 2 of the Paris 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix saw Côte d'Ivoire, Italy and Spain claiming the three golds on offer.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Ruth Gbagbi won the W-67kg, Javier Perez Polo of Spain took gold in the M-68kg and Italy’s Simone Alessio clinched the final gold of the day in the M-80kg.

Silver medals were shared between Korea, Jordan and Norway, while the bronze medals were split between Mexico, Belgium, Great Britain, France, Tunisia and USA.

In the W-67kg, Korea’s Min-seo Nam and Côte d’Ivoire’s Ruth Gbagbi, a two-time Olympic bronze medalist and world champion, met in the final. As a relatively new face on the senior Taekwondo circuit, Nam had everything to gain from her first appearance in a Grand Prix final.

The Korean took the lead in the first round, climbing to 5-0 points with a punch and two body kicks. However, the highl experienced Gbagbi is never one to be counted out of a fight, and she landed a spinning kick to Nam’s trunk protector and forced a Gam-jeom to level the scores in the final seconds of the round. By virtue of technical points from her kick, Gbagbi took the round on superiority.

In Round 2 Gbagbi had the measure of her opponent and opened the scoring with two torso kicks. Nam fought back with a punch and Gbagbi conceded a Gam-jeom to bring the score to 4-2 before the Cote d’Ivorean landed two consecutive kicks to the body to close out the final, 8-2 - and grab the gold.

In the semifinal, Nam had faced Leslie Soltero of Mexico. It was a slow start to the first round before Soltero landed two kicks to the body. However, Nam would respond with a punch and head kick to level the scores before both players conceded a Gam-jeom. Nam took Round 1 thanks to having more hits, and would use this momentum to also win Round 2 and proceed to the final.

In the second semi, Gbagbi used all of her experience to overcome Belgium’s Sarah Chaari, a World and European champ at the junior level, who this year entered the seniors. Gbagbi took Round 1 4-0 with two kicks to the body, but the Belgium battler fought back to take Round 2 with a score of 3-1. Gbagbi broke the deadlock with a torso kick, writing her name into the gold-medal match line-up.

Spain’s Javier Perez Polo and Zaid Kareem of Jordan, who had not dropped a round during all the prior bouts, clashed in the M-68kg final. It was a flawless first round from the Spaniard who took an early lead with a kick to the body. He followed this up with two more kicks to the torso protector and forced his opponent into a Gam-jeom to win Round 1, 7-0.

Perez Polo began the second, in similar fashion, landing a kick to the head followed by a body kick to go up 5-0. Kareem fought back valiantly, forcing the Spaniard into a Gam-jeom before conceding one of his own to make the score 6-1. The round ended on a 9-4 score line which secured Perez Polo his first-ever GP gold medal.

The first semifinal had seen Tokyo 2020 Silver Medalist Bradly Sinden of Great Britain fall to Kareem who took round one with a punch and Gam-jeom. Round 2 saw Sinden leading 6-4 until Kareem landed a spectacular torso kick in the final seconds to earn the first Grand Prix final of his career.

In the second semi, Perez Polo used his experience to overcome France’s Theo Lucien. The Spaniard took Round 1 3-1 with a confident display, but the Frenchman looked to channel the energy of the crowd in Round 2. Lucien got the scoring underway with a head kick, but suffered a Gam-jeom and took a kick to the body and the score was level at 3-3. An exchange of kicks saw the score move to 7-5 in Perez Polo’s favour and a Gam-jeom took the final score to 8-5.

In Round 2, both players fired kicks with neither athlete managing to find a way through. The round ended with a 0-0 tie but the Norwegian forced a deciding round via superiority. Katousi led for most of the third round with an impressive display of skill, but Ordemann connected on a last-second head kick to clinch the win 5-4.

WIn the W+67kg final, Olympic Silver Medalist Da-bin Lee of Korea took on France’s Althea Laurin. Laurin was on the hunt for France’s second gold medal of its home Grand Prix, while Lee was hunting her fourth GP title.

World Taekwondo Grand Prix

Cuba, Korea Get Gold on ‘Taekwondo Day’ in Paris

3

The Paris 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix came to a close today with Korea and Cuba taking the final golds on offer in the W+67kg and M+80kg weight categories.

In addition, silver medals went to France’s Althea Laurin and Croatia’s Ivan Sapina, while bronze medals were shared be tween Brazil, Turkiye, Côte d’Ivoire and Spain.

Before the finals got underway, World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue delivered a short message to mark a date on the calendar.

“Today’s a special day as we are celebrating ‘Taekwondo Day’ around the world, “ he said. Looking forward, he continued, “Two years from now we will have the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris...we are going to deliver one of the best Olympic Taekwondo competitions to the world!”

“ Taekwondo Day” is celebrated every year on Sept. 4 in com memoration of the IOC’s decision on that date in 1994 to include the sport in the Olympics.

Cuba’s Rafael Alba, a two-time world champion and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist, would take on Ivan Sapina of Croatia in the M+80kg final.

Lee opened the scoring in round one with a body kick. The two athletes then traded fire to make the score 4-2 in Lee’s favour before Laurin forced the Korean into two Gam-jeoms to level the score at 4-4. Unshaken, Lee connected with a front leg head kick to retake the lead with a score of 7-4, but a Gam-jeom and a French kick to the torso would again level the scores to finish the round 7-7. Lee won the round on superiority.

Energised by the roar of the home crowd, Laurin put on a show to take Round 2 4-3 and grab the momentum heading into the third and final round. The Korean got the scoreboard ticking with two consecutive kicks to the body before conceding a Gam-jeom to make the score 4-1. Once again, Lee struck with a body kick to take her lead to 6-1. However, few were prepared for the spectacular spin kick to the head that Lee was about to unleash. Confirmed by video review, Lee’s lead stretched to 11-2. Laurin fought ferociously to try and claw back some points, but it was too little too late as Lee claimed gold with a convincing 15-5 win in Round 3.

In the first semifinal, Laurin had overcome a very strong Gabriele Siqueira of Brazil who had knocked out the top seed, Great Britain’s Bianca Cook, in the

Laurin got the scoring started with a kick to the body. Siqueira soon returned the favour to level the scores but it did not take long for Laurin to connect with another kick to the torso protector and then a head kick to close out Round 1, 7-2. The Brazilian would fight back to win the second, 6-8. The deciding round was just as intense as the first two, but it would be France’s Laurin who would come out on top 10-2 to secure her place in her first-ever Grand

In the second semi, Lee had taken on Turkiye’s Nafia Kus. Lee opened the scoring in Round 1 with a torso kick to the inside before the two athletes traded punches to make the score 3-1. In the final few seconds, Kus landed a kick to the body to tie the scores and win the round based on hits. Lee fought back to take the second round 6-0, a score which included an incredible head kick. In a low-scoring third round the first points did not come until the last 10 seconds with both athletes trading torso kicks. Tied 2-2, the victory went to Lee on superiority.

Alba’s class and experience was too much for Sapina in round one, with two forced Gam-jeoms and a front leg body kick by the Cuban giving him Round 1, 4-0.

Not willing to go down without a fight, Sapina put his all into the second round. The two athletes traded kicks to the body, to tie 2-2. Alba would take the lead for a short while by virtue of a Gam-jeom, but Sapina connected with a head kick in the final seconds to take the round 4-5 despite giving away a Gamjeom. In the third, deciding, round, Alba came out firing and landed a head kick and forced three Gam-jeoms to take a 6-0 lead. Sapina connected with a punch in the final seconds but it was not enough. giving Alba a well-deserved gold medal.

In the first of the semifinals, Alba had taken on Côte d’Ivoire’s legend Cheick Sallah Cisse. From the very first second of round one, both Cisse and Alba were on the attack. It was the Cuban who opened the scoring with a kick to the torso protector, but Cisse would soon return the favour to level the score. The Cote d’Ivorian looked to close out round one after forcing a Gamjeom, but it was Alba who took the round with a body kick 4-3. There second round was even more fierce than the first, but it ended prematurely after Cisse conceded five Gam-jeoms and Alba was declared the winner after a crowd-pleasing bout.

The second semi had been a masterclass between Sapina and Ivan Garcia Martinez of Spain. Sapina took the first round 3-2 after a video review confirmed his right leg kick to the back of the head. In Round 2, Garcia Martinez put the first points on the board with a body kick. Sapina connected with a punch later in the round, but was not able to take the lead. In the deciding round, the Spaniard led 3-0 but Sapina managed to claw two points back with a kick to the body before stealing the lead in the final seconds with another body kick, seeing him through to the final.

PARIS, France (Sept. 4, 2022)

From Competition Mat to Commentary Booth

Crowd-Pleaser Fights, Adapts, Wins

Serbian Taekwondo legend Milica

Mandic - now sporting the surname Djuricic after marrying - left the game she had devoted 20 years of her life to on the ultimate high: her second Olympic gold.

Yet the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games was a bittersweet moment as she waved goodbye to the sport that she both loved and excelled at.

“Tokyo 2020 was my last competition with my coach and teammates, it was really emotional,” she said. “But for the first time in my life, found my true power inside just to go step by step to believe in everything had done for the last 20 years.”

Talk about a fairy-tale ending. “I never thought I would end my career like this,” she said. “It was amazing really - in Tokyo and after Tokyo.”

Mandic’s second Olympic gold medal was just as coveted as her first at London 2012 - which also happened to be Serbia’s first Olympic gold as an independent nation.

“Before London 2012, nobody knew about Taekwondo,” she said. “Nobody knew the rules. But after my first gold they knew everything about it!”

Taekwondo subsequently skyrocketed in popularity across Serbia.

“This was a goal for me and my coach, to show everyone in Serbia that Taekwondo is a nice sport that builds good character, a good fitness level and is for everyone from the professional to recreational levels,” she said.

Mandic led the charge of Belgrade’s Galeb (“Seagull”) Taekwondo, now a global powerhouse of the sport, and established the reputation of its owner, and Mandic’s coach, Dragan Jovic. But it wasn’t only the sport’s popularity that changed in the nine years between London 2012 and Tokyo 2020. She describes herself as a raw soldier during London 2012.

By

“At Tokyo I was almost 30, and you have other aspects of your life: private life, family,” she said. “But when I went to the final in Tokyo, said to myself, ‘OK, I’ve been here before and it is the same.’ felt a lot more relaxed the second time.”

Post-Tokyo 2020, with a second gold round her neck, was clearly the right time for Mandic to retire. It proved hard.

“Honestly, when you’re at the top of professional sports it’s like some kind of addiction to the highs of winning, the adrenaline,” she said. “Going from Tokyo to a straight line zero was especially hard.”

Though she stepped off the mats, she was not ready to step out of the game. So when the opportunity came to commentate for the Paris 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix, Mandic stepped up.

“I gave a lot of interviews as an athlete, but to now be on the other side of the camera, as their friend, is different,” she said.

“I like it really, I just love being around the athletes. For me, this is a healthy community. We are all one family and this is best for me.”

It’s a good fit: few know the game as well as Mandic does, or it players.

Speaking of which: During the Paris Grand Prix, Milica caught up with her opponent for gold in London, France’s Anne-Caroline Graffe. Coincidentally, Graffe, after retiring from the sport, had also became a Taekwondo commentator for French TV.

Ruth Gbagbi yesterday added a fourth World Taekwondo Grand Prix gold to her name in Paris. It was an incredible feat, and a win for the crowd too - for Gbagbi is one of the sport’s most spectacular fighters.

“I feel happy that won yesterday,” she said. “It was a dream come true to win another Grand Prix gold medal.”

With 10 years of senior Taekwondo competition under her belt, Gbagbi was a sure-fire favourite to take the title. But her opponent, Korea’s up-and-coming star Min-seo Nam, was not going to make things easy.

“I think all the athletes in the Grand Prix have the ability to reach the final. I think Nam’s very smart. think she can reach more Grand Prix finals and she has a bright future in Taekwondo,” Gbagbi said.

Of course, this is not her first time fighting new-comers on the circuit. But she enjoys the challenge and the need to constantly adapt and improve to stay at the top.

“I think the Taekwondo fight has changed a lot in the last ten years,” she said. “But I like this, because in life all things change, so need to adapt if want to keep fighting.”

And standards keep on rising. “The level of all the athletes keeps going up and the young athletes are very fierce,” she said.

Gbagbi Ruth

Taekwondo is second only to Football when it comes to popularity in Côte d’Ivoire, thanks to the incredible success of Gbagbi and her compatriots in the sport.

But this wasn’t always the case. So why did Ruth start practising Taekwondo at the age of eight?

“When I was young, liked to fight in the streets, so my mom told me to try Taekwondo and now I’m a world champion!” Ggagbi said, “She’s very proud of me.”

With so many young aspiring Taekwondo athletes that want to follow in her footsteps, what would be her advice?

“You need to be respectful and have the fighting spirit.”

She is already a Taekwondo superstar and national Côte d’Ivoire superhero, but there is one medal that has eluded Gbagbi - Olympic gold. Not satisfied with her two bronze medals from Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, the veteran has Paris 2024 in her gunsights.

“I hope!” she said. “I will give my all to go to

Tokyo, she was a seasoned veteran. But other things had changed.

PARIS, France (Sept. 4, 2022)

PARIS, France (Sept. 2, 2022)

Milica Mandic

French Champ Aims for Home Turf Gold in 2024

CyrianRavet

PARIS, France (Sept. 3, 2022)

Cyrian Ravet, France’s new Taekwondo superstar, won his first-ever World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Paris - and has his sights firmly set on gold in the same city’s 2024 Olympic Games.

Speaking after his debut on the Grand Prix podium, in front of a home crowd, 19-year-old Ravet was the picture of joy.

“It was really good because it was in Paris and my family and team were there to support me,” he said. “So, I’m very happy.”

Despite the momentous occasion, he never doubted himself. Winning in Paris, was always on the cards for the budding superstar.

“I was expecting a gold medal because when go into a competition, always want the gold medal,” Ravet said. “I felt good coming into the competition, tried my best and won gold.”

It was not smooth sailing. En route to the final, he had to defeat Olympic Bronze Medalist Jang Jun, former European Title Winner Adrián Vicente Yunta and Olympic Silver Medalist Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi before he got his hands on gold.

His jaw-dropping semifinal display against Vicente Yunta had the crowd gasping as he battled back from 9-2 down. He talked it through.

“Yeah, the first round was really hard for me. But I tried something in the final few seconds - I wanted to make Adrián sweat for the second and the third rounds - but when I kicked, scored the point! So I was very happy and I tried my best to win the first round and the match.”

It was clear from the roar of the French supporters and chants of “Let’s go, Cyrian!” during his fights that he was competing in front of a home crowd - and his local Taekwondo Club.

“Yes, the crowd gave me so much energy it was really incredible,” he said. “My Taekwondo club is only 10 minutes from the venue by car so they all came to support me...and I also celebrated with my family.”

Ravet’s role model as a young Taekwondo athlete was Korean legend Dae-hoon, Lee who won 11 Grand Prix golds and three World Championship titles in his career.

Now, Ravet is poised to be a homegrown role-model for the next generation of French Taekwondo stars. What’s next? The answer is obvious.

“Because this competition was in Paris I can feel how it will be in 2024,” he said. “So, I’m really happy to win gold here and I hope will go to Paris where it will be the same objective.”

No doubt, the crowd will be roaring even loader in 2024when Ravet could, feasibly become France’s first-ever Olympic Taekwondo champion.

Manchester

2022

Korea and Thailand Triumph as Grand Prix Returns to Manchester

MANCHESTER, UK (Oct. 21, 2022)

The first medals of the Manchester 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix were awarded today, as elite competition returned to GB in front of a vocal crowd at the Manchester Regional Arena. The competition’s first day pitted established champions against up-and-coming talent: Veteran Olympic Champion Panipak Wongpattanakit won the W-49 kg category, while total newcomer Tae-Joon Park won the M-58 kg.

With the Olympic qualification period for 2024 now underway, athletes competed not just for Grand Prix glory, but also for ranking points that could speed them on their paths to Paris.

In the W-49kg category, Turkiye’s Merve Dincel progressed to the final after beating Tokyo 2020 Silver Medalist Adrianna Cerezo Iglesias of Spain, after Tokyo 2020 Champion Wongpattanakit defeated China’s Qing Guo in her own semifinal, Dincel and Wongpattanakit found themselves reprising their Paris Grand Prix final. As in Paris, Wongpattanakit proved to be the superior fighter.

In the M-58kg, Korea’s Park, making his GP debut, caused the upset of the evening. Park, who is not ranked among the elite, had arrived in Manchester as the winner of the WT Grand Prix Challenge event held in June in Muju - a pipeline event designed to give up-and-comers an opportunity at the sport’s elite level.

Park began his charge with a shock defeat of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion Vito Dell’Aquila of Italy in their semifinal. In the final, Park met Tokyo 2020 Silver Medalist Mohammed Khalil Jendoubi of Tunisia. Jendoubi had defeated Jack Woolley of Ireland in his own semifinal, despite the latter benefitting from a vocal contingent of supporters.

The final proved to be a close fight. Each athlete took a round before the outcome was settled in the final seconds of the third, with Park victorious.

Competition and Remembrance on Day 2 in Manchester day 2

Saturday evening at the Manchester Regional Arena saw more action at the Manchester 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix. Champions and newcomers alike took advantage of the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in front of a full house, live TV coverage in the host country, and global broadcast interest.

In the W-57kg event, crowd-favourite Jade Jones of Great Britain showed how she earned the nickname “Headhunter” by landing high kicks in each of the first two rounds against her semifinal opponent, Hatice Kubra Ilgun of Turkiye.

For the final, however, Jones encountered the formidable Zongshi Luo of China, winner of this year’s WT Grand Prix events in Rome and Paris. With a 12cm height advantage, Luo proved a significantly more difficult opponent. After each athlete had taken a round, Luo was victorious in the third, maintaining a perfect WT Grand Prix record for 2022.

Luo had overcome Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion Anastasija Zolotic of Team USA in her own semifinal.

In the M-68 kg, Ho-jun Jin of Korea won gold by defeating Jordan’s Kareem Zaid, as Jin improved on his bronze from the Roma 2022 WT Grand Prix. Zaid had benefitted from a win by injury at the semifinal stage, when Great Britain’s Bradly Sinden was forced to withdraw. Jin, meanwhile, had beaten Khalfani Harris of the USA in his own semifinal. For Harris, it was his first GP medal.

Great Britain’s Lauren Williams matched her own bronze medal from this year’s European Championships, also hosted in Manchester, in the W-67kg event. Winning her own bronze, Czech athlete Petra Stolbova won her first Grand Prix medal.

The final saw Serbia’s Aleksandra Perisic win her first GP medal, too – silver – as France’s Magda Wiet Henin took the win and her second gold of the series this year. Wiet Henin had previously won in Rome.

As the evening started, the WT president, officials, athletes and spectators took time to commemorate Greek athlete Alexandros Nikolaidis, who had passed away the week prior.

Alexandros Nikolaidis: RIP (Oct. 17, 1979 – Oct. 14, 2022)

On Oct. 14, 2022, Greek Olympic Medalist Alexandros Nikolaidis passed away at the young age of 42. Nikolaidis won two Olympic silvers: The first before a home audience at Athens 2004, and then again at Beijing 2008. He was named 2008 Greek Male Athlete of the Year. On March 24, 2008, Nikolaidis also had the honour of becoming the first torchbearer of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay, when the event began its journey around the world in Olympia, Greece.

He is sadly missed by all at World Taekwondo.

MANCHESTER, UK (Oct. 22, 2022)

Debut Appearances, Redemption, Feature on Day 3 in Manchester day 3

The final day of competition at the Manchester 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix saw more new faces joining the ranks of the elite, via shock wins.

In the M-80kg, the two Korean wild card entrants - respectively, the winner and runner-up of the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge at the Muju Taekwondowon - demonstrated the value of that event in accelerating the progress of new talent. Hwan Namgoong finished in Muju with silver and in Manchester with bronze - not bad for his debut appearance on the world stage.

Namgoong lost his semifinal to Italy’s Simone Alessio. The Italian, winner of both previous Grand Prix stops this year in Paris and Rome, then took on WT Grand Prix Challenge winner Geon-woo Seo of Team Korea in the final.

It would be a victorious international debut for the latter: The rookie Korean defeated the widely experienced Alessio decisively - in two rounds.

On his way to the final, Seo had also beaten Firas Katousi of Tunisia. In that semifinal finish, Katousi secured his secondGrand Prix bronze to go alongside the one he had won earlier this year in Paris.

Seo joins fellow Korean Tae-joon Park as the second rising star to achieve a surprise breakthrough following success in Muju in June. The Grand Prix Challenge is set to continue in 2023 and further upsets may well lie in store, as up-and-coming athletes surge up the talent pipeline to challenge the veterans.

The W+67kg competition would be a story of redemption for Germany Lorena’s Brandl. In the quarter final, Brandl had defeated home favourite, Great Britain’s Bianca Cook. In doing so, the German reversed the result of their previous encounter this year in Manchester, where the British athlete had won their final of the European Taekwondo Championships.

On her way to the gold, Brandl also defeated Poland’s twotime Grand Prix Winner Aleksandra Kowalczuk in the semifinal.

Brandl’s winning streak then continued in the final, as she took on France’s Althea Laurin and beat her over three rounds.

That was Laurin’s second Grand Prix silver of 2022, following success in Paris. Despite losing to Laurin in their respective semi, Lei Xu of China won bronze in her debut appearance in the series.

The last category of the evening and the event was the M+80kg, with the home crowd heavily behind Great Britain’s Caden Cunningham. Cunningham earned his place in the final with a closely fought victory against 2016 Olympic Champion Cheick Sallah Cisse of Côte d’Ivoire.

The final saw Cunningham take on Brazil’s Maicon Siqueira. Cunningham won the first round; Siqueira won the second. The contest would only be resolved in the last seconds, as Siqueira landed a body kick to win gold.

On his own path to the final, Siqueira had overcome Emre Kutalmis Atesli of Turkiye, winner of the opening 2022 Grand Prix in Rome.

