2009 taekwondo magazine by jBrix

Dear taekwondo family members: I extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the taekwondo family who placed the utmost efforts and time to promote taekwondo around the world throughout the previous years. Taekwondo is part of the Olympic Movement, and strives to realize the Olympic spirit shared by the taekwondo family and by our 188 member nations. Taekwondo seeks promotion of harmony and world peace through training and its educational program, sharing the value of Olympism with the world. As an expression of our commitment to contribute to world peace, the WTF launched its ambitious Taekwondo Peace Corps project in the summer of 2008, and dispatched seven teams of taekwondo instructors to five countries - Russia (Moscow), India (Mumbai and Goa), Pakistan (Islamabad), Paraguay (Asuncion), and China (Qingdao and Urumqi) for one month. The Taekwondo Peace Corps teams were warmly welcomed and appreciated by the host countries. The impressive turnout at the training and enthusiasm certainly reflected the yearning of the local youth for an opportunity to learn and practice taekwondo. The Taekwondo Peace Corps presented an opportunity and resources to children to enjoy and

play as well as to share a vision of never-ending hope, optimism, and confidence.

resolution to make every competition results transparent and fair.

Witnessing the positive evaluation and education effect of the activities, the Taekwondo Peace Corps program will continue, targeting on more recipients and a larger number of countries. The project will not be confined only to Koreans or solely based in Korea. The establishment of the Taekwondo Peace Corps worldwide will be encouraged with its bases in as many countries as possible and by incorporating qualified taekwondo instructors of different nationalities. The expansion will be founded on a close consultation with the WTF member national associations around the globe.

Learning from the experience, we will place our concerted effort to assure fairness and sportsmanship in the upcoming WTFpromoted/sanctioned competitions. For this, we aim to introduce an electronic body protector system and an instant video replay system that can cross-check any controversy over the referee decisions.

Taekwondo is no longer a sport solely for Koreans. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, a total of 128 taekwondo athletes from 64 countries competed for 32 medals, of which athletes from 22 countries won at least one medal. Taekwondo granted the first Olympic medal to Afghanistan, which we hope is a step toward uniting the war-torn country. This demonstrates that technical levels of taekwondo have been evenly enhanced throughout the world and the fairness in taekwondo competitions has much improved. The WTF will continue to do its best to improve fair judging and refereeing. At the Beijing Olympic Games, we have reconfirmed our

Since my inauguration as the WTF President in 2004, the WTF has carried out various reform measures to correct the wrong practices and to raise the standard of our sport federation to the global standard. Thus far, we have accomplished much. There has been considerable change in every respect. We are now opening a new chapter to surge another wave of change for the creation of a new image of taekwondo. Our new tasks are to make competitions more exciting, to ensure

transparency and internationalization of the administration of the WTF, and to pursue transparent and fair competitions. The WTF has appointed new Technical Committee members and chairpersons of competition, games, education, referee committees, whose passion and enthusiasm will surely make a difference. The WTF organized a Joint Technical Meeting to review and amend the WTF Competition Rules. I also look forward to the implementation of the world athlete ranking system, which will no doubt be an exciting new venture for our athletes and taekwondo enthusiasts. With your support and affection, I am certain that our endeavor will have positively contribute to keeping taekwondo in the Olympic program of 2016, which may be decided at the IOC Session in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October 2009.

Dear taekwondo family members, We are at the crucial juncture that may determine our course toward the future of taekwondo. We should not lose our focus. We need to work together to search for ways for the better future of taekwondo. We should concentrate undivided attention to keep taekwondo as a permanent Olympic sport. I urge everyone to give full support to the WTF to overcome challenges of any kind. We know what the ultimate goal of the taekwondo-loving people should be. And we will achieve it with pride and confidence. Let there be hope and vision.

Chungwon Choue President World Taekwondo Federation

Europe (49)

Africa (43)

Pan America (42)

1.Albania 2.Andorra 3.Armenia 4.Austria 5.Azerbaijan 6.Belarus 7.Belgium 8.Bosnia & Herzegovina 9.Bulgaria 10.Croatia 11.Cyprus 12.Czech Republic 13.Denmark 14.Estonia 15.Finland 16.France 17.Georgia 18.Germany 19.Great Britain 20.Greece 21.Hungary 22.Iceland 23.Ireland 24.Isle of Man (Associate Member) 25.Israel

91.Algeria 92.Angola 93.Benin 94.Burkina Faso 95.Cameroon 96.Cape Verde 97.Central African Republic 98.Comoros 99.Cote dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoire 100.Congo 101.D.R. of the Congo 102.Equatorial Guinea 103.Egypt 104.Ethiopia 105.Gabon 106.Gambia 107.Ghana 108.Guinea 109.Kenya 110.Lesotho 111.Liberia 112.Libya 113.Madagascar 114.Malawi 115.Mali 116.Mauritius

134.Antigua & Barbuda 135.Argentina 136.Aruba 137.Bahamas 138.Barbados 139.Belize 140.Bermuda 141.Bolivia 142.Brazil 143.British Virgin Islands 144.Canada 145.Cayman Islands 146.Chile 147.Colombia 148.Costa Rica 149.Cuba 150.Dominica 151.Dominican Republic 152.Ecuador 153.El Salvador 154.Grenada 155.Guatemala 156.Guyana 157.Haiti 158.Honduras 159.Jamaica

26.Italy 27.Latvia 28.Lithuania 29.Luxembourg 30.Macedonia 31.Malta 32.Moldova 33.Monaco 34.Montenegro 35.The Netherlands 36.Norway 37.Poland 38.Portugal 39.Romania 40.Russia 41.San Marino 42.Serbia 43.Slovak Republic 44.Slovenia 45.Spain 46.Sweden 47.Switzerland 48.Turkey 49.Ukraine

Asia (41) 50.Afghanistan 51.Bahrain 52.Bangladesh 53.Bhutan 54.Brunei 55.Cambodia 56.China 57.Chinese Taipei 58.Hong Kong 59.India 60.Indonesia 61.Iran 62.Iraq 63.Japan 64.Jordan 65.Kazakhstan 66.Korea

67.Kuwait 68.Kyrgyzstan 69.Laos 70.Lebanon 71.Macao 72.Malaysia 73.Mongolia 74.Myanmar 75.Nepal 76.Pakistan 77.Palestine 78.Philippines 79.Qatar 80.Saudi Arabia 81.Singapore 82.Sri Lanka 83.Syria 84.Tajikistan 85.Thailand 86.Turkmenistan 87.United Arab Emirates 88.Uzbekistan 89.Vietnam 90.Yemen

117.Morocco 118.Mozambique 119.Niger 120.Nigeria 121.Sao Tome & Principe 122.Senegal 123.Somalia 124.South Africa 125.Sudan 126.Swaziland 127.Chad 128.Tanzania 129.Togo 130.Tunisia 131.Uganda 132.Zimbabwe 133.Zambia

160.Mexico 161.Netherlands Antilles 162.Nicaragua 163.Panama 164.Paraguay 165.Peru 166.Puerto Rico 167.St. Lucia 168.St. Kitts & Nevis 169.Surinam 170.St. Vincent & the Grenadines 171.Trinidad and Tobago 172.Uruguay 173.U.S.A 174.Virgin Islands 175.Venezuela

Oceania (13) 176.American Samoa 177.Australia 178.Fiji 179.French Polynesia 180.Guam 181.Kiribati 182.Marshall Islands 183.New Zealand 184.Papua New Guinea 185.Solomon Islands 186.Tonga 187.Samoa 188.Vanuatu

CONTENTS OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLD TAEKWONDO FEDERATION 2009, lssue No.96 / ISSN 1599-3779

PART 01 COMPETITIONS OLYMPIC SPECIAL SECTION Interview with Taekwondo People Amendment to Competition Rules WTF Pushes to Introduce Instant Video Replay System WTF Announces Key Technical Committee Officials WTF to Introduce Athlete Ranking System 7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships WTF Events Calendar 2009

016

050

016 050 076 078 080 082 086 090 093

076

082

PART 02 PICTORIAL

090

098

098 100 102 104 106 108

TAEKWONDO Ceramic Exhibition Children Demonstration 2008 TAEKWONDO Day VIPs at Taekwondo Venue Beijing Olympic Games Highlights Jam-Packed Venue

PART 03 INTERNATIONAL

100

112

125

128

142

154

112 114 119 120 124 125 126 128 129 130 142 154

WTF Adopts 2009 World Anti-Doping Code WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program Reflections on Taekwondo Goodwill Program Taekwondo in India 2nd Korean Fair Play Award Ceremony 1st Ethics Committee Meeting WTF Liaison Office in Lausanne Global Partnership Agreement with Macquarie WTF President Offers Condolences to Myanmar, China Continental Union Activities Taekwondo Peace Corps Busan IOC Forum

016 OLYMPIC SPECIAL SECTION 22 Nations Win at Least 1 Medal in Taekwondo Competition 2008 Beijing Olympic Games / 64 Qualified NOCs Medal Winners Competition Day Overview

050 Interview with Taekwondo People Athlete - Rohullah Nikpai (Afghanistan) Athlete - Sara Khosh Jamal (Iran) Athlete - Aaron Cook (Great Britain) Referee - Leon Preston (USA) Official - Dr. Ken Min (U.S.A.) Official - Dae-Sung Moon (Korea)

076 078 080 082 086 090 093

Amendment to Competition Rules WTF Pushes to Introduce Instant Video Replay System WTF Announces Key Technical Committee Officials WTF to Introduce Athlete Ranking System 7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships WTF Events Calendar 2009

22 Nations Win at Least 1 Medal in Taekwondo Competition at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games The taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were held at the University of Science and Technology Beijing Gymnasium in Beijing, China on August 20-23, 2008. This was the third consecutive time that the taekwondo competitions were being staged at the Olympic Games and expectations were higher than before. In total, 22 national Olympic committees won at least a medal. Compared to the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, the medal distribution in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was the most evenly distributed. The even distribution of medals indicates the homogeneous development of taekwondo globally. There were a few historic firsts that

define the beauty and importance of the Olympic sport of taekwondo.

Below are the top five moments that touched our hearts:

1.Afghanistan’s FirstEver Olympic Medal

Nikpai created one of the biggest shocks when he upset Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain, who was the gold medalist at the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in the bronze medal contest. It was reported in various news agencies that thousands of Afghans had to gather in a handful of shops that still had electricity just to watch Nikpai compete, as the country was suffering from a nationwide electrical blackout. Nikpai’s victory is one of the greatest moments in the history of the Olympic Games. It united a war-torn country that is strife with internal conflicts.

Rohullah Nikpai won a bronze medal in the men’s under 58kg weight category on August 20, 2008; it was Afghanistan’s first-ever Olympic medal in any sport.

More importantly, Nikpai reminded us what taekwondo and the Olympic Movement should stand for: Sport transcends politics and brings hope of unity to the rest of the world.

World Taekwondo Federation

Overall Medal Tally

2. Beacon of Hope from the Middle East

Games, it was the first time that the Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean ever held court in the grandest stage of sport.

in Taekwondo Competition at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games would always be one - and same - favorite. He is Steven Lopez from the United States. During the march-in of the national teams at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the world was treated to one of the most memorable sights in Olympic history: Just behind the national flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a female athlete and her coach were leading a group of men. That female athlete is Sara Khosh Jamal and she is the first female athlete to represent Iran at the Olympic Games. Khosh Jamal’s participation in the Olympic Games is a symbolic moment for empowering women, especially in the Middle East, where sport is still mostly practiced by men. Khosh Jamal had the moves, too, as she blanked her opponent (5:0) in the first round of the women’s under 49kg weight category. She succumbed in the second round to 2004 Athens Olympic Games champion Shu-Chun Yang of Chinese Taipei. Khosh Jamal might not have won any medal, but more significantly, she will always be remembered as the beacon of hope that shines brightly for women in the Middle East.

As if that is not enough, Olympic history was created when Steven, his younger brother Mark and youngest sister Diana participated in the taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This was the first time in more than a century of U.S. Olympic history where three siblings have participated in the same sport in the same Games. To top it off, eldest brother Jean served as a head coach of the taekwondo team.

Ranking order according to the number of (1) gold, (2) silver and (3) bronze medals NOCs that share the same ranking are categorized according to their NOC codes

18 WTF

Jason’s performances earned him an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship and respect from the taekwondo community around the world.

5. Never-Say-Die Spirit

Steven and Diana each won a bronze medal in the men’s under 80kg weight category and women’s under 57kg weight category respectively, while Mark won a silver medal in the men’s under 68kg weight category. At the end of the day, making Olympic history with the family meant just as much, if not more, than winning the medals. The Lopez family is taekwondo’s equivalent to the Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

4. Introduction of Marshall Islands

In the first round of the women’s under 57kg weight category, Li-Wen Su of Chinese Taipei injured herself so severely that she almost had to quit the competitions. Gritting her teeth, Su managed to see through the match. It was diagnosed that Su had broken a bone on her left foot and torn her knee ligaments. When it was clear that Su would be participating in the repechage, there was likelihood that she would give up that chance.

3. Dominance of the Lopez Family Since the start of the century, one name has been synonymous with success. It does not matter if it was the WTF World Taekwondo Championships or the taekwondo competitions at the Olympic Games; there

Thanks to the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship program, athletes from the Marshall Islands were offered golden opportunities to participate in the Games. Anju Jason, however, qualified for the Games. By virtue of winning the gold medal in the men’s under 80kg weight category at the Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Noumea, New Caledonia, on December 1, 2007, Jason became the first athlete from the Marshall Islands to qualify directly for the Olympic Games.

When the Republic of the Marshall Islands participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympic

Nonetheless, what followed in the repechage became a stuff of legends for Su. Overcoming the excruciating pain and possibility of ending her promising taekwondo career, Su persevered to the bronze medal contest.

World Taekwondo Federation

In the bronze medal contest, Su collapsed no less than 10 times. The pain was so agonizing that her coach thought of throwing in the towel, but Su would not allow that. Each time, she held back tears and struggled to her feet and continued competing.

WTF Holds Olympic Coach Seminar, Referee Refresher Course

Su did not win the bronze medal, but she won the hearts of millions with her heroic displays of courage and passion for taekwondo.

Overall Improvement of Refereeing Standards

Participants in WTF Olympic Coach Seminar Adopt Resolution on Fair Play

Such improvements were not made in a day; far from it, in fact. The foundations for the improvements were established in July 2007, when the WTF embarked on a series of meetings and trainings to educate the Olympic referees.

As part of its ceaseless efforts to ensure the fairest judging and refereeing at the Beijing Olympic Games, the World Taekwondo Federation organized a coach seminar and a referee refresher course for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in June and July 2008, respectively.

While the standard of refereeing and judging has improved, the WTF will continually seek to update the education materials and enhance the training methods.

The WTF coach seminar for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the first of its kind in WTF Olympic history, took place at Haeundae Grand Hotel in Busan, Korea, on June 16-18.

Olympic Qualification Tournament From the total participants in the training camp, 54 of them were chosen to officiate in world and five continental Olympic qualification tournaments: World Qualification: Sept. 28-30, 2007 (Manchester, U.K.) African Qualification: Nov. 1-2, 2007 (Tripoli, Libya) Asian Qualification: Nov. 28-30, 2007 (HCMC, Vietnam) Oceania Qualification: Dec. 1, 2007 (Noumea, New Caledonia) Pan American Qualification: Dec. 8-9, 2007 (Cali, Colombia) European Qualification: Jan. 26-27, 2008 (Istanbul, Turkey) The list of international referees who would be officiating in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was finalized. One of the conditions imposed by the WTF: Selected referees would no longer officiate in any other championships until the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Olympic Referee Refresher Course An Olympic Referee Refresher Course was organized in Beijing, China. As the name suggests, the course was designed to refresh the Olympic referees on the technical rules and hand signal techniques

20 WTF

WTF President Chungwon Choue said,“It is our responsibility to uphold the integrity of our sport through fair and best behavior. There will undoubtedly be winners and losers in any sport; respecting the results and the referee’s decision, regardless of the outcome, is a code that we should abide by in our task of bringing the spirit of fair play to taekwondo.” “Fair judging and refereeing, along with fair play, will help bring a more orderly environment to the taekwondo competition sites, in which athletes and coaches will accept the competition results and follow proper protest procedures, if necessary,”he said.“For the sake of our athletes and for the sake of taekwondo’s future, it is our responsibility to ensure that only the best athletes become worthy champions.”

The WTF is proud of the international referees who officiated in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. When Dr. Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC, and other IOC officials attended the taekwondo competitions on August 21, 2008, they praised the improved standards of the referees at the Games.

Olympic Referee Selection Training Camp About 190 international referees turned up at Woosuk University in Jeonju, Korea, to attend the camp. This was the first time that the WTF organized such camps to select Olympic referees. The referees endured a series of physical tests, which were followed by tests pertaining to the technical rules and refereeing hand signals.

tournaments, a great improvement in terms of judging and refereeing.

It read,“I will respect and treat every athlete, coach and official equally in accordance with the Olympic Charter and the Rules and Regulations of the World Taekwondo Federation, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, and religious beliefs.” “I will be a positive role model for my athletes and promote fair play, sportsmanship and courtesy at all times.” “I will ensure the safety of all athletes. I will not tolerate shameful or undesirable acts from my athletes. I will accept any sanction imposed on me and my national taekwondo association by the World Taekwondo Federation should I violate any provision within the WTF Rules and Regulations,”the resolution concluded. As part of its efforts to ensure the fairest refereeing and judging at taekwondo competitions, especially the Beijing Olympic Games, the WTF has devoted over the last four years most of its time and energy to improving its refereeing and judging.

More than 100 coaches and officials from about 50 countries attended the coach seminar. The three-day coach seminar featured a special video lecture by Mr. Andrew Ryan, ASOIF director. On July 13-19, the WTF held a WTF referee refresher course for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing, China. A total of 29 international referees participated in the week-long referee refresher course.