With the conclusion of the Manchester Grand Prix, the scene is now set for the WT Grand Prix Final, set for December in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

MANCHESTER, UK (Oct. 23, 2022)

MANCHESTER, UK (Oct. 22, 2022)

Muju to Manchester: Wild Card’s Wild Ride Tae-joon

The day after his win in the M-58 kg category, where he defeated both the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion and the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist in his Grand Prix debut, Korea’s Tae-joon Park shared insights into his surprise rise.

“It’s incredible, because there were a lot of Olympians here,” said Park. “I am delighted.”

Still a high school student, Park secured a wild card entry to Manchester by winning the inaugural World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge held in June, at Muju Taekwondowon, Korea. Park had hoped to rise to the top of the sport - but had expected it would take years rather than weeks.

“Until the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge, I was thinking of LA 2028,” he said. “But now, it’s Paris 2024!”

Though he had previously competed at the Asian Taekwondo Championships, Park was quick to note the change in setting that athletes experience at the Grand Prix level.

“The night before my fight, I was watching the Para Taekwondo semifinals and finals with the lights and loud music, and I imagined myself competing in the final the next day,” he explained. “I have learned that the style of competition is quite different between domestic level and international level, and now will concentrate on the international level.”

The Grand Prix Challenge is a talent-pipeline event that allows rising athletes to accelerate through the ranks.

“In my category, there are three athletes of very high standard in Korea, and I was not selected to compete in this year’s World Championships,” Park said. “But by winning the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge, and

now a World Taekwondo Grand Prix event, hope I can earn the chance to represent my country next year at the World Championships and the year after at the Olympic Games.”

While Paris now appears to be a realistic prospect for the teenager, Park does not expect much to change on his return home. “I will go back to school the day after we arrive home, although I may have a small celebration for just one evening with some friends.”

As well as setting his sights on sporting glory, Park is focused on academic success. “In a couple of weeks’ time, I will have an entrance interview for Kyunghee University, where I hope to study economics,” he said. “I would like to win an Olympic gold medal and live without worries!”

Under Pressure is this Fighter’s Sweet Spot

Lorena Brandl

Lorena Brandl claimed a gold medal for Germany at the Manchester 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix - and reckons there is more precious metal to come.

Brandl’s journey to gold in the W+67kg competition in October was a path strewn with challenges as she was still recovering from an injury suffered at the European Taekwondo Championships in May.

“I was not yet 100 percent Lorena, and it wasn’t until June onwards, at the Grand Prix in Rome, that things started to get better,” said Brandl.

At the Grand Prix in both Rome and Paris, Brandl missed out on the medals, finishing fifth. But she was determined to go all the way.

“I just missed out on the medals, twice. But this showed me that there wasn’t much missing anymore until I would reach the next step!” she said. “Together with my coaches, we optimised our weekly plans. My goal was to finally achieve a medal!”

The arrival of Germany’s new national coach, Balazs Toth, was a positive influence alongside her club coach, Bernhard Bruckbauer, who has trained her since the beginning. “Balazs

Toth has helped me to improve even more,” Brandl said. “He has really worked out a good concept and has brought in new and helpful exercises.”

She had to overcome a familiar opponent in her Grand Prix battle in Manchester: GB’s Bianca Cook. But feeling physically fit and mentally strong, it was to be Brandl’s story of redemption. She let us into her mindset.

“It was just my day - I was so focused and mentally very stable! This was also my strength against Bianca. I wanted to finally win this fight against her, and knew I was ready for it. Of course, it was a very tough fight, but I was so focused and very well prepared thanks to Balazs and Bernhard.”

Brandl has also worked with Antje Heimsoeth, a mental coach, over the past two years to better learn how to cope with the psychological pressure of elite sport.

Germany’s Taekwondo star is now fully focused on her preparations for the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico.

She welcomes the added expectation for success. “Welcome to the world of pressure!” she said.

Picture by: Tatjana Scheidt/DTU

‘You should be Proud,’ Choue Tells Team Heads in Guadalajara

The World Taekwondo Championships Head of Team Meeting was held today in the Intercontinental Hotel in the host city of Guadalajara, Mexico.

“You should all be proud of yourselves!” WT President Chungwon Choue told the meeting as he laid out mulitple achievements.

Following Para Taekwondo’s debut in Tokyo 2020, the IPC raised the sport’s number of weight categories from six to 10 (evenly divided between five male, five female).

Touching on humanitarian matters, Choue noted that two refugee athletes are set to fight in Guadalajara. Moreover, WT has signed memoranda of understanding with the cities of Brussels, Paris and Rome to upgrade referee participation in the sport.

And eight IOC scholarships have been awarded to refugee Taekwondoin prepping for the upcoming 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Choue also touched on a new competitive format, the Grand Prix Challenge, designed to offer up-and-coming athletes an accelerated pipeline to elite-level competition. The format was pioneered in Muju, Korea, in June. The concept has been proven with Challenge winners earning medals at the year’s Grand Prix.

After Choue’s address, briefings were held to a hall packed with coaching staff from 120 participating countries in areas including medical preparations and rules and regulations, before the competition draw was held.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 12, 2022)

Mexican Players: ‘We are 200% Ready’

19th Century Meets 21st at PATU’s 1st Gala Dinner

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 12, 2022)

VIPs, officials, masters, coaches, athletes and referees gathered tonight in one of Guadalajara’s most iconic locations as the first-ever Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU) Gala Dinner got underway in the city.

The location was the courtyard of historic Hospicio Cabañas, which opened in 1803 as a combined almshouse, hospital and orphanage. The evening’s main MC, PATU President Juan Manuel Lopez, called it “majestic and emblematic” and he was not exaggerating: Hospicio Cabañas is not just grand and elegant, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. While World Taekwondo has been holding an annual Gala Dinner since 2014, this evening marked the first time a WT Continental Union has hosted a dedicated Gala Dinner event. It did not disappoint.

After attendees took their seats, the 21st century merged with the 19th as a digital sound-light-film show played across the courtyard’s neo-classical façade. A performance of traditional Taekwondo was delivered by members of the WT Demonstration Team, then the awards show got underway.

After the conclusion of the award show, attendees dined on Mexican fare, while being serenaded by a lively Mariachi band and dazzled by a troupe of folk dancers.

The evening drew to a prompt close at 10:00PM, in order to ensure the dignity and sanctity of the location. But an early night was appropriate for all, as the World Championships’ opening ceremony will be held on Sunday.

Mexico’s sports minister and two local athletes praised the opportunity the upcoming World Championships in Guadalajara offer, both for national Taekwondo development and for their chances on the mats.

“I am convinced that hosting this event will help us to develop Taekwondo here,” Mexican Sports Minister Ana Gabriela Guevara told a press conference in the venue, the Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano. “It is not a physical advantage, but it helps to have family and friends here.”

“More than an advantage, it’s a motivation,” said W-46kg competitor Amelia Espinosa. “It’s an inspiration for the kids, and though what we want to show them is important, we want them to feel it.”

“Of course, it helps to compete at home,” added Carlos Sansores, who is fighting in the M+87kg division. “It helps us as we have so many world and Olympic champions here to develop the level of the athletes.”

He added, “If we are ready for this competition 100 percent, with our family in the stands, we are ready 200 percent!”

Two categories were presented: Special Recognition Awards, and entries to the Hall of Fame. The focus was on persons who have contributed to the sport in the Americas.

“This is really a great moment,” said WT President Chungwon Choue – himself an awardee.

Choue recalled that the first-ever WT Gala Dinner was inaugurated on the sidelines of the 2014 Grand Prix Final in Mexico’s Queretaro.

He praised the Mexican federation for that initiative, as well as for hosting a wide range of top-tier events, including two Grand Prix Finals and two World Championships.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 14, 2022)

World Championships Ignite with Awesome Opening Ceremony

Guadalajara is the host, Mexico is the nation, and the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships is the event.

Taekwondo’s biggest battle fields 16 weight categories (eight male, eight female). By comparison, the Olympics has eight categories (four male, four female).

In Guadalajara, 715 athletes are registered. The matches will be overseen by 570 officials from WT’s 120 Member National Associations, or MNAs that are represented at the tourney alongside a refugee team.

The previous Worlds were held in Manchester, UK; the next will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2023. This year’s Worlds were set for 2021, but due to pandemic complications, were postponed to this year.

As is now normal practice at top-tier Taekwondo events, the referee corps for Guadalajara is evenly divided between men and women.

WT has tweaked competition rules and regulations since Tokyo 2020 – most notably, adopting a “best of three” rounds system - designed to ensure all fights are fast and furious. New penalties have also been added to encourage clean kicking techniques, and to ensure clinching is minimized.

‘Taekwontainment’ Meets Mexican Tradition

The championships were kicked off in thunderous style with a remarkable opening ceremony at the venue, the Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano, on the evening of Nov. 13.

At the entrance, a range of spectator engagement stalls had been set up, offering everything from BBQ meals to local souvenirs to haircuts. Over 5,000 spectators queued up to enter the venue well over an hour

before it began, filling the seating.

At 7:00PM sharp, the ceremony itself started with a fantasia. Amid billows of dry ice and flashing laser lights, a junior athlete showed off her Taekwondo and a duo of superheroes swung from the ceiling.

A Mexican Army detachment marched onto the field of play and unfurled a giant Mexican flag, and the national anthem was sung. After the national banner was furled and marched off, the World Taekwondo flag was marched on, to cheers. Then, the flags of participating nations were carried into the arena by athletes.

To nobody’s surprise, the last flag to be carried on –Mexico’s - won a 30-second ovation.

The athlete’s and referees’ oaths were read out before VIPs were introduced and WT President Chungwon Choue delivered his keynote.

Choue stressed how important the championships are as the 2024 Olympic cycle counts down.

“Guadalajara 2022 is one of the key milestones in your road to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” he said. “With new improved competition rules aimed at generating more excitement and action, believe that our participating athletes will deliver a truly memorable World Championships.”

Choue thanked Sport Minister Ana Guevara and Jalisco State Governor Enrique Alfaro for their support of the event. Mexican Taekwondo Federation President Francisco Raymundo was next to speak, followed by Guevara, then by Alfaro.

“The World Taekwondo Championships is once again in our country and is a source of pride for everyone,” Guevara said, adding that Taekwondo is “the world’s

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 13, 2022)

greatest sport discipline.”

After the speeches, the VIPs exited the stage, the flags were marched off, and the Taekwondo action that the crowd had come for got underway as the world’s greatest superkickers entered the arena.

In a cloud of splintered woodwork, the WT Demonstration Team – joined by members of the Mexican National Poomsae Squad - did not disappoint.

A flawless blend of coordinated group Poomsae, flips ‘n tricks and high-altitude breaks – including a gob-smacking 720-degree double helicopter kick – was presented.

Localized flavors were added to the show. Three vertical banners representing the tricolor of the national flag provided a backdrop for a funky folk dance-Taekwondo routine in Mexican national costumes.

This high-octane Taekwontainment won rapturous applause and standing ovations from different sections of the crowd.

A tribute was then paid to the venue’s heritage – watersports – with a display of laser-lit synchronized swimming in the pool. This aquatic action contrasted with a Cirque de Soleil-style acrobatic and dance performance, before a group of performers cable-slid down a zip wire from the pool’s high diving boards onto the field of play.

The ceremony ended in local style. A Mariachi band serenaded the arena with a selection of Mexico’s jauntiest tunes, while dancers in bright dresses whirled across the area’s floor, before being wire-lifted up to the rafters.

All stops were pulled out for a final kaleidoscope of color, motion and sound. Gymnasts flipped across the floor, divers plunged from the boards and the Demonstration Team marched on to wave the crowd goodbye.

And that was it for the opening ceremony of the Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships. Combat commences the day following.

First Golds of Guadalajara

-80kg

The final pitted Jon Cintado Arteche of Spain against Team Korea’s Woo-hyeok Park. It promised to be a scorcher between two very different warriors. Cintado Arteche is a physical bulldozer and a wicked spin kicker; Park is an incredibly mobile player with a vast arsenal of technique.

It was intense from the start, as both fighters attacked with venom. Park racked up two points with two punches; the crowd roared at the Spaniard’s spin kicks, which missed by a whisker. It ended 2-0 to Park.

In Round 2, Cintado Arteche had to fight forward, but it was Park who set the pace, kicking forward, putting his opponent on the back foot and taking the lead from the outset. In the final seconds, Cintado Arteche surged forward with jump spinning kicks, driving Park off the mats, but it ended 8-4 to the Korean. And with the best of three rounds in his pocket, it was gold to the Korean, silver to the Spaniard.

It was Asia all the way on Day 1 of the Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships, with two new champions from China and Korea being crowned.

Team China’s Zhongshi Luo won the W-57kg division while Team Korea’s Woo-hyeok Park won the M-80g category after a full day of fights at the Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano.

-57kg

Mehran Barkhordari of Iran – who had fought a sensational battle against Park in the semis – and consistent medalist Seif Eissa of Egypt went home with bronzes.

Day 2

Mexico Goes Loco as Home Hero, Belgium and Serbia Win

Day 1 of the 2022 World Championships delivered two golds for Asia, but the rest of the world struck back on Day 2, as brandnew world champions were crowned today from Belgium, Serbia and Mexico.

The second day in Guadalajara was a densely packed schedule, with not two, but three categories being contested at the Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano.

Sarah Chaari of Belgium won the W-62kg title, Mahdi Khodabakhshi of Serbia won the M-87kg category, and – to the delight of the crowd - Leslie Soltero of Mexico won the W-67kg division.

-62kg

The final pitted Sarah Chaari of Belgium against the entertaining and sure-footed Theopoula Sarvanaki of Greece.

Round 1 started at a fast pace, with both athletes firing off plentiful firepower.

Chaari had the height advantage, but Sarvanaki was fighting more cleanly, and Chaari’s grabs lost her the first.

Round 2 saw the Belgian go onto the attack, clawing back a lead after a scrappy fight - taking the match to the third.

Round 3 continued with Sarvanaki one point up for grabbing – then the Greek landed a textbook, out-of-nowhere round kick to Chaari’s jaw. Chaari had to fight back and suddenly it was all on:

Head kicks, body kicks, punches, grabs and falls at a whirlwind conclusion to the round. It ended 12-7 to Chaari.

Not only did the ferocity of the fight win an especially loud round of applause from the crowd, but a piece of Taekwondo history was written.

Chaari is the first-ever fighter to win golds at both Junior and Senior World Championships in the same year. The Belgian, who moved up to the senior division this year, had previously won gold in the Junior Worlds in Sofia in August.

Bronzes were won by Aaliyah Powell of GB and Feruza Sadikova of Uzbekistan.

-87kg

The final in this highly competitive category saw China’s Mingkuan Meng do battle against Mahdi Khodabakhshi of Serbia.

Taekwondo fans will remember Khodabakhshi – at 31, nine years older than his opponent – as a mainstay of Team Iran.

Now, having married a Serb, he has joined Coach Dragan Jovic’s world-beating Team Serbia.

As Round 1 got underway, the Serb landed a punch for a point and several kicks to the body – which did not register. Meng is deadly dangerous with his multiple-angled head kicks, but Khodabakhshi is hugely experienced and weaved out of trouble, taking the first round with a single point.

The Chinese came back, fast, early in Round 2, winning three points for a body kick and a tumble – but then the Serb got back on his feet, landed a head kick and it was 3-3. The seconds counted down in a series of kicks, clinches and falls but Khodabakhshi kept his cool and Round 2 ended 5-4 - so gold for the Serb.

It as a vintage performance by a veteran of the game against a serious challenge from Meng, who won well-deserved silver.

Guadalajara is Khodabakhshi’s second world title - having previously won at Chelyabinsk, for Iran, in 2015.

Nikita Rafalovich of Uzbekistan and Bryan Salazar of Mexico had to be satisfied with bronzes.

-67kg

The last final of the night pitched hometown girl Leslie Soltero against the second Serb to reach the evening’s finals, Aleksandra Perisic.

Things started at a heated pace. The Mexican won three points after her coach called a review for a head kick, going 3-2 up, before the fight went ballistic. Round 1 ended with a very tightly contested 6-5 score to Soltero – drawing chants of “Mexico” from the crowd and appreciative tunes from a Mariachi band in the stands.

Round 2 got underway with three points for a head kick for the Mexican - then another three points then a head kick from the Serb won three points: even all. In the last seconds, Perisic scored to the body, taking Round 2 – and taking the match to Round 3.

In Round 3 the combat was so intense it was impossible to keep track of the points. It ended in Soltero’s favor. The crowd went wild at the victory, as Soltero – and senior officials of Team Mexico in the VIP stands – wept literal tears of joy.

Cecilia Castro Burgos of Spain and Milena Titoneli of Brazil went home with bronzes.

GUADALAJARA Mexico (Nov. 15, 2022)

Day 3

Day 3 Delivers Golds to Korea and Mexico

Saudi Arabia wins first-ever women’s WT Championships medal

GUADALAJARA Mexico (Nov. 16, 2022)

Day 3 of the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships delivered golds to Daniela Paola Souza of Mexico and Do-yun Kwon of Korea. That put both nations at the top of the medal tables in Guadalajara with two golds per piece, on just the third day of the contest. Two categories were contested at the Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano tonight: M-68kg and W-49kg.

-49kg

The final pitched China’s Qing Guo against hometown favorite Daniela Paola Souza. In the semis, Guo had won with a firstround KO, but Souza had won a fraught semifinal fight in extraordinary style – coming back from behind with a jumping, spinning round kick to the head in the fight’s last second.

As battle commenced, Guo had the height and leg-length advantage; Souza looked more mobile. It was 1-1 before Souza landed with a head kick, taking the board to 4-1. She sacrificed two points for running and falling, but won Round 1, 4-3.

Souza started 2-1 up, but Guo landed to the head, followed by a tumble: 4-2 to the Chinese fighter, Souza equalized with a body kick, 4-4. Souza was penalized for grabbing, then ate a head kick. After a last-seconds blitz of spinning kicks from Souza, Round 2 ended 8-4 to Guo.

So: The third would be the decider.

Buoyed by a roaring crowd, Souza moved decisively in Round 3. She went ahead with a combination of points, including a textbook high kick, for an 8-0 lead. In the final seconds, Guo went all out, forcing Souza to backpedal and tumble, but it ended 8-2, and gold for Souza – with a delighted crowd going ballistic.

Bronzes went to Panipak Wongpattanakit of Thailand and Dunya ali m Abutaleb of Saudi Arabia.

The latter was knocked out in the first round of her semifinal, but nevertheless recovered for the medal ceremony. With a bronze in hand, she became the first female athlete from Saudi Arabia to win a medal in any top-tier WT championship.

-68kg

The category final saw defending World Champion Bradly Sinden of Great Britain go head to head with Korea’s Do-yun Kwon. Both men started fast, fighting for advantage on the FOP. Kwon lost a point for grabbing, but landed a body shot to go 2-1 before losing another Gam-jeom and being kicked out of the area. However, he grabbed three points with a head kick, so: First Round to Kwon.

Round 2 continued with Kwon being penalized for grabbing as Sinden pressured him on the perimeter – but again, he clawed back the lead with a body kick, going 2-1 up. Kwon was again thrust out, taking the board to 2-2, then Kwon snapped an oblique kick to the body, going 4-2. A fast head kick and a fall by Kwon shifted the board to 7-3 in the Korean’s favor. The last seconds were all action, but the defending champ was unable to capture a lead and it ended decisively, with a 10-7 victory for Kwon in the second round.

Reza Kalhor of Iran – who had fought a truly epic battle against Sinden in the semis – and Javad Aghayev of Azerbaijan won bronzes.

Gold Rush for Mexico, Spain and Uzbekistan

Day 4 of the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships today delivered gold to Spain, Uzbekistan and Mexico.

After a packed day of action on five fields of play, the categories contested in the evening at the Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano tonight were M-74g, W+73kg and M+87kg.

Clearly, the host country is on a roll in Guadalajara. As of Day 4, Team Mexico leads the field with three gold medals.

+73kg -74kg

The final pitted Dana Azran of Israel against Svetlana Osipova of Uzbekistan.

In the first, the Uzbek went one up for a fall, before the Israeli equalized with a punch, then landed a body kick. The pace accelerated and both fighters landed to the torso, taking the board to 3-3. The round ended with a win for Azran on superiority.

In Round 2, both fighters lit up the scoreboard in a good, clean fight with minimal clinching or refereering and plentiful bootwork. The Uzbek drew ahead, 4-2, 6-4 and 6-5, taking the fight to the third round.

The final was a faceoff between Edival Pontes of Brazil and Daniel Quesada Barrera of Spain.

Round 1 started with both men fighting cleanly with textbook techniques – round, ax and back kicks – but it was the Spaniard whose rangefinder locked on, as he connected with body kicks, taking the round, 5-1.

In the second, Pontes opened the scoring with a jump spin ning back kick for four points. Quesada Barrera struck with a body kick for two. Then it started to fall apart for Pontes. A risky jump ing spinning heel kick saw him visit the mats and the board went to 4-3. Then the Spaniard drew ahead, 5-4, fighting with more

Round 3 proved anti-climactic with both players fighting hard, but not scoring. The match went to superiority, granting gold to Osipova and silver to Azran.

Bronzes were won by Lorena Brandl of Germany and Marlene Jahl of Austria.

The most thunderous roars yet heard in the competition venue sounded as local hero Carlos Sansores strode into the arena to take on Ivan Garcia Martinez of Spain in the final. Both men went to work with Sansores looked heavier on his feet - until he suddenly connected with a cobra-fast frontfoot round kick to the head for three points. Then, he landed a body kick, and in a complex tumble, Garcia Martinez connected to Sansores’ head, but fell. The Mexican took Round 1, 6-3. Round 2 continued with both fighters fighting hard but not scoring. In the final ten seconds Sansores again unleashed his patented, flicking round kick to the head for three points. Garcia Martinez launched a desperate last-seconds offensive but it was too late: Gold for Mexico in the second.

Needless to say, the crowd were beyond ecstatic. It would later take Sansores hours to leave the venue, due to the press of fans demanding authographs and selfies.