In a strong show of their commitment to fair play at taekwondo competitions, participants in the WTF Coach Seminar for the Beijing Olympic Games resolved to respect fair play on the second day of the three-day event at Haeundae Grand Hotel in Busan, Korea, on June 17, 2008.

The WTF finalized the 29 referees for the Beijing Olympic Games in February 2008. The 29 finalists were selected among the 187 international referees from 57 countries, who attended a week-long WTF International Referee Training Camp for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in late July and early August 2007 in Jeonju, Korea.

The seminar participants also resolved to“respect and accept the judgment and decisions of the refereeing and technical officials in all taekwondo competitions.”

Out of the 187, the WTF selected 54 top referees based on their camp performances, who officiated at the WTF’ s world and five continental qualification tournaments between September 2007 and in January 2008.

All the participants, about 100 from about 50 countries, unanimously adopted an Olympic coach resolution, which read,“I, as a coach of a participating national taekwondo team in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, am fully determined to respect fair play for the success of taekwondo competition, and hereby abide by the following resolutions.”

Partly thanks to the WTF’ s stepped-up referee education and training, only two“minor”protests were lodged during the six Olympic qualification

World Taekwondo Federation

Honorable mention: Li-Wen SU (Chinese Taipei/TPE) was seriously injured in her first match against Korea. She persevered to the repechage final before finally succumbing to Croatia.

*P.S. Sarah STEVENSONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s match result against Zhong CHEN (CHN) was reversed after a successful protest appeal by GBR

22 WTF

*P.S. Arman CHILMANOV received the bronze medal after his opponent, Angel Valodia MATOS (CUB), was disqualified. Matos could not recover within the stipulated 1 minute time allocated for first aid. Matos then punched corner judge Paulo MARTINS (POR) in the chest and kicked center referee Chakir CHELBAT (SWE) in the face. Matosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final classification ranking has been disqualified.

World Taekwondo Federation

24 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

26 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

COMPETITION DAY 1 : August 20, 2008 Women’s -49kg / Men’s -58kg

Competition Day Overview

3. Sara KHOSH JAMAL, the first-ever Iranian female athlete to participate in the Olympic Games, won her first contest in style (winning 5-0 against a strong Moroccan athlete) before losing in the quarterfinals to the 2004 Athens Olympic champion Shu-Chun YANG from Chinese Taipei. 4. Mexico won their first gold medal in Olympic taekwondo history when they won the men’s -58kg weight category. They would go on to win another gold medal in the women’s +67kg weight category to finish second overall in the taekwondo medal rankings. 5. This was Kenya's first-ever participation in the Olympic taekwondo competitions and they achieved 5th place in the women’s -49kg weight category.

The first day of competitions was successfully organized, with all contests being played on schedule. The day’s competitions were remembered more for the following achievements: 1. Rohullah NIKPAI of Afghanistan won a bronze medal in the men’s -58kg weight category. This was Afghanistan’s first-ever medal in any sport in the Olympic Games. He is an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship recipient. In the bronze medal contest, Nikpai created one of the major upsets in Olympic taekwondo history when he defeated 2007 WTF world champion Juan Antonio RAMOS of Spain. 2. Dalia CONTRERAS RIVERO of Venezuela won a bronze medal in the women’s -49kg weight category. She is an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship recipient.

6. The Dominican Republic achieved their first-ever medal in Olympic taekwondo history when they won a silver medal in the men’s -58kg weight category. Along the way, he produced one of the major upsets when he defeated 2004 Athens Olympic champion Mu-Yen CHU from Chinese Taipei. This was also the Dominican Republic’s first medal in any sport in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. 7. Thailand achieved their best showing in Olympic taekwondo history when they won a silver medal in the women’s -49kg weight category. They won a bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. 8. China’s Jingyu WU proved to be a worthy champion. She dominated two of her contests, which were both won by point gap (i.e. 7-point margin). She outclassed the 2004 Athens Olympic champion from Chinese Taipei in the semifinal (4-1) and defeated Thailand in the final.

28 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

COMPETITION DAY 2 : August 21, 2008 Women’s -57kg / Men’s -68kg

Competition Day Overview

Croatia would go on to win another bronze in the women’-67kg weight category. 4. Servet TAZEGUL of Turkey won a bronze medal in the men’s -67kg weight category. He is an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship recipient. 5. Azize TANRIKULU of Turkey created a stir when she upset favorite Diana LOPEZ of the United States in the quarterfinal, and then went on to achieve a silver medal. 6. Honorable mention: Li-Wen SU of Chinese Taipei has been hailed as a national hero back home and also an icon of taekwondo after her courageous efforts in the women’s -57kg weight category. Su suffered a broken bone in her left foot and also possible tearing of her left knee ligaments in the first contest against the eventual champion from Korea. The second day of competitions was organized extremely smoothly, with no protests and all contests on schedule. The following were the highlights of the day: 1. IOC President Jacques ROGGE arrived at the University of Science and Technology Beijing Gymnasium at 3 p.m., along with IOC Sports Director Christophe DUBI and other officials.

Despite the excruciating pain, Su persevered. Along the way, however, Su collapsed whenever the pain became unbearable. In one particular contest, she collapsed 11 times. Every time, she would pick herself up to compete. It even reached a point where her coach admitted that he contemplated throwing in the towel, but Su would not allow him to do that. Such was her bravery to defy all odds that Su went on to compete in the repechage final, where she eventually lost. Su was given a standing ovation and praises from the media.

2. Three siblings from the same family achieved a historic first. Diana LOPEZ of the United States won a silver medal in the women’s -57kg weight category, while her brother Mark won a bronze in the men’s -67kg weight category. The next day, elder brother Steven would go on to win a bronze in the men’s -80kg weight category. All three athletes are coached by their eldest brother, Jean. This is the first time in Olympic taekwondo history, and perhaps in Olympic history, that three siblings won a medal in the same edition of the Games. 3. Croatia achieved their first-ever medals in Olympic taekwondo history when they won a bronze in the women’s -57kg weight category.

30 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

COMPETITION DAY 3 : August 22, 2008 Women’s -67kg / Men’s -80kg

The following were the highlights of the third day of competitions:

repechage final of the men's -80kg weight category. At 17 years of age, the future is bright for Aaron.

1. Anju JASON represented the Marshall Islands in the men's -80kg weight category, which he earned directly via the Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament in Noumea, New Caledonia, on December 1, 2007. This was the Marshall Island’s first-ever participation in the Olympic Games.

3. Italy achieved their first-ever medal in Olympic taekwondo history when they won a silver medal in the men's -80kg weight category.

Competition Day Overview

4. Hadi SAEI of Iran became only the third athlete to achieve two gold medals in Olympic taekwondo history (the other two were CHEN Zhong of China and Steven LOPEZ of the United States). In addition, he is only one of two athletes to ever win a medal in every edition of the Olympic taekwondo competitions (the other is Steven LOPEZ of the U.S.A.).

2. Teenage sensation Aaron COOK of Great Britain stormed to the

32 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

COMPETITION DAY 4 : August 23, 2008 Women’s +67kg / Men’s +80kg

Competition Day Overview

The following were the highlights of the fourth and final day of the competitions: 1. Natalia FALAVIGNA of Brazil won a bronze medal in the women’s +67kg weight category. She is an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship recipient. 2. Great Britain achieved their first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal when they won a bronze medal in the women’s +67kg weight category. 3. Nigeria achieved their first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal when they won a bronze medal in the men’s +80kg weight category. 4. Kazakhstan achieved their first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal when they won a bronze medal in the men’s +80kg weight category.

34 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

COMPETITION DAY 1 Highlights

36 WTF

COMPETITION DAY 2 Highlights

World Taekwondo Federation

COMPETITION DAY 3 Highlights

38 WTF

COMPETITION DAY 4 Highlights

World Taekwondo Federation

International Technical Officials According to the agreement with the IOC, the number of international technical officials was as follows:

Drawing of Lots Session

After almost eight months of training and officiating in the Olympic qualification tournaments, twenty nine (29) International Referees were finally appointed on March 4, 2008. The officials were as follows:

4. For NOCs that did not attend the drawing of lots session, a BOCOG volunteer approved by the other NOC representatives randomly picked a numbered ball.

1. Two (2) Technical Delegates 2. Five (5) Jury members (also known as Competition Supervisory Board members) 3. Twenty nine (29) International Referees

Despite the long, manual lot drawing process, numerous NOC representatives praised the WTF for its transparency. Issues The lot drawing process was duplicated. Currently, the MSL system cannot project its match trees through a projector. Resolutions

The position of Technical Controller was removed from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. As the number of corner judges have increased from three (3) in 2004 Athens to four (4) in 2008 Beijing, the number of International Referees have increased by five (5). The two Technical Delegates and five Competition Supervisory Board members were appointed by the WTF President on August 31, 2007.

The WTF developed a simple Excel spreadsheet. Whenever the NOC is called and the representative picks a numbered ball, an official from the WTF will manually place the selected athlete’s name and NOC Code into the appropriate slot in the match tree. The whole process is projected on a big screen. At the same time, MSL does the same process in its system, after which it prints out a copy for the Technical Delegate’s verification.

The officials were as follows:

Future Consideration(s)

Technical Delegates: 1. Mr. Eui Min KO (Chairman of Technical Committee, Germany) 2. Mr. Manuel COLMENERO FIRVIDA (WTF Council member, Spain) Competition Supervisory Board Members: 1. Mr. Rene BUNDELI (Chairman of Games Committee and Council member, Switzerland) 2. Mr. Hong Ki KIM (Chairman of Referee Committee and Council member, USA) 3. Mr. Dai Won MOON (Council member, Mexico) 4. Mr. Siaka Minayaha COULIBALY (Council member, Cote d’Ivoire) 5. Mrs. Carine Lahoud MURR (Council member, Lebanon) The WTF held the Referee Selection Training Camp for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games between July 29 and August 4, 2007. The camp drew a total of 187 international referees from 57 countries. The selected fifty four (54) international referees from the camp were then assigned to officiate in the six (6) Olympic Taekwondo Qualification Tournaments as part of the second screening process.

40 WTF

The drawing of lots session was held on August 18, 2008, which was two days before the start of the competitions. To ensure fairness and transparency, the following process was adopted at the drawing of lots session:

The WTF has reflected this duplication process to MSL and to ORIS. MSL has agreed to make the necessary adjustments so that its match trees can be projected at the drawing of lots session in future WTFpromoted/sanctioned championships and the Olympic Games. This change has been reflected in ORIS.

1. There were two boxes of ping-pong balls; one box was filled with balls that had NOC codes and the other box was filled with balls that were numbered 1-16 (depicting the 16 seeding positions in a standard match tree). Future Consideration(s) Members of the Competition Supervisory Board were well-balanced in terms of continental and gender representation. However, it is advisable to appoint at least one (1) lawyer or law-trained taekwondo expert in the Board, who could provide legal advice when it comes to protest applications.

2. One of the Technical Delegates randomly picked a ball from the NOC box. When the name of the NOC was read out, a representative from the NOC approached the head table to randomly pick out one of the numbered balls. The NOC was then placed in the match tree according to the number that was picked. 3. The BOCOG then provided the NOCs with a similarly numbered gold plaque as a souvenir.

World Taekwondo Federation

Tripartite Commission Invitation Places (Wild Cards) The IOC received wild card applications for taekwondo from the national Olympic committees by November 15, 2007. After the technical evaluation of the athletes by the WTF, a Tripartite Commission meeting among the IOC, the Association of National Olympic Committees and the WTF was called.

Olympic Solidarity Taekwondo received a total of 59 successful applications for the IOC Olympic Solidarity Scholarship program. After years of dedication and personal sacrifices, 20 athletes qualified for the taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

The week-long WTF International Referee Training Camp for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was held on July 29 till August 4, 2008, drawing a total of 187 international referees from 57 countries. Through the intensive training session, which served as the first stage of screening, the WTF ranked all the participating international referees through practical and written tests. For the second stage of the screening, the WTF sent the fifty four (54) highly ranked referees to the WTF World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Manchester, UK, in late September 2007, and the WTF’s five continental qualification tournaments. Right after the WTF European Taekwondo Qualification Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey in early 2008, twenty nine (29) referees were finally appointed as the International Referees for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games taekwondo competitions.

The following four (4) athletes were selected to receive invitation places. (The results of the wild card recipients at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games taekwondo competitions are shown below their names): 1. Alfonso MARTINEZ (Belize, men’s under 58kg) a. Defeated by Juan Antonio RAMOS (Spain) by 1:2 in the Round of 16

Meanwhile, for the first time in the WTF’s referee education programs, the training camp conducted basic medical checkups, such as visual acuity, color blindness, blood pressure and hearing, and fitness tests, like a 50-meter sprint and standing long jump to ensure physical fitness standing as referees.

2. Nesar Ahmed BAHAVE (Afghanistan, men’s under 68kg) a. Defeated by Mark LOPEZ (USA) by 0:3 in the Round of 16 b. Defeated by Daniel MANZ (Germany) by 3:4 in the repechage 3. H.H. Sheikha Maitha ALMAKTOUM (UAE, women’s under 67kg) a. Defeated by Kyung Seon HWANG (Korea) by 1:5 in the Round of 16 b. Defeated by Sandra SARIC (Croatia) by 0:4 in the repechage

For the evaluation of practical tests, the WTF set up an eight-member ad-hoc evaluation committee.

Referee Assignment

4. Lailatou AMADOU LELE (Niger, women’s under 57kg) a. She did not show up at the weigh-in, and was automatically disqualified from her competitions. In July 2008, H.H. Sheikha Maitha Al Maktoum and the United Arab Emirates NOC agreed to change her weight category from women’s over 67kg to women’s under 67kg in order to ensure that there were 16 athletes across all the weight category at the Olympic taekwondo competitions, which essentially is in accordance with the qualification system developed by the WTF and approved by the IOC.

Referee Selection

Among them, four (4) athletes emerged as medal winners. In particular, Rohullah NIKPAI of Afghanistan won a bronze medal in the men’s -58kg weight category, which is the first-ever medal won by Afghanistan in any sport in the history of the Olympic Games. Nikpai’s victory is testament to the Olympic spirit, which hopefully will help bridge cultures and ensure peace around the world.

Referee assignments for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games taekwondo competitions were done through the use of the random assignment software developed by Dartfish. The software was also used at the Good Luck Beijing 2008 International Taekwondo Invitational Tournament on February 26-29, 2008. Between the test event and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the system had gone through major enhancements. Fundamental principles: 1. A total of 29 referees were appointed. The composition of the referees was as follows: a. Europe - 11 b. Asia - 10 c. Pan America - 5 d. Africa - 2 e. Oceania - 1

42 WTF

2. The referees were divided into the center referee group and the corner judges group. The classification of the referees into their respective groups was done by the Mr. Eui Min KO (Technical Delegate), Mr. Manuel COLMENERO FIRVIDA (Technical Delegate), Mr. Hong Ki KIM (Competition Supervisory Board member) and Mr. Rene BUNDELI (Competition Supervisory Board member). 3. According to the WTF Competition Rules, a referee who is of the same nationality as the participating athlete will not be assigned to officiate in that contest. This is to ensure fair judgment and no conflict of interest. The same principle applied for center referees and athletes of the same continent. In the event that the corner judges are of the same continent as those of the participating athletes, the WTF will ensure that both athletes’ continents are equally represented in the assignment of the corner judges. 4. During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, a referee was not assigned to be the center referee in the weight category that an athlete of the same nationality was participating in. a. There was minimal chance for the referee to be assigned as a corner judge in that weight category as well. This principle was mostly applied across all four days of competitions. b. If the athlete goes all the way to the final, the referee of the same nationality could only officiate in the repechage (as the repechage results did not affect the final). c. If the athlete goes to the repechage, the referee of the same nationality could only officiate in the final, if assigned. 5. In certain exceptional situations, some of the political, religious and ethnic sensitivities were considered in the assignment of referees, so as to avoid any conflicts of interest or hostilities between officiating referees and athletes. 6. No referees were assigned for the two consecutive contests. 7. Center referees who had officiated a particular country in a previous round were generally not assigned to officiate that same country again, unless necessary due to a lack of continental representation in the pool of center referees. 8. After exclusion of any ineligible referees, less officiated referees were assigned in priority. 9. Referees who were assigned for inspection and weigh-in sessions were automatically excluded from officiating until they have completed their assignments. 10. For each contest, the system provided two options of referees. The two options were then brought to the two Technical Delegates for their choice and approval. 11. On the last day of competitions, some of the referees were not assigned following the instructions of the Technical Delegates, especially the five referees who had officiated in Contest No. 134 (Great Britain vs. China).

World Taekwondo Federation

VENUE

(such as the one used in 2004 Athens), or indications of two athletes and the center referee.

Instead of putting a square in the middle of the competition mat, the WTF and future Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games could consider putting the IOC emblem or official Olympic Games logo in the middle

44 WTF

The warm-up area, at 640 sq. meters, was properly set up with three (3) courts. The weigh-in rooms were located in the warm-up area for the convenient access of athletes. Several TV monitors were well located in the warm-up area to help athletes stay updated with the ongoing match process. Other TV monitors were also set up in the athletes’ waiting area to help inform the athletes to prepare for the upcoming contests in advance.

Seating The venue could accommodate a full-house capacity of 8,000 spectators. The design of the venue allowed the spectators to watch the competitions without any hindrance. The proximity of the spectators to the FOP created a noisy yet electric atmosphere, especially when the spectators were cheering for the Chinese athletes.

The training venue was separately set up within the Capital Institute of Physical Education Training Hall B, which consisted of four (4) courts.

The VIP seating area was designated behind two to three rows of tables that were meant for the media broadcasters. While it is important for the media to receive the best view of the competitions for their broadcast commentary purposes, there were times when the view of the VIPs were blocked, especially when the broadcasters stood up and walked around. Perhaps the commentary boxes could be designed lower for future Games.

The University of Science and Technology Beijing Gymnasium is a beautifully designed venue.