Bronzes were won by Sajjad Mardani of Iran and Zhaoxiang

GUADALAJARA Mexico (Nov. 17, 2022)

Day 5 of the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships saw gold medals slung around American and Chinese necks.

The categories contested at Guadalajara’s Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano were the W-53kg and the M-63kg. Both fights went down to the final seconds. And the final seconds of the women’s fight - arguably the most dramatic of this championships so far – will be one that pundits will rewatching for years.

-53kg

down to business. Round 1 was an equal fight that ended on superiority to Greenwood. In Round 2, Zuo swiftly landed to the head, then both fighters went down in a tumble. The Ameri can put the pressure on, and Zuo lost a point for grabbing, but ended 4-1 up, taking the final to the third round.

Round 3 would end in extraordinary style.

Day 5 Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships

As the fight got going, Zuo again landed to the head; Green wood responded with her stabbing side kick. The pressure told, and Zuo lost two Gam-jeoms for a fall and an exit from the mats. Fraught stuff. As the match counted down, it was 5-2 to Zuo, who then suffered a Gam-jeom, taking the board to 5-3.

Less than three seconds remained on the clock. Consider able action and drama would be packed into those seconds.

Greenwood struck with a kick to the body: 5-5. As she ex ulted, the award of a Gam-jeom to Zuo took the board to 6-5. Zuo’s coach looked gutted as another two points were added: Technical points for Greenwood’s blow to Zuo’s body, which had been a spin.

There was less than a second left to play and it was playedbut it ended 8-5 to the delighted American.

“I had been training her to fight down to the very last second, and that is what she did!” said her coach, Paul Green.

Tijana Bogdanovic of Serbia and Ivana Duvancic of Croatia went home with bronzes.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 18, 2022)

Hungary and Serbia Score on Day 6 in Guadalajara

The Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships crowned two new world champions today, from Serbia and Hungary.

On Day 6 of this seven-day tournament, the W-73kg and the M-54kg world titles were up for grabs in Guadalajara’s Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano. But before the action got underway, a special ceremony was held on the field of play.

It was “adios” from legendary Mexican fighter Maria “Fist of Fury” Espinoza. The triple Olympic medalist and former world champion received a special award to mark her retirement.

-73kg

This weight class saw current World Champion Da-bin Lee of Korea – who in her earlier fights looked relaxed, professional and very dangerous with her ax kick – defend her title against Nadica Bozanic of Serbia.

Lee has superb flexibility and she tried to land her ax kick from the get-go. But it was the Serbian, aiming more conservative kicks at the body, who started landing first, going 3-1 up. The Korean spin kicked to the head and fell, in what would become a trend throughout the fight. Round 1 ended 12-7 to the Serbian challenger.

Round 2 started with head kicks flying before Lee landed and

-54kg

The final in this category saw hometown hero Cesar Rodriguez take on Omar Salim of Hungary. Rodriguez is a fighter’s fighter, boasting endless stamina and a firework display of technique. But he had fought an ultra-tough battle in the semis against Korea’s Jun-seo Bae, that must have sapped his energy.

Salim, by contrast, is a stylish proponent of flamboyant technique, who had had an easier fight in the semis.

Round 1 started fast. Salim has a world-class punch, which opened the scoring. Then the Hungarian enlisted his head kickand with his target radar locked on, lit up the board with lightning techniques - and looked relaxed and stylish doing it: Talk about peaking at a final!

Round one ended 14-3 to Salim.

In the second, Salim opened fire with his long, high ax kick.

His arsenal mixes punches and stabbing side kicks, with close-in round kicks and an arcing ax kick fired from a loose, low stance. Rodriguez seemed unable to get into gear, or to penetrate Salim’s defense. Comfortably ahead on the board, Salim spent the last seconds retreating – and was penalized for it - but it ended 11-9 in Round 2.

It was a brilliant win for the Hungarian, while the crowd were offered a superb display of top-tier Taekwondo.

In a nice WT family coincidence, Salim’s coach and father, Gergely, had won the world title at Athens in 1991 at 19 - the same age his son grabbed gold in Guadalajara.

Bae – who had battled Rodriguez in possibly the most action-packed bout of these championships – and Po-yen Chen of Chinese Taipei won bronzes.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 19, 2022)

-58kg

Croatia and Italy Grab Golds on Guadalajara’s Last Day

GUADALAJARA Mexico (Nov. 20, 2022)

On its seventh and final day, the Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships gave out its last titles to Lena Stojkovic of Croatia and Vito Dell’Aquila of Italy.

On Day 7 of this seven-day tournament, the M-58kg and the W-46kg world titles were contested in the Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano.

-46kg

The final was a showdown between 2019 World pionships Bronze Medalist Rukiye Yildirim of Turkiye current European Champion Lena Stojkovic of Croa tia. Round 1 started with a high work rate from both letes, clean play, minimal clinchwork and the refer ee having little to do - but no points on the board. Suddenly, the Croat found the range. After landing a punch, she scored with two trunk kicks, ending the round 5-0.

As the second got underway, the Croat’s cutting kick put her two points up, then she added more rounds to the board before switching to the high line: A head kick connected as she sought to cement her unassailable lead. It was 10-0 with 35 seconds left to play. The Turk had to fire all guns – and did. Faced with this explosion, Stojkovic visited the mats, and was forced to backpedal off them. But a Turkish high kick IVR was fruitless and despite a spirited offensive in the last second, it ended with a comfortable win to the Croat, 10-5.

Andrea Ramirez Vargas of Colombia and Ying-hsuan Hwang of Chinese Taipei took the bronzes.

The final pitted Tokyo 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist Dell’Aquila of Italy against defending World Champion Jun Jang of Korea. Serenaded by a Mariachi band, battle commenced.

The Italian took the lead from the start, wielding both a stabbing side kick to the body and a very long round kick to the head. The bout closed to a clinch-and-kick game with the Italian holding his lead. But Jang did what he needed to. As the clock ticked down the action went ballistic and Round 1 ended with a razor tight 12-11 victory for the Korean.

In the second, Dell’Aquila scored the first four points but Jang’s from-nowhere arcing ax kick to the head bought him up on the board. But from then on, it all went Dell’Aquilla’s way as he unleashed from all angles, sending the score soaring. Jang – perhaps conserving energy for the decider, Round 3 – played defense. In ended 13-4 to the Italian.

The final round got underway with Dell’Aquilla burying his punch for a point, before Jang landed to the body, going 2-1

up, then 3-1 up as the Italian was penalized for grabbing. But he returned fire, going 5-3, then 6-3 up. Jang slowed at mid-round - Dell’Aquilla accelerated taking the score to 10-4 with 27 seconds remaining. Jang needed to attack - but it was Dell’Aquilla who landed a blindingly quick round kick to Jang’s head with just 20 seconds remaining. That appeared to knock the fight out of Jang who failed to unleash the last-second blitzkrieg the situation demanded.

Round 3 ended 13-6, and the world title changed hands, from Korea to Italy.

of Tunisia won bronzes.

And that fight ended the Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships.

Unusually, the winners in Guadalajara will have to defend their titles earlier than would usually be the case, at the Baku 2023 World Taekwondo Championships next year. The short time between the two events is a result of the pandemic, which pushed the 2021 tournament back a year, to 2022.

Brandon Plaza Hernandez of Mexico and Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi

Serbian, Mexican Named MVPs

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 20, 2022)

Seven days of elite-level Taekwondo wrapped up today in Guadalajara, with MVPs named, the medal table collated and two new faces added to WT’s key athlete communication channel. With the final match fought, athletes, coaching staff, referees and volunteers mobbed the field of play for handshakes, back slaps and selfies, while the closing ceremony named the Guadalajara 2022 World Championship MVPs and special awardees. They were:

Most Valuable Player Men: Mahdi Khodabakhshi (Serbia) M-87kg

Most Valuable Player Women: Daniela Paola Souza (Mexico) W-49kg

Best Male Team Coach: Hye-ri Oh (Korea)

Best Female Team Coach: Alfonso Victoria (Mexico)

Best Male Referee: Mohamed Adel (Egypt)

Best Female Referee: Soo-kyung Park (Korea)

Active Participation Award: Australia

Fighting Spirit Award: Japan

In terms of the championships’ overall results, Korea came out top in the men’s division while the host nation led the women’s division. The Top 5 medal standings of the Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships were:

With MVPs awarded, a cloud of silver glitter exploded, and a Mariachi band – a musical format native to Guadalajara – struck up. The closing ceremony ended with the World Championships flag being passed from Guadalajara, Mexico, to Baku, Azerbaijan – host of the 2023 event.

In business conducted earlier in the day, Belgium’s Jaouad Achab and Brazil’s Valeria Santos joined the World Taekwondo Athletes’ Committee. The committee has six members, but with two members’ terms having expired, a vote took place on the sidelines of the championships to fill the slots. To ensure the widest possible plebiscite, voting took place at the weigh-ins.

After the votes were counted, the new members were officially welcomed to the committee by WT Secretary General Jeongkang Seo.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to bring the athletes’ voice to help develop the sport,” said Achab. “My only motivation is to deliver.”

“I have been on the Brazilian Federation’s Athletes’ Committee and so now I hope to do more on the World Taekwondo Athletes Committee,” added Santos. “I am sure me and Jaouad can do great things together.”

1. Mexico 2. China. 3. Serbia.

4. Croatia. 5. Uzbekistan

1. Korea 2. Spain 3. Mexico

4. China. 5 Serbia

From Hyper-Active Child to World Champ

against Park’s agility, activity and reach advantage.

Park used his punch to stem the Spaniard’s attacks and trusted to his vision and reactions to evade the spinning kicks. Park also pre-empted his opponent’s attack with attacks of his own – notably, his front-leg chopping kick – while his footwork danced him out of danger on the perimeter of the mats.

Asked how he felt having gold slung around his neck, his answer illustrated that – even for a natural like Park – Taekwondo is a tough path.

“I thought it was the reward after all that time since started Taekwondo,” said Park, who specialized in the sport at both high school and university. “Training was often hard, was not easy, but finally got a reward.”

Woo-hyeok Park

It was the parental plan that failed.

Seven-year old Woo-hyeok Park was a hyper-active infant growing up in Korea’s mountain city of Wonju. His parents, frustrated at his inability to concentrate, sent him to Taekwondo classes hoping he would calm down and learn to focus.

“It didn’t work!” said Park, now 22, who admits he is still hyper-active to this day.

But the quality that frustrated his parents worked to his advantage on Nov. 14. That night, on the field of play in Guadalajara’s Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano, Park grabbed gold in the

finals of the M-80kg category – for he is a hyper-active fighter. There is no waiting around, no standing off and none of the probing, tactical game other fighters play. With Park, it’s all action.

He has some of the liveliest, most stylish footwork in the game, carrying him around the mats with pantherish agility. Combine that with an arsenal of clean, stand-off technique, spearheaded by a front-leg ax kick - all built on a tall, leggy platform - and you have a weapons-grade Taekwondo fighter.

An instinctive fighter, too. In the semi and final matches, Park found himself facing athletes he had not planned for. He and

his coaches had been anticipating Jordan’s Saleh El-Sharabaty – eliminated in the prelims – or Egypt’s Seif Eissa – who took bronze.

That meant Park had to trust his inner radar, his fight IQ. It was enough.

In the semis, he held off a stern challenge from Iranian Mehran Barkhordari. So furious was their battle that even senior WT officials in the VIP stand were roaring.

And the final did not disappoint. It pitted the bulldozer physique and wicked spinning kicks of Spain’s Jon Cintado Arteche

Guadalajara gold is the biggest win of his career. Prior to that, the 22-year-old’s best efforts at the senior, elite level of the sport had yielded bronze at the Manchester Worlds in 2019, and another bronze at 2022’s Roma Grand Prix.

Adding to the sweetness in Guadalajara, Park grabbed victory in a category no Korean had won since the Edmonton Worlds in 1999. That fact was picked up on and widely reported by the delighted Korean press.

“It was a real honor to read that, and to know I had made it,” he said.

It is a tough category due to the weight and size advantage European, Pan-American and African fighters have over their Asian peers, Park reckons.

“At around 80kgs, the height and muscle and power is very difficult for us,” he said. “Normally, Asians are a bit smaller.”

Still, Park vows that there will be more Korean victories in the category to come. “I want to write a new history,” he said. “I want to do even better.”

That means Paris 2024 - and the grueling qualification marathon through the end of 2022 and into 2023. Aiding him in that journey should be the position he will take up on the elite Samsung Taekwondo squad next year.

All this raises an interesting question.

Like other teams in the post-Tokyo 2020 cycle, Team Korea is in a state of flux: Old hands are leaving, new blood is arriving. And of the Korean veterans who have exited the game, the one who leaves the biggest hole is Dae-hoon Lee.

In addition to a truck full of medals, Lee won more WT “Player of the Year” awards than any other fighter, male or female. Off the mats, he was universally liked for his friendly, easy-going personality. On them, he was admired for his relentless stamina, hard-hitting power and flawless technique.

So: Could Woo-hyeok Park be the new Dae-hoon Lee?

Park’s on-mat skills are crystal clear. Off the mats, he is relaxed and friendly, signing autographs for and taking photographs with the fans.

But Park brushes off the comparison. “I really respect Daehoon, so I cannot be an alternative to him,” he said. OK, then. So who inspires him in today’s Taekwondo? Park smiles. “I like myself!” he said.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 15, 2022)

Fighting in the Silence

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 16, 2022)

As Leslie Soltero strode onto the field of play on the night of Nov. 15 for the fight of her life, the noise was thunderous.

In the electric ambience of Guadalajara’s Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano, a stoked crowd chanted “Mexico, Mexico,” interspersed with “Leslie, Leslie,” while a Mariachi band on the second floor of the stands added to the cacophony.

This was aural “home town advantage” to the max. Soltero, however, closed her ears and blanked it all out.

“Too many times get lost with other things - the noise, the referee, the people,” Soltero said. “This time I stayed focused; this was the key to win.”

She admits to being anxious before battle. Soltero had prepared for the bout by practicing breathing drills: Deep breath in, explosive breath out.

That psychological/physiological preparation was critical given what was at stake. Though she has a multiplicity of PanAm and Open wins under her black belt, prior to Guadalajara, her biggest win at the sport’s elite level had been a bronze at this year’s Paris Grand Prix.

Now, one woman stood between Soltero and the world title in the W-67kg category: Team Serbia’s Aleksandra Perisic. From the

start, their battle would be one of rare fervor.

After losing the first two points, Soltero seized three points with a head kick, then the round went ballistic. Round 1 ended with a very tightly contested 6-5 score to Soltero. The crowd was ecstatic. If she would take Round 2, it would be game over.

The second round got underway with another head kick from Soltero, swiftly countered with a head kick from the Serb: Tied score. Then, in the dying seconds, Perisic scored to the body, keeping herself in the game – meaning all was to play for in Round 3.

It was intense. The battle accelerated the previous trends of the bout – kicks impacting on all targets, hard falls, high-tension instant video replays - but when the smoke cleared, Soltero was ahead.

The crowd went wild. Both Soltero – and members of Team Mexico in the VIP stands – wept literal tears of joy as she ran a victory circle with a flag held over her head.

“I was world champion! I had obtained it!” she said. “I was crying because I could not believe it - crying was like breathing after a fight, like a relief.”

Explosive relief. Over three rounds, Soltero had managed to

fight in silence: She had retained a deep mental focus with just one blip.

“Only one time, during an instant video replay, heard all the people shouting ‘Leslie! Leslie!’” she said. “The rest of the time, I was not listening.”

Soltero was lured to the game at a very early age.

“I went to a multi-sports camp in summer 2008,” recalled the native of Mexicall, in northern Mexico. “I only liked Taekwondo, so chose that.”

Fourteen years later, nothing has changed.

“Taekwondo is my passion, feel happy even with training every day - even if have pain, I enjoy it,” she said. “I enjoy fighting with my friends, enjoy everything about Taekwondo, including the physical training.”

That is fortunate, as there will be no vacation after winning the world title: Hard work lies ahead.

“I will keep training because don’t know if will go to the Grand Prix Final in Saudi,” she said. “If I go, I need to train. If not, I will also train - but not too hard!”

Due to the way the aftermath of COVID-19 has compressed World Taekwondo’s event schedule, there will be another World

Championships next year, in 2023. Then it is the big one: The 2024 Summer Olympics.

“I want to be an Olympic champion in Paris 2024 - that is the next call,” she said. “But before that, we have another World Championship next year, and we have the PanAm Games. But the biggest goal is the Olympics.”

On the path to Paris, Soltero is well positioned when it comes to support.

In addition to the full backing of her family, she credits her coach David Davis for much of her success.

“I started with him two years ago and from the start, I liked his way to work,” she said. “He has a plan - it is not improvisation.”

And beyond her family and coaching team is a wider support network – a national one. Even if she does not hear their chants and shouts when she is fighting, she borrows their power.

“Mexico is a beautiful country, because if you win, all Mexico wins, they all feel it,” she said. “They give me my energy.”

Using intense mental focus, Mexican champ blanks out the noise, focuses on the fight

Leslie Soltero Mexico

1 Man, 2 Countries, 2 World Titles

On the night of Nov. 15, Mahdi Khodabakhshi pulled off a unique feat: He became the first Taekwondo athlete to win two world championship titles for two different countries.

He also proved that old can win gold. In the final, the 31-year-old ex-Iranian international and newly minted Serbian citizen beat an opponent nine years his junior. In so doing, he became Team Serbia’s first-ever male world champion.

More? All this was achieved by an athlete coming back from a long break from elite-level competition, and was in recovery from knee surgery undertaken at the start of the year.

To top if off, he earned a brand-new nickname, coined by Team Serbia’s legendary coach Dragan Jovic: “The Serbian Porsche.”

“He sent me the Sia song ‘Unstoppable’ and said, ‘Listen to this music,’” Khodabakhshi recalled the morning after his victory. “He called me ‘a Porsche with no brakes!’”

Fans of the game will recognize Khodabakhshi immediately. His trophy cabinet is packed with a 2015 World Championship title, three Grand Prix golds and a host of open medals. A mainstay on Team Iran for years, he was noted for his tactical mastery, athletic physique and good looks.

But between 2017 and 2020, the man who had been winning medals by the ton between 2014 and 2016 virtually dropped off the Taekwondo radar. Why? Love.

The Iranian won the heart of Serbian Taekwondo athlete Tanja Tanackovic; the two married in 2019. That led to Khodabakhshi’s relocation from Iran to Serbia; the bureaucratic process of gaining new citizenship; and adapting to life in a new society.

“I changed country and had really hard days to adapt to the life, the culture, the country,” he said. “It was a new adventure, but step by step, it got better.”

There was also a tragic issue to manage: The declining health of Tanackovic’s mother, suffering from a serious cancer. However, there was a major plus in relocating to Serbia’s capital, Belgrade: The opportunity to train at one of the premier dojangs on earth. Jovic’s Galeb (“Seagull”) gym is a factory of champions that has churned out a galaxy of stars including double Olympic Gold Medalist Milica Mandic and Olympic Silver Medalist Tijana Bogdanovic.

“I was surprised to see Madhi when he arrived in Serbia,” said Jovic – but was unsure if Khodabakhshi was still on top form. “His last time in competition was two or three years previous, and his age was high to compete.”

Moreover, there was a question over whether Khodabakhshi would fit into Galeb. “He was a big star,” Jovic said. “But we had other big stars.”

In the event, the two men gelled. “We found we had chemistry,” Jovic said. “He felt at home, and we believed we could do something big.”

After clearing all necessary matters with the Iranian federation, Jovic took Khodabakhshi under his wing and he began fighting for Team Serbia.

In 2020, he won gold at the Sofia Open and in 2021, took silver at the European Championships. Then - disaster. In October 2021 he suffered a knee tear at the Albania Open, and underwent sur gery at the beginning of 2022.

Rehab lasted six months. Training began in August, then he was back fighting in European Opens – Albania, Montenegro and Slovenia, where he got silver.

“I want to thank all my coaches and therapists who helped me come back as fast as I can,” he said. “It was incredible.”

Arriving in Guadalajara, he made a point of reconnecting with his former Iranian team mates.

“Before the matches I went to their hotel, said welcome and said hi” he said. “I always respect Iran and they always respect me.”

His preliminary fight against Iran was “a really friendly match” he said.

So which world title was more satisfying: Chelyabinsk 2015 or Guadalajara 2022?

“This one!” Khodabakhshi said. “I was looking for a big event to show myself that I am still the best - that I can still do it.”

Looking forward, he wants to do the same thing on the only stage higher than the world championships. After failing to medal in Rio, and not appearing in Tokyo, his sights are set on Paris 2024.

“Still, have the motivation!” Khodabakhshi said. “I am always hungry to take medals, will soon forget about this medal - there is so much more to come.”

To qualify directly, he needs to be in the top six. His current Olympic ranking is in the 50s, but with the Guadalajara points he expects to enter the Top 10.

His coach reckons anything is possible. “He is a special person,” said Jovic. “With a Porsche, you only need to add a little petrol, and it is on a winning way.”

Regardless of what happens in 2024, the vast experience Khodabakhshi - who has been fighting at the elite level since 2011 - has amassed will remain inside the game.

“I’d like to become a coach and share the experience that I have with the new generation,” he said. “I can help and improve Taekwondo.”

1 Year, 2 World Titles

World Taekwondo officials are in awe at Chaari’s achievement.

“It’s amazing that she went from juniors to seniors,” said Songchul Kim, who heads the WT Technical Commission. “I really liked her style, she did not give up, she had a big heart, she continued

“It’s great to see young talent coming up,” Kim added. However, unless there is a return of truly extraordinary global circumstances, Chaari’s historic feat can

“It is odd years for senior world championships, even years for junior world championships,” said Jay Lee, who heads up WT’s Sport Department. “But because of COVID, our event schedule changed.”

Of her two wins, Guadalajara outshines

“Seniors is the way to go to the Olympics, it is more important than the juniors,” she said. “The girls are stronger.”

Chaari should know. She tried a range of sports from a young age, but it was Taekwondo that captured her heart and she stepped onto the mats early.

“I have been fighting since I was a cadet – was like, 12 – and from this time I always wanted to win big competitions,” she said. “As became older, the goals grew bigger.”

Physically, she boasts a long and leggy physique. Technically, she has honed her arsenal.

“I like the push kick and the back leg round kick,” she said. “Clinching is a strong side for me - get points - but it is very tiring.”

Physical and technical preparation is an issue as Chaari juggles the training of an elite-level athlete with her school commitments.

“I go to school in the morning and in the evening go to training,” she said. “I try to manage my time.”

Unsurprisingly, she does not have any other hobbies or special interests: “My free time is mostly Taekwondo.”

Still, the upside is obvious: “I am still young and have so many years,” she said.

Looking ahead, a busy season is looming. She intends to defend her title at next year’s World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and - naturally - hopes to quality for Paris 2024.

These are towering ambitions for – it bears repeating – a 17-year-old school girl. But despite the plaudits that have been heaped upon her, she remains grounded.

“I don’t feel like a star, am just a girl who likes to follow her dream to be a big champion,” she said. “That’s it.”

Some teens sit at home, eat donuts and play video games. Some teens have higher ambitions.

Sarah Chaari is in the latter category.

The 17-year-old from Charleroi, Belgium, pulled off an achievement unique in Taekwondo history: In 2022 she has won both junior and senior world championship titles. She managed the first half of that feat in Sofia, Bulgaria, at the World Juniors in August. She pulled off the second half at the World Seniors in Guadalajara’s Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano on the night of Nov. 15.

The final of the W-62kg pitted the schoolgirl against the entertaining and sure-footed Theopoula Sarvanaki of Greece.

Round 1 started at a fast pace, with both athletes firing off plentiful firepower. Chaari had the height advantage, but Sarvanaki was fighting more cleanly, and Chaari’s grabs lost her the first.

Round 2 saw the Belgian go onto the attack, clawing back a

lead after a scrappy fight - taking the match to the third.

Round 3 continued in the same messy style with Sarvanaki one point up for grabbing – then the Greek landed a textbook, out-ofnowhere round kick to Chaari’s jaw.

Chaari had to fight back - and suddenly it was all on. Head kicks, body kicks, punches, grabs and falls provided a whirlwind conclusion to the match. When the smoke cleared, the board read 12-7 to Chaari.

The ferocity of the fight earned an especially loud round of applause from the crowd.

“It was incredible!” Chaari said. “I was really happy, really proud, but could not believe was getting a medal.”

Asked if she had expected to medal in Guadalajara, she answered, “Not at all! I came here to enjoy and to do my first world championships at senior level. I expected to win one or two matches – but that is all!”

Sarah Chaari Belgium

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 18, 2022)

Hard to Hit

Daniel Quesada Barrera Spain

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 19, 2022)

Taekwondo’s iconic jumping and spinning kicks are a joy to behold, but though they may electrify the crowd and score the big points, they are high-risk techniques to execute in combat. Case in point? The final of the M-74kg category in Guadalajara, where Edival Pontes of Brazil faced off against Daniel Quesada Barrera of Spain.

Round 1 started with both men fighting cleanly with textbook techniques – round, ax and back kicks – but it was the Spaniard whose rangefinder locked on, as he connected with body kicks, taking the round, 5-1.

In the second, Pontes opened the scoring with a jump spinning back kick to Quesada Barrera’s torso for four points. Tremendous technique – but Quesada Barrera swiftly struck back with a body kick for two points.

Then, it all started to fall apart for Pontes.

A jumping spinning heel kick saw the Brazilian visit the mats and the board went to 4-3. Then the Spaniard drew ahead, 5-4, fighting with more conservative, but accurate kicks. The Brazilian continued unleashing flamboyant moves, but was failing to connect. The round ended 8-4 to the Spanish fighter.

And with Quesada Barrera Spanish having won Round 1, victory in the second meant it was game over: gold for Spain. For Quesada Barrera, the fight had gone according to plan. “I’d fought with him in Paris and I see him in a lot of the Grand Prix so I had a clear idea of what I had to do in the fight,” he said. That “clear idea” was distancing.

“The strategy was to take a short distance with him, as he is faster at the long-distance game,” Quesada Barrera said. “I am stronger in the short range.” It worked.

“There was only one kick that landed on me, in the second round,” he said. “For me, it was safer to do the conservative actions, and not to have errors or falls.”

So, did the Brazilian lose - or did the Spaniard win?

“I won the fight!” Quesada Barrera said, emphatically. The no-nonsense, professional style in which he won the 2022 World Championship title seems in line with Quesada Barrera’s overall approach.

The 27-year-old from Barcelona is, this year, celebrating his second decade in the sport. As a seven-year-old, he took up Taekwondo to emulate his elder brother, a practitioner. He has never looked back.

In addition to his all-new world title, his mantelpiece groans under the weight of medals from the Grand Prix, the Presidents Cup - Europe, European championships and multiple opens.

As an athlete, Quesada Barrera reckons he has as even balance of speed and strength. On the technical front, he said, “I like the simple techniques, like the 45-degree kick.”

When it comes to working – or rather, working out - Quesada Barrera is well positioned. He resides in a sport training center in Madrid and praises the Spanish Taekwondo Federation for its professionalism for Guadalajara.

“We are at 1,600 meters in Guadalajara, so we pre-trained in the mountains in Spain as a conditioning strategy,” he revealed. “The altitude was something that other teams had not prepared for.” Unlike many athletes in Mexico, he is not thinking about Paris 2024. Instead, his focus is on December’s Grand Prix Final in Riyadh.

“I always think of the competitions which are a short time ahead - I focus on the present, I live in the present,” he said. “I don’t think more than two months ahead and don’t stress about the future.”

In his spare time, he plays Football and Paddle - so what is the draw of Taekwondo for Daniel Quesada Barrera?

He acknowledges that he could earn more in other sports, but they would not offer the same satisfaction as combat sport.

“I fell in love with Taekwondo when followed my brother,” he said. “I am filled with emotion when I fight, am happy to fight. like to fight!”

Dunya Ali M Abutaleb

Saudi Arabia

Blazing a Trail for Saudi Women

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 20, 2022)

Dunya Ali M Abutaleb is a fighter.

When she started the sport as a toddler there was a lack of female gyms. Today, training with Team Saudi as its first female player, her sparring partners are all males.

So when she came round from being knocked out in the semifinals of the Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships, the first thing she said to her coach was, “Let me back into the fight!”

With the referee having stopped play, that was not possible. Abutaleb, having battled her way through to the finals of W-49kg class had to be satisfied with bronze.

Still, that was a major feat: She is the first female athlete from Saudi Arabia to medal at any world championships. And it followed her achievement in June this year, when she had been

the first Saudi woman to medal at an elite-level event, winning bronze at the Asian Taekwondo Championships in Chuncheon, Korea.

That earlier medal electrified Saudi Arabia and ignited a seismic shift in the kingdom for female Taekwondo. That shift is likely to be accelerated further by her medal.

Abutaleb, now 26, has been in Taekwondo since her tender years. When she was 12, her brother’s coach recognized her hunger for the sport and began teaching her privately at her home.

Her expanding talent could not be kept inside the box forever.

The Saudi Arabian Taekwondo Federation recognized her, and in 2016, Abutaleb entered her first competition, the El Hassan Cup in Jordan. Despite a total lack of competitive experience, she won gold.

But her big break came in this year’s Asian Championship where she captured bronze. Her performance in elite-level competition, provided a boost of confidence.

“I wanted to change my medal from Asian Championship to World Championship,” she said. That opportunity beckoned in Guadalajara.

On the mats in Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano she battled her way through the prelims, into the round of 16, and through to the semis. In the process, she eliminated the category’s top seed.

As she advanced through her bouts, a mantra was playing in her head: “I told myself, ‘Why are they better than me? Why do they get medals? Why does the world know them? Why not me?’”

However, Taekwondo is a contact sport, and during her second fight, she had suffered a slight injury to her right eye. In her semifinal match against eventual gold medalist Daniela Paola Souza of Mexico, it proved to be a game ender: She did not see the kick that, in her own words, “switched me off.”

Still, looking back on it, Abutaleb is philosophical about the incident. “This happens in this game,” she said. “You can’t control it.”

Her coach, however, is not at all disappointed.

“My goal was to do the maximum number of matches, so our target was not a medal, but experience,” said Team Saudi Head Coach Kurban Bugdaev. “I thought that in the next championship we would get a medal - but in this one she won. God helped us!”

Beyond the mats, beyond the stadium and beyond the championships, Abutaleb had made big waves back home in Saudi Arabia.

There had already been national moves underway to promote Taekwondo: the kingdom hosted the first Women’s Taekwondo Championships in 2021, and is hosting the 2022 Grand Prix Final this year in December.

Against this backdrop, Abutaleb’s Asian Championship bronze was widely hailed, electrifying Saudi Arabia – most notably, the kingdom’s wannabe female athletes.

“After this, they opened clubs and made chances for women,” she said. “I am famous in Saudi - they all know me now.”

Developments continue apace, with a nationwide Women’s Club League set to be formed next year. “A lot of female athletes are contacting me,” Kurban said.

Given the rising profile of both Taekwondo and women’s Taekwondo nationally, it is no surprise that Abutaleb’s medal in Guadalajara captured the attention of sporting royalty.

President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal tweeted a message of congratulations. Vice President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee HRH Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdul Aziz called Abutaleb, as did Saudi Arabian Taekwondo Federation President Shaddad Al Amri.

She anticipates a warm reception when she lands back home.

“People will be very, very happy about this medal,” Abutaleb said. “I am the first Saudi woman to take this kind of medal in this game. This is a chance for all women.”

Kurban, a Dagestani who resides and coaches in Riyadh, reckons Abutaleb has what it takes to go to the top.

“She has good height, good flexibility, good stamina and she is a fighter inside – that is important,” he said. “She follows my exercises and training and she works hard - and sometimes cries.” Her mindset is clear. “I make a challenge for myself: I win over myself and then I win over my opponents,” Abutaleb said. “If you trust yourself, you can do anything.”

Due to the lack of female sparring partners, Abutaleb is – still – training with male athletes.

To Kurban, there is an upside.

“When she is kicked hard say, ‘This is to your advantage! This will make you stronger! It will be easier with females!” he said.

Abutaleb now has her gunsights trained upon Paris 2024.

“I am a lawyer but stopped my job as want to focus on the Olympics,” she said. “Maybe, if take a medal in the Olympics, then will return to law.”

As someone who is on the cutting edge of Saudi’s nascent women’s sport movement, Abutaleb talks of inspiring her countrywomen to take up sports and enter leading competitions.

But she also has a more personal motivation to win.

“This was the dream of my father, but he died four years ago, so he didn’t see me here,” she said. “If I get a medal in the Olympics, will give it to my father and my country.”

Mexican Champ Likes to Fight - and Loves to Eat

As he strides onto the mats to do battle, Carlos Sansores is an imposing specimen.

The ground shakes – for in a sport noted for tall, lean, fighters, the Mexican heavyweight is built like an armored cattle truck. And it was not just the ground that shook when Sansores entered the field of play in Guadalajara’s Centro Acuatico CODE Metropolitano for the finals of the M+87kg.

Thunderous roars from the crowd resounded from the rafters to welcome the local hombre as he faced Ivan Garcia Martinez of Spain in the final.

Sansores looked heavier on his feet - until he suddenly connected with a cobra-fast front-foot round kick to the head for three points. That put him ahead - and he would replicate the strike in Round 2, granting gold.

“The plan was to finish it in the second,” Sansores said. “I wanted to go out with everything I had, I don’t think, ‘I’ll do this,’ or ‘I won’t do that’ - I just fight.”

Focus had been total.

“I was not conscious that it was a world championship match,” he said. “Then saw my family - they were in tears, very emotional! - and I realized that was world champion.”

Don’t let the champ’s imposing appearance or formidable

skills put you off: Off the mats, Sansores is totally approachable. Commenting on his Herculean physique, he laughs and slaps his mid-section. “It’s a Dad bod!” he said.

His wife Pamela – with whom he has three young children - agrees.

“He likes to eat too many things!” she confides.

Good things are landing on his plate at present. When the couple were dining at a local restaurant after his win, the kitchen staff surprised him with a cake they had baked in honor of his achievement.

He needs to get used to this treatment. Taekwondo is hugely popular in Mexico and the press has gone full-on Sansores.

Afer his victory, it took him two hours to exit the venue, as he was mobbed at the doors by a crowd of fans demanding autographs and selfies.

“I was grateful to all the people, am not the world champion, Mexico is the world champion!” he said. “Everyone is part of it.”

Sansores, 25, grew up in a sporting family in the seaside resort city of Cancun: Both his parents were Footballers. In 2010, he discovered Taekwondo.

At first, he was drawn to the discipline of the martial art. But he also discovered a talent for the combat sport - a talent that

was recognized. His first fight on Team Mexico was as a blue belt. From there, it’s been upwards and onwards.

Technically, “I really like the exchange of kicks and I also like the fist – like [famed Mexican Taekwondo star] Maria Espinoza! The front leg round kick is not my favorite. It is very predictable - but it is one my fortes.”

He adds, “I am not very fast” – a surprising statement given the blink-and-you-miss-it speed of his front-leg high kick. In terms of physique, “I am very strong and tough,” he said. “Other athletes have speed or height, but are not very strong.”

Speaking more broadly, he says, “I am an athlete with a lot of courage. I don’t have the best technique, but I am passionate about it.”

His wife agrees. “He is a big man with a big heart,” she said.

Now he is world champ, he is well-known – which means the hombre from Cancun will be the man other fighters in his category will be gunning for.

After the Grand Prix Final this December, Sansores is looking ahead to the PanAm Games, the Central American Games and the next World Championships, in Baku, Azerbaijan.

He knows it won’t be easy.

“In my Guadalajara fights I had an advantage because of the altitude of the city,” he admitted. “But in other competitions, I won’t have that.”

Due to that, Sansores reckons he needs to re-engineer his

game in preparation for the 2023 competition season. “My kicks are predictable, so I want to innovate my style of combat,” he said.

Most of his victories have been in the region: Will we be seeing more of him in Grand Prix events?

“It depends: really want to go to other places, but it is not up to me,” he said. “I have really good fights here in PanAmerica.”

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (Nov. 20, 2022)

Carlos Sansores

Mexico

Destiny Comes to Math Class

“the tougher fight was Jones.”

Though she describes herself as a “shy girl,” Luo, the topranked player in her category, is a Taekwondo phenom. World champion is hardly the first honor she has won.

Before COVID-19 closed down much of the world and the competition circuit, she had stuffed her trophy cabinet to the brim. It contained one Grand Prix, one Grand Slam and multiple open golds, as well as a host of other prizes.

During the nearly-two year break from competition necessitated by the pandemic, her coach worked to engineer Luo’s body machine to an ever-more perfect pitch.

Luo, meanwhile, shifted her mental focus from fighting to training.

“During those two years, wanted to go to competitions but could not,” she said. “So I treated every day’s training as a competition.”

The two-years of in-depth personal and team training paid off. After COVID-19 and the resurrection of competitions, Luo has –like a coiled spring that suddenly de-compresses – been on a gold rush.

This year has delivered her first-place wins not just in Guadalajara, but in all three of 2022’s Grand Prix, and also at the Asian Taekwondo Championships.

On present form, Luo looks unbeatable. Her next destination is the Grand Prix Final in Riyadh, but though she says, “Absolutely, I want to be in Paris,” she is taking all things step by step. That is an approach she extends to competition preparation and fight management.

“Before a competition, I don’t think about the end result, I focus on the process of the competition,” she said. “I don’t care about the results - if you think about the score or the result, that may affect your performance.”

A native of Beihai, a coastal city in China’s southwest, she knows what makes her good – which mirrors what the scout saw when he spotted her in elementary school.

“My strong point is that am taller than most fighters in the category and have long legs,” she said. In terms of technique, “The head kick is my best move.”

Any weak points?

Zongshi Luo did not find Taekwondo. Taekwondo found Zongshi Luo.

“When I was 11 or 12, in elementary school during a math class, a coach was walking outside the classroom and he saw me and came in and said, ‘Stand up’ to see my height,” Luo recalled. “Then the coach talked to my father to see if would like to train Taekwondo.”

Her father assented. And hopefully, someone will give that coach a cookie, because his eye was spot on.

On the evening of Nov. 14, the little girl he had scoutednow a 24-year-old mainstay of Team China - was in the finals of the W-57kg World Championship category in Guadalajara.

After disposing of Double Olympic Gold Medalist Jade Jones

of Great Britain in a hard-fought semifinal match, Luo faced off against Chinese Taipei’s Chia-ling Lo. The two are almost mirror images of each other: tall, slim, leggy fighters.

Combat commenced with a feeling-out process, both fighters exchanging probing kicks at range, closing, and trying to land in the clinch. It ended 2-1 to Luo.

The second round continued in like fashion, with the two fighters – as similar in technique as in physique - cancelling each other out.

Though the points at the end of the second were even at 1-1, Luo took the round, the match and the gold on superiority.

“The final was the best, because my body condition during that time was the best, was in perfect condition,” she said. But,

“I don’t want to tell anyone!” she said. “It’s a secret!

But this grinding process of training and fighting, fighting and training must be tough. Asked about her hobbies and interests outside the game, Luo says only that she likes to watch movies.

“Entering the field of Taekwondo, I think was some kind of destiny, never thought I could have gone this far,” she mused. “I have a sense of mission, that is not only for my own sake, but also for my country and our team.”

That sounds like a heavy burden to bear. So, looking back: Does she regret her father’s assent to let her train Taekwondo all those years ago?

“Oh no,” she said. “I am very happy with that decision!”

Zongshi Luo

Like Father, Like Son

Guadalajara witnessed a master class of stylish play as well as a remarkable coincidence: Salim Jr. followed in the footsteps of Salim Sr.

In November 1991, at the World Taekwondo Championships in Athens, then-19-year-old Gergely Salim won gold in the M-54kg. Fast forward to November 2022 in Guadalajara, and Salim’s 19year old son Omar captured the world title in the same weight category.

The leonine mainstay of Team Hungary did it against the odds. And he did it with style.

The psychological odds were stacked against Salim as he was matched against hometown hero Cesar Rodriguez in a very, very noisy stadium. Rodriguez is a fighter’s fighter, boasting endless heart and a firework display of kicking technique.

But in Salim’s favor, Rodriguez had fought a searingly spectacular battle in his semifinal against Korea’s Jun-seo Bae, leaving him sapped. Salim, on the other hand, had had an easier ride to the final with a more sedate victory in the semis against Po-yen Chen of Chinese Taipei.

Round 1 started fast. Salim has a world-class punch, which opened the scoring. Then the Hungarian enlisted his head kick - and with his target radar locked on, lit up the board with lightning techniques. Though this was a world-title match, he looked entirely relaxed: talk about peaking at the perfect moment.

Round one ended 14-3 to Salim.

In the second, Salim opened fire with his long, high ax kick. His arsenal mixes punches and stabbing side kicks, with close-in round kicks and that arcing kick fired from a loose, low stance.

Rodriguez seemed unable to get into gear, or to penetrate Salim’s defense.

Comfortably ahead on the board, Salim spent the last seconds back-pedalling – and was penalized for it - but it ended 11-9 for the world title.

His second-round victory against a hardcore fighter with a hometown crowd behind him was not just a brilliant win for the Hungarian – he looked stylish while he was doing it.

“I am not necessarily trying to look a certain way, try to enjoy it and have fun,” Salim said of his fighting style. “I have emotions – nerves and anxiety – but I feel when I am in my most comfortable zone, as I was, I enjoy doing what I have been trained to do all these years.”

Indeed: 17 of Salim’s 19 years on earth have been spent in Taekwondo.

“The brain develops differently when you start young,” said his coach – and father – Gergely. “He was in diapers kicking bags at two.”

That long, long apprenticeship in the art has produced a dynamic and ambidextrous fighter with deeply embedded fundamentals, a wide arsenal of kicks and – rarely for competitive Taekwondo – a consistently scoring punch.

Some might consider having a parent who is also a longterm coach to be stifling. Not Omar.

“I have experienced other coaching, but there is nothing like

being coached by family, let alone by my own father,” he said. “I am so used to him being in my corner, I would not change a thing.”

Even so, Salim Senior would not mind disengaging and watching the play from a distance.

“Sometimes, I wish I could sit in the stands with a drink and popcorn and enjoy it from there,” Gergely admitted.

There should be plenty of opportunities for the fandom to see Salim in action in the months ahead as the competitive circuit shifts into top gear for the 2024 Olympic cycle.

However, neither son nor father are thinking about Paris yet.

“We take it one step at a time,” Omar said. “It was very important to get this win, it’s a lot of points, but now we are moving on to the next competition. don’t want to force the agenda.”

“I don’t think it helps to look at such a big picture,” Gergely said. “It’s better with small goals, we take it match by match, as every competition is a different competition.”

Taekwondo is a way of life for all the Salims.

Omar’s older brother Sharif fought in Guadalajara, and made the Round of 16, but not the finals. The boys’ two sisters also train, and the family business is their dojang, “Salims’ Taekwondo.”

In a global sport, they are a truly global family: Of Tanzanian ancestry, they hold Hungarian nationality and live in California’s world city, LA.

There, when he is not training or teaching Taekwondo, Omar runs on the city’s beaches and surfs its famed waves. With his athletic physique, colorful sports gear and dreadlocks, he exemplifies California cool.

His father admits that aesthetics matter – sporting aesthetics.

“For me, as much as I want to win, I think it should look nice, so if, at the end of day we lost, but make the game look nicer, I’d be OK with that,” Gergely said. “It has to be dynamic! It has to be fun to watch!”

But sport has more than a physical side; it is emotional, too. Was replicating Salim Senior’s 1991 feat on Salim Junior’s mind in Guadaljara in 2022?

During the bout itself, Omar blanked it out, he said. But he admits: “It is something I had thought about all my life – that it would be amazing to replicate it.”

“We never talked about it,” Gergely said. “But now we talk about it!”

Clearly, Guadalajara gold was meaningful for the Salims. But it was also bitter sweet.