Field of Play (FOP) The design of the Field of Play and the color combinations used were intended to maximize the exposure of taekwondo. The contrast in colors, especially in the competition mats, was well received by the Beijing Olympic Broadcasting.

The competition mat, obviously a recognized product of the WTF, was found to be too slippery, which caused some athletes to hesitate in displaying their techniques in full. This issue was discovered before the competitions and was solved prior to the start of the competitions. However, it is the responsibility of the WTF to review the current specifications of equipments to ensure that all WTF-approved products are within our requirements and satisfaction.

Throughout the four-day competitions, only one (1) court was used for the taekwondo competitions, which was ideal in brining attention to the FOP. At the same time, having only one court meant that the competitions would last a full day, which was the case from 09:00 to 21:30 (including medal presentation ceremonies). For athletes that were selected for in-competition testing, that would mean leaving the venue at about 23:00. For the clean and smooth operation within the FOP, the access to FOP was strictly controlled and well managed by the BOCOG. Apart from the Technical Officials, the WTF Secretariat was provided with six (6) FOP access cards, either to be assigned to specific individuals or to be used on a rotational basis.

Facilities in the venue In the operation area, facilities for technical officials and the WTF Secretariat were properly established and well managed with the assistance of wonderful and hospitable volunteers. The main functions rooms provided to the WTF were the President’s room, Secretary General’s room, WTF office, TD’s room, CSB room, WTF meeting room, ITO meeting room and ITO lounge. After the Good Luck Beijing 2008 International Taekwondo Invitational Tournament held in February 2008, the location and usage of the ITO lounge have been an issue. After consultations between the WTF and the BOCOG, it was agreed that the ITO lounge would be solely designated for the 29 international referees. None of the other technical officials or WTF staff could access the ITO lounge on competition days, so as to maximize independence and convenience of referees.

The training venue opened on July 27 until August 23. Operation hours were 08:00-13:00 and 15:00-22:00. The distance from the Olympic Village to the training venue was 5km, or within 10 minutes if traveling by shuttle bus. The training schedule was well planned and managed by the BOCOG, and no major problems were reported. Restaurant Athletes, coaches, WTF officials and technical officials were allocated within the designated restaurant for lunch and dinner, with partitions in between to separate the different groups. The restaurant was conveniently located within walking distance from the venue. Lighting / temperature The Beijing Olympic Broadcasting commented that the lighting within the venue was suitable for broadcasting. For future Games, however, it would be ideal to look into darkening the other areas around the FOP so that the focus would be on the FOP. During the Good Luck Beijing 2008 International Taekwondo Invitational Tournament, questions were raised about the temperature within the venue during summer time. However, the temperature in the venue was very well maintained, and it provided the best conditions to the athletes and also to the spectators.

The overall administrative services provided in the WTF office were excellent, while the furniture in the WTF President and Secretary General ’ s rooms need to be reviewed for future occasions.

World Taekwondo Federation

WTF President, Greek Nikolaidis, China’s Chen Zhong Participate as Key Torchbearers in Beijing Olympic Torch Relay

WTF President Chungwon Choue; Greek Alexandros Nikolaidis, a silver taekwondo medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games; and Chinese two-time taekwondo Olympic gold medalist Chen Zhong participated as key torchbearers in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Torch Relay. WTF President Choue participated as a torchbearer in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay in Lijiang, Yunnan Province in China on June 10, 2008. As the 11th runner in the ancient town of Lijiang, Dr. Choue ran about 50 meters in the morning in his capacity as the president of an international sports federation, drawing a special attention from local media. He was interviewed by the China Daily and the Xinhwa news agency.

46 WTF

In May 2008, Dr. Choue sent a condolence letter, along with a donation of $3,000, to the Chinese Olympic Committee, for the profound loss of lives from the devastating earthquake which hit the Sichuan province, which neighbors the Yunnan Province. Taekwondo is a compulsory subject at elementary schools in the Sichuan Province from 2007. The very first torchbearer in Greece was Greek Alexandros Nikolaidis, the silver medalist in the men’s over 80kg taekwondo category at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. On March 24, at the ancient Olympia archeological site, High Priestess Maria Nafpliotou used a torch ignited by the Olympic flame held by Nikolaidis, who then handed over the torch to China’s swimming Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan.

Under the theme“Journey of Harmony”and the slogan“Light the Passion Share the Dream,”the 2008 Beijing Olympic Torch Relay started on March 24 in Greece and continued until Aug. 8, the opening day of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The torch relay covered over 100 cities across the five continents of the world for a combined distance of 137,000 km and involves 21,880 torchbearers and 5,000 escort runners. The WTF hoped that the participation of WTF President Choue, Nikolaidis, and Chen Zhong as key torchbearers of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Torch Relay would greatly help enhance the image of the WTF and taekwondo in the international sports community.

China’s Chen Zhong, the two-time Olympic taekwondo gold medalist, also participated in the Olympic torch relay as one of the final eight torchbearers during the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on Aug. 8.

World Taekwondo Federation

Lopez Family Olympic history was created when Steven Lopez of the United States, his younger brother Mark and youngest sister Diana participated in the taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This was the first time in more than a century of U.S. Olympic history where three siblings have participated in the same sport in the same Olympic Games. To top it off, eldest brother Jean served as a head coach of the U.S. taekwondo team.

Rohullah Nikpai (Afghanistan)

Afghans.“As long as taekwondo stays as an Olympic sport, Afghans can keep dreaming.” taekwondo history when he crushed 4-1 Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain, the gold medal winner at the 2007 Beijing WTF World Taekwondo Championships. Nikpai’s Olympic medal is testament to the Olympic spirit, which hopefully will help bridge cultures and ensure peace around the world. The International Olympic Committee announced that only four countries, including Afghanistan, won their first Olympic medal at the Beijing Olympic Games.

“Nakpai earned war-torn Afghanistan the first-ever medal in the Olympic Games in its 72-year Olympic history.” Rohullah Nikpai made history in Afghanistan’s 72-year Olympic history as he qualified for the taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games for the first time, and earned the war-torn country the first Olympic medal in any sport. Nikpai, 21, clinched a bronze medal in the men’s -58kg category at the Beijing Olympic Games. In the bronze medal match, Nikpai, an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship recipient, created one of the major upsets in Olympic

“My single Olympic medal has helped bring Afghans together and unite a wide variety of ethnic groups into one,”Nikpai said.“Now taekwondo has emerged as the symbol of peace in Afghanistan.” He said,“Taekwondo has given hope and dreams to the Afghan people, especially youth. The sport of taekwondo has given Afghans a can-do spirit and a great confidence.” Nikpai, who started taekwondo at the age of 10, hoped that taekwondo should retain its Olympic status not only for the sport of taekwondo, but also for

Nikpai, with a height of 181cm, has three elder brothers and one younger sister. His two brothers also do practice taekwondo. “When I grabbed the bronze medal, I was really delighted,” Nikpai said.“I failed to achieve my goal of winning the Olympic gold, but I will set again my Olympic gold target on the 2012 London Olympic Games.” “When I returned home, my mother told me‘I am proud of you and thank you my son, my prayer is answered,’” Nikpai said. Upon arriving at Kabul International Airport on Aug. 28, almost one thousand of Afghans, with ID cards, welcomed Nikpai. A car parade was followed from the airport to the Ghazi Stadium in downtown Kabul.“I couldn’t believe my eyes. There were really lots of people welcoming me.” Under Korean coach Min Sin-hak, Nikpai trained about seven hours a day for almost one year before the Beijing Olympic Games.“During the summer and winter times, I trained much more.” “When I first saw him in December 2005, I sensed that he could be an Olympic gold medalist,”Min said.“I think he can compete at the next two Olympic Games if he desires.” Nikpai plans to engage soon and to continue his study in 2009 by enrolling in a physical education department in a Tehran university. World Taekwondo Federation

Taekwondo Makes History in Afghanistan

After the resumption of the Afghanistan NOC’s relations with the IOC and the OCA, Afghanistan sent its athletes to the 2002 Busan Asian Games, where a female taekwondo athlete, Ms. Rouya Zamani, won a bronze medal, the first taekwondo medal at an international event.

the end of 2009,” Rabani said. “All sportsmen now send their daughters and sons to taekwondo clubs in our country, reflecting the high popularity of taekwondo, especially after the Beijing Olympic Games,”he said. With the approval of the Afghanistan Education Ministry, Rabani said that the Kabul Physical Education University has decided to introduce taekwondo as an optional subject for its students.

The medal started to attract a special attention of the Afghan media and the people. At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, Afghanistan also clinched one bonze medal in the taekwondo competition. At the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Beijing, China, Afghanistan’s Nesar Ahmad Behave grabbed the silver medal in the men’s lightweight category. For Afghanistan, it marked the first medal at world championships in any sport.

Since the late 1970s, Afghanistan has suffered continuous and brutal civil war. During the 1996-2001 Taliban government, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) cut their relations with the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee (NOC) for the regime’s restrictions on freedom and human rights violations. Women were banned from jobs, and girls were forbidden to attend schools or universities.

Afghanistan sent two taekwondo athletes to Beijing, China for the 2008 Olympic Games. One was Nesar Ahmad Behave who earned a Tripartite Commission invitation place, or better known as a wild card, and the other was Rohullah Nikpai, who earned a ticket for the Beijing Olympic Games as he finished second at the WTF Asian Taekwondo Qualification Tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Nov. 1-3, 2007. The two Afghan athletes were IOC Olympic Solidarity Scholarship recipients. Nikpai was the first Afghan athlete to qualify for the Olympic Games in any sport in his country. At the Beijing Olympic Games, Nikpai won a bronze medal in the men’s -58kg class, the first-ever medal in the Olympic Games in Afghanistan’s 72-year Olympic history.

Nikpai’s Olympic medal has exerted a positive impact on the minds of Afghans. Afghanistan is divided into a wide variety of ethnic groups. The single medal changed a lot in Afghanistan’s sports and other sectors. “Nikpai’s Olympic medal made history in Afghanistan’s sports field. Now taekwondo is the No. 1 sport in our country and all taekwondo clubs are crowded,”said Ghulam Rabani Rabani, president of the Afghanistan National Taekwondo Federation. Rabani said that there are about 25,000 taekwondo practitioners and about 700 taekwondo clubs in Afghanistan. Rabani, a Kukkuwon 5th Dan black-belt holder, started taekwondo at the age of nine. The 33year-old Rabani took the helm of Afghanistan’s national taekwondo governing body at the end of 2001. “At the end of 2005, the number of taekwondo practitioners was about 15,000. If the current trend continues, it will jump to about 45,000 by

“When Nikpai won the Olympic medal in taekwondo, the country was united into one and Afghans voiced‘We are one country, we are one people,’”Rabani said.“The single Olympic medal helped solve decades of internal feuds among ethnic groups. Now taekwondo means peace for Afghans.” When Nikpai arrived at Kabul International Airport on Aug. 28, about 1,000 Afghans welcomed him. The airport welcoming event was followed by a car parade from the airport to the Ghazi Stadium in downtown Kabul, where thousands of people gathered to greet him. All the commemorative events were organized by a special committee set up by the Afghan government. Days later, Nikpai was invited to the President’s office. Rabani cited as major reasons for the high popularity of taekwondo among Afghans such

taekwondo values as etiquette, respect for others, and discipline. “Because of decades of civil war in our country, Afghans are lacking in respect for others and mutual confidence, but taekwondo puts those values first,”said Rabani, who also serves as an Executive Council member of the Afghanistan NOC. Korean Min Sin-hak, who serves as the national coach of the Afghan national taekwondo team, said,“Afghan athletes have good fighting spirits and high learning abilities. And they are fearless.” “Through taekwondo training, they dream of better lives,”said Min, who coached Nikpai since late 2005. At the invitation of the Afghan NOC and the Ministry of Culture, Min went to Afghanistan in December 2005 as the first Korean coach to the Asian country. Min, a Kukkiwon 6th Dan holder, said he started an individual training program for Nikpai and other Afghan national taekwondo athletes. “I focused on building up their physical strength by putting a 20km marathon and cross country in the training program.” “As I sensed Nikpai’s great potential for a future Olympic gold medalist, I started making up for his weak points of slow start timing,”Min said.“I am confident that Nikpai will win the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games.” To teach Nikpai etiquette, a key taekwondo value, Min said he brought Nikpai to Korea on Nov. 8, 2008 for a 10-day training. “I emphasized over and over the importance of being humble and the fact that he was able to win the Olympic medal because of the concerted concern and support of those who love him.”

World Taekwondo Federation

Sara Khosh Jamal (Iran) could do anything,”she said.“It was a great feeling to know that I was the first woman in my country’s history to actually qualify and, not on a wild card, and go to the Olympics.” She said,“Experiencing the Olympic Games was just super. I felt so proud to be an Iranian Muslim woman. Even though I didn’t get the result I wanted, but under no circumstances I would change the experience I had in the Beijing Olympics.” “Sara was very diligent and analytical with an introspective nature,”recalls Shin Dong-sun, who served as head coach of the Iranian national female team between June 2005 and December 2006.“She constantly kept asking. She was a good, well-disciplined student. But she was very aggressive and fearless in competition.” Shin said,“When we first met at a hotel in Tehran, she asked me about kicking technique.”

“Sara created history by being Iran’s first-ever female athlete to participate in the Olympic Games in any sport.”

elementary school, and eventually in 2008 at the age of 20, she became the first Iranian woman to qualify for the Olympic Games in Iran ’ s history. Sara is the first Iranian female athlete who participated in the Olympic Games. At the Beijing Olympic Games, Sara beat Morocco’s Ghizlane Toudali 5-0 in the round of 16, but failed to advance to the semifinal round as she lost to Chinese Taipei’s Shu Chun Yang in the fourth, sudden-death round. In 2007 when she was only 19 years old, Sara competed in the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Beijing, China. She then lost to the Chinese Taipei athlete. Despite being very disappointed, she became even more determined to continue for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Sara Khosh Jamal was from a middle-class family with two sisters and one brother. Being a teacher, her father wanted her to have higher education and as a typical Persian parent, he wanted Sara to be an engineer or doctor, so he wasn’t too happy to hear about taekwondo. But as time passed and he witnessed the discipline and respect that was brought to his daughter by taekwondo, he allowed Sara to practice taekwondo. Sara, with a weak physique, started taekwondo in

“I was disappointed, true, but I think that match made me more determined. It gave me a kick-start to continue my training harder and try to qualify for the Olympic Games,” Sara said. She earned a ticket for the taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as she finished third in the women’s -49kg category at the 2007 WTF Asian Taekwondo Qualification Tournament in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Nov. 28-30, 2007. “When I qualified for the Olympic Games, I was ecstatic. I wanted to show the whole world that Iranian women

World Taekwondo Federation

Taekwondo in Iran

“ Taekwondo is the second most popular sport in Iran with over 1.5 million practitioners ” Iran has been doing great in producing champions as he wants to get families more involved and there are plans to hold a family tournament that can see grand parent or parents participating with their children.

In the past decade, Mr. Pouladgar has tried to concentrate his efforts on several factors that have brought on the success and development for taekwondo. Attracting private financial sources was very difficult and the Taekwondo Federation of Iran had to depend on government support heavily, but as time passed more and more private capital was poured into taekwondo and today all 60 clubs that are participating in Iran’s leagues are privately owned.

Taekwondo was brought to Iran in 1973 to train special forces of the military. As more officers were trained, they started to have private classes for the public, and soon taekwondo became more and more popular among the people. Over the last 15 years, Iran has become a major taekwondo power in the world and has produced many world and Olympic champions. As the president of the Taekwondo Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyd Mohammad Pouladgar has achieved great success and has been able to develop taekwondo to become one of the top three most popular sports in the country that only wanted to play football and wrestle. In terms of the number of practitioners, taekwondo comes second after football. Today there are about one and a half million taekwondo practitioners and about 3, 800 taekwondo clubs across the nation. There are five leagues starting from under 14 to the premier league for males, one female league and a poomsae league. Mr. Pouladgar became president of the Taekwondo Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2000 after serving as vice president for four years. He started the first taekwondo league in Iran and maybe in the world 14 years ago and now there are several professional leagues.

One of the most important factors Mr. Pouladgar has always insists on, when he talks about taekwondo in Iran, has been the promotion of higher education among athletes and coaches. He believes this, along with academic and scientific taekwondo seminars, can produce better players and coaches. The Iran Taekwondo Federation has held several international and national seminars that have attracted many guest speakers and a wide range of audience from around the world. During his tenure as the president, he has been able to gather support and build the Houses of Taekwondo in all 30 provinces in Iran. But the most important piece of this puzzle was to attract the media. Fortunately today taekwondo enjoys live broadcast of not only the tournament that are held in Iran, but also live broadcast of its league every week.

When asked about his plans for the future of taekwondo in Iran, the first thing Mr. Pouladgar mentions is to try to get the public more involved.

In addition, he would like to expand the already existing good relations with regional countries and help develop taekwondo in the Persian Gulf region and accordingly Iran organized the 1st West Asian Taekwondo Championships in Tehran on Nov. 8-9, 2008. Iran plans to start the first taekwondo academy

in the Middle East and when the project finishes, it will be a dream come true for a man that has dreamt about the idea for the last 25 years. Mr. Pouladgar is one of the first people who gave a vote of confidence and his support for the reforms started by the WTF President Dr. Chungwon Choue. He thinks electronic protectors, suggested by Dr. Choue, is a very important step toward bringing fairness to taekwondo and bringing an end to all the controversies surrounding the officiating situation in the WTF. In his opinion, using the electronic protectors can be one of the things that can attract a wider audience.“Of course, we have to do more in regards to our rules and regulations and the TV coverage of the matches to attract more spectators and in turn attract financial sponsors.” Iran has been working very hard to raise the interest among the women and today there are over 50,000 female taekwondo players. After a long haul, Iranian women were able to get a bronze in the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar in 2006, and then for the first time in Iran’s history, Iranian women were able to finish first and qualify for the Olympic Games, something that had never happened before in any sport. Throughout the history, Iran has been attacked and invaded and the Iranian men have learned how to defend their country. That is why Iranians are so good at martial arts and they have taken special liking to taekwondo. It has attracted many girls because in taekwondo women are allowed to wear their Hejab-scarf covering their heads.