“The person that got the whole family into Taekwondo was my brother, who passed away this year,” Gergely said. “There was so much heartache and now we have got something so positive, it melts my heart, it is indescribable – Omar’s biggest fan was my brother.”

GUADALJARA, Mexico (Nov. 21, 2021)

Omar Salim

Hungary

GALLERY

Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships

GALLERY

Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships

GALLERY

Guadalajara 2022 World Taekwondo Championships

Guadalajara

GALLERY

2022 World Taekwondo Championships

Preliminary Battles Commence in Riyadh

Last big event of the year offers precious metal, precious points

WT President Speaks on Path to Paris 2024

2022 is coming to an action-packed end as Taekwondo’s elite compete toe to toe, kick to kick, at the Riyadh 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final. The event is the first GP Final to be held since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first time any GP event

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue and Secretary General Jeong kang Seo, along with the World Taekwondo Technical Committee, today met with elite coaches in Riyadh discuss the sport’s direction and development en route to Paris 2024.

“We have changed the rules of competition for every Olympic Games to make it more dynamic, more attractive for the athletes and fans, and more media friendly,” Choue said. “We will continue to evaluate our rules and how we can implement changes to make Taekwondo even more fun and exciting, while en suring it remains fair and transparent.”

Given that it is the coaches who have to adapt to every change, Choue wel comed their views.

“We will create regular occasions to exchange insights and reflect the proposals of coaches on the rules and policies,” he promised.

Today, the preliminaries in all eight Olympic weight categories – four men, four women – were contested today in Riyadh’s Green Halls stadium. Tomorrow, all

To honor the location of the event, a special presentation was made during a break in the action to seven Saudi athletes who have competed at the

They included players in the Olympics, the Youth Olympics, the Cadet and Junior World Championships - as well as Saudi’s most successful-ever Taekwondo athlete, Dunya Ali m Abutaleb, who won bronze at last month’s World Championships in Guadalajara. She was described as a “history maker” by

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Dec. 9, 2022)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Dec. 7, 2022)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Dec. 10, 2022)

Jordan was the only nation to grab two golds at this championship.

In addition to adding precious medal to their trophy cabinets and points to their rankings, today’s gold, silver and bronze medalists won USD6,000, USD3,000 and USD1,000, respectively, in prize money.

Olympic double Gold Medalist Panipak Wongpattanakit of Thailand took on Team Turkiye’s rising star Merve Dincel, who has no top-tier victories under her belt. The Turk came to fight but the Thai’s experience, distancing and head-seeking frontleg kick granted her gold with a very clean, clear victory in the second round.

The category’s bronze was won by Adriana Cerezo Iglesias of Spain.

-80kg

In a highly entertaining match, Team Italy’s World Champion and two-time GP Winner Simone Alessio was pitted against Team Korea’s up-and-comer Geon-woo Seo, who has a single GP gold to his credit.

The Italian, wielding a height advantage, won Round 1 from a game Seo, who sought to negate the Alessio’s leg length by fighting up-close and personal. Seo, showcasing a high work rate, decisively won the second by fighting tightly. In the third, Alessio relied on his experience and head kick to hold off a spirited challenge from the Korean, taking gold.

Seif Eissa of Egypt won bronze.

-49kg +67kg

In another veteran-versus rookie fight, threetime World Champion and five-time GP Winner Bianca “Queen Bee” Cook, 31, of Team GB, took on 17-year-old Youth World Champion – and MVP at the Sofia Junior Worlds - Sude Yaren Uzuncavdar of Team Turkiye.

The first two rounds were tactical, low-scoring fights with each fighters winning one. In the third the young Turk accelerated her work rate, piled on the pressure and won gold from the tired-looking Britm who was nursing an injury. Keep an eye on the rising young Turkish star.

This matchup pitted Olympic silver medalist Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi of Tunisia against double World Champion and six-time GP Winner Jun Jang of Korea. In a closely-scored match, Jang took the first round. In the second, he drew ahead with a lateround blitzkrieg that put him 4-1 up on the board. In a tense, final-seconds drama, two IVRs were requested, but Jang stayed ahead, decisively grabbing gold in Round 2. Cyrian Ravet of France won bronze.

This category also broke the “star vs. challenger” paradigm, as two veterans went to head to head: China’s World Champion and Multiple GP Winner Zongshi Luo took on Team Turkiye’s veteran and Double GP Champion Hatice Kubra Ilgun. The long, leggy Luo is a front-leg point machine, but Kubra Ilgun won Round 1 by fighting forward with varied techniques. Luo switched up a gear and won Round 2. The third was very closely contested –but the Chinese won gold on superiority. Luo currently looks unbeatable in this category.

Bronze was taken by Skylar Park of Canada.

Côte d’Ivoire’s popular Olympic Champion and four-time GP Winner Cheick Sallah Cisse took on Mexico’s Carlos Sansores. Sansores is current world champion, but has had less luck in tourneys outside Pan America. The African was giving away a 20kg weight difference (!) but was active and aggressive, establishing a clear lead and taking Round 1 after a high-scoring battle.

In the second, Cisse mixed up punches and body kicks, taking gold in Round 2 – to the crowd’s delight.

Dejan Georgievski of North Macedonia had to be satisfied with bronze.

China’s Mengyu Zhang took on Jordan’s Julyana Al-Sadeq in a clash of styles: Chinese front-leg precision vs. Jordanian energy and ambidextrous play. The latter prevailed. Al-Sadeq won both the first and the second rounds – then cartwheeled across the mats to celebrate her gold victory.

Bronze was taken by Magda Wiet-Henin of France.

This looked like an easy win for current Olympic and Asian Champion Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan, taking on Zaid Kareem of Jordan who has just two GP silvers in his trophy cabinet. But both men are highly active athletes and their fight promised to be a scorcher. It was.

Kareem took Round 1, which ended 7-7, on superiority after a battle of dueling legs and whirling spin kicks. Rashitov fought back and took Round 2, 11-5. It went down to Round 3 – and gold for Kareem, who won it after an explosive edge-of-mats combat in the final seconds.

In a nice display of sportsmanship, both players and their coaches posed together at the conclusion of the fight. Hakan Recber of Turkiye took the bronze.

Veterans, Rookies Medal in Riyadh

Parity Party: Para Players Join Gala For First Time

Italian, Thai, and two Turks are the pride of Para, tops in Taekwondo, in 2022 WT Gala Awards event

World Taekwondo’s 2022 Gala Awards honored the sports’ top personalities this evening, with players and Para players from Italy, Thailand and Turkiye – the latter country representred by two athletes – winning the top awards.

As the federation pushes for parity in all areas, Para athletes were included in the event for the first time ever.

The event was held at Riyadh’s Alkhozam Hall, after the conclusion of the Grand Prix Final earlier in the day. The Gala Awards offer athletes, coaches and officials the chance to transition out of sports gear and into dinner attire for an evening that ends the fighting season with a sprinkle of glitz.

The event kicked off with a troupe of local drummers and sword dancers, followed by a video presentation on the Grand Prix Series’ bounce back from the pandemic. Then it was down to business.

WT President Chungwon Choue took to the stage to announce 2022’s MNA of the Year: The Kingdom of Jordan. Jordan has had a tremendous year, and was the only team to capture two golds at the just-ended GP Final. Choue noted that Jordan has also been highly supportive of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation’s flagship project, which empowers Syrian refugees with Taekwondo training, at Azraq Refugee Camp.

In an unusual development, a second MNA of the Year was also presented: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The country not only hosted the first-ever WT Women’s Open Championships in 2021, but also the Riyadh GP Final.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Dec. 10, 2022)

WT’s last GP Final had been held in 2019 before the pandemic descended. Choue thanked the Saudi Arabian Taekwondo Federation for reviving it this year.

The next award was MNA of the Year for Para Taekwondo. The winner was Brazil, which won the Paralympic Taekwondo competition in Tokyo, and has developed into arguably the world’s strongest team.

The Fighting Spirit Award was won by Ukraine. On the stage, Para Athlete Vika Marchuk, a mainstay of the Ukrainian Team and a high-profile figure in Para Taekwondo, presented Choue with a piece of embroidery – a traditional Ukrainian art form – that had taken her three weeks to craft.

The Continental Union of the Year was won by the Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU), which this year hosted the World Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico, and integrated Para Taekwondo into its first-ever Gala Awards evening.

The Kick of the Year Award – selected by the WT Technical Committee - was won by Team Mexico’s Daniela Paola Suza, for her jump spinning roundhouse head kick, delivered to spectacular effect, during the recent World Championships in Guadalajara. The next awards were all selected by peer vote, conducted onsite from among the attendees.

Coach of the Year went to Serbia’s Dragan Jovic. Despite the country’s small size, Jovic has, since the 2012 London Olympics, built it into a Taekwondo powerhouse churning out both World and Olympic champions.

The Coach of the Year for Para Taekwondo award was won by Bobur Kuziev of Uzbekistan, who has taken the national Para Taekwondo program from the grassroots to Paralympic and multiple Grand Prix golds.

Female Referee of the Year was Soo-kyung Park of Korea, while Male Referee of the Year was Anouer Djlassi of Tunisia. Then - drum roll, please - it was time for the biggest awards of the night.

The Female Athlete of the Year for Para Taekwondo was Meryem Betul Cavdar of Turkiye who won gold at the Sofia, Paris and Manchester GPs.

The Male Athlete of the Year for Para Taekwondo was Mahmut Bozteke - also of Team Turkiye - who has been undefeated all this year, until his first loss here in Riyadh.

Female Athlete of the Year was Olympic Gold Medalist Panipak Wongpattanakit of Thailand, who has this year won the Manchester and Paris GPs, and - earlier in the day – struck gold at the GP Final.

Male Athlete of the Year was Simone Alessio of Team Italy, who won this year’s Roma and Paris GPs, and who – like his female counterpart – had won today’s GP Final.

Concluding the evening was a short ceremony of the event handover from Riyadh to Manchester, which will host 2023’s Grand Prix Final and Gala Awards.

VTaekwondo Takes Aim at EOlympics

Virtual Taekwondo is poised to become reality after World Taekdondo signed a joint venture agreement with its development partner, Refract Technologies, a high-tech gaming company.

The new agreement builds on an existing memorandum of understanding between the two bodies that connects cutting-edge virtual technologies to real sport. It should enable Virtual Taekwondo around the world - including in refugee camps, where feasible - enabling Taekwondoin to compete globally, digitally.

The addition of digital sensors to the bodies of live athetes, who compete on a virtual field of play, removes multiple barriers - geography, weight and possibly even gender - from competition.

WT and Refract Technologies will jointly organise Virtual Taekwondo showcases and competitions worldwide. The opening of that campaign would subsequently take place at the Commonwealth Esports Championships in Birmingham, UK, in August. Refract is a game and technology company with expertise in extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI). Its vision is to extend the human experience beyond reality through innovations in gaming and entertainment.

Through Virtual Taekwondo, WT aspires to contribute significantly to the Olympic Agenda 2020+5, especially in growing digital engagement with the Taekwondo grassroots and the video gaming communities.

“We are excited to grow our partnership with Refract Technologies,” said World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue. “Refract has proven to be a valuable technology partner to World Taekwondo and has successfully developed Virtual Taekwondo,

an active virtual sport that shares a likeness to the sparring discipline of Kyorugi.”

Looking ahead, WT intends to feature Virtual Taekwondo side by side with existing championships.

Choue added that his hope is to have Virtual Taekwondo appear as one of the first medal virtual sports in the Olympic Games.

“Besides removing barriers through technology, Virtual Taekwondo allows Refract to continue raising the bar on our sports-performance capable gaming system,” said Michael Chng, CEO of Refract Technologies.

“It is also an exciting opportunity to power a new high-tech sporting event that we hope will inspire generations of athletes and spectators to come.”

SEOUL, Korea (Jul. 1, 2022)

Taekwondo Enters ‘The Matrix’

Goseong 2022 World Taekwondo Octagon Diamond Games Trials Future Formats

GOSEONG, Korea (Dec. 16, 2022)

World Taekwondo Continental Union Championships Results

World Taekwondo Continental Union Championships Results

AFRICAN TAEKWONDO UNION

AFRICAN TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

July 16-17 | Kigali, Rwanda

DATE MEDAL NAME NOC

Men -58kg SAT JUL 16 GOLD JENDOUBI Mohamed Khalil TUN

SILVER LAKEHAL Omar MAR

BRONZE MANSOUR Mostafa EGY

BRONZE DIAKITE Issa CIV

Men -68kg SAT JUL 16 GOLD KOBENAN Aaron Francois CIV

SILVER MAIGA Ibrahim BUR

BRONZE BARAKAT Eyad EGY

BRONZE SAIDI Faical MAR

Men -80kg SAT JUL 16 GOLD EISSA Seif EGY

SILVER SAWADOGO Faysal BUR

BRONZE NKOY Arno COD

BRONZE BOATRIS Youssef MAR

Men +87kg SAT JUL 16 GOLD BASSEL Ayoub MAR

SILVER OKUOMOSE Benjamin NGR

BRONZE OBAME Anthony Mylann GAB

BRONZE ANN Alasan GAM

Women -49kg SAT JUL 16 GOLD ELAASAL Nezha MAR

SILVER SAMY Shahd EGY

BRONZE KULA Karabo BOT

BRONZE WAKOLI Sharon KEN

Women -57kg SAT JUL 16 GOLD LAARAJ Nada MAR

SILVER NABIL Ashrakat EGY

BRONZE CISSE Mariama CIV

BRONZE EGAGNE Marie CMR

Women -67kg SAT JUL 16 GOLD GBAGBI Ruth CIV

SILVER SHEHATA Aya EGY

BRONZE ANYANACHO Elizabeth Oluchi NGR

BRONZE UMUHOZA Adinette RWA

Women +73kg SAT JUL 16 GOLD ABOUFARAS Fatima-ezzahra MAR

SILVER TRAORE Aminata Charlene CIV

BRONZE MUNAVE Carlota SWZ

BRONZE OGALLO Faith KEN

Men -54kg SUN JUL 17 GOLD AMADOU Mahamadou NIG

SILVER EL Hamza MAR

BRONZE OCIRA Oswaldo UGA

BRONZE NDIAYE Baye Galass SEN

Men -63kg SUN JUL 17 GOLD WASFI Abdelbasset MAR

SILVER NASSAR Ahmed EGY

BRONZE BOUJEMAI Fares TUN

BRONZE CHIPKAOU Maman Mansour NIG

Men -74kg SUN JUL 17 GOLD KATOUSI Firas TUN

SILVER EISSA Rami EGY

BRONZE EL Ayoub MAR

BRONZE OLOWOOKERE Olusola NGR

Men -87kg SUN JUL 17 GOLD RAWY Ahmad EGY

SILVER CISSE Cheick Sallah CIV

BRONZE COULIBALY Aly Yazbeck BUR

BRONZE ELASBI Soufiane MAR

Women -46kg SUN JUL 17 GOLD SAHIB Soukaina MAR

SILVER ABDOU Zaraou NIG

BRONZE AHMED Habiba EGY

BRONZE SIBY Aissata Mohamed MLI

Women -53kg SUN JUL 17 GOLD EL Oumaima MAR

SILVER BEN AOUN Ouhoud TUN

BRONZE SARR Ndeye Maty SEN

BRONZE EZAT Maram EGY

Women -62kg SUN JUL 17 GOLD SALIH Safia MAR

Women -73kg

SILVER IBO Koumba Nanah-helene CIV

BRONZE DIAW Yacine SEN

BRONZE MAHMOUD Nadine EGY

SUN JUL 17 GOLD FAROUK Maisoun EGY

SILVER SABIR Dounia MAR

BRONZE OLOO Everlyn Aluoch KEN

BRONZE MOUEGA Urgence GAB

Photo by AFTU

World Taekwondo Continental Union Championships Results

ASIAN TAEKWONDO UNION

ASIAN TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

Jun

World Taekwondo Continental Union Championships Results

EUROPEAN TAEKWONDO UNION

EUROPEAN TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

May

EVENT DATE MEDAL NAME NOC

Men -54kg

GOLD PARK Tae‐joon KOR

EVENT DATE MEDAL NAME NOC

JUN 24

SILVER IHMEDAN Loiy JOR

BRONZE ALSAMIH Fahad samih n KSA

BRONZE KHAN Shahzaib PAK

Men -68kg FRI JUN 24

Women -46kg FRI JUN 24

Women -53kg FRI JUN 24

Women -57kg FRI JUN 24

GOLD RASHITOV Ulugbek UZB

SILVER KAREEM Zaid JOR

BRONZE XIAO Chenming CHN

BRONZE BOZORGISHOOB Danial IRI

GOLD KANG Mi‐reu KOR

SILVER KHANTIKULANON Julanan THA

BRONZE BAKISHEVA Rita KAZ

BRONZE OSHIMA Karen JPN

GOLD KIYANICHANDEH Nahid IRI

SILVER KAYUMOVA Charos UZB

BRONZE WANG Xiaolu CHN

BRONZE ABUTALEB Dunya ali m KSA

GOLD LUO Zongshi CHN

SILVER LEE Ahreum KOR

BRONZE SHEIDAEI Zahra IRI

BRONZE HARNSUJIN Phannapa THA

Men -58kg

SAT JUN 25

Men -74kg

SAT JUN 25

GOLD BAE Jun‐seo KOR

SILVER HAJIMOUSAEI Mahdi IRI

BRONZE ISRAILOV Zhassurbek KAZ

BRONZE REZAEE Mohsen AFG

GOLD JAYSUNOV Jasurbek UZB

SILVER HOSSEINI Mirhashem IRI

BRONZE BAHLOOOL Ahmad PLE

BRONZE HAUIHONGTHONG Lakchai THA

Women -49kg SAT JUN 25 GOLD GUO Qing CHN

SILVER NEMATZADEH Mobina IRI

BRONZE KAPANOVA Botakoz KAZ

BRONZE KANG Bora KOR

Women -62kg SAT JUN 25 GOLD NAM Min‐seo KOR

Men -87kg

SUN JUN 26

SILVER VALIZADEH Nastaran IRI

BRONZE TONGCHAN Sasikarn THA

BRONZE SADIKOVA Feruza UZB

GOLD RAFALOVICH Nikita UZB

SILVER SBEIHI Fahed JOR

BRONZE LEE Meng‐en TPE

BRONZE DUISEBAY Smaiyl KAZ

Men -63kg THU May 19 GOLD RECBER Hakan TUR

SILVER ALAPHILIPPE Souleyman FRA

BRONZE JORQUERA CALA Joan ESP

BRONZE OZKAYA Imran GER

Men -54kg THU May 19 GOLD SALIM Omar gergely HUN

SILVER POLAT Gorkem TUR

BRONZE DAGDELEN Deniz TUR

BRONZE TESKERA Josip CRO

Women -49kg THU May 19 GOLD DINCEL Merve TUR

SILVER SEMBERG Abishag ISR

BRONZE CEREZO IGLESIAS Adriana ESP

BRONZE DUVANCIC Bruna CRO

Women -53kg THU May 19 GOLD AGRIS Zeliha TUR

SILVER PEREZ PARRADO Alma maria ESP

BRONZE AYDIN Ela GER

BRONZE DUVANCIC Ivana CRO

Men -87kg FRI May 20 GOLD SAPINA Ivan CRO

SILVER MARTINEZ GARCIA Raul ESP

BRONZE DIVKOVIC Partik SLO

BRONZE BICER Enbiya taha TUR

Men -68kg SAT MAY 21 GOLD SINDEN Bradly GBR

SILVER PEREZ POLO Javier ESP

BRONZE LUCIEN Theo FRA

BRONZE KRIVISHKIY Nimrod ISR

Women -46kg SAT MAY 21 GOLD STOJKOVIC Lena CRO

SILVER GOGEBAKAN Emine TUR

BRONZE ZRIHEN Michal POR

BRONZE BAYECH Rivka ISR

Men -80kg SAT MAY 21 GOLD ALESSIO Simone ITA

SILVER HRNIC Edi DEN

BRONZE KANAET Toni CRO

BRONZE ORDEMANN Richard andre NOR

Women -67kg SAT MAY 21 GOLD CASTRO BURGOS Cecilia ESP

SILVER WIET HENIN Magda FRA

BRONZE PERISIC Aleksandra SRB

BRONZE WILLIAMS Lauren GBR

Women -57kg SUN May 22 GOLD ILGUN Hatice kubra TUR

SILVER ADAMKIEWICZ Patrycja POL

BRONZE AL HALWANI Giada ITA

BRONZE JONES Jade GBR

Men -63kg MON JUN 27 GOLD KIM Tae yong KOR

Men -80kg MON JUN 27

Women -67kg MON JUN 27

SILVER LIANG Yushuai CHN

BRONZE ALHALAWANI Zaid JOR

BRONZE BAZARBAYEV Adilet KAZ

GOLD SALAEV Shukhrat UZB

SILVER ELSHARABATY Saleh JOR

BRONZE MYRZABAYEV Nurlan KAZ

BRONZE SEO Geon‐woo KOR

GOLD AL‐SADEQ Julyana JOR

SILVER LIU Junhong CHN

BRONZE KHUSSAINOVA Nuray KAZ

BRONZE MOKHRU Khalimova TJK

Men +87kg SUN JUN 26

Women -73kg SUN JUN 26

Women +73kg SUN JUN 26

GOLD SONG Zhaoxiang CHN

SILVER NADALIAN JOUYBARI Alireza IRI

BRONZE KANG Yeon ho KOR

BRONZE AMIRI Ali akbar AFG

GOLD POURESMAEILKARANI Zahra IRI

SILVER DENIZ Cansel KAZ

BRONZE SELMAN Ward LBN

BRONZE MYEONG Mi‐na KOR

GOLD KHODABANDEH Akram IRI

SILVER ZHOU Zeqi CHN

BRONZE OSIPOVA Svetlana UZB

BRONZE ELIAS Alissar SYR

Men -58kg FRI May 20 GOLD RAVET Cyrian FRA

SILVER WOOLLEY Jack IRL

BRONZE DELL'AQUILA Vito ITA

BRONZE VICENTE YUNTA Adrian ESP

Women +73kg FRI May 20 GOLD WALKDEN Bianca GBR

SILVER KOWALCZUK Aleksandra POL

BRONZE AVOULETTE Solene FRA

BRONZE KUS Nafia TUR

Women -73kg FRI May 20 GOLD LAURIN Althea FRA

SILVER KLEPAC Nika CRO

BRONZE MCGOWAN Rebecca GBR

BRONZE BLE Marie paule FRA

Men +87kg SUN May 22 GOLD ATESLI Emre kutalmis TUR

SILVER GARCIA MARTINEZ Ivan ESP

BRONZE ISAEV Radik AZE

BRONZE BOZIC Pasko CRO

Women -62kg SUN May 22 GOLD MAGDALENO Jone ESP

SILVER STOLBOVA Petra CZE

BRONZE CHAARI Sarah BEL

BRONZE ALIZADEH Kimia RTA

Men -74kg SUN May 22 GOLD TAKOV Stefan SRB

SILVER HUSIC Nedzad BIH

BRONZE YILDIZ Muhammed emin TUR

BRONZE ACHAB Badr BEL

Photo by ETU

Photo by ATU

World

OCEANIA TAEKWONDO UNION

OCEANIA TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

Oct 1 | Tahiti, French

PAN AMERICAN TAEKWONDO UNION

PAN

Men -54kg TUE May 03 GOLD MELO Paulo BRA

SILVER MORENO Andres COL

BRONZE HOEFLING Nicholas CAN

BRONZE ALVAREZ Melvy USA

Men -58kg TUE May 03 GOLD GRANADO Yohandri VEN

SILVER KIM David USA

BRONZE PLAZA Brandon MEX

BRONZE OCHOA Jefferson COL

Men -87kg TUE May 03 GOLD MARTINS Icaro Miguel BRA

SILVER SALAZAR Bryan MEX

BRONZE RODRIGUEZ Michael C. USA

BRONZE STEWART Jordan CAN

Men 87kg TUE May 03 GOLD SANSORES Carlos MEX

SILVER HEALY Jonathan USA

BRONZE SIQUEIRA Maicon BRA

BRONZE ALVAREZ Luis VEN

Women -46kg TUE May 03 GOLD RAMIREZ Andrea COL

SILVER CASTILLO Karoline PAN

BRONZE SANCHO Laura CRC

BRONZE SANTOS Valeria BRA

Women -49kg TUE May 03 GOLD SOUZA Daniela Paola MEX

SILVER TRANQUILLE Viviane CAN

BRONZE GONZALEZ Daniella GUA

BRONZE SALAS Lizette USA

Women -73kg TUE May 03 GOLD GORMAN-SHORE Madelynn USA

SILVER GALACHO Raphaella BRA

BRONZE DE Martin Nalleli DOM

BRONZE TAMEZ Victoria MEX

Women 73kg TUE May 03 GOLD GLORIA Mosquera COL SILVER SIQUEIRA Gabriele BRA

BRONZE KECK Hannah USA

BRONZE RODRIGUEZ Katherine DOM

Men -63kg WED May 04 GOLD RAMOS Gabriel BRA

SILVER GUZMAN Lucas ARG

BRONZE NAVARRO Carlos MEX

BRONZE PARK Braven CAN

Men -68kg WED May 04 GOLD PIE Bernardo DOM

SILVER NKOGHO Hervan CAN

BRONZE PAZ David Felipe COL

BRONZE MORALES Ignacio CHI

Men -74kg WED May 04 GOLD PONTES Edival BRA

SILVER LIZARRAGA Rene MEX

BRONZE LIU Joshua USA

BRONZE PARK Tae Ku CAN

Men -80kg WED May 04 GOLD NICKOLAS Carl Alan USA

SILVER HERNANDEZ Moises DOM

BRONZE RODRIGUES Henrique Marques BRA

BRONZE ROBLETO David NCA

Women -53kg WED May 04 GOLD GREENWOOD Makayla USA

SILVER ROBLES Tamara CUB

BRONZE PEDROZA Yuliena GUA

BRONZE REIS Talisca BRA

Women -57kg WED May 04 GOLD PARK Skylar CAN

SILVER MACEDO Sandy BRA

BRONZE AGUIRRE Fernanda CHI

BRONZE FLORES Hermaliz PUR

Women -62kg WED May 04 GOLD SANTOS Caroline BRA

Women -67kg WED May 04

SILVER DUMAR Katherine COL

BRONZE DILLON Faith USA

BRONZE MINA Mell ECU

GOLD TITONELI Milena BRA

SILVER SOLTERO Leslie MEX

BRONZE PAGNOTTA Melissa CAN

BRONZE VIANA Alena USA

AMERICAN TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

May 3-4 | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Polynesia

World Taekwondo Continental Union Championships Results

Taekwondo Continental Union Championships Results

Photo by MAS TKD

Photo by OTU

AROUND WT PART 2

Maldives Join the Family as

MNA 212th

The World Taekwondo Council today confirmed during an Extraordinary Meeting that Maldives has become the 212th member of the World Taekwondo family.

“We are delighted to welcome Maldives as our newest MNA,” said WT President Chungwon Choue,

The WT Council’s hybrid meeting was held ahead of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Goyang, Korea.

With COVID-19 having wrecked two years of events, the championships are being hosted in-person for the first time since 2018 . As the largest ever, they will showcase the growth of Poomsae over the past four years.

“World Taekwondo has been proactively expanding the number of

disciplines and events in our sport, to provide more opportunities for our MNAs to earn medals and promote Taekwondo more widely around the world,” Choue said. “We have more weight categories, team and mixed team events, and Para Taekwondo.”

The federation is now focusing on the non-combat format of Poomsae.

“We need to build on this foundation and the World Championships here in Goyang will showcase this great discipline to an even wider audience,” he said.

Also during the meeting, the Council aapproved the rescheduling of the selection of the host city for the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships to May 12 to allow more time for applications.

Russia had previously expressed in-

terest in hosting the event, however, following the sanctions World Taekwondo imposed on that country due to the war in Ukraine, Russia can no longer be considered for the event. In other business, the Council approved amendments to a number of its statutes, and an enactment to its Para Taekwondo Standing Procedures for Paralympic Regional Games to help standardise the competition and qualification system.

The Council also passed amendments to competition rules to ensure more dynamic and engaging competitions.

Several amendments to Para Taekwondo competition rules were also approved to ensure better alignment with the competition rules of able-bodied Taekwondo.

GOYANG, Korea (Apr. 20, 2022)

Bach Attends WT Council Meeting in Lausanne’s

Olympic House

2023 World Championships Awarded to Baku, Azerbaijan

In the presence of IOC President Thomas Bach, the World Taekwondo Council today awarded the city of Baku, Azerbaijan the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships during an Extraordinary Meeting held at the Olympic House in Lausanne.

Baku presented its bid to the Council during the meeting alongside Wuxi, China. The 2023 World Championships will be particularly special as they will fall during the 50th anniversary year of World Taekwondo.

“We congratulate Baku on being awarded the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships and we have no doubt that with all their experience and expertise, they will host a fantastic event to celebrate our 50th year,” said WT President Chungwon Choue. “We also thank Wuxi for their bid.”

Bach attended the meeting and heard a number of key reports from the Council. Bach presented Choue with the IOC President’s Trophy – Olympic House.

IOC Vice President Ser Miang Ng also briefly joined the meeting and addressed the members.

“For years, World Taekwondo has been an important

partner to the IOC in terms of contributing to Olympic Agenda 2020 and Olympic Agenda 2020+5, especially in humanitarian activities for refugees and displaced persons,” Bach said.

“Now, it is really impressive that World Taekwondo is becoming the leader in virtual combat sport by combining physical activity and virtual reality. We look forward to further advancing our partnership and friendship,” the IOC president said.

Choue provided an update on the success of the recent Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships which saw more than 1,000 athletes from 63 countries, aged between 12 and 71 years, take part.

A report on Taekwondo’s contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, and in particular its support of refugees and displaced persons, was also presented.

Special mention was made to the first ever Hope and Dreams Taekwondo Championships which was hosted by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) on

March 19 for more than 200 refugees in Jordan. Choue emphasized that the Taekdowndo world is well and truly exiting the pandemic.

“With the highly successful World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Goyang last month and our Roma World Taekwondo Grand Prix approaching next month, we can see that Taekwondo is back in full swing,” he said.

WT is “delighted that our athletes and fans have the opportunity to enjoy world-class Taekwondo events once again,” he added.

During the meeting, the members also approved a motion to move the host city of the 2022 World Taekwondo Championships set to be held in Mexico, from Cancun to Guadalajara due to political and financial difficulties.

After the meeting, the Council were taken on a tour of Olympic House and then had a lunch hosted by Bach.

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (May 12, 2022)

WT Council Meets, Updates, Ahead of General Assembly

SOFIA,

Bulgaria (Aug. 1, 2022)

The World Taekwondo Council met to update a number of important matters ahead of this afternoon’s General Assembly in Sofia, Bulgaria. The meeting was attended by 29 members in person, with six joining online.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue began the meeting by welcoming those new Council members who were attending a Council meeting in person for the first time since their election last October.

Choue also provided updates on the record-breaking World Taekwondo Cadet Championships which had just concluded in Sofia; the upcoming World Taekwondo Junior Championships; World Taekwondo’s latest performance in the ASOIF governance review; virtual Taekwondo, which will be showcased at the Commonwealth Esports Championships on Aug. 6-7; and the federation’s plans for its Golden Jubilee next year.

Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU) President Juan Manuel provided an update on the reforms being made within PATU.

The next Council meeting will take place on May 28 in Baku ahead of the General Assembly on the same day.

Former World Taekwondo Secretary General Hoss Rafaty was acknowledged for his contributions to World Taekwondo and was invited at the start of the meeting to receive an appreciation plaque from Choue.

WT Hall of Fame

Inaugurated

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Aug 1, 2022)

World Taekwondo today inducted its first six inductees into the inaugural World Taekwondo Hall of Fame 2022 during its General Assembly in Sofia.

The official ceremony was one of the key items on the General Assembly agenda, which also included the reveal of World Taekwondo’s Golden Jubilee logo and theme “Peace in Mind, Taekwondo at Heart.” The federation’s half century and 50th birthday will be celebrated in 2023.

The General Assembly featured a number of updates on important subjects. They included: The MNA survey which will be the foundation for MNA rankings starting next year; progress of the Global Membership System; Virtual Taekwondo, which will be showcased at the Commonwealth Esports Championships in Birmingham, GB; the latest activities of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF); and Kukkiwon cooperation.

The World Taekwondo Hall of Fame was proposed by the World Taekwondo Council at its meeting in Manchester, GB in May 2019 with the aim of recognising those who have made an extraordinary contribution to Taekwondo as an Olympic sport during their careers. Today, the first inductees were announced.

WT’s Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductees

Inductees were chosen by a special WT Hall of Fame Committe, created in 2019. They are:

Lifetime Contribution Award: The late Un-yong Kim (Korea)

Kim was the founder of World Taekwondo and its first president. He was recognised for his leadership in developing Taekwondo’s role with the IOC, and securing Olympic recognition for the sport.

Lifetime Contribution Award: The late Juan Antonio Samaranch (Spain)

Former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch played a significant role in gaining Taekwondo’s recognition as an Olympic sport. Taekwondo’s position today would not have been possible without his strong support, and his term as IOC president coincided with the globalisation of Taekwondo.

Official Category: Dai-soon Lee (Korea)

Recognised for his devotion to Taekwondo, and his contribution as a World Taekwondo vice president and as a president of the Asian Taekwondo Union. He also served as a leader of the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation and developed relations with the government of Korea in the promotion of Taekwondo as a global sport.

Athlete Category: Kook-hyun Jung (Korea)

The four-time world champion was honoured for winning consecutive world titles and helping to raise standards within the sport when Taekwondo was not yet in the Olympics. After retiring as an athlete, he continued his career as a professor of Taekwondo to train younger athletes, and then became a sports administrator serving on the World Taekwondo Council.

Athlete Category: Zhong Chen (China)

Recognised for being the first female athlete to have won consecutive Olympic gold medals at both Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, she also won gold at the Beijing 2007 World Taekwondo Championships having previously won bronze at the 2003 Garmisch-Partenkirchen World Taekwondo Championships

Official Category: The late Ahmed Fouly (Egypt)

The World Taekwondo Council approved Fouly’s posthumous induction in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the development of Taekwondo in Africa and around the world. In his position as a World Taekwondo Vice-President, Fouly had led Taekwondo Africa, which soared to prominence at Rio 2016 with African athletes walking away with a large Olympic medal haul.

MNA Representatives at General Assembly

CU Presidents Gather in Seoul

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue today held an in-person meeting with the Continental Union Presidents at the World Taekwondo office in Seoul to discuss important matters and align plans for 2023 and beyond.

The meeting was attended by Asian Taekwondo Union President Kyu-seok Lee and Secretary General Jung-heon Kim; Oceania Taekwondo Union President John Kotsifas, and Secretary General Stuart Lee who joined via video conference; African Taekwondo Union President Issaka Ide and Secretary General Balla Dieye; and Pan American Taekwondo Union President Juan Manuel Lopez Delgado.

During the meeting, Choue shared information about the 2023 calendar, plans for World Taekwondo’s 50th founding anniversary, the role of Continental Unions in promoting the anniversary, and World Taekwondo’s progress in sustainability and Virtual Taekwondo.

A key topic was the enhancement of World Taekwondo’s governance, including at the Member National Association-level, through a survey that will be used as a ranking.

Discussions were then held on a number of key subjects as Continental Unions shared their ideas and experiences.

Discussion topics included the World Taekwondo Development Program, membership, events and competitions, education, Para Taekwondo and MNA rights and responsibilities.

“It is always important for the headquarters and the Continental Unions to be aligned in our direction and plans through such working-level meetings,” Choue said.

Jeongkang Seo Named WT Secretary General

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue

today announced the appointment of Jeongkang Seo of Korea as World Taekwondo Secretary General.

Seo has been serving as Acting Secretary General and Director General since October 2021. He has extensive knowledge of the sport and its administration, having previously worked as head of the World Taekwondo Sport Department, as the President’s Chief of Staff and as Senior Director of Member Relations and Development. He also served as an ex officio member of the Kukkiwon board.

Beyond Taekwondo, Seo’s ability as an international sports expert has been recognised with his membership of the ASOIF Sustainability, Development and Education Consultative Group, of the International Relations Commis-

WT President Given Honorary Doctorate

sion of Korean Sport and Olympic Commission.

“Jeongkang has done an excellent job as Acting Secretary General and proven he has the skills and leadership needed to manage the administration of our federation,” Choue said. “He has very strong experience in Taekwondo and is well known to the World Taekwondo family.”

The new secretary general, who is based at WT’s Seoul headquarters, had a few words, too.

“I am passionate about ensuring that Taekwondo continues to build on the excellent progress it has made under the president’s leadership,” Seo said. “I am confident that my knowledge of the sport and the federation will help me make an important contribution to our development. I am grateful to the president and the World Taekwondo Council for putting their trust in me.”

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue today received an honorary doctorate in science from Dankook University in Yongin, Korea, in recognition of his dedication to the global development of Taekwondo and peace through sport.

These issues are closely aligned with the university’s tenets of truth and service.

During the award ceremony, Choue expressed his gratitude.

“It is a great honor,” he said. “We will continue to work hard to promote world peace and create a more harmonious and sustainable world through Taekwondo, an Olympic sport”.

Choue has been leading World Taekwondo since 2004, during which time Taekwondo has established itself firmly on the Olympic program, and as a leading body in promoting peace and humanitarian causes in sport.

Together with the Dankook honor, Choue - who was an academic before taking the helm of World Taekwondo - has received 10 honorary doctorates.

SEOUL, Korea (Mar. 7, 2022)

WT Remains ‘A2’ in ASOIF Review

‘Taekwondo Day’ Recognized with Special Awards

ISF Agreement to Raise Profile of Taekwondo in Schools Worldwide

In its latest ASOIF governance review, World Taekwondo scored an A2 rank, providing food for thought as WT mulls the progress it has made towards becoming one of the Olympic community’s best governed international federations.

WT was one of 10 IFs placed in the A2 rank, with seven IFs in the highest tier, A1. The rest of the full and associate members of ASOIF were ranked between B and C.

In its assessment report, ASOIF noted that World Taekwondo “has done some important new work, including improving gender balance, strengthening term limits and supporting the governance of continental and national members.”

World Taekwondo achieved its highest scores in the Transparency and Democracy categories, followed by Development, Integrity, and Control Mechanisms. For the fourth governance review, the biggest improvement was made in the Democracy category.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue noted in his letter to the Council and Member National Associations that “credit for this sustained success is due to the unity and cooperation of our World Taekwondo family at every level.”

He also noted that every other IF has taken time during the pandemic to improve its governance. In this regard, Choue asked for the continued support and dedication of the World Taekwondo family to implement new policies for better governance.

“Next year is the 50th founding anniversary of World Taekwondo,” he said. “I want our beloved sport and federation to achieve the highest possible level of A1 by the next ASOIF governance review.”

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue today presented “Taekwondo Day Awards” to World Taekwondo Council Member and Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Board Member Maher Magableh, as well as the Member National Associations (MNA) of France and the United Arab Emirates.

The special awards were presented by Choue via video-conference. The award itself is a Certificate of Commendation issued by the Korean Ministry of Sport and Tourism.

Magableh was awarded for his constant support of refugee children through Taekwondo and the THF.

French MNA President Hassane Sadok was awarded following the successful hosting of the first ever World Taekwondo Grand Prix in Paris in Sept. 2022. UAE MNA President Ahmed Al Zeyoudi was awarded for the successful hosting of the Fujairah Open Championships for the past 10 years. Special thanks was paid to the Crown Prince of Fujairah for his support.

“Our three awardees have contributed so much to Taekwondo and we were delighted to recommend them for this special commendation from the Korean Ministry of Sport and Tourism,” Choue said. “We congratulate them all and look forward to working with them in the years ahead. It is extra special to present these awards to mark Taekwondo Day, a day when celebrate our sport and recognise the role it plays in contributing to a better society.”

Taekwondo Day is celebrated every year on Sept. 4 in commemoration of the IOC’s decision on that date in 1994 to include the sport in the Olympic program.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue and Secretary General Jeongkang Seo hosted International School Sports Federation President Laurent Petrynka and ISF Continental President for the Americas Jose Martin Sanchez Tenorio to sign a memornadum of understanding, or MOU, between the two federations The signing took place on the sidelines of the Manchester 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix.

The goal is to further encourage and develop the sport of Taekwondo as an educational tool for youth. This MOU will bring about the increased promotion of Taekwondo within schools and school sport events at national and international levels. Increased awareness of the sport will bring more youth to Taekwondo from an early age, through improved cooperation and communication with local authorities.

“We are delighted to be establishing this cooperation with World Taekwondo, further developing the sport of Taekwondo within the ISF and the overall school sport community,” said Petrynka. “In recent years the sport of Taekwondo has taken tremendous steps in school sport, with it becoming a staple of ISF multi-sport events such as the 2021 U15 Gymnasiade in Serbia, and the 2022 U18 Gymnasiade in France.

“In 2023, we are proud to be hosting two more Taekwondo events, with the ISF World School Taekwondo Championship in Mexico next June, and the next edition of the ISF U15 Gymnasiade later on in August 2023.”

Choue was upbeat.

“Taekwondo is practiced in many schools around the world

as it is a sport which not only keeps children physically active but also teaches them important values such as discipline, respect and understanding,” he said. “Our MOU with the ISF will allow us to share knowledge and maximise opportunities for young people to practice Taekwondo. “

From June 27 to July 3, 2023, Mazatlán in Mexico hosts the ISF World School Taekwondo Championship which gathered hundreds of school athletes from all around the world.

The Mexican School Sport Federation (FEMEDEES) prepared all aspects of the event at the highest level, having participated in numerous ISF events since joining ISF in 2019.

“It is very important to have a collaboration agreement between the highest body responsible for Taekwondo, because it strengthens trust between us as organisers, participants, and coaches,” said FEMEDEES President Sanchez Tenorio. “This will be the first World Taekwondo Championship to be held in Mazatlan, Mexico and thanks to this cooperation it is going to be a successful one!”

Founded in 1972, the International School Sport Federation (ISF) is an international non-profit sport organisation, acting as the umbrella organisation and governing body for national school sport organisations around the world, organising sport and educational events for youth from six to 18 years old.

Recognised by the IOC since 1995, the ISF currently consists of 134 members over five continents organising over 10 international school sport events per year and has more than 30 different sports included in its competition program.

MANCHESTER, UK (Oct. 21, 2022)

ISF-WT collaboration will further development of Taekwondo as educational tool among youth

SEOUL, Korea (Sept. 19, 2022)

Saudi Prince, Sports Minister, Awarded Honorary

7th Dan Black

Belt

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue met today with Saudi Arabian Sport Minister HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki AlFaisal to discuss the development of Taekwondo in the country and the promotion of peace initiatives.

Choue offered his appreciation to the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee for supporting the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in Riyadh, and also congratulated the body on the remarkable progress of Saudi Taekwondo athletes.

The two also discussed upcoming sport events in Saudi Arabia and possible future Taekwondo events in the kingdom in the coming years.

During the meeting, the prince was given an honorary 7th dan black belt by Choue and Kukkiwon President Dong-sup Lee.

He also received an honorary 9th dan from the WT executives to pass on to Crown Prince and Prime Minister, HRH Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. The crown prince was, at the time of the delegation’s visit, engaged in a summit with international and regional leaders.

The meeting took place at the Ministry of Sport on the occasion of the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Finals and Gala Awards.

13th World Taekwondo Regional Training Center Opens Doors in Riyadh

World Taekwondo recently opened its 13th Regional Training Center, the Mahd Sports Academy in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to advance the development of the sport in the country.

During the opening ceremony, World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue presented a certificate of recognition to Mahd Sport Academy Vice President Hashem Dagestani. In addition, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be signed between World Taekwondo and the academy to foster mutual cooperation in research, sport, business and educational activities during World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in December.