World Taekwondo Federation

Aaron Cook (Great Britain) Q : When did you start practicing taekwondo? A : I was five years old when I started practicing taekwondo. Q : What were the reasons for practicing taekwondo?

A : I think electronic scoring will be good for the sport, as long as it works properly. I believe there are still problems with the new system (I have not yet competed with it) and unless these problems are solved, I think using it will be no different than having judges that make poor decisions and you will end up with more controversy. As long as the new system works fairly and doesn’t cause change in the way you have to fight your opponents, I think it will be a good thing for the sport. Q : What is your opinion of introducing an instant video replay system at the taekwomdo competitions?

Q What is your impression of participating in the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games? A : It was a great experience, and I was very lucky to fulfill a childhood dream by representing my country at the Olympic Games. I was also very proud to have ahieved it at such a young age. Q : You are believed as a teenage sensation in your country and a great hope for the 2012 Olympic Games. How do you think about that? A : I just try to be the best I can be, but sometimes it is very difficult to make others understand my dreams and goals. To be the best, you have to do things no one else has done before. I think that is what I have done, and had to do to achieve the things I have. I will continue to strive to achieve my goals, and winning the gold at my home Olympics in 2012 would be a dream come true. Q : Why do you think taekwondo should be in the Olympic program? A : Taekwondo is a very exciting, dynamic martial art, that anyone can be involved in. It is not expensive to participate, compared to a lot of other Olympic sports and has global appeal. I very much hope taekwondo remains on the Olympic program.

Q : What are the strong points of taekwondo, compared with other sports? A : Taekwondo is fast, exciting, unpredictable and a good spectator sport. In my semifinal match with the Italian fighter at the Beijing Olympic Games, with just 10 seconds to go, we could have ended in a golden-point round, there could have been a KO, but we ended in an exchange of five kicks between us with the Italian being awarded the point to win 6-5. That was for an Olympic gold or silver medal. I did not see much that exciting at the games.

A : I think this would also be a very important change for the sport. I train very hard, have great ambition and want to win, but sometimes I will lose. As long as I lose for the right reasons (because my opponent was better than me), it’s okay, but if I lose because of a poor decision, I, as an athlete, can’t do anything about that, and that is something that has to change. If video replays give the athlete and coach the opportunity to alter a poor decision that could affect the result of a match, it can only be fair to everyone, including the judges and spectators, as well as the athlete and eliminate further controversy.

A : I loved the Power Ranger TV program. I was always trying to copy them so my mum and dad found a local martial arts club. I was very lucky it happened to be a taekwondo club and not another martial art. Q : How important is taekwondo to you and your career? A : From the moment I started taekwondo at the age of five, taekwondo became my life. I cannot imagine life without taekwondo. Q : What is your taekwondo philosophy? A : My parents encouraged me to observe and live my life by the tenets of taekwondo, which I have and continue to do, and I get upset by people within taekwondo that neglect those tenets, tenets that the sports success has been built on. Because of my age and my own achievements within the sport, I also have a phrase that also helped me achieve all I have, and has inspired me when things have been hard and not going to as planned. That phrase is“Impossible is Nothing.”

Q : Do you have any suggestions for the development of taekwondo and the World Taekwondo Federation? A : I personally feel that taekwondo is heading in the right direction. Electronic scoring and video playback are positive responses that could change life as an athlete for the better. The proposed world rankings are a major move forward. I love to compete; it is why I get out of bed every morning to train, because I know I have a competition coming up to focus on. The ranking system should encourage athletes to compete more, it will eliminate the potential of the best athletes meeting in the early stages of a major competition (via seeding), and this will in turn make major competitions more exciting and create more spectator/media interest, with more chance of the better athletes progressing to the later stages of the competitions and fight one another for medals, instead of the earlier rounds that the current drawing of lots system can sometimes give. Q : What are your plans for 2009? A : I hope to do well at ranking competitions and get a good ranking by the end of the year at the World Senior Championships, at the new U21 European Championships, and hopefully compete in the first WTF Invitation competition at the end of the year.

Q : What is your opinion of introducing an electronic body protector system at the next Olympic Games?

World Taekwondo Federation

Leon Preston (U.S.A.) referee the Olympic Games. I do know we all attended and participated in a number of very difficult processes starting with the selection camp at Woosuk University in Korea during July of 2007 and progressed through six other events leading up to the final selection. I will never forget those days and times.

Q : How important is taekwondo to you and your career? A : Taekwondo is not important to my career, but does have importance in my life as it continues to provide me opportunities and challenges each day to grow from a human perspective and understand some of the many pathways we all travel. I believe the human capacity is infinite and our paths in life depend on how deep we can see into infinity.

Q : Why do you think taekwondo should be in the Olympic program?

Q : What is your impression of participating in the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games as a WTF international referee? A : To participate in the Olympic Games was one of those defining moments in my life, which provided me the opportunity to walk the talk of fairness and transparency in the most competitive venue in the world under extreme and intense conditions. Every match was like a final as each athleteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dream of Olympic gold and status as a national hero was at stake. The exuberance and uninhibited pleasure in victory shown by those who stood at the top of the podium resonates through us all for as referees we had a big hand in creating and maintaining the atmosphere, which in many ways provided a clear and uninhibited path for victory.

it was superb. This is to be expected as the best at that time from each national association in their weight class was there. It was a contest between some of the finest and most competitive athletes I have ever seen. The skill level and fellowship with the exception of one individual was outstanding and represented the true ideal of the Olympic Games.

A : Without any question, taekwondo should remain on the Olympic program. These are times where many sports find themselves struggling to remain exciting to the public and win the acceptance of the IOC. Taekwondo has demonstrated ongoing efforts to improve our venue and competition rules to add greater excitement for the public and IOC recognition as a popular sport worldwide with audience appeal. Taekwondo brings excitement and relevance to the world of sport. Taekwondo instantly appeals to all with its flamboyance and tenacity. Once anyone witnesses taekwondo and has an opportunity to understand the game, they become fans for life and easily see how it fits within the Olympic ideal.

Q : What is your evaluation of the overall taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games in terms of refereeing? A : Given the level of competition, the overall microanalysis and evaluation of every contest, and the pressure to perform, I believe our overall performance was very good.

Q : What is your evaluation of the overall taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games?

Q : Do you think the WTF referee selection for the Beijing Olympic Games was fair?

A : All things considered, I believe the taekwondo competition at the Olympic Games was very good, in fact

A : I have not been privileged to know all the details of the selection processes leading to the final 29 selected to

A : The concept is good. It will take much more development and refinement, but it is possible and a goal well worth pursuing. The integration of the electronic body protector and human match management is ideal and central to our ongoing goal of fairness in all aspects of competition. Q : What is your opinion of introducing an instant video replay system at the taekwondo competitions? A : I think it is a good idea. The real question is under what conditions and how many video replays can a coach request, and if a request is granted, how will that impact potential protest rights. I am sure there are other questions, but I have not analyzed this matter from a critical thinking process as of yet. Q : When did you start practicing taekwondo?

Q : Do you think the WTF refereeing system has been improved? A : Yes, without question it has. Under WTF President Dr. Chungwon Choueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leadership and critical attention to the referee division, improvements have been made. Secretary General Jin Suk Yang has paid close attention to and actively taken part in referee development events.

Q : What is your opinion of introducing an electronic body protector system at the next Olympic Games?

Q : What are the strong points of taekwondo, compared with other sports? A : Humility, cooperation, respect, a sence of mutuality and its cultural diversity among athletes, coaches, referees, fans, and family members. Taekwondo is dynamic in its application as a sport unlike any other martial art.

A : I first took up taekwondo as a kid but never really stayed with it because my attention was focused on basketball, football, track and field, and baseball. It was not until I graduated from the university that I really focus my attention on taekwondo.

Q : What is your taekwondo philosophy? A : Taekwondo empowers equity and social justice on all levels of interaction, but recognizes oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right to self-determination and individuality. Q : Do you have any suggestions for the development of taekwondo and the World Taekwondo Federation? A : Bring individuals on board in all positions that have proven knowledge, skills, and abilities to help move the WTF into a strategic position to maintain our Olympic status and promulgate taekwondo throughout the world as the preferred martial art and sport ideology. Q : What are your plans for 2009? A : Continue my work at the University of Washington School of Social Work. I look forward to teaching and training referees and creating referee development programs. I hope to get back into coaching. I plan to continue training and consulting with national programs outside the United States on sparring theory and sport psychology.

Q : What were the reasons for practicing taekwondo? A : Fun, new friends, hard workouts, something different and new as a challenge to excel within myself. The nature of taekwondo is compatible with my athletic background.

World Taekwondo Federation

Dr. Ken Min (U.S.A.) Member of WTF Council most of all, self-respect, both for the individual and for humanity as a whole. Moreover, taekwondo is deeply rooted in Asian macro philosophy which perceives the surrounding nature as a whole where mankind can exist harmoniously with the environment. Since its introduction as a demonstration sport in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, and through the efforts of many taekwondo leaders throughout the world, taekwondo has become one of the major emerging sports in the Olympic Movement. Undoubtedly, one of the highlights of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the third Olympic Games to be held in Asia, was the unprecedented and unparalleled levels of volunteers, funds, and facilities made available by the Chinese government. The Beijing Olympics festivity strove to meet Coubertin’s noble challenge of participation. In particular, I was privileged to attend the Olympic taekwondo competition which was held August 20-23, at the Games’taekwondo venue at Beijing University of Science and Technology.

Q : Why taekwondo should stay in the Olympic Movement? A : The relationship between taekwondo and the Olympic Games has been and should be one of positive mutual benefit and growth. Baron Pierre Coubertin, founder of the International Olympic Committee, said that,“The important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, the important thing in life is not to have conquered but to have fought well.” The taekwondo movement shares this philosophy of participation and also seeks to cultivate the educational values of character building, perseverance, self-discipline, self-confidence and,

I was impressed not only by the athletes but by the numerous“taekwondo dads”and“taekwondo moms,”especially from Western countries, who brought their boys and girls hoping to compete in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. Such enthusiasm shows that taekwondo is more and more becoming a contemporary family sporting event, like soccer and swimming. Taekwondo is now more than ever a universal Olympic sport. Of the 188 membership countries of the World Taekwondo Federation, which is currently headed by President Chungwon Choue, 64 countries sent teams to compete in the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympics. These athletes went through the stringent Olympic qualifying competitions to reach Beijing. The quality of taekwondo athletes has been elevated or has surpassed those who competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Q : What is your evaluation of taekwondo as an Olympic sport? A :Evaluation of today’s taekwondo movement should include the past, present and future direction. The cumulative experience and knowledge of the World Taekwondo Federation since its establishment in 1973 should be leveraged for the future of the taekwondo movement. To help us do so, the continuity of all positions, from volunteer committee chairs to the presidency, should be closely and effectively managed, especially the professional staff at the WTF headquarters. The world taekwondo movement should archive all records and documents so that they can be referenced by concerned parties. Also following all events, small or major, especially post-Olympic Games, there should be an objective debriefing by all concerned parties with records made available to the public for the constructive recommendation and criticism for the future of the taekwondo movement. For ongoing harmony and collaboration within the world taekwondo community, I would also strongly recommend that the WTF adopt an emeritus system for those who contributed to the success of the world taekwondo movement by recognizing individuals for honorary positions, similar to the policy established by the FISU, which is definitely needed for the future success of the organization. Jacques Cousteau did more than any other person to raise mankind’s awareness of

the immutable bond between the creatures of the sea and those who are bound to its shores. At the age of 84, Jacques Cousteau spoke of the Olympic Movement at the IOC Paris Centennial Congress in 1994. He said:“The Olympic Games is a celebration of constant improvement and is therefore a dash by man toward the future. For me, the purpose of an event is not to beat others but rather to improve the performance of our fellow creatures.” The Olympic Movement can trace its origins back to an elite competition. Taekwondo, on the other hand, was cultivated and developed for personal enhancement via self-training, with the ultimate goal being mutual respect among humanity. Both the Olympic Movement and the taekwondo movement now endeavor to educate our youth to cultivate health, ethics, and mental and aesthetic development to maximize their human capability on all fronts. Q : What is the current taekwondo status in the United States? A : I can remember when people in the United States used to call taekwondo by the name “Korean karate.”Today, fewer people ask “what is taekwondo”or have difficulty in pronouncing or spelling its name. In fact it may now be better known than other Asian martial arts, perhaps even more than judo. There are definitely more taekwondo followers than any other martial arts in the United States, according to the martial arts publications. Taekwondo development in the United States is second only to that of Korea, the mother country of taekwondo. The National Collegiate Taekwondo Association has hosted an annual national collegiate championship since it was established in 1971, and was the main organizing force that created the national official taekwondo body, which has evolved through several name changes from the National AAU Taekwondo Committee to the current USA Taekwondo, Inc. There are thousands of master and grandmaster instructors who teach taekwondo

in private dojangs, or clubs, and YMCA’s, Boys and Girls Clubs, and recreation centers which have spread throughout the nation, from small communities to major metropolitan areas. Taekwondo was accepted as an official United States amateur sport in 1974, second only to Korea in establishing a national governing body. In fact, USA taekwondo was developed to establish a character-building program that would coincide with physical education in schools and universities, including high school. U.S. taekwondo has also contributed to the evolution of the global taekwondo movement by contributing major professional volunteer positions, including hosting two world championships and two world university championships and numerous Pan American regional championships. U.S. taekwondo spearheaded the formation of the Pan American Taekwondo Union in 1977, which is rooted in the North American Taekwondo Union, formed in 1974. Recently in the United States, various organizations have been competing for NGB (National Governing Body) status of the United States Olympic Committee. I consider this a positive contribution for grass-roots development and success of its national movement. I am very optimistic about the future of taekwondo in the United States, as long as taekwondo’s values coincide with the educational values in the training of our upcoming generation. Q : What is the future of taekwondo, in general? A : After 35 years of accumulative experience and development, celebrated by the WTF at a special reception in Beijing, taekwondo is now one of the major sports movements in the Olympics program. It covers all five rings of the Olympic symbol, from Asia (41 countries), to Oceania (13 countries), to Pan Am (42 countries), to Europe (49 countries) and Africa (43 countries). The WTF has grown large and sophisticated enough to observe ethical concerns related to its organization as the IOC

World Taekwondo Federation

Mr. Dae-Sung Moon (Korea) New Member of the Athletes’ Commission of the IOC Q : What is your perception of Universiade taekwondo in reference to the Poomsae situation? A : Under the leadership of President George Killian, the FISU (International University Sports Federation) has been growing rapidly in recent years. The Summer and Winter Universiades, with over 100 individual world championship sports held every two years, are considered the second best multi-sports organization in the world, especially so since future leaders of the sports world in all aspects will be university graduates.

did following the 2002 XIX Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The IOC adopted many USOC structures such as athletes’representation and ethical standards. It is unfortunate that taekwondo, with its Asian inheritance of discipline, confidence, and mutual respect, has had to adopt a more explicit ethics code to balance the Westernization of taekwondo as an Olympic sport, effected by the drive of international elite competition to“win at all costs.” Yet we must remember that sports itself is considered a training ground for the law-abiding citizens, and especially the Olympic Movement emphasizes education of youth for peace, harmony and collective effort to overcome obstacles. Taekwondo should seek to attract spectators and media attention, but I do not consider taekwondo’s sole emphasis to be entertainment or competition with other sports for popularity or spectatorship. Instead, I see the goal of taekwondo to be a philosophy in action, an educational endeavor which should be spearheaded by the WTA (World Taekwondo Academy), a similar concept of the IOA (International Olympic Academy) of the IOC. Taekwondo’s future development should focus on safety of athletes, aesthetic performance, leadership, development for world peace and harmony through taekwondo education. More than 95% of taekwondo participants consider taekwondo an“art”rather than a“sport.”The current Taekwondo Peace Corps, initiated by the WTF, should incorporate, if it has not already done so, the core principles of the New Village Movement initiated by the late Korean President Park Chung Hee for the modernization of the country from the ashes of the Korean War. The three principles are diligence, self-help and cooperation. I am very optimistic that the future of taekwondo will include contributions to world peace and harmony as part of the permanent Olympic sports program.

66 WTF

In the United States, university sports are as popular as professional games through support of the general public. That is why WTF President Choue supports the FISU movement very actively, which has resulted in the inclusion of poomsae along with kyorugi in the 2009 Belgrade Summer Universiade, and this despite the global economic setback and hardship for the Organizing Committee. Taekwondo is regarded by the FISU leadership very positively as a nearfuture addition to the official Universiade sports program which will include poomsae. Q : What is your personal involvement in taekwondo?

On Aug. 24, the final day of the Beijing Olympic Games, the 120th IOC Session elected four new IOC members: Dae-Sung Moon of Korea, Alexander Popov of Russia, Claudia Bokel of Germany and Yumilka Ruiz-Luaces of Cuba.

As one of the early pioneers in taekwondo, I was the founding President of US Collegiate Taekwondo (1971), founding President of the National Official Governing Body (1974) of the National AAU Taekwondo Committee, U.S. official delegate for the formation of the foundation of the World Taekwondo Federation (May 1973) and currently serve as a Council Member and Ethics Committee Member of the WTF, spearheaded the organization of the Pan American Taekwondo Union (1977), ongoing Technical Commissioner of FISU (1986 to date), but foremost a grandmaster of taekwondo (Kukkiwon 9th Dan) at the University of California, Berkeley.

They are new members of the Athletes’Commission, to which they were elected by their peers during the Beijing Olympic Games. The Commission, which was created in 1981, is a link between active athletes and the IOC.

Until my retirement (2001) as faculty of the Physical Education Department and director of the University of California Martial Arts Program (2006), I taught approximately 100,000 students and also coached the Berkeley taekwondo team which is considered No. 1 in the country. The Berkeley program not only holds a winning record but is known for quality of its instructional and research program.

Moon, the gold medalist in taekwondo at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, was elected with 3,220 votes, followed by Popov with 1,903, Bokel with 1,836 and Yumilka with 1,571. The new members were officially introduced at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games on Aug. 24.

I am currently focusing on research and publication of taekwondo and other martial arts as director of the International Martial Arts Research Institute, which is part of the University of California, Berkeley Martial Arts Program established in 1969.

Moon, 32, became the first Asian Olympian to be elected as a member of the IOC Athletes’Commission for an eight-year term. The Commission has 19 members, including active and retired athletes. Twelve, eight from summer Olympic sports and four from winter Olympic sports, are elected for eight years by the athletes competing in the Olympic Games, and up to seven athletes are appointed by the IOC president to ensure a balance between regions, genders and sports.

The IOC Athletes’Commission upholds the rights, expertise and obligations of the athletes, and meets regularly - as well as with the IOC Executive Board, to which it issues recommendations. The Commission members are also represented in nearly every other IOC commission. “I am happy to be a member of the IOC Athletes’ Commission as the first Asian. I will devote most of my time and energy to leading a strong anti-doping campaign,” said Moon.“I will also do my best to reflect the voices of Asian athletes in IOC policymaking.” “Of course, I will do my utmost for the promotion of taekwondo,”said Moon, who clinched the gold medal in the men’s over 80kg category at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Moon also serves as a member of the WTF Council. Moon painted a bright future of the Olympic sport of taekwondo as a total of 22 countries won at least one medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. A total of 128 athletes from 64 countries participated in the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games. Afghanistan clinched a bronze medal in taekwondo, the first medal in Afghanistan’s 72-year Olympic history. “Reflecting the high popularity of taekwondo, all the tickets of the Beijing Olympic taekwondo matches were sold out,” Moon said.

World Taekwondo Federation

TAEKWONDO HISTORY

SYDNEY OLYMPIC SUMMARY

Origin of Taekwondo

2000 Sydney Olympic Games The history of taekwondo as a martial art can be traced back almost two millennia ago on the Korean Peninsula. For centuries, this unique self-defense martial art existed in various forms and names. In ancient times, including the Three Kingdoms Period on the Korean Peninsula, the martial art was introduced primarily as a form of physical or military training.

History of the World Taekwondo Federation In the 1950s, a group of leading Korean grandmasters unified the various forms of the martial art into a single system of selfdefense. This unified system came to be known as taekwondo, which literally means "The Way of Kicking and Punching." Taekwondo's popularity soared thereafter, as its forceful and difficult techniques, combined with swiftness and grace, attracted interests from all walks of life. In 1971, taekwondo was designated as a Korean national sport and in 1972, the Kukkiwon was established. On May 28, 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation was founded.

Taekwondo Today In 1975, taekwondo was accepted as a sport of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and in 1980, the World Taekwondo Federation was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole governing entity of taekwondo around the world. Over the past three decades, taekwondo's global popularity is nothing short of meteoric, as tens of millions of general practitioners around the world associated themselves with the proud tradition, philosophies and health benefits of taekwondo. Over the past 35 years, the WTF has promoted 18 editions of the WTF Men’s World Taekwondo Championships and 11 editions of the WTF Women’s World Taekwondo Championships, which are held concurrently every odd year. Every even year, the WTF promotes its World Junior Taekwondo Championships; the 7th edition was last held in May 2008 in Izmir, Turkey. As of the end of 2008, the global membership of the WTF stands at 188 national associations across five continents.

Taekwondo in the Olympic Games Taekwondo entered as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. On September 4, 1994, taekwondo was accepted as an official medal sport of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games at the 103rd IOC Session in Paris, France. Taekwondo was included in the official program in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and will once again feature as an official sport in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

68 WTF

September 27-30, 2000 / State Sports Center On May 28, 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation was established in Seoul, Korea. On September 4, 1994, the global taekwondo community rejoiced at the International Olympic Committee’s decision to introduce taekwondo as an official medal sport in the XXVII Games of the Olympiad, which were held in Sydney, Australia. The taekwondo competitions took place at the State Sports Centre for four days from September 27 to 30, 2000. A total of 103 athletes from 51 countries participated in this historic moment. Among the dignitaries who attended the finals of the first competition day were the then-IOC President Juan Samaranch; former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; Queen Sophia of Spain; Mme. Janette Howard, wife of then-Australian Prime Minister John Howard; as well as numerous IOC members, NOC presidents and various sports ministers. In particular, the final of the women’s under 49kg weight category between Lauren Burns (Australia) and Urbia Melendez (Cuba) was a spectacular sight to behold, as the State Sports Center was dominated by the Australian national colors of green and gold. Their fervent was duly rewarded when Lauren Burns emerged victorious.

Not to be outdone, the final of the men’s under 58kg weight category between Michalis Mouroutsos (Greece) and Gabriel Esparza (Spain) also attracted much attention, resulting in a dramatic win for Greece. Ironically, Mouroutsos’victory seemed to signal to the rest of the world that Greece was ready to take over the reins as host nation of the XXVIII Games of the Olympiad in four years time. On the second day, Jae Eun Chung (Korea) won the women’s under 57kg weight category to bring gold to Korea, the birthplace of taekwondo. Hieu Ngan Tran (Vietnam), despite finishing second, became a national hero, as her silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Vietnam in any sport. The men’s under 68kg weight category was considered as the most exciting, as the likes of Steven Lopez (USA), Hadi Saei Bonehkohal (Iran) and Joon Sik Shin (Korea) were developing a rivalry at that time. Lopez eventually emerged victorious when he defeated Shin in the final. On the third day, Sun Hee Lee (Korea) extended Korea’s dominance with her victory over Trude Gundersen (Norway) in the final of the women’s under 67kg weight category. In the final of the men’s under 80kg weight category, Angel Matos (Cuba) sprung a surprise of epic proportions when he defeated a very experienced Faissal Ebnoutalib (Germany). History was in the making on the final day of competitions; Chen Zhong (China) became the youngest gold medalist in taekwondo at the age of 17 years and 10 months, when she defeated Natalia Ivanova (Russia) in the final of the women’s over 67kg weight category.

Australia’s hopes for a second gold medal were dashed when Kyong Hun Kim (Korea) defeated Daniel Trenton (Australia) in the men’s over 80kg weight category. The final gold medal tally reads: Korea (three golds), with Australia, Greece, USA, China and Cuba grabbing one gold medal respectively. While Korea’s dominance in the inaugural Olympic taekwondo competitions was outstanding, the balanced distribution of the gold medals to other nations showed that it was still possible to dream of being an Olympic champion in taekwondo. Milestones of 2000 Sydney Olympic Games - Taekwondo - Oldest/Youngest Taekwondo Athlete The oldest taekwondo athlete at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games was Cheryl Ann SANKAR from Trinidad & Tobago, who was 36 years old at that time. In December 2007, at the age of 43 years and 10 months, Cheryl Ann participated in the 2007 Pan American Qualification Tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The youngest taekwondo athlete at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games was Great Britain’s Sarah STEVENSON, who was 17 years and 6 months old. - Oldest/Youngest Gold Medalist Lauren BURNS from Australia, at 26 years and 8 months, was the oldest taekwondo gold medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. The youngest taekwondo gold medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games was Chen Zhong from China, who was 17 years and 10 months old.

World Taekwondo Federation

ATHENS OLYMPIC SUMMARY

PAST MEDALISTS MEDALS BY NOC 2000~2004

2004 Athens Olympic Games August 26-29, 2004 / Sports Pavillion One of the major highlights of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games was the full-house attendance of four-day taekwondo competitions at the seaside Sports Pavillion. A total of 124 athletes from 60 countries, including four wild cards this time, competed for Olympic glory. The first day of competitions was a historic moment for the Chinese Taipei, as Chen Shih Hsin won the gold in the women’s under 49kg weight category; this was Chinese Taipei’s first-ever gold medal in the Olympic taekwondo competitions. The festivities continued for Chinese Taipei as Mu Yen Chu also won the gold medal in the men’s under 58kg weight category.

Milestones of 2004 Athens Olympic Games - Taekwondo - Oldest/Youngest Gold Medalist Hadi SAEI BONEHKOHAL from Iran was the oldest taekwondo gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games; he was 28 years and 2 months old. The youngest gold medal winner at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games was LUO Wei from China, who was 21 years and 3 months old.

On the second day, Hadi Saei Bonehkohal (Iran), who was a bronze medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, finally struck gold in the men’s under 68kg weight category. The women’s under 57kg weight category was won by Ji Won Jang (Korea), after she defeated Nia Abdallah (USA). The third day of competitions was dominated by Wei Luo (China) becoming the youngest gold medalist in the 2004 Athens Olympic taekwondo competitions, when she defeated Elisavet Mystakidou (Greece) in the final of the women’s under 67kg weight category; Luo was 21 years and 3 months years old when she achieved the feat. In the men’s under 80kg weight category, Steven Lopez confirmed his rising stardom when he successfully defended his Olympic gold medal against Bahri Tanrikulu (Turkey). On the final day, Korea and China added one more gold medal each. In the second minute of the men’s over 80kg final, Dae Sung Moon (Korea) unleashed a jumping backspin kick to the head of local favorite Alexandros Nikolaidis (Greece), which briefly knocked out the Greek. In the women’s over 67kg final, Chen Zhong (China) successfully defended her Olympic gold medal against Myriam Baverel (France). The final gold medal tally reads: China (2), Chinese Taipei (2), Korea (2), with Iran and the U.S.A. each grabbing one gold medal.

70 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

NOC ENTRY 2000

( 7 NOCs with * received a wild card each.)

72 WTF

NOC ENTRY 2004

( 4 NOCs with * received a wild card each.)

World Taekwondo Federation

Li-Wen SU Li-Wen Su of Chinese Taipei finished fifth in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s under 57kg weight category at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. In the bronze medal contest, Su collapsed more than 10 times due to serious injury, but she picked herself up to complete the match, showing the world the true spirit of taekwondo.

Among major discussion points for the final recommendations from the WTF Technical Committee and Continental Union technical delegations to the WTF Council for approval were ; - the shortening of the court size from the present 10 meters by 10 meters to 8 meters by 8 meters; - the change of weight categories in the World Championships to match those in the Olympic Games; - the adoption of differentiation of points by difficulty of techniques; It marked the first time in WTF history that the WTF Joint Technical Meeting was held in an open-discussion format, with the attendance of both taewkondo experts and representatives from the WTF’s 188 member national associations.

As part of its ceaseless efforts to make takewondo more action-packed and exciting, the World Taekwondo Federation held a Joint Technical Meeting for the amendment to the WTF Competition Rules in Seoul, Korea on Nov. 14, 2008. The meeting, which was held at the Ramada Seoul Hotel, drew more than 60 taekwondo experts from over 30 countries, including Mr. Dai Won Moon of Mexico, who was newly appointed as chairperson of the WTF Technical Committee. Also attending the meeting were Mr. Philippe Bouedo of France, new chairperson of the WTF Games Committee, and Mr. Herbert Perez of the United States, new chairperson of the WTF Education Committee.

76 WTF

“This is an important meeting, which will shape the future of taekwondo as an Olympic sport. It is time for us to put our best effort and special attention to place taekwondo permanently in the Olympic program,”said WTF President Chungwon Choue in his speech for the participants. “As I emphasized before, we need the overall amendment of the Competition Rules for more exciting, transparent and fair games,” Dr. Choue said.“We have now commenced a process of revising the Competition Rules to make taekwondo matches more enjoyable and exciting to both athletes and spectators alike.”

- removal of a 12-point ceiling and a 7-point gap; - the overturning of results recommendation; and - the introduction of an instant video replay system The WTF prepared the amendment proposals after receiving suggestions from taekwondo experts from at home and abroad and its 188 member national associations. Shortly after the Joint Technical Meeting, key officials of the WTF Technical, Games, Referee and Education Committees met to finalize a list of amendment proposals. The final proposal will be presented to the WTF Council meeting for approval in Ankara, Turkey on Dec. 15, 2008 on the occasion of the 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

New Technical Committee Chairperson Moon explained about the Competition Rules amendment proposals, and the participants went through the amendment proposals item by item.

World Taekwondo Federation

WTF Pushes to Introduce Instant Video Replay System, Electronic Protector System “For the cause of successful competitions at this Olympic Games and for the harmony of the taekwondo family, I have restrained myself to a certain degree from taking serious measures or resolute decisions against certain actions that damaged the image of the WTF and taekwondo,”Dr. Choue said.

As part of its ceaseless efforts to ensure fairer judging and refereeing, the World Taekwondo Federation plans to adopt an instant video replay system and an electronic protector system in the taekwondo competition at the 2012 London Olympic Games. To do so, the WTF will set up an ad-hoc committee to deal with all the procedural and technical aspects regarding the use of electronic protectors. Prior to the London Olympics, the WTF plans to introduce the electronic protector system as early as at the next WTF World Taekwondo Championships scheduled for October 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is positively considering the introduction of an instant video replay system at taekwondo competitions, which will enable immediate correction of the referee decision in case of controversies. At a dinner party hosted by WTF President Chungwon Choue for WTF Council members and international referees shortly after the conclusion of the taekwondo competition, Dr. Choue made such remarks, showing his strong determination for fairer judging and refereeing at taekwondo competitions.

78 WTF

Dr. Choue mentioned about his ceaseless reform programs.“Since my inauguration as the WTF president in 2004, I have initiated various reform measures to correct the wrong practices and to raise the standard of our sport federation to the global standard.” “Thus far, we have accomplished much. There has been considerable change in every aspect. We are now at the juncture of opening a new chapter to surge another wave of change for the creation of a new image of taekwondo,” he said. He said,“Our new tasks are to make competitions more exciting, to ensure transparency and internationalization of the administration of the WTF, and to continue transparent and fair competitions based on our experience at the Beijing Olympic Games.”

“I am now saying it loud and clear that from now on, I will not tolerate whatever it is that may hamper the process of creating our new image,”he said.“It is simple and clear. Going against the tide is no longer an option. The exit door is open for anyone who does not want a new change for the betterment of taekwondo.” Dr. Choue also mentioned about the inaugural meeting of the WTF Ethics Committee in Beijing. “On Aug. 19, the WTF Ethics Committee held its first meeting with an IOC member as its chairman and four other internationally respected members,”he said.“With much discussion on its function and procedure, it concluded that any person or organization bringing disgrace to the WTF will be referred to the Ethics Committee in strict compliance with the rules concerned. Dr. Choue finally stressed that the global taekwondo family should concentrate undivided attention to keep taekwondo as an Olympic core sport and to maintain its Olympic status in the 2016 Olympic Games and afterwards.

World Taekwondo Federation

WTF Announces Key Officials of Technical, Games, Referee, Education Committees

INTERVIEW with Mr. Dai Won Moon (Mexico) New WTF Technical Committee Chairperson matters. We can move forward with one goal in a more systematic manner.

At the WTF Council meeting in May 2007 in Beijing, China, participants agreed to extend the term of the chairpersons of the WTF Technical, Games and Referee Committees by one year until after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The WTF expects that the operation of the WTF’ s key committees will be more efficient as the newly appointed committee officials are all experts in their respective fields.

The World Taekwondo Federation announced a list of key officials of the WTF Technical, Games, Referee and Education Committees in early November 2008. Mr. Dai Won Moon of Mexico was appointed as chairperson of the WTF Technical Committee, replacing Mr. Eui Min Ko of Germany. Mr. Ko serves as an advisor to the Technical Committee. France’s Philippe Bouedo was named as chairperson of the WTF Games Committee, while Mr. Herbert Perez of the United States became new chairperson of the WTF Education Committee. The new chairpersons of the Games and Education Committees were also appointed as ex-officio vice chairpersons of the WTF Technical Committee. The soon-to-be-appointed chairperson of the WTF Referee Committee will also serve as vice chairperson of the WTF Technical Committee. The WTF also appointed Mr. Steven Capener of the United States, Truong Ngoc De of Vietnam and Korea’s Duk Young Yoon as vice chairpersons of the WTF Games Committee. Mr. Leon Preston of the United States, Mr. Myung Ok Yu of Canada, Mr. Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, and Korea’s Jung Ho Choi were named vice chairpersons of the WTF Referee Committee, while Aruba’s Mr. Jose Cornelio and Korea’s Sun Jang Lee were appointed as vice chairpersons of the WTF Education Committee. The term of the newly appointed committee officials will expire in October 2009.

80 WTF

Q : What is your impression of being appointed as new chairperson of the WTF Technical Committee? A : I feel somewhat burdened to assume this heavy responsibility, but I will do my best to carry out my duties. I ask for the continued support and concern of taekwondo masters around the world. The appointment of Mr. Eui Min Ko, former chairperson of the Technical Committee, as an adviser to the Technical Committee, will be of much help to me. I also would like to take this opportunity to thank WTF President Chungwon Choue for appointing me as the new Technical Committee chairman at this crucial juncture. Q : Are there any changes in the operation of the WTF Technical Committee? A : The operation of the WTF Technical Committee will be more efficient as the chairpersons of WTF Games, Referee and Education committees were automatically appointed as vice chairpersons of the WTF Technical Committee. In that sense, the Technical Committee will have more authority in dealing with the WTF’s technical

Q : What are the top priorities of the Technical Committee for 2009? A : The urgent task for the WTF Technical Committee is to produce new WTF Competition Rules, which are action-packed and exciting to both the media and the spectator. In this regard, the WTF Joint Technical Meeting in Seoul on Nov. 14, 2008 was very meaningful. It marked the first time in WTF history that the WTF Joint Technical Meeting was held in an open-discussion format, bringing more than 60 taekwondo experts from the WTF’ s 188 member national associations. It clearly showed the world the WTF’s transparency and fairness in handling all WTF technical and administrative matters. Besides the change in the WTF Competition Rules, our Technical Committee will put an equal emphasis on disseminating taekwondo values around the world. I want to help taekwondo athletes not only win medals, but be the gold medalist in their respective lives. Q : What is your taekwondo philosophy? A : Taekwondo is my life. I think taekwondo is a good educational tool, which helps develop good people through training. Taekwondo gives youth guidelines in life and energy. Q : When did you start taekwondo and would you tell us about your taekwondo history? A : I took up taekwondo at the age of 14 when I was a middle school student in Daejeon, Korea. I moved to Mexico in 1969 and the year 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of my coming to Mexico.