WT Secretary General Jeongkang Seo, Para Taekwondo Committee Vice Chair Usman Dildar, Saudi Arabian Taekwondo Federation President Shaddad Al Amri and Mahd Sport Academy Operation Director Sultan AlAnizi also attended the ceremony.

“It was a pleasure to attend the opening of World Taekwondo’s latest Regional Training Center in Riyadh,” Choue said. “We have no doubt the Mahd Sports Academy will offer education and training for future stars of Taekwondo to compete at our major competitions.”

Designated as a Regional Training Center in April 2022, Riyadh’s Mahd Sports Academy aims to develop talented youth athletes. With world-class facilities, it will play a key role in boosting the development of Taekwondo in Saudi Arabia.

The world’s first World Taekwondo Regional Training Center was designated in 2008 in Beijing, China. Cities across the world followed, including: Baku, Azerbaijan; Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Tehran, Iran; Shenzhen, China; Friedrichshafen, Germany; Manchester, UK; Muju, Korea; Rijeka, Croatia; Rome, Italy; Wuxi, China and Lalitpur, Nepal.

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Dec. 11, 2022)

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Oct. 30, 2022)

Demo in Duomo: Superkickers Awe Crowd in Iconic Milanese Square

The World Taekwondo Demonstration Team delivered a jaw-dropping performance at Duomo Square in Milan on May 21 - the first fixture of a seven-city Italian tour.

The world-famous team, comprised of 20 members, performed a spectacular routine in front of 40,000 spectators who cheered enthusiastically during the 10-minute performance in the iconic square.

Pre-performance, the team attended a concert held by Radio Italy, a major Italian radio station. It was the first such event to be held since 2019 - a situation that had been forced by`the COVID-19 pandemic.

MILAN, Italy (May 21, 2022)

Spectacle in Spagna: Demonstration Team Wows

Rome’s Famous Piazza

ROME, Italy (Jun. 2, 2022)

The World Taekwondo Demonstration Team today treated thousands of spectators and tourists at Rome’s famous Piazza di Spagna to an unforgettable spectacle ahead of the Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix, set to begin the following day.

The team delivered their typically flawless performance which combined athleticism, acrobatics, and gravity-defying Taekwondo techniques with a message of peace and hope.

Among the thousands watching were World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue, Chinese IOC Member and Olympic Gold Medalist in Speed Skating Hong Zhang, World Taekwondo Council Member and President of the Italian Taekwondo Federation (FITA) Angelo Cito, World Taekwondo Council Member Jinbang Yang, and Ambassador of Korea to Italy Seong-ho Lee.

World Taekwondo Demonstration Team Gallery

Demo Team Amaze at ANOC Awards 2022

SEOUL, Korea (Oct. 19, 2022)

The World Taekwondo Demonstration Team took away breaths at the Association of National Olympic Committee 2022 Awards Ceremony, which honoured the best athletes from the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

The five-minute performance took place at the ceremony’s venue, the COEX Convention Center in Seoul, in the presence of representatives from nearly 190 National Olympic Committees. The team showed off a blend of acrobatic board breaking and intricately coordinated Poomsae movements, expressing Taekwondo’s process of self-discipline, hard training, and ultimate achievement.

Given that many attendees had never seen the team before, the applause was thunderous.

“You could see from the reaction of the audience that the NOCs were very impressed,” said ANOC Secretary General Gunilla Lindberg said. “It was the perfect end to a wonderful evening.”

“As ever, our Demonstration Team did not disappoint,” said WT President Chungwon Choue. “The reaction was extremely positive.”

WT Continental Union Presidents’ Messages

AFRICAN TAEKWONDO UNION

Issaka Ide

It is a great honor for me to extend to you my best wishes for the new year and to look forward to a future with great optimism.

World Taekwondo has supported our development programs, in education, in training, and in support of competitions.

2022 saw the successful organization in Niger of the first-ever African Para Taekwondo Championships. I congratulate the organizers of the various other competitions held in Africa, including the Senegal Open, the African Championships in Rwanda and the Niger Open.

Also in 2022, we worked with Namibia for the creation of its federation, which joins the African Taekwondo Union (AFTU) and WT. By pursuing the same goal with Eritrea, we hope to convince it to join us very soon.

We were delighted that the trophy for the best referee of 2022 was awarded to a Tunisian, and warmly encourage all our African athletes who distinguished themselves in competitions.

Looking ahead, we will raise more interest around the practice of Taekwondo in refugee camps on the continent. AFTU has signed an agreement to this end with the THF.

At the administrative level, we note the remarkable rapprochement between the Kukkiwon and the Continental Unions, which will now work together. AFTU congratulates the new president of Kukkiwon on his election.

We welcome the evolution of Taekwondo in e-sport as an intelligent assimilation and a well thought out adaptation to the realities of the digital world.

warmly congratulate all Taekwondoins, the coaching staff, the officials, the referees and the athletes, wish peace and unity to the great organization of Taekwondo in the world and to all practitioners.

dedicate to you my best wishes of success, unity and achievement for 2023.

ASIAN TAEKWONDO UNION

Kyu Seok Lee

We are welcoming the new year again.

COVID-19, which has been bothering us for years, seems to be weakening, but mutant viruses are emerging. Moreover, the global recession keeps us on our toes.

When we are in critical situations, we do more research and work harder to overcome crises. In the new year, I hope that our Taekwondo family will overcome all difficulties.

The rules of Taekwondo competition have been amended several times. In addition, to minimize disputes during the games, we have been using electronic scoring systems since the London 2012 Summer Olympics.

With that and instant video replays, doubts about the referees’ decision, which had been a problem, have lessened.

In the meantime, there have been efforts by World Taekwondo to introduce Taekwondo to refugee camps. WT has also been conducting external audits to increase transparency in our operations.

Based on these and other efforts, Taekwondo is at the A2 rank in the latest ASOIF evaluation. This is helping to secure Taekwondo as an Olympic official event.

sincerely hope that we will not settle for that result, but will work together to make it easier for audiences to understand the scores and Gam-jeoms in matches, and to make Taekwondo a more dynamic game that excites audiences.

As a result of the united efforts of our world Taekwondo family, wish that Taekwondo will grow further into Mu-do, Mu-sul, and sports that contribute to the promotion of health, self-defense and character-building in the world.

Happy new year!

EUROPEAN TAEKWONDO UNION

Sakis Pragalos

Our athletes have done an amazing job in the past year. They have participated in many events at European and World level, and have shown that Europe as a continent is still leading the game.

For that, am grateful and proud!

The past year has shown us that we have been able to adjust to the COVID-19 crisis that hit all of us hard.

Our federations are flourishing again, our events have returned to the tempo that we had before the pandemic started, and for 2023 I hope we can continue with our events and activities as we did in the years before.

In 2023, we have the European Games in Poland, the Presidents Cup in Turkiye and the European Clubs Championships in Bulgaria coming up.

For Cadets and Juniors, my team is working on a new event series based on the European Rankings we introduced in 2021. In addition, we have three G2 events on our continent as well.

For our Paralympic athletes, we have two major events this year: the European Championships in Rotterdam, as part of a Paralympic multisport event, and our regular European Championships, which is, in fact, open for all countries worldwide.

In 2023 we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the European Poomsae Championships.

Austria hosted the first event and we are now discussing having the event again in Austria after 30 years.

Also this year, we hope to host the European Poomsae Cup again.

am grateful for all the hard work our vice presidents, Council members, referees, contractors, committee chairs, staffers and all other officials have done in the past year.

And also, our federations, coaches and trainers, who are day in, day out, working to make our sport better. Without all these people involved in our sport, ETU would not be in the place where it is today.

OCEANIA TAEKWONDO UNION

John

Kotsifas

2022, a post-pandemic year, was busy. The year’s highlights took place in Tahiti: The Presidents Cup, Tahiti Open and Oceania Championships. Well done to all involved.

Linda Pace, our Poomsae director, was appointed CSB for the Muju World Poomsae Online Open Challenges 1 and II. Education Chairs Denzil Ray and Pace conducted a Zoom Coach-Referee Introduction Pathway seminar for 12 Oceania MNAs.

Pace was also appointed to WT’s Poomsae Committee, delivered online Poomsae education seminars, and refereed at the Goyang World Poomsae Championships. We also announced our online Oceania Open Poomsae Championships.

We signed an athlete development agreement with Mexico Taekwondo, and coach and referee online programs continued to be delivered to members by Ray.

Janine Watson, bronze medalist from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, was elected chair of our Athletes Committee.

Secretary General Stuart Lee was appointed WT Technical Delegate for the 2023 Pacific Games, in the Solomon Islands and also for the 2022 Presidents Cup, Oceania Championships and Tahiti Open in Tahiti. Lee negotiated an agreement with the Solomon Islands National Olympic Committee to have players attend Australian training camps. He also attended the All-Sports Technical Delegates conference in Honiara, Solomon Islands. Lee and Ray travelled to the Solomons for a training camp and coach/referee education.

We announced our online Oceania Open Poomsae Championships. I attended the Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) and Olympic Sports Federations of Oceania (OSFO) meetings held in Fiji.

WT Council Member Maher Magableh was awarded by WT for his constant support of refugees through Taekwondo and the THF.

Our funding application for development funds from ONOC, administered through OSFO, was successful. Samoan Olympian Kaino Thomsen attended the ONOC Athletes Committee Meeting in Nadi, Fiji Meetings were held with the Taekwondo Promotional Foundation (TPF) both in Melbourne and Canberra, on development support for Oceania MNAs in 2023.

We will be discussing development fund allocations for 2023 with WT so that we are able to do the things we need to ahead of the 2023 Pacific Games, the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. Sustained, long-term investment is key to our development and competition success

PAN AMERICAN TAEKWONDO UNION

Juan Manuel Lopez Delgado

In 2022, after huge changes, the world finally came back to life. After we learned the true sense of brotherhood and teamwork, humanity began the road to economic reconstruction, and we continued to walk towards a new Olympic cycle.

Firstly, I want to congratulate all members of the PATU Council, and all our staff, for winning the Best Continental Union in 2022. It was a lot of work and a long journey to achieve a dream. All together, we started creating a new PATU reality. We will excel on the path to Paris. Every country in our continent has made the commitment to open their doors to welcome the World Taekwondo family, work together and achieve our next giant goal.

We start 2023 with a full agenda, our backs carrying big dreams for athletes and coaches, working together for one big project, as a continent and as a team. 99% of the countries in Pan America are committed to create a new era of Taekwondo - an era where PATU leads international competitions and keeps world champions titles on our continent.

To all PATU members, encourage you to keep up the efforts, the hard work to maintain and expand the full administrative compliance and unity we have built in 2022. want to send my best wishes for celebration, unity, joy, health, and prosperity to the entire World Taekwondo family. 2022 has been a year of digging furrows. 2023 will be the season when we harvest.

Thank you to the exceptional leadership of President Chungwon Choue, the WT Council and the office, for all your support in 2022.

Expect to hear more from us in 2023. I, and all at PATU, will be restless in chasing excellence.

PART 3 SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Azraq Camp Welcomes Choue for 1st

Time Since COVID Pandemic

THF Center has earned eight IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarships, graduated 41 black belts

In his first such visit since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue today arrived at the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation’s (THF) flagship project at the Azraq Refugee Camp for displaced Syrians in Jordan.

“It is great see how far the students have progressed since my last visit, and how much good

work is being done here,” Choue said. “The success of you all here at Azraq is a benchmark for the THF, and also a benchmark for the wider Olympic family as we strive to improve the daily lives of refugees like yourselves through sport.”

Choue presented each of the center’s dan grades with special World Taekwondo black belts,

which feature their names sewn into the cloth.

So far, Azraq has graduated 41 black belts. The youngest black belt holder at the camp, Doaa Al-Ayoub was just six years old when she earned the rank.

World Taekwondo Council Member HH Sheikha Jameela Al Qasimi was also present and donated books.

AZRAQ, Jordan (Oct. 25, 2022)

Among Azraq’s top players, eight have been awarded Refugee Athlete Scholarships from the IOC for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

“With such a strong group of black belts, we are seeing skill levels rise here among all athletes,” Choue said. “I am confident that Azraq alumni will one day wear Olympic medals around their necks.”

The training center has proven to be a fully sustainable asset, and is arguably the crown jewel among THF projects. The nascent facility taught its first Taekwondo class in 2016 and was formally inaugurated in 2018 as a purpose-built center.

The center is currently coaching around 100 athletes. In addition to teaching its core skill set of Taekwondo, it has also hosted multiple joint training projects with other International Federations.

8-Year-Old Syrian Refugee Earns 2nd Dan Black Belt

around their necks’

In 2021, Doaa Al-Ayoub, then aged six, became the youngest refu gee in the world to be awarded a black belt in Taekwondo - and she did not stop there.

On Dec. 22, aged eight, she was awarded her 2nd dan, slightly over a year after earning her 1st dan.

She was tested by the Jordan Taekwondo Federation, where she showcased both her skill and her discipline.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue was impressed:  “We are very proud of Doaa, she is an example to all of us,” he said. “No matter our circumstances, if we work hard, we can excel and pursue our dreams.”

‘With such a strong group of black belts, I am confident that Azraq alumni will one day wear Olympic medals

THF presents activities to support young refugees in France as part of

“Terrains d’Avenir”

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in collaboration with the French Taekwondo Federation (FFTDA) today announced its sport for protection program will partner with the “Terrains d’Avenir” initiative to support young refugees in France through Taekwondo.

The program was presented by THF Chairman Chungwon Choue to the French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu and representative of the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) during a THF training session in Gentilly, France.

The program is designed to empower girls through Taekwondo and promote gender equity, child protection and social inclusion. Participants in the program will learn self-defence as well as discipline, understanding and respect through a mixture of Poomsae and Kyorugi techniques. They will also learn Taekwondo and Olympic values and improve their French with the aim of becoming global citizens. Furthermore, the program will raise awareness around the issues of child safeguarding and women’s rights.

The program will be implemented and managed by six refugees and displaced persons living in the Île-de-France region undertaking coaching, communications, data reporting and project coordination. The THF strongly believes that refugees and displaced persons are the best qualified persons to encourage other refugees to practise Taekwondo and to successfully implement the program.

“The THF is very proud to be involved in ‘Terrains d’Avenir’ and to expand the support we currently provide refugees and displaced persons around the world,” said Choue. “It was my pleasure to present to the French Sports Minister and the ORF how we will implement Taekwondo activities as part of this wonderful project.”

Choue added that the THF would be the perfect partner for Terrains d’Avenir.

“We have seen throughout our work that Taekwondo is the ideal tool to empower refugees, promote social inclusion and instil skills which will serve them for years to come,” he said.

Terrains d’Avenir (”Land of the Future’’) is co-financed by the Olympic Refugee Foundation (ORF) and the French Sports Ministry. The THF is one of a six partners which is responsible for organising and implementing programs which promote inclusion and help create a sense of belonging among refugees and their host communities.

The city of Paris, the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF), the Paris 2024 Organising Committee and UNHCR are also supporting this initiative. More than 12,000 people will benefit directly or indirectly from the programs which run through to Paris 2024. It is open to any displaced young person in the region with a particular focus on people between the ages of 10 and 24.

PARIS, France (Mar. 15, 2022)

200 Refugees Compete as ‘Hope and Dreams’ Championship is Inaugurated

The inaugural “Hope and Dreams” Taekwondo Championships concluded at the Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hassan Hall in Al-Hussein Youth City, Jordan. It was organized by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Taekwondo Foundation (THF) in cooperation with the Jordanian Taekwondo Federation, with the aim being to offer refugee athletes a dedicated competition.

More than 200 athletes participated from the Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps, as well as refugees training in other clubs around Jordan. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics

mats were used for the championships. It contributed to enhancing the humanitarian concept of sport and its role in refining the talents of young people, empowering them in their communities, and investing their energies for the better.

“This was a task assigned by THF Chair Chungwon Choue,” said WT Council Member and THF Board Member Maher Magableh. “It represents athletes’ hopes of becoming effective members of their new societies, and their dreams of becoming champions.”

AMMAN, Jordan (Mar. 19, 2022) WATCH VIDEOS

THF Athlete Wins IOC Scholarship for Paris 2024

Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) athlete Yahya Basam

Al-Ghoutani has been awarded a Refugee Athlete Scholarship by the IOC to help him train towards the goal of being selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024.

Al-Ghoutani met with IOC President and Chair of the Olympic Refuge Foundation Thomas Bach, alongside fellow Taekwondo refugee athlete Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj during Bach’s visit to Jordan. The meeting took place at the JOC’s Olympic Preparation Center which Bach was visiting.

Al-Ghoutani becomes the eighth Taekwondo athlete to have been awarded a Refugee Athlete Scholarship for Paris 2024, along with compatriot Wael.

Al-Ghoutani is a Syrian refugee living in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan. He has been training in Taekwondo through the THF since he was 15 and became the THF’s second black belt back in 2018.

“We are delighted that Yahya has been awarded this IOC Scholarship,” said THF Chair Chungwon Choue. “We are thankful to the Olympic Refuge Foundation and Olympic Solidarity for the support they are providing Yahya and our other Taekwondo refugee athletes as they pursue their Olympic dreams.”

The full list of the nine Taekwondo athletes selected by the IOC to receive Olympic Scholarships for Refugee Athletes is as follows:

o Abdullah Sediqi

o Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi

o Ehsan Naghibzadeh

o Gaston Nsazumukiza

o Kasra Mehdipournejad

o Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi

o Mohammad Emami

o Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj

o Yahya Al Ghotany

IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship-holder

Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj meets World Taekwondo President in Korea

Refugee athlete Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj travelled to Korea to take part in the 25th Asian Taekwondo Championships and 2022 Chuncheon Korea Open. He took time to meet World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue at the federation’s headquarters in Seoul.

Wael was recently selected by the IOC as one of nine Taekwondo athletes to receive Olympic Scholarships for Refugee Athletes to help them train towards the goal of being selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024. Having narrowly missed out on competing at Tokyo 2020, Wael will be hoping to put that right at Paris 2024 in two years’ time.

The young Syrian refugee has risen up the ranks in Taekwondo in a very short space of time. In April 2016 at just 13 years old he saw a Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) exhibition being set up in the Azraq Refugee Camp where he lived. He registered the next day as one of the first academy members. A year later he was the first athlete in the camp to be awarded a black belt.

The Jordan Olympic Committee applied for an IOC Refugee Athlete Scholarship for Wael and targeted competing at Tokyo 2020. He narrowly missed out, but is now targetting Paris 2024.

He made history earlier this year as he became the first Syrian refugee athlete living in the Azraq Camp in Jordan to compete in an international tournament outside the country. The 19-year-old competed under the World Taekwondo flag in the Arab Cup in Fujairah, UAE on Feb. 3-4, 2022 and the 9th Fujairah Open on Feb. 6-8 in the M-74kg category.

“We are very proud of Wael and all that he has accomplished,”

Choue said.

“To succeed in Taekwondo, you need skill but you also need determination and hard work. Wael has this and you can see he has prepared himself very well for these Asian Championships. He is an inspiration for other refugees but also for athletes around the world in showing that it is possible to overcome the most difficult challenges. We congratulate Wael on being selected for an IOC scholarship and hope that he will be part of the Paris 2024 Refugee Olympic Team.”

Wael stated how important Taekwondo has been to him.

“Taekwondo has changed my life, has given me more strength and confidence,” he said. “My goal now is to become an Olympian and to help other refugees just as I received help. My message to other refugees is, ‘never give up.’”

He also expressed his gratitude for those in WT and the THF who have assisted him on his Taewkondo journey.

“I am grateful to President Choue and all those who have supported me and allowed me to travel internationally to fulfil my dream,” he said.

World Taekwondo Council Member Maher Magableh was instrumental in arranging the visit for Wael to Korea. Great efforts were also made by the Jordanian government and the Korean Embassy in the country to bring Wael to Korea. Magableh was the driving force behind the Hope and Dreams competition. Jointly organized by the THF and the Jordan Taekwondo Federation, it saw 200 athletes from the Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps, as well as refugees training in clubs around Jordan, take part.

SEOUL, Korea (Jun 21, 2022)

World Taekwondo to Celebrate 50 Years of Success in 2023

2023 is going to be a very big year for the World Taekwondo family as WT celebrates its Golden Jubilee.

World Taekwondo - originally, the World Taekwondo Federation - was founded on May 28, 1973. In the 50 years since then, the federation has put a formerly little-known sport into the Olympics, and has made the Korean word for “the way of foot and fist” into a globally recognised brand in all languages.

Over the past half century, World Taekwondo’s achievements include:

Choue Presents to Board at Olympic Refuge Foundation Meeting

MADRID, Spain

(Jun. 1, 2022)

Chair of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), Chungwon Choue attended the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) Board Meeting held on June 1 hosted at the Spanish Olympic Committee in Madrid, Spain, under the leadership of ORF Chairman Thomas Bach.

During the meeting, Bach and members of the ORF praised the contributions of the THF for supporting refugees around the world.

Choue presented an update on the Terrains d’Avenir program, which is currently ongoing in Paris, France, in cooperation with the ORF. He also spoke on

the recent Hope and Dreams Taekwondo Championships, a dedicated event for refugee athletes, that was inaugurated in Jordan.

ORF board members visited the Alejandro Blanco Sport Center for Refugees in Getafe and met with refugees using the facilities to train in various sports with the support of the Spanish Olympic Committee. Choue and President of the Spanish Taekwondo Federation Jesus Castellanos Pueblas met with Ukrainian children and teenagers learning Taekwondo from an instructor of the Spanish federation.

• Growing its membership base to 212 Member National Associations, plus one Refugee Team

• Being included in six consecutive Olympic Games (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020), with Paris 2024 and LA 2028 on the horizon

• Debuting in the Paralympic Games at Tokyo 2020

• Organising hundreds of top-tier events including 25 World Championships, 13 Junior Championships, five Cadet Championships, 12 Poomsae Championships, and nine Para Taekwondo Championships

• Being recognised as the leading international federation within the Olympic family for humanitarian activities

Naturally, WT has multiple events planned to celebrate this proud history throughout 2023.