I created the Mexico Martial Arts Federation, from which the Federation Mexicana de Taekwondo was separated in 1975. In 1978, I played a crucial role in founding the Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU). I served as PATU secretary general and chairman of the PATU Technical Committee several times. Since 2001, I have been serving as a member of the WTF Council. I am a Kukkiwon 9th Dan black-belt holder. Q : What are the strong points of taekwondo? A : Taekwondo places great value on etiquette, self-discipline and respect for others among practitioners. Taekwondo has a tremendous power to transcend cultural, linguistic, and religious differences. It can be enjoyed by both rich and poor. Taekwondo is a good family sport. Taekwondo is loved by tens of millions of people in 188 countries. Given those factors, I am confident that taekwondo will continue to stay as an Olympic sport. Q : How popular is taekwondo in Mexico? A : Taekwondo is the second most popular sport after soccer in my country. About one million people practice taekwondo and we have about 4,000 taekwondo clubs. The number of taekwondo practitioners is rapidly increasing after the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, in which Mexico won two gold medals in taekwondo alone. Guillermo Perez earned his country the first gold medal in taekwondo as he clinched the gold medal in the men’s -58kg category at the Beijing Olympic Games. Maria del Rosario Espinoza also won the gold medal in the women’s +67kg division, the second gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games.

World Taekwondo Federation

WTF to Introduce Athlete Ranking System in 2009

The World Taekwondo Federation will introduce an athlete ranking system as early as in 2009, after years of study. The WTF world athlete ranking system, which will be announced every three months, is aimed at making taekwondo competitions more exciting both to the public and the media.

The system will be applied to the WTFpromoted/sanctioned taekwondo championships on an individual basis.

Multi games and WTF-sanctioned tournaments shall be classified into AAA, AA and A classes by the Event Evaluation Committee.

In principle, the points shall be awarded according to the following formula: A (Points received according to the rank at the WTFpromoted/sanctioned championships) X B (Grade of pertinent tournaments) = final points.

The Committee shall evaluate a tournament within one month after the completion of the pertinent event, taking into consideration the number of participants, technical level of athletes, the organizing committee’s abidance by the WTF Rules and so on.

According to the master plan for the WTF ranking system, the first-ranked athlete shall receive 10 points, while the second-placed athlete shall receive 60 percent of the points awarded to the first-ranked athlete, that means 6 points. The third-ranked athlete shall receive 60 percent of the points awarded to the second-ranked athlete, that means 3.6 points.

Based on the WTF ranking system, the WTF plans to launch a tentatively named annual “President Cup Invitational Tournament” as early as in December 2009. According to the proposal, top eight athletes in each category will be invited to the tournament.

82 WTF

The awarded points shall be only valid for two full years and will be reviewed every three months, according to the master plan. This process is continuous, that is new points awarded to an athlete will be subject to its own two-year cycle of point reviews every three months. During the two-year term, 25 percent of a particular set of awarded points shall be deducted every three months. After the completion of the eight quarterly reviews, that is two-year term, no points from this set shall remain.

A quarter of the athletes participating in the WTF-promoted/sanctioned tournaments will be seeded for every category, according to the master plan of the WTF ranking system. If there are 24 athletes in a weight category, six will be seeded. The system, which will include informative statistics, may eventually serve as a platform for the creation of a professional taekwondo league, which will be beneficial to the WTF and the athletes in terms of marketing opportunities.

Athlete Ranking System Master Plan

Based on this rolling point review process, the only remaining points shall be those awarded to the athlete in other competitions.

The WTF will commission its Games Committee or a new Event Evaluation Committee to grade taekwondo tournaments. The WTF plans to report the detailed ranking system to the WTF Council in December 2009 on the occasion of the 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships to be held in Ankara, Turkey. The first-placed athlete at the Olympic taekwondo tournament, for example, will receive 100 points.

National team ranking and junior ranking systems will be adopted after successful implementation of the WTF ranking system for individuals, while the by-law to the WTF ranking system will be developed soon to clarify the detailed matters, such as criteria of classes.

WTF Ranking System is expected To make taekwondo competitions more exciting To provide media with more stories and statistics To create“Best of the Bests”invitational tournament To be a platform for the pro-league To make various international tournaments more activated To create more marketing opportunities

How the ranking system works?

In principle, the points shall be awarded according to the following formula : A : Points received according to the rank at the WTF-promoted or sanctioned championships B : Grade of pertinent championships A x B =Final Points

Allocated points per rank The 1st-ranked athlete shall receive 10 points The 2nd-ranked athlete shall receive 60% of the points awarded to the 1st-ranked athlete The 3rd-ranked athlete shall receive 60% of the points awarded to the 2nd-ranked athlete The 4th-ranked athlete shall receive 60% of the points awarded to the 3rd-ranked athlete The 5th-ranked athlete shall receive 70% of the points awarded to the 4th-ranked athlete. From this point on, an athlete shall receive 70% of the points awarded to the athlete ranked higher than him or her.

Fundamental Principles Ranking system shall be applied to all WTFpromoted/sanctioned competitions on an individual basis in the eight (8) weight categories (men and women) that are defined in the WTF Competition Rules. In the case of the Olympic Games, points shall be awarded to athletes regardless of their registered weight categories. No points shall be given to qualification tournaments for the Olympic Games.

Fundamental Principles (continued) In the case of Olympic Qualification Tournaments, two weight divisions shall be consolidated in seeding. For example, the top rankers of men’s Fin and Fly weight divisions can be seeded regardless of their original weight category at the men’s under 58kg division, according to their achieved points. In the verification of the seeding for tie score, the higher ranker shall be the one who has better result in the higher grade events.

World Taekwondo Federation

How the class of the event is determined? Seeding Multi-games and WTF-sanctioned championships shall be classified into AAA, AA and A classes by the Event Evaluation Committee. The Committee shall evaluate a championship within one (1) month after the completion of the pertinent championship, taking into consideration the number of participants, technical level of athletes, organizing committee’s abidance by the WTF Rules, etc.

Validation of the points

The awarded points shall only be valid for two (2) full years and will be reviewed every quarterly (i.e. every three months). This process is continuous (rolling), i.e. new points awarded to an athlete will be subjected to its own two-year cycle of point reviews every quarterly. The official ranking can always be found in the WTF Web site, and the WTF will officially announce the world ranking every three month.

In the WTF-promoted championships, certain number of athletes shall be seeded based on the following: ·For every category, regardless of the number of athletes, a quarter (25%) of the athletes will be seeded. - If there are 16 athletes in a weight category, 4 will be seeded. - If there are 24 athletes in a weight category, 6 will be seeded; and so forth

Validation of the points (continued)

·In the event that any of the top athletes is ineligible to participate, the next highest ranked athlete(s) shall be seeded to make up the quota.

During the two-year term, 25% of a particular set of awarded points shall be deducted every quarterly. After the completion of the eight (8) quarterly reviews (i.e. two-year term), no points from this set shall remain. Based on this rolling point review process, the only remaining points shall be those awarded to the athlete in other competitions.

The Annual President Cup Invitational Tournament (tentatively named) According to the WTF ranking system, the Annual President Cup Invitational Tournament (tentatively named) will be held in December every year, ideally starting from the year of 2009.

Implemention of WTF Ranking System The WTF ranking system shall be implemented from January 1, 2009.

Only the top ranked athletes shall be invited. A formal WTF gala party shall be held on this occasion, where the Best Athlete, Coach and Referee of the Year Awards will be presented. Top eight (8) ranked athletes to be invited

However, the ranking system will be exceptionally applied to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games considering that the Olympic Games take place only once every 4 years. National team ranking and junior ranking systems shall be adopted after successful implementation of the WTF ranking system for individuals. The bye-law to the WTF ranking system shall be developed soon to clarify the detailed matters, such as criteria of classes, qualification of members of the Event Evaluation Committee, etc.

84 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships Attract Record Number of Countries as it clinched both the men’s and women’s team titles. In the men’s team ranking by points, Korea topped other countries with 101 points, followed by Iran with 56 points and Turkey with 43 points. Russia and China came next with 38 points and 36 points, respectively. Thailand and Spain came next with 34 points each, followed by the Untied States with 33 points. Jordan and Mexico came next with 31 points and 27 points, respectively.

The WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships date back to 1996, when 455 athletes from 53 countries participated in the inaugural event in Barcelona, Spain. The previous 6th World Junior Taekwondo Championships were held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2006 to draw athletes from 77 countries. th

The 7 WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships, which took place in Izmir, Turkey, on May 7-11, 2008, were a great success for good reasons. The biennial event drew 728 athletes from a record 80 countries, while 85 international referees officiated at the taekwondo competition. Reflecting the importance of the event, it drew the local media’s special attention, with Turkish Radio and Television broadcasting live the taekwondo competition, which was held at Halkapinar Sport Hall in downtown Izmir. The brand-new venue opened in 2005 for the Universiade.

86 WTF

The next World Junior Taekwondo Championships are scheduled to take place Mexico in 2010, which will serve as the qualification tournament for the taekwondo competition at the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games, which is promoted by the International Olympic Committee. With 80 medals up for grabs in 10 weight divisions each for the men and women division, 19 countries won at least one medal in the men’s category, and 23 countries earned at least one medal in the women’s division, reflecting the universality of the sport of taekwondo. Korea confirmed its supremacy in taekwondo

medalist in the women’s -49kg division, was named the Best Female Athlete of the championships.

Team ranking is decided by the accumulated points based on the following guidelines: basic one point per each contestant who entered the competition area, one point per each victory, and an additional seven points per one gold medal, an additional three points per one silver and an additional one point per one bronze medal. In the women’s team ranking by points, Korea ranked first with 75 points, followed by Turkey with 49 points, the United States with 45 points. Chinese Taipei and France came next with 40 points and 39 points, respectively. Croatia came next with 31 points, followed by Thailand with 30 points. Germany and Russia followed with 27 points each, while China stood next with 26 points. In the overall medal tally, Korean male contestants ranked first with six gold medals, one silver and one bronze, followed by Iran with two golds and one silver. Jordan ranked third with one gold and one

During the opening ceremony of the event on May 7, WTF President Chungwon Choue said in his remarks,“The Izmir World Junior Taekwondo Championships draw special attention from both the public and the media, as the International Olympic Committee is scheduled to organize the 1st Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010.”

bronze. Great Britain came next with one gold, while Thailand won two silvers and one bronze to rank fifth in the medal tally. In the overall medal tally for the women’s division, Korea grabbed three golds, one silver and three bronzes for the first place, while the United States and Turkey followed with one gold, one silver and one bronze each. Chinese Taipei and France came next with one gold and one bronze. During the closing ceremony of the 7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships on May 11, five international referees were given the Best Referee Awards.

The awardees were Mr. Jeseph Elias Khoury of Great Britain, Mr. Denis Odjo of France, Mr. John Lee Holloway of the United States, Mr. Ahmed Hassan El Mofty of Egypt, and Mr. Rene Raymond Leveaux of Australia. The Good Fighting Spirit Prizes went to Moldova, Puerto Rico and Senegal, while the Active Participation Prizes were given to Lebanon, Serbia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Iran’s Bekzad Eilkhani, the gold medalist in the men’s -73kg category at the Izmir World Junior Championships, was chosen as the Best Male Athlete (Samsung Blue Passion Award); while Turkey’s Hulya Kaya, the silver

WTF President Choue said,“Reflecting the importance of this Izmir championships, a record 80 countries are participating in this event, which is not a mere sport event where young taekwondo athletes compete for medals, but a learning experience and opportunity for friendship, cultural exchange and education.” He continued to say,“Sport is a powerful tool to teach young people the value of justice, morality, cooperation, understanding and the universal sport rule of fair play.” Mr. Metin Sahin, president of the Turkish Taekwondo Federation, also delivered a welcoming speech during the opening ceremony.

World Taekwondo Federation

"I am very much pleased to host the young athletes from all parts of the world. As we always express, sport has a very important duty to unify people in a common place," Mr. Sahin said. "This common place makes these young people peaceful men and women and so these people will make good contributions to the peace of world in future." Mr. Sahin continued to say, "I believe that we as all humanity need peace more than ever. Brotherhood and sisterhood of people can repair the deep injuries of humanity today with the great support of sport. Because sport has this super power." A day earlier, on May 6, WTF President Choue organized a reception for the referees at the Hotel Altin Yunus in Cemes, near Izmir, prior to the welcoming party for the participants in the Izmir event at the same hotel.

In his speech for the referees, WTF President Choue reiterated the importance of fair judging and refereeing at taekwondo competitions for the very future of taekwondo as an Olympic sport. our sport through fair and transparent refereeing.” “This is a code that both you and myself should abide by in our mutual task of bringing the spirit of fair play to our sport.”

“I would like to congratulate you on your appointments to officiate at this championship. Your presence here is a clear indication of our faith in your abilities. I hope you will do your best to justify your selections.” He continued to say,“As WTF referees, you have the responsibility to uphold the integrity of

WTF President Choue said that“To ensure fairer judging and refereeing, the WTF has stepped up referee education and training. Strong disciplinary action has also been taken on the spot when undesirable incidents related to judgment and refereeing occurred during the competition.”

continental taekwondo qualification tournaments for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. “Fair judging and refereeing is the key to the future of taekwondo as an Olympic sport,” he said.“I hope that you will officiate at the highest level. For the sake of our athletes and for the sake of taekwondo’s future, it is our responsibilities to ensure that only the best athletes and teams become worthy champions.”

As a result, he said, only two minor protests were lodged at the WTF’s world and five

World Taekwondo Federation

Preparations for 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Ankara, Turkey Go Smoothly committee members are Mr. Kyu-hyung Lee of Korea, Mr. Ki-young Cheong of Egypt, Mr. Myung-soo Chang of Korea, Mrs. Victoria Serbin of the United States, and Mr. Young-ghil Park of Italy. Athletes will compete for 16 gold medals up for grabs at the Poomsae Championships. After performing two of the four 1st compulsory poomsae predetermined by the WTF, the top 50 percent of participants will qualify for the next round according to the average score of the two performances.

“The Turkey Poomsae Championships have a special meaning as they are held outside Korea for the first time,”Mr. Sahin said.“Reflecting the high popularity of taekwondo in Turkey, the National Turkish TV (TRT) will broadcast the championships both in live and delayed formats.”

Preparations for the 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships slated for Dec. 1618, 2008 in Ankara, Turkey are going smoothly, organizers say. “Everything is okay with our preparations for the championships and we are ready for the event,”said Mr. Metin Sahin, president of the Turkish Taekwondo Federation. “On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we would like to ensure that we will make every possible effort in organizing a successful

90 WTF

championship of the highest technical level,”said Mr. Sahin. ”About 50 countries have expressed their intention to participate in the Championships.” The three-day event, which will take place at the Mustafa Ozbek Sporthall, is promoted by the World Taekwondo Federation and is organized by the Turkish Taekwondo Federation. As part of its efforts to further expand the global taekwondo population, the WTF launched the Poomsae Championships in Seoul, Korea in September 2006 to draw 584 athletes and officials from 57 countries. The second edition of the Poomsae Championships was held in Incheon, Korea in November 2007, attracting about 500 athletes and officials from 50 countries. The first and second Poomsae Championships were held shortly after the 2nd and 3rd Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships, respectively.

Mr. Metin, the bronze medalist in the men’s middleweight category in the taekwondo competition at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, said, “Taekwondo is the second most popular and successful sport in Turkey after soccer.” Turkey earned one silver and one bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. “About 180,000 taekwondo practitioners are registered with the Turkish Taekwondo Federation,”he said. He said that three courts will be installed at the 8,500-seat Mustafa Ozbek Sporthall.“We will conduct a total of 16 anti-doping tests for the firstranked athlete in individual competitions, and random tests among the first-ranked pair or team athletes.”

The top 50 percent of participants would be required to perform two of the four 2nd compulsory poomsae predetermined by the WTF. The top eight athletes of each category (individual, team and pair) will be selected according to the average score of the two performances. The top eight athletes of each category would be required to perform the remaining two 2nd compulsory poomsae. The ranking of the top three athletes of each category will be decided by the average scord of the two performances. In the case that there are less than eight individuals or teams per division, the contestants will automatically qualify for the final round. Turkey won three silver medals and two bronze medals at the inaugural Poomsae Championships in 2006, and it clinched six silver medals and one bronze medal at the 2007 Poomsae Championships.

For a successful operation of the Poomsae Championships, the WTF set up an ad-hoc WTF Poomsae Committee, headed by Mr. Sung-chon Hong of the Philippines, a member of the WTF Council. The other

World Taekwondo Federation

Anju Jason Anju Jason of the Marshall Islands qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as he won the gold medal in the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s under 80kg category at the WTF Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Noumea, New Caledonia on Dec. 1, 2007. He became the country â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s first-ever athlete to participate in the Olympic Games by directly qualifying for the Olympic Games.

World Taekwondo Federation

H. H. Sheikha Maitha Al Maktoum H. H. Sheikha Maitha Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates competed in the womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s under 67kg weight category in the taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. As the Princess of Dubai and former karate athlete, she became the U.A.E.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first-ever participant in the Olympic taekwondo event.