Under the theme for the year “Peace in Mind, Taekwondo at Heart” World Taekwondo will organise a special gala at the World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 28 to commemorate the best male and female athletes from each Olympic and Paralympic Games.

During the event, we will also honour the founding Member National Associations of World Taekwondo that participated in the inaugural World Championships and General Assembly on May 28, 1973.

The federation will erect a Taekwondo statue in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, this November.

“We have much to celebrate, and much to be proud of in 2023,” said WT President Chungwon Choue. “Let’s made 2023 a new start as well look towards our first century.”

Bach Praises Italian Taekwondo’s Aid for Ukrainian, Afghan Athletes

IOC President Thomas Bach, after receiving the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI)

Gold Collar - the highest honor of Italian sport - spent a wonderful day among athletes and sports managers.

Great emotion surrounded his visit to the Italian Taekwondo Federation gym, the nerve center of the country’s Taekwondo Olympic preparation in Rome.

There, he greeted Italian Olympians Vito Dell’Aquila and Simone Alessio and federation technical staff.

He also met the Ukrainian National Team and an Afghan refugee athlete. Both have been welcomed by the Italian Taekwondo Federation over the past two years.

“All this is wonderful, I warmly renew my thanks,” Bach told Italian Taekwondo Federation President Angelo Cito, referring to the help offered to the Ukrainian athletes and the young Afghans in Italy by the Centro di Preparazione Olimpica dell’Acqua Acetosa.

“Thank you very much for what you have

Ukrainian Athletes

The Italian Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (FUIT) in partnership with the Italian Taekwondo Federation (FITA) has welcomed four Ukrainian athletes – three juniors and one senior – to Rome’s Olympic preparation center.

The Italian Taekwondo Federation (FITA) supported the four athletes in reaching Italy from areas between Odessa and Kharkiv in Ukraine. The athletes were emotionally welcomed by Olympic Champion Vito Dell'Aquila and team members Simone Alessio, Roberto Botta and Maristella Smiraglia, as well as Technical Directors Claudio Nolano and Carlo Molfetta.

Once the athletes have had time to acclimatize, they will begin to train with their Italian counterparts.

FITA President Angelo Cito has reiterated the federation’s commitment to using sport for solidarity in line with the objectives of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation.

done for these athletes,” Bach continued. “It’s the translation and application in the field of the Olympic spirit and our values, to stick together in the spirit of inclusion and non-discrimination: ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius - Communiter!’”

Cito expressed his thanks for Bach’s surprise visit.

“We are really proud of this wonderful surprise in the house of the Olympic athletes of Taekwondo - this is the beating heart of our sport where all the sacrifices and joys, defeats and victories converge, where everything is lived through the five-circle values,” Cito said.

“We welcome into the family these athletes in difficulty, in the spirit of the fundamental values of the Olympics.”

Cito noted that the aim of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation(THF) Italia was to give hope through sport to those in life who did not have the same opportunities.

“I can only thank with all my heart President Bach and President of the CONI, Giovanni Malago for the welcome surprise,” he said.

In Zimbabwe, Taekwondo Empowers Girls and Women

(Mar. 8, 2022)

Zimbabwean Taekwondo Trainer Natsiraishe Maritsa has made headlines around the world for how she has used Taekwondo in her local community to empower girls and young women. Her selfless efforts were recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as she was awarded the Winner for Africa at the IOC Women and Sport Awards last month.

Maritsa reckons Taekwondo can continue to help #BreakTheBias.

“Taekwondo helps to empower women and girls in my community by instilling self-belief and the ability to set goals,” Maritsa said. “Self-belief enables women and girls to have a positive perception in whatever they seek to achieve, and the ability to set goals instils confidence in them to pursue various programs in life, hence empowering women and girls.”

She continued, “The benefits of women and girls practicing Taekwondo is that they will learn to endure pain in Taekwondo and persevere, which can also be applied in life when they face

difficult situations. Taekwondo instils an indomitable spirit in women which assists them when they set goals in the sense that they will not be undermined or pulled down by negative influence from other people or by lack of resources to implement and fulfil their goals.”

For Maritsa, Taekwondo is also about breaking down barriers in how women and girls are perceived. This year International Women’s Day looks at how we can create a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination, and Maritsa believes Taekwondo can support with that.

“Taekwondo can help break down barriers around how women and girls are perceived, Taekwondo can be proof that women and girls are capable of doing what men and boys can do,” she said. “Females practicing Taekwondo and obtaining awards and higher-grade belts can be recognized as equal to the males since they will be achieving great things through Taekwondo.”

One of those great things Maritsa has done is raise awareness on key issues,

such as the downsides and dangers of child marriage in Zimbabwe.

“Taekwondo and other sports generally help to raise awareness about key issues,” she said.” What I learnt is sport is not just all about physical effort and winning awards but there are certain qualities that are in sport that assist in raising awareness about key issues such as courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control and indomitable spirit.”

THF Continues to Draw Support from Around the World

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation continued to receive donations from around the world last year as organisations demonstrated their support for the THF’s mission to empower refugees through taekwondo.

The President of the Hong Kong Taekwondo Association Louis Ching made a personal donation of USD 30,000 to the THF in April 2022 during a visit to the World Taekwondo headquarters in central Seoul.

“Taekwondo is not just for men or only about fighting, Taekwondo is a package full of good qualities that will inspire, empower and uplift the participant. You can be a champion... you can prevail through Taekwondo.”

The donation came on the back of a $25,000 donation from Minsoo Kang, Professor of Dong-ui University to the THF and World Taekwondo Demonstration team in March.

Later on 27 July, Lotte Global

Logistics donated $15,000 at the World Taekwondo headquarters and Pan American Taekwondo Union donated $20,000.

These donations were important to the ongoing operation of the THF which has made vital progress in supporting refugees and displaced persons. The THF is running seven programs worldwide in Jordan, Turkiye, Rwanda, Eswatini, France, Switzerland and Mexico.

The THF’s programs contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and “empower the powerless” by providing Taekwondo training that promotes personal fitness, self-defence and self-belief to refugees.

Taekwondo can be economically

deployed, as it needs nothing other than the human body and no special equipment or facility. As such, it can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, at any time.

Over 2,000 refugees are trained every week, and so far, eight refugees/displaced persons have hired by the THF in coaching and project coordination roles. Moreover, refugee teams and individuals frequently compete at World Taekwondo tournaments worldwide.

It was not just the THF which received donations last year as Mr. Pimol Srivikorn, World Taekwondo Treasurer and President of Thailand Taekwondo Association donated $20,000 to World Taekwondo in June.

Maritsa’s

message to women and girls around the world:

THF Signs MOU with FIBA Foundation

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Nov. 28, 2022)

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the FIBA Foundation to empower refugees and displaced persons through the practice of Basketball and Taekwondo. The agreement was signed at the World Taekwondo office in Lausanne, with FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis and THF Chair Chungwon Choue signaturing the paper.

As per the MOU, the FIBA Foundation will support the organisation of THF’s 2023 Hope and Dreams Sport Festival which will be held in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan on March 1, 2023. During the festival, refugees from the Azraq and the Zaatari camps will have the opportunity to practice both sports.

FIBA’s Zagklis said, “We are pleased to work alongside the THF in bringing our Basketball For Good projects to new parts of the world and multiplying the impact of our programs through joint activities.”

THF Joins Hands with THF Asia

SEOUL, Korea (May 23, 2022)

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) today signed a cooperation agreement with the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Asia (THF Asia).

This agreement allows the THF to develop projects in Asia, notably in South Korea and Thailand. The UNHCR is also involved in discussions.

THF Asia will operate at the continental level from its base in Korea. It will work closely with the THF on education and reporting, and will donate a portion of the funds it raises to the THF.

“It is important that as the overall body, the THF works closely with each of these continental organisations to maximise efficiency and ensure we are providing the best possible support to those who need it most,” said THF Chair Chungwon Choue.

THF Links up with THF PanAmerica

SOFIA, Bulgaria (Jul. 31, 2022)

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) has signed a cooperation agreement with THF PanAmerica. Under the agreement, THF PanAmerica will manage projects across PanAmerican territory and will raise funds for its own projects as well as for the international projects of the THF.

THF PanAmerica will be chaired by Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU) President Juan Manuel López Delgado, but is independent of PATU and registered as a charity in the USA.

The first project will take place in Mexico, at the end of September, in the Tijuana and Piedras Negras regions, where many young people face challenging circumstances. THF PanAmerica is also planning projects in Guatemala and Brazil.

“THF PanAmerica and PATU are fully committed to this noble project,” said López Delgado. “There is already an existing operation structure, people are interested in adding efforts, and the first steps are taken and ready to start.”

THF Spreads Wings in Paris Initiatives Agreed for Africa, Arab Region, France, Iran

PARIS, France (Sept. 3, 2022)

THF to Work with Brussels and Belgian Taekwondo

BRUSSELS, Belgium (Aug. 30, 2022)

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Brussels and the Belgian Taekwondo Federation with the aim of creating new projects to empower refugees and displaced people through Taekwondo.

The agreement was signed during a ceremony in Hotel de Ville in Brussels in the presence of Brussels

Mayor Philippe Close; THF Chair and World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue; President of the Belgian Taekwondo Federation Erik Baerts; and first Deputy Mayor of the City of Brussels Benoit Hellings.

Under the MOU, a consortium including members of the city of Brussels, the Belgian Taekwondo Federation and the THF will be cre -

ated. They are currently working on a project which will start in 2023 to encourage refugees and displaced persons in Brussels to start physical activities, learn the martial art of Taekwondo and learn the values of Olympism and global citizenship.

In the long term, the expectation is the MOU will facilitate the social inclusion of refugees and displaced persons in Brussels, as Taekwondo is an accelerator of inclusion.

“For the THF, it is yet another important step in ensuring we reach as many people in need as possible and allow them to benefit from Taekwondo,” said Choue. “On a personal level it is special for me as studied here in Belgium and so I am pleased the THF can sign this MOU to celebrate friendship and univer-

sality. I hope that many refugees and displaced people will benefit from this partnership.”

“With the signing of this agreement, it is a strong signal that the City of Brussels is giving support to refugees through the practice of Taekwondo, but more generally, also the values of Olympism and global citizenship,” said Close. “In concrete terms, we want to offer refugees and displaced persons opportunities and access to the practice of sport in Brussels and contribute to improving their quality of life.”

The MOU is the third that the THF has signed with European cities following similar agreements made with Paris and Rome.

In Paris, over 100 refugees are currently benefiting from THF program.

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) today held a conference on the sidelines of the Paris 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix with the aim of encouraging Taekwondo clubs in the Îlede-France region to welcome and support refugees and displaced people.

The conference was organised through the Terrains d’Avenir program, which is supported by the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the French Sports Ministry. Launched earlier this year, the program aims to help refugees in the Île-de-France region to create a sense of belonging and to set themselves on a positive life path through sport.

It is a perfect fit for the THF, one of the program’s six partners.

At the conference, participants had an opportunity to discuss key topics with an expert panel on areas such as the integration of refugees in clubs, child safeguarding and gender equality.

“The Grand Prix heading to Paris for the first time was the perfect opportunity for the THF to organise this conference for the local Taekwondo community,” said THF Chair Chungwon Choue. “Clubs have a key role to play in encouraging social inclusion, creating better communities and forging a legacy for youth. We count on you.”

The THF also took the opportunity to sign several cooperation agreements with affilates including one with Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Africa (THF Africa) to facilitate knowledge exchange and implement projects for refugees in Africa.

Chaired by Issaka Ide, THF Africa will launch its first project in Niger, followed by one in Mali.

“I would like to thank World Taekwondo and THF Chair Chungwon Choue for his actions around the world, especially in regard to refugee shelters,” said Issaka.

“His generosity does not surprise us.”

Another cooperation agreement was also signed with the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Arab Union (THF Arab Union), chaired by Driss El Hilali. Through the agreement, the THF Arab Union and the THF will work closely on refugee empowerment in the Arab Union region.

Yet another was signed with the Iran Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF Iran) which is chaired by Saei Hadi. THF Iran will support refugees based in Iran by using Taekwondo as a catalyst for empowerment.

“Iran sport in general, and Iran Taekwondo in particular, have been active in supporting athletes from deprived districts and refugee athletes from neighboring countries during the past years,“ said Hadi. “I believe that our humanitarian activities could be promoted and better organised within the framework of this cooperation agreement under the patronage of the THF.”

Meanwhile, a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Malta Taekwondo Association, chaired by Anna Vassallo.

And there is more.

In the coming months, the THF will support two refugee athletes aiming to compete at the international level.

THF Board Meets in WBSC HQ

Switzerland (Dec. 1, 2022)

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Board met on Dec. 1 to review progress in 2023 and look ahead to planned activities for next year.

The meeting was hosted at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) headquarters in Pully, Switzerland, in a reflection of the cooperation between the two organisations.

WBSC President Riccardo Fracarri gave a welcome speech in which he expressed his happiness to start a “Baseball 5” project in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan in February 2023, using the THF facility.

“We believe we all have a responsibility to support refugees and we are working closely with a number of other International Federations to extend our reach as much as possible,” said THF Chair Chungwon Choue.

During the meeting, Claude Marshall’s re-appointment to the THF Board was approved.

There was also a report on 2022’s activities, which included the Hope and Dreams Championships in Azraq.

And there were updates on seven grassroots projects which have involved over 700 participants, 17 coaches,

45 black belts and over 115 coloured belts.

Looking ahead to next year, the Board approved increasing the number of grassroots initiatives to 10 with new projects in Brazil, Iran and Malta.

The creation of a broad Hope and Dreams Sport Festival was also discussed. The intention is for it to be held on March 1, 2023 in Azraq. In addition to Taekwondo, a range of sports, such as Wrestling, will hopefully be included on the program.

The Pully meeting also saw the approval of the THF’s 2023 budget.

THF Moves Onward, Upward in Eswatini

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) participated with the Eswatini Taekwondo Federation (ETF) in the running of a Taekwondo competition in Eswatini, Southern Africa, between July 1-3, 2022.

What made the competition unique was the participation of a large population of THF refugee children and athletes from the Malindza Refugee Center.

The second tournament of its kind organized by the ETF, it also welcomed athletes from nations around the region, including South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Angola.

A letter from THF Chair Chungwon Choue to Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture Madze Harris Bulunga affirmed the THF’s commitment to the em-

powerment of refugees. Choue also expressed his hope that the THF and the sports ministry of Eswatini can cooperate in empowering refugees and bringing hope to displaced persons through Taekwondo in his country. As further assurance of the body’s commitment, THF Representative and Board Member Richard Barnor was in attendance.

Barnor was a guest of Bulunga and several of his cabinet members, and took the opportunity of briefing them on the THF’s global mission.

ETF Secretary Sizwe “Mshengu” Mabuza spoke at length about his federation’s activities, training refugee children in camps with special programs.

Barnor appealed to Bulunga for his government’s support, both financial and otherwise, for the federation’s ac-

tivities with refugee children. The minister assured Barnor that, in light of what the THF is already doing in his country with young refugees, he would certainly give it serious consideration going forward.

LAUSANNE,

New WT-ADF Cares Projects Set for

Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Timor-Leste

in Ulaanbaatar.

Under the slogan “Dream through Taekwondo,” the 2022-2023 Kyrgyzstan WT-ADF Cares Program assists some 150 orphans, 75 in Bishkek and 72 in Cholpon-Ata with a total budget of USD30,000. The orphans will receive free Taekwondo education.

In cooperation with the Timor-Leste Taekwondo Federation and under the slogan “Building Self-Resilience through Taekwondo,” the 2022-2023 Timor-Leste WT-ADF Cares Program benefits about 80 children and women household-violence victims in Dili City with a total budget of USD33,000.

Since 2016, WT has carried out its Cares programs under the mission “Taekwondo for All,” and “World Peace through Taekwondo.”

World Taekwondo (WT) and the Asia Development Foundation (ADF) kicked off their new WT-ADF Cares Program in three countries - Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Timor-Leste - on July 1, 2022, for a one-year period.

The new WT-ADF Cares projects, funded by the ADF, are designed to empower the powerless in developing countries in the Asian region through education in Taekwondo and the Korean language.

Under the theme “Bright Future with Taekwondo,” the 2022-2023 Mongolia WT-ADF Cares Program started with a total budget of $30,000 for about 200 reformatory inmates

WT-ADF Cares Project

Kicks off in Rural Nepal

The Cares program offers the school students one-anda-half hours of Taekwondo and Korean language classes after school, four times a week.

“I hope the Cares program will further expand to other schools in Nepal, and other Asian countries,” said WT President Chungwon Choue.

World Taekwondo (WT) teamed up with the Asia Development Foundation (ADF) to start a new WT-ADF Cares Program for students at the Um Hong Gil Human School near Pokhara, Nepal, on Aug. 22, 2022, for a one-year period.

Under the theme “Let’s Build the Future with Taekwondo,” the 2022-2023 WTADF Um Hong Gil Human School Cares project is benefitting 87 middle and high school students at Birenthanti Secondary School in Birenthanti, about two hours from Pokhara by car.

The new USD25,000 WT-ADF Um Hong Gil Human School Cares project is funded by the ADF. The Nepal Taekwondo Association runs the program, dispatching local Taekwondo instructors to the secondary school.

WT signed a cooperation agreement with the Seoul-based Um Hong Gil Human Foundation, headed by Chairman Lee Jae-hoo, at the WT Headquarters in Seoul, Korea, on Aug. 29, 2017.

The Um Hong Gil Human Foundation was established in 2008 and has since built 16 human schools in remote areas of Nepal to commemorate Korean mountain climber Hong-gil Um’s achievement of climbing 16 slopes higher than 8,000 meters in the Himalayas - a world first. Birenthanti Secondary School, which was built in 2013, was the 4th school built by the foundation.

WT cooperated with the Nepal Taekwondo Association to organize the opening ceremony of the WT-ADF Um Hong Gil Human School Cares Program at the

World Taekwondo mourns passing of Grand Master Eui-min KO

secondary school on Sept. 23 with the attendance of Choue and Um, among others.

Since 2016, WT has carried out its Cares programs under the mission “Taekwondo for All” and “World Peace through Taekwondo.”

The vision of the WT Cares Program is to provide Taekwondo to those in need and to empower the powerless, such as orphans, reformatory inmates, alcohol and drug addicts and street children, in developing countries.

In January 2019, WT and the ADF, headed by Joon-il Kim, signed a memorandum of understanding on the WT Cares Program under which the ADF will donate 100 million Korean won (about USD90,000) to WT.

Subsequently, the ADF donated USD150,000 in 2020, USD200,000 in 2021 and USD150,000 in 2022.

WT-ADF Cares projects are under way in Nepal, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Timor-Leste.

WT plans to start new Cares projects in Pakistan and Laos next year and hopes to expand WT Cares projects outside Asia with new donations.

In January 2019, WT and the ADF, headed by Joon-il Kim, signed a memorandum of understanding on the WT Cares Program to donate 100 million Korean won (about USD90,000) to WT. The ADF donated WT in Cares funds USD150,000 in 2020, USD200,000 in 2021 and USD150,000 in 2022.

Besides the three new WT-ADF Cares projects, WT-ADF Cares projects are also under way in four countries: Bhutan, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

WT aims to expand WT Cares projects outside Asia with new donations.

World Taekwondo pays its respects to Grand Master Eui-min KO who passed away on January 21, 2023, by setting up a memorial altar at the federation’s headquarters in Seoul.

The Korea-born resident of Germany had contributed widely to the sport, and was a former chair of the WT Technical Commission.

We are indebted to Mr. Ko for his outstanding contribution to World Taekwondo.

Event Calendar

Date Place Event

Feb. TBD Africa 2023 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix Challenge

Mar. TBD PanAm 2023 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix Challenge

Mar. 30- Apr. 3 Wuxi, China Wuxi 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series

May 29 - June 4 Baku, Azerbaijan Baku 2023 World Taekwondo Championships

Jun. 9-11 Rome, Italy Roma 2023 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix

Jun. 23-26 Kraków, Poland European Games 2023 Taekwondo

Jul. 15-17 Muju Taekwondowon, Korea Muju Taekwondowon 2023 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix Challenge

Jul. 29-Aug. 4 Chengdu, China Chengdu 2023 Summer World University Games l Taekwondo

Aug. (TBD) Accra, Ghana 2023 African Games | Taekwondo

Aug. 13-14 Paris, France Paris 2024 Olympic Test events

Aug. 18-20 Chuncheon, Korea Chuncheon 2023 Beach Taekwondo Championships and Octagon Diamonds Games

Aug. 28-31 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo 2023 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships

Aug. 31-Sept. 2 Paris, France Paris 2023 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix

Sept. 26-30 Hangzhou, China Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games Taekwondo

TBD Taiyuan, China Taiyuan 2023 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix

Oct. 21-24 Santiago, Chile Santiago 2023 Pan American Games | Taekwondo

Nov. 19 - Dec. 2 Honiara, Solomon Islands 2023 Pacific Games | Taekwondo

Dec. 2-3 Manchester, Great Britain Manchester 2023 World Taekwondo Grand-Prix Final

Dec. 13-17 Wuxi, China Wuxi 2023 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series

TAEKWONDO

Official Publication of World Taekwondo

2023 110

ISSN 1599-3779

Publisher / Chungwon Choue

Editor-in Chief / Magazine Director / Heesoo Noh

Editors / Andrew Salmon, Yeni Lee

Contributing Photographers / Pyunggil Lee, Denis Sekretev, Amandine Lauriol

Designed by / DN (www.d-n.kr | d-n@daum.net)

World Taekwondo is delighted to bring you the official publication of the federation.

Taekwondo magazine epitomizes our enthusiasm and progressive mindset in leading Taekwondo and the World Taekwondo. Taekwondo magazine is published annually. It is a summary of the previous year’s events, competition results and happenings throughout the world of Taekwondo. It provides the events of the year, interviews with Taekwondo stars and useful information on Taekwondo.

© 2023 World Taekwondo

This publication and its contents may not be reproduced, even in part, in any form, without the written permission of the World Taekwondo.

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