098 100 102 104 106 108

TAEKWONDO Ceramic Exhibition Children Demonstration 2008 TAEKWONDO Day VIPs at Taekwondo Venue Beijing Olympic Games Highlights Jam-Packed Venue

“The Power , Art + Sports”

TAEKWONDO Ceramic Exhibition Under the topic“The Power ; Art + Sports,”a taekwondo ceramic exhibition opened at the main exhibition hall of Kring in Seoul, Korea on Sept. 16, 2008 for an eight-day run. The taekwondo ceramic exhibition, the first of its kind in Korea, was sponsored by the World Taekwondo Federation and Kring.

98 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

Children Demonstration A taekwondo demonstration is under way by foreign and Korean students for the WTF â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s promotional film at the Midong Elementary School in Seoul, Korea on July 11, 2008. Regardless of age and gender, taekwodo is practiced by tens of millions of people around the world.

2008 TAEKWONDO Day A variety of events marking the 2008 Taekwondo Day were held at the Olympic Park in Seoul, Korea on Sept. 4, 2008. About 7,000 taekwondo people from at home and abroad, mostly in taekwondo uniforms, attended the opening ceremony of the 2008 Taekwondo Day.

102 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

103

VIPs at Taekwondo Venue Dr. Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise of Great Britain, H.S.H. Prince Albert II of the Municipality of Monaco, and numerous other VIPs visited the taekwondo venue during the Beijing Olympic Games.

104 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

105

Beijing Olympic Games Highlights Through taekwondo competitions, you can see the moments of victory, and you can feel such taekwondo values as friendship, respect for others, and self-discipline. The ultimate goal of taekwondo is to develop good people through training.

106 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

107

Jam-Packed Venue The taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were held at the University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) Gymnasium in Beijing, China on Aug. 20-23, 2008. Throughout the four days of competitions, the state-of-the-art gymnasium with a seating capacity of 8,012 people was jam-packed, reflecting the high popularity of the Olympic sport of taekwondo around the world.

108 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

109

112 WTF Adopts 2009 World Anti-Doping Code 114 WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program Reflections By Brian Saliba (Malta) Reflections By Frederick Lartey Out (Ghana)

119 120 124 125 126 128 129

Reflections on Taekwondo Goodwill Program Taekwondo in India 2nd Korean Fair Play Award Ceremony 1st Ethics Committee Meeting WTF Liaison Office in Lausanne Global Partnership Agreement with Macquarie WTF President Offers Condolences to Myanmar, China

130 Continental Union Activities AFTU Activities ATU Activities ETU Activities PATU Activities OTU Activities

142 Taekwondo Peace Corps Report on 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps Interview with Paraguayan Ambassador to Korea WTF to Dispatch 2008 Winter Taekwondo Peace Corps Teams 6th World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture Educational Values of Taekwondo

Strengthening Anti-Doping Efforts The year 2008 was extremely eventful for the WTF in terms of anti-doping efforts. On May 6, 2008, the General Assembly of the WTF unanimously accepted the 2009 World Anti-Doping Code, thus becoming only the second International Federation to do so.

The year 2008 was extremely eventful for the WTF in terms of anti-doping efforts. On May 6, 2008, the General Assembly of the WTF unanimously accepted the 2009 World AntiDoping Code, thus becoming only the second International Federation to do so. In addition, the General Assembly unanimously approved the 2009 WTF Anti-Doping Rules, which are modeled after the 2009 Code. The WTF is among the first International Federations to incorporate the Model Rules of the 2009 Code. On the occasion of the 7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships in Izmir, Turkey, on May 7-11, 2008, the WTF introduced the AntiDoping Administration and Management System (ADAMS) for processing of Therapeutic Use Exemptions. The ADAMS is an online data management system developed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and is essential for every International Federation. The WTF has since expanded the use of ADAMS for maintaining athlete records, informing WADA

112 WTF

of the athlete whereabouts, and processing adverse analytical findings. From 2009, the WTF will educate its member national associations on incorporating the ADAMS in their daily anti-doping operations. Finally, the WTF conducted its own out-ofcompetition testing between June and August 2008. A total of 46 out-of-competition tests were conducted by the Association of National AntiDoping Organizations and the Korea Anti-Doping Agency. The WTF is pleased by the fact that there were no adverse analytical findings. All tests were conducted with no advanced notice, which is one of the most important criteria in the fight against doping. The out-of-competition tests will be conducted, and possibly increased gradually, on an annual basis. It is just one of the endeavors to be undertaken by the WTF in the coming years. The WTF firmly believes that doping has no place in taekwondo and in any other sport.

World Taekwondo Federation

113

Strengthening Anti-Doping Efforts

On May 6, 2008, the WTF General Assembly unanimously accepted the 2009 World Anti-Doping Code, thus becoming the second International Federation to do so.

WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program

The World Taekwondo Federation held a ceremony for the participants in the third edition of the 2008 WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program at the Suwon campus of Kyung Hee University in Suwon, Korea, on Sept. 23, 2008. A total of 15 coaches and athletes from 15 countries attended the training program, which started on Sept. 17 and lasted until Oct. 7. The ceremony drew the 15 program participants and some 200 taekwondo students and faculty members of Kyung Hee University. Kyung Hee University established a taekwondo department in 1983 to become the world's first four-year school to have a taekwondo major. Since 2005, the WTF and Kyung Hee University have jointly offered a taekwondo training program for coaches and athletes in less developed countries. The WTF-KHU partnership program is gaining growing popularity among the WTF's 188 member nations. In 2005, a total of 35 coaches and athletes from

more than 20 countries attended the partnership program, compared with 34 in 2006 and 44 in 2007. "With the increasing number of applicants being accepted to the program, it has contributed to improving technical abilities, confidence-building and popularity of taekwondo in underprivileged regions that are deprived of resources to play sport," said WTF President Chungwon Choue at the opening ceremony.

WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program

"With the increasing number of applicants being accepted to the program, it has contributed to improving technical abilities, confidence-building and popularity of taekwondo in underprivileged regions that are deprived of resources to play sport."

Complimenting the solidarity program, Dr. Choue said that "The WTF has also launched the Taekwondo Peace Corps project this summer to dispatch groups of volunteer taekwondo instructors to countries in need of assistance and to offer programmed taekwondo training to the local people." In July 2008, the WTF sent the first seven Taekwondo Peace Corps teams to five countries - Russia, India, Pakistan, Paraguay and China for one month, along with educational packages, including training booklets, CDs, taekwondo uniforms and other equipment. Dr. Choue said, "Based on its success and positive feedback from the host countries, the Taekwondo Peace Corps program will continue with a twice-a-year, short-term dispatch for two months, and a long-term dispatch of instructors for six months to two years, targeting on more recipients and a larger number of countries." "I hope the WTF-KHU partnership program continues to offer more athletes and coaches a valuable chance to learn more about taekwondo training, and acquire necessary knowledge and skills to bring back home, which may contribute to further development of taekwondo in their respective countries," he said. "It is my wish that this partnership training program, together with the Taekwondo Peace Corps, delivers hope and dream to many who seek opportunities."

114 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

115

Reflections On the WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program Reflections

Reflections Taekwondo background: Taekwondo Background:

By Brian Saliba (Malta) As a practitioner of taekwondo who has been practicing this art for more than 20 years, visiting the land where it all started meant nothing more than a“dream come true.”The WTF-KHU program made all this possible for me, not just to visit Korea, but moreover to enhance my methodology of teaching. My name is Brian Saliba. I come from a tiny island which is situated in the center of the Mediterranean Sea. Its name is Malta. Malta has a population of just 400,000 people. I am currently head coach for kyorugi and I am quite sure that this program has helped me a lot in achieving the desired results. At last, after a journey of 18 hours of flying time, I arrived at Incheon International Airport. Later I settled down at Kyung Hee University (KHU). One by one the new team started to form itself. On the first day we were briefed by our director, Ms Kang. To my surprise I was chosen to be the captain of this magnificent team. The days started rolling rapidly. We started to get to know each other better and the team spirit was now more evident. One of the most topics that I really enjoyed was taekwondop philosophy. I was disappointed a bit because I would have loved to attend for more classes on this important subject. In it we learned not just the real meaning of taekwondo, but also

116 WTF

the Korean history and culture. All this is of utmost importance to me because back in my country, the people always ask about the meaning of taekwondo. During the course we experienced some very interesting visits. Surely the first thing I wanted to see was the Kukkiwon. We were so lucky because we found the Korean national taekwondo demonstration team practicing. They kindly accepted to have some time off for a photo session with us. Another important episode was surely the visit to the WTF headquarters, where we were greeted by Secretary General Mr. Jin Suk Yang. He gave us a speech that I am sure we shall all treasure. Mr. Yang spoke of the love of taekwondo and how he would like us all to pass on all that we learned from this experience to our fellow students when we get back to our respective countries . We were all surprised when WTF President Dr. Chungwon Choue turned up at the opening ceremony and addressed us. It was a real honor for us all and we thank the organization for giving us this wonderful opportunity. Together the team experienced some very happy moments and some which were not so happy. However, we managed to settle all the minor

problems and escape the“Falcon Eyes”of Ms. Kang. We spent a fun day together at Everland and we went to see the musical 'Jump. If I had to vote for my favorite master then surely I would give full marks to Master Yung Chul. His sessions were so hard for us sometimes but with his professionalism and encouragement we finally made it through. However, this doesn't undermine the other professors/masters. I feel that all involved put all their efforts and energy for the benefit of us all. Well now here I am nearing the end of this dream. After nearly four weeks in Korea I now find myself having to resume normal life again. My feelings are sad but happy at the same time. Sad because I know that I have to separate from quite some good people. If I had to mention them all I will never stop but I cannot forget two very important persons namely Claire and Nuwon who did an impeccable job taking care of us and on behalf of everyone I would like to say a big thank you, you deserve it!! As for Korea I said that I was living a dream. I know it is not that easy for me to return to this land but I pray that I will have at least another chance to visit the land where it all started and surely meet once more some people who made my stay in Korea an unforgettable experience.

I was introduced to taekwondo by a friend after watching several martial art movies and developed the interest to learn in 1984. Through commitment, dedication and hard work, I rose through the taekwondo grades to national 6th Dan and Kukkiwon 5th Dan. I have also attended international seminars and courses like the WTF International Kyorugi Referee Seminar and the Kukkiwon Foreigners Instructor Course.

WTF-KHUPartnership Partnership Taekwondo WTF-KHU Taekwondo Training Training Program: Program: The introduction of the WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program for coaches and athletes was a good news to taekwondo practitioners all over the world. As the technical director of the Ghana Taekwondo Association, I was nominated as the head coach to attend this all important program. The program began on Sept. 17, 2008, with its orientation given to program participants on Sept. 16, and ended on Oct. 7. The program started on a good note with teachers and masters being punctual and gave explanatory taekwondo education under a friendly atmosphere. Participants were taught subjects like taekwondo sparring, referee, massage, poomsae, rescue

By Frederick Lartey Out (Ghana) and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), philosophy, taping and etc. The inclusion of subjects such as taping, philosophy and massage was a plus. The systematic teaching methodology approach used encouraged participants to be present in class all the time even during ill health, which is a good indication that the International Taekwondo Academy of Kyung Hee University is up to the task to develop and sustain taekwondo. It also enabled program participants to ask questions to understand certain aspects of taekwondo very well. Field trips which were organized also broadened the knowledge of participants about the World Taekwondo Federation, the Kukkiwon, and Korean recreational centers and martial art drama.

Recommendation: Recommendation:

It is highly recommended that the training of coaches and athletes together if possible should be discontinued. Under such circumstances, coaches who are old and can’t exhibit high techniques and skills in difficulty and complexity as compared to young athletes might not give out their best to be assessed properly by teachers and masters of the program.

It will also be in the best interest of every participants, of they are given the opportunity to give suggestions of any kind during the training program so that participants could test whatever they recommended during their period of participation as they might not have the chance in the future to know whether their suggestions were of good use if given at the end of the training program. For the sake of taekwondo development and promotion globally, the WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program should be extended so that more than a coach and an athlete could benefit from each participating country.

Conclusion: Conclusion: Considering the duration of the program, content of education and teaching methodology of the WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program, it is obvious that taekwondo is developing, taekwondo has come to stay, and taekwondo has a bright future. Comments made by program participants indicated that they have acquired meaningful taekwondo education which will improve upon all round performance of taekwondo practitioners in the various countries they come from.

World Taekwondo Federation

117

My visit to Korea and the expansion of horizon through

Taekwondo Goodwill Program

I have been doing, learning and studying taekwondo since long, but it was my long-cherished dream to pursue and intermingle with taekwondo more closely, especially in context with the Korean culture and the motherland of taekwondo, Korea, from where it originated. Initially, I was not aware of this program as I was in search of a co-guide/ supervisor in Korea for my Ph.D. The program gave me an opportunity to research and study the management module of taekwondo in Korea, as well as to achieve the objective of my Ph.D, using Korea as the benchmark for the promotion of taekwondo in India, after registering in Ph.D. in the Department of Physical Education & Sports Sciences, under the Faculty of Inter-Disciplinary & Applied Sciences, University of Delhi. I have forwarded an application through Mr. Jin Hyung Kim, Minister Counsellor, Embassy of Republic of Korea, New Delhi to the Asian Taekwondo Union and in response the ATU recommended my name for further recommendation to the Taekwondo Federation India (TFI) and the Department of Physical Education & Sports Sciences, University of Delhi for the Taekwondo Goodwill Program from May 15 to Nov. 14, 2008 which was organized by the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation (TPF). It is now time to prove myself as one of the assets in taekwondo.

I have learnt Korean language in Kyung Hee University. I started learning alphabet Hangeul, writing, and reading, too. First time, I was confused, but in last days I really enjoyed learning the Korean language. All the more, I would like to eat the unique taste of Korean food. It is known to be low in calories and high in nutrition. Also, I want to taste the famous "kimchi." I have a plan to keep network and promote partnerships among taekwondo playing nation and work for conjugal all taekwondo styles together and bring them under one umbrella at international level, that is the World Taekwondo Federation.

Reflections on Taekwondo Goodwill Program

- Reflections by Mr. Surender Kumar Bhandoria, an Executive Council member of the Taekwondo Federation of India

Taekwondo led me to see the new lands and meet with different people. It expanded my horizons and made me realize that cultural differences are not separation but a chance and challenge for mutual understanding. Taekwondo sow the seeds of peace in the world because it teaches discipline, tolerance, and respect for others. As we said goodbye to our new friends whom I made during the visit, I could not believe that my time in Korea was finally coming to an end. Finally, the Taekwondo Goodwill Program will go long way in my life and help us to foster taekwondo leaders for the 21st century in India.

The TPF invited participants from Asia, Africa and Latin America to help the promotion of taekwondo and increase the cultural understanding among partnership countries. The project establishes a variety of taekwondo and Korean language programs at Kyung Hee University, co-work between invited scholars and researchers, visit to major sport facilities and sport organizations, taekwondo training and participation in related events and to build cultural and human network. It appeared that the unexpected good news from the President Sh. Harish Kumar, IPS (Retd.), TFI was the reward for my past efforts to promote taekwondo in my country. It was my first visit to Korea, the mecca of taekwondo for all those who are engaged in or related to taekwondo. Korea is a modern and hi-tech society in its hyper-dynamic capital "Seoul" heralded as the soul of Asia.

118 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

119

Taekwondo in India Present Scenario and Future Prospective

India is a country of ancient art and culture, and people of this country are fond of traditional martial arts since long. The history reveals that the practice of martial art and other traditional sports was seen in the ancient time in India. The traditional Korean martial art of taekwondo appeared in India like a long-awaited waterfall in the thirsty desert. Therefore, the martial art practitioners and instructors regardless of personal benefits have left no stone unturned to take this art to zenith and have presented true spirit of struggle and inspiration before youth. Taekwondo is making its presence felt all over the country and is being embraced by both civil and National Defence Services. It is also gaining popularity with young people, especially among school and college students, which inculcates discipline in them and raises their level of confidence by way of training them for selfdefence. At present, there are more than 5,000 blackbelt holders registered with the Taekwondo Federation of India (TFI) and it is expected that the number will reach over 25,000 by 2010. Similarly registered athlete base is also expected to jump up to one million over the next five to eight years. About 1,500 schools are going to introduce taekwondo in the academic year of 20092010. This will result in more than 15,000 new athletes joining taekwondo at sub-junior and junior level.

120 WTF

The Sports Authority of India has started a one-year diploma course of taekwondo at the NS Southern Center in Bangalore and continuously producing talented taekwondo coaches every year, who would only know about the techniques of right coaching, psychology of children and other science of sorts & physical education.

These centers will function as centers of excellence and provide training to national-level athletes, including their education, etc. The Federation will manage and run these RTCs by providing best training equipments, competitive environment and facilities and also try to accommodate athletes from neighboring countries and provide them training at much cheaper costs.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the Service Selection Board (SSB), the Air force had already recruited taekwondo players and has affiliation with the federation.

This will help us promote the sport of taekwondo at grass-roots level in India, thereby strengthening the chance to achieve medals in international events conducted by the World Taekwondo Federation.

Taekwondo in India

Overview

For preparing senior and junior teams for international and World Championships, five regional training centers will start functioning in earnest shortly in Delhi, Lucknow, Aurangabad, Imphal and Bangalore.

equipment, and the federation offered supplementary assistance including accommodation and transportation. India, where more than half of the population is youth and has been an upsurge in violence and a loss of morality in all levels of society, especially among the young, this project has shown positive influence on youth and provided the necessary surge for a healthy mind and a healthy body. Some of the participants have fully understood the basic principles of modern taekwondo and try to make such value an integral part of their lives.

Educational Institutions: Educational Institutions The introduction of this project in Goa and Mumbai has given the children the impetus to forge ahead in life with confidence. The School Games Federation of India (SGFI) has included taekwondo in the SGFI Zonal and National Program from 2006-2007. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Sports Committee approved taekwondo as one of the disciplines for competition in the CBSE Inter-Zonal and National Competition from 2006-2007, and now the CBSE has revised the syllabus of physical education in XI & XII classes and in Section B `Games in Sportsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;new chapter of taekwondo has been added, which includes introduction of taekwondo, history and philosophy of taekwondo, rules of the competition, major tournament and main personality of taekwondo and taekwondo terminology.

The Taekwondo Peace Corps program has helped children put on a positive path to healthy development, serve as tools to teach important values and life skills including self-confidence, teamwork, communication, inclusion, discipline, respect for others and fair play, and ensure a culture of peace and real international cooperation.

The article was contributed by Mr. Harish Kumar, president of the Taekwondo Federation of India, and Mr. Surender Kumar Bhandoria, an Executive council member of the Taekwondo Federation of India.

The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) is conducting the zonal & national Taekwondo Championship with the technical & material support of the Federation. The Delhi Public Schools (DPS) have International Taekwondo Federation coaches, but from 2007 they are replacing or converting them into the WTF black belts and also conducting their National Championships by the WTF Competition Rules with technical and material support of the Federation. The Association of Indian Universities is struggling to include taekwondo in inter-university programs.

TaekwondoPeace Peace Corp Taekwondo Corp Two four-member WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps teams were dispatched by the WTF to Goa and Mumbai, India from Aug. 1 to Aug. 16, 2008. The expenses for airfare and training were covered by the WTF with educational packages, including training booklet, CDs, uniforms, and other

World Taekwondo Federation

121

Self-Discipline Through taekwondo training, practitioners learn how to overcome themselves. Taekwondo puts great value on etiquette, self-discipline, respect for others, and fair play, among practitioners.

122 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

123

WTF Holds Inaugural

2nd Korean Fair Play Award

Ethics Committee Meeting in Beijing, China

Ceremony in Seoul

The Korean Fair Play Committee (KFPC), led by WTF President Chungwon Choue, held its second Korean Fair Play Award ceremony in Seoul, Korea on Nov. 20, 2008. The awarding ceremony was held at the Olympic Parktel in Seoul, drawing hundreds of sports figures. A six-member KFPC Screening Committee selected the 2008 Korean Fair Play prizewinners after strict selection sessions, mainly based on the applicants’outstanding examples of fair play attitude and good sportsmanship in sports. The committee’s conviction is to regard fairness as more important than winning at all costs.

In the men’s individual division, Lee Bae-young, the silver medalists in the weightlifting at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, earned the honors as the recipient of the 2008 Korean Fair Play Award. The honors in the women’s individual category went to Dang Yea Seo, the bronze medalist in the women’s team table tennis at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The Doosan Bears, a Korean professional baseball team, and the Korean national women’s basketball team won the honors in the men’s and women’s team division, respectively.

“In line with the IOC policy, we launched the WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps in July 2008 and dispatched the first Taekwondo Peace Corps members to seven regions in five countries and we plan to send the second Peace Corps members in January 2009,”WTF President Choue said.“The Taekwondo Peace Corps program will ultimately contribute to the promotion of global peace.” To promote the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship in the Korean sports community, the KFPC was launched in 2006. WTF President Choue was unanimously nominated as the first president of the KFPC at its inaugural General Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 26, 2006. Since 2007, the KFPC has presented Korean Fair Play awards annually. The KFPC plans to recommend the prizewinners as the Korean candidates for the World Fair Play Prizes for the year 2008, which is organized by the International Fair Play Committee. The KFPC serves as the Korean national body of the IFPC, whose headquarters are located in Paris, France. The IFPC presents World Fair Play awards annually to famous and less-known athletes, coaches, teams, and organizations all over the world in three divisions: act of fair play, sports career, and promotion of fair play. Iranian Hadi Saei Bonehkohal, the double gold medalist in the taekwondo competition at the Olympic Games, was voted by the IFPC as the World Fair Play for the Year 2005 for his humanitarian activities.

The World Taekwondo Federation held its first Ethics Committee meeting in Beijing, China on Aug. 19, 2008.

1st Ethics Committee Meeting

2nd Korean Fair Play Award Ceremony

Korean Fair Play Committee Holds

At the inaugural meeting, which took place at the Beijing Shichahai Sports School in downtown Beijing, the fivemember Ethics Committee reviewed the draft WTF Code of Ethics and other matters. The Ethics Committee is headed by Mr. Willi Kaltschmitt, a member of the International Olympic Committee from Guatemala. The other Committee members are Dr. Ken Min, a WTF Council member from the United States; Dr. Luc Reychler, secretary general of the IPRA; Dr. Pornchai Mongkhonvanit of Thailand, president of the IAUP and head of Siam University; and Mr. James E. Roberts, an attorney at law from the United States. The establishment of the WTF Ethics Committee was approved by the WTF General Assembly at the Loong Palace Hotel in Beijing, China on May 17, 2007, on the occasion of the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championships. The final version of the WTF Code of Ethics is to be presented for approval to the WTF Council in Ankara, Turkey in December 2008 on the occasion of the 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships. With the launch of the WTF Ethics Committee, the WTF expects its operations will be more transparent.

In the special prize division, Park Jong-chul, a disabled weightlifter, and the Jeonnam Sports Association shared the honors. “To instill Olympic ideals of friendship, solidarity and fair play in youth is one way to enhance the educational value of sports,”said WTF President Choue in his welcome speech at the awarding ceremony. Dr. Choue said,“To attain that goal, IOC President Jacques Rogge proposed the creation of Youth Olympic Games and the proposed 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games will serve as a good opportunity for youth to share friendship and solidarity, as well as learn more about fair play spirit and peace.”

124 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

125

WTF to Expand Functions of

Liaison Office in Lausanne WTF Liaison Office in Lausanne

35th WTF Anniversary Reception On the occasion of the taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the World Taekwondo Federation held a grand reception to mark the WTFâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 35th anniversary of founding at the Beijing International Hotel in Beijing, China on Aug. 19, 2008.

The World Taekwondo Federation plans to expand the functions of its liaison office in Lausanne, Switzerland. The areas under consideration are the Olympic marketing and communication, international relations, and public relations. The WTF liaison office, which was officially opened on Dec. 1, 2006, is located in the Maison du Sport International (MSI). The office has taken up the role of facilitating communications between the WTF and the IOC and other international sports federations. It has also expanded its roles into strategy and implementation for greater exposure on TV and new media, and framework for sponsorship. Due to its proximity to the IOC headquarters, the Olympic Museum and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the MSI is the ideal place for international sports federations to share information on world sport. Among the 20 tenants and co-owners of the MSI are the International Boxing Association (AIBA), the International Archery Federation (FITA), the

126 WTF

Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), SportAccord, and the International Sports Press Association (AIPS). About 12 companies in the field of sport, including Ernst and Young and IEC in Sport, are also in the MSI. Mr. Jean-Marie Ayer serves as the WTF attache in the liaison office. He is also a special assistant to WTF President Chungwon Choue in marketing. The contact information of the WTF liaison office in the MSI is as follows:

Mr. Jean-Marie Ayer WTF Attache in Lausanne WTF Office in Maison de Sport International (MSI) Avenue de Rhodanie 54 CH-1007 Lausanne, Switzerland Tel : +41 21 601 50 13 Fax : +41 21 601 79 23 E-mail : wtf-lausanne@bluewin.ch

World Taekwondo Federation

127

WTF President

WTF Signs WTF Signs Global Partnership Agreement with Macquarie

Global Partnership Agreement with Macquarie as the global partner of the WTF over the next five years,”said WTF President Choue during the signing ceremony. Dr. Choue said,“The global partnership would greatly help consolidate the WTF’s status as an international sport and help taekwondo retain its Olympic status.”

Offers Condolences to People of

our organizations had a lot in common, and wanted to contribute to Korean society in similar ways.” “This sponsorship is the vehicle which will allow us to achieve this. We feel it is a tremendously positive initiative,”Mr. Walker said.“It is exciting for taekwond and also for us.” He said,“Firstly, it enables Macquarie to play a role in the further growth of the great sport of taekwondo, which I personally have enjoyed as a spectator for several years.” “Secondly, it provides us with a way to do more work for the benefit of disadvantaged people in Korea, particularly youth, through the‘Enhancing Young Lives’program.”

“Mr. Walker has provided financial supports to several Australian national taekwondo athletes from The World Taekwondo the Australian state of Victoria for their training Federation signed a global in Korea over the last several years,”he said. partnership agreement “Mr. Walker’s special love for taekwondo has with Macquarie Group of Mr. Walker said, the“Enhancing Young Lives” made this global partnership agreement Companies, Korea in program is in the development stage at possible.” a ceremony in Seoul the moment.“When fully developed, it will focus on March 31, 2008. on spreading taekwondo, and greater awareness Mr. Walker said at the signing ceremony that of the health benefits of physical exercise, through “We are delighted at our new partnership with For the WTF, the global partnership agreement needy areas.” “This could involve, for example, the WTF. We are sure it will be a long and fruitful marked the second of its kind after Samsung gestures like donating sporting equipment one.” “This is one of Macquarie’s biggest ever Electronics in March 2005. to community groups, or sending taekwondo sponsorships. We are sure it will be one of our masters to train kids in areas where such training most successful.” Under the five-year contract, Macquarie secured is not accessible.” the advertising and sponsorship rights for Macquarie, whose headquarters are located the WTF-promoted events, like the WTF World He said,“We hope that, eventually, the in Australia, has business networks in 28 Taekwondo Championships and the WTF World ‘Enhancing Young Lives’program will be countries in the world. Macquarie Group of Junior Taekwondo Chamionships. expanded to include broader social welfare Companies, Korea, which started its investment actitivies.” banking business in 2000, is the fastest growing The amount of the sponsorship fees was not business entity in Asia. disclosed in accordance with the non-disclosure clause in the agreement signed between the two “For some time, Macquarie has been looking parties. for more cohesive ways to deepen our ties with the Korean community.“We’ve been doing The agreement was signed between WTF business in Korea for eight years now. Korea has President Chungwon Choue and Mr. John been very good to us. In fact, the Korea office is Walker, chairman of Macquarie Group of one of Macquarie’s fastest growing businesses. Companies, Korea at the latter’s headquarters We now have nearly 400 employees here.” in downtown Seoul. Mr. Walker said,“We feel strongly that Macquarie “The agreement is Macquarie Group’s long-term should repay Korea’s generosity with genuine commitment to Korean society and I believe that efforts to make a significant contribution to this Macquarie will faithfully carry out its responsibility country.” “Several months ago, we agreed that

128 WTF

Myanmar, China over Cyclone, Earthquake Disasters

Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo Federation, sent letters of condolences on May 9, 2008 to the president of the Myanmar Taekwondo Federation, and the president of the Myanmar Olympic Committee, over the loss of lives resulting from a recent natural disaster in the Southeast Asian country. In the letter to Mr. Htay Myint, president of the Myanmar Taekwondo Federation, WTF President Choue extended his“deepest”condolences to the people of Myanmar for the“profound”loss of lives from the devastating cyclone which hit Myanmar. According to the reports, the cyclone might take about 100,000 lives and leave about one million homeless, one of the worst natural disasters in recent history. “No words can do justice to the desolation suffered by your people at this very moment,”Dr. Choue said in the letter.“We, however, urge you not to give up on those who have survived and strive to help them rebuild their shattered lives.” He continued to say,“The global taekwondo family stand by you in the hope of a quick recovery and we will be with you always in times of need.” Dr. Choue also sent a similar letter of condolences to H.E. Brigadier General Thura Aye Myint, president of the Myanmar Olympic Committee. “As part of our efforts to assist you, I wish to inform you that the World Taekwondo Federation will donate a sum of U.S.$3,000 to the Myanmar Olympic Committee,”he said in the letter.“We hope that you will be able to use this contribution to rebuild the sports infrastructure in your country and bring hope to your people.” On May 13, WTF President Choue also sent letters of condolences to the president of the Chinese Taekwondo Association and the Chinese Olympic Committee for the profound loss of lives from the powerful earthquake which hit the southwest China, including the Sichuan province. He also sent a symbolic U.S.$3,000 dollars to the Chinese Olympic Committee, hoping a quick recovery. Dr. Choue mentioned in the letter the fact that the Sichuan province adopted the Olympic sport of taekwondo as a compulsory subject at its elementary schools in 2007.

World Taekwondo Federation

129

Continental Union Activities

Continental Union Activities - AFTU Activities - ATU Activities - ETU Activities - PATU Activities - OTU Activities 130 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

131

AFTU Activities

“The fact that 13 AFTU member countries qualified for the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games reflects the growing popularity of the Olympic sport of taekwondo in the African region”

The AFTU organized several kyorugi and poomsae seminars and refresher courses for international referees. The AFTU will hold both senior and junior African Taekwondo Championships in 2009.

For the African Taekwondo Union, the year 2008 was very fruitful at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

It also plans to hold kyorugi and poomsae seminars and refresher courses for international referees, as well as referees and coaches seminars under the umbrella of the AFTU.

The 13 African countries are Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia. Nigeria’s Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije won the bronze medal in the men’s over 80kg weight category, which marked the first-ever medal in taekwondo for the African country.

132 WTF

Mali’s Daba Modibo Keita was one of the 20 athletes. Keita, the gold medal winner at the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Beijing in May 2007, was regarded as the strongest Olympic gold medal hopeful, but he failed to attain the goal.

Major AFTU Activities in 2008 / 2009

A total of 18 players from 13 AFTU member countries participated in the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games, compared with eight at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games and nine at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

AFTU Activities

The 20 athletes break down to eight players from Africa, seven from Asia, three from the Pan American region, one from Europe and Oceania each.

African Taekwondo Union President Gen. Ahmed Fouly

The dates for major taekwondo competitions and seminars and refresher courses will be finalized during the AFTU’s General Assembly on Jan. 17, 2009 in Cairo, Egypt. “More than ever, the unity and harmony among global taekwondo leaders are very crucial for the future of taekwondo,”he said.“In this regard, we have a full confidence in WTF President Choue for his ongoing reform programs and his policy of creating a new image of taekwondo. We will continue to give our full support to him.”

Taekwondo in AFTU The African Taekwondo Union contains 49 WTF member associations distributed on five main areas of the large continent. Languages used in the union are English, French and Arabic. Unlike Europe, due to the lack of infrastructure and the low standard of living in most of the African countries, it is difficult and costly to move internally, which limits the cooperative activities and continental events through the union. However, the AFTU has made its best with the aid of the World Taekwondo Federation, the Egyptian Taekwondo Federation and other sources that can introduce aid to develop taekwondo in Africa.

The top priority of the AFTU is to distribute its agenda to cover all the area in the continent in order to make it possible and reliable for all the members to join the activities. To take the last four years as example, the African Championships had been held in Madagascar (South) and in Kenya (East) and International Referees Seminars had been held in Egypt (North) and Niger (West), and many referees and coaches sessions under the umbrella of the AFTU had been held in Libya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and others are arranged to be held in Gambia and Zambia.

Gen. Fouly said such a rapid development of taekwondo in Africa was, to a large extent, attributable to the IOC Solidarity Scholarship program.

The activities of the AFTU raised the standards and participation of Africans in the international events that had been noticed during the Beijing Olympic Games, when many African athletes joined the Games. Nigerian male competitor Chika Chukwumerije got the bronze medal and Egyptian female competitor Noha Safwat achieved the 5th position.

Taekwondo received a total of 59 successful applications for the IOC Solidarity Scholarship program. Of them, 20 athletes qualified for the taekwondo competitions at the Beijing Olympic Games.

The future of the AFTU is promising in that the coming period will witness a great jump for taekwondo in the continent, as big efforts are being made for this future progress by the executive office and through AFTU President Gen. Ahmed Fouly, Secretary General Mr. Hussam Morsy and the Vice Presidents.

World Taekwondo Federation

133

ATU Activities

the afternoon and then the matches stopped for the opening ceremony of the inaugural West Asian Taekwondo Championships.

The Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) plans to expand its solidarity program for athletes and coaches in the newly emerging taekwondo countries in Asia in 2009. The ATU also plans to create regional championships for the South Asian and Central Asian regions, thus helping reduce the gap in technical levels of taekwondo athletes in other areas. “Unlike other continents, Asia has a variety of different religions and cultures. Given those differences, we plan to further activate taekwondo activities by launching regional championships in South Asian and Central Asian regions,”said Mr. Dai-soon Lee, president of the Asian Taekwondo Union. Mr. Lee, who also serves as a vice president of the WTF and president of the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation in Korea, said the ATU will expand its solidarity program in 2009. “In 2008, our solidarity program resulted in a bronze medal for Afghanistan, the first medal in 72 years for the Asian country,”Lee said.“We will expand our solidarity and assistance program for athletes and coaches in the newly emerging taekwondo countries in Asia.” He is confident of taekwondo’ s inclusion in the official programs of the Olympic Games in 2016 and afterwards.“We have to do our best to get our taekwondo spirit and values across to all IOC members. The ultimate goal of taekwondo is to make good people.”

the 2nd International Taekwondo Symposium 1.On Report on the 2nd International Taekwondo The 2nd International Taekwondo Symposium was held in Tehran, Iran on Nov. 7, 2008, with the attendance of officials of the Asian Taekwondo Union and its member associations, as well as coaches and athletes. The second edition of the scientific and technical seminar was organized by the Taekwondo Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, under the auspices of the ATU. Among attendants in the one-day symposium were ATU President Lee; ATU Vice President Dae-won Kang; and Mr. Seyd Mohammad Pouladgar, president of the Taekwondo Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran. ATU President Lee stressed the importance of making taekwondo more attractive and more understandable to both the media and the spectator. “This is the second international seminar the ATU is holding and I hope this can be the start of a trend to see more symposiums around the world to seek ways on how to improve taekwondo,”said ATU President Lee in his speech at the symposium.

survive without spectators. Spectators keep on asking taekwondo to be more entertaining and action-packed. They order fairness of judgment and high-caliber sportsmanship of players and coaches,”Lee said.“The time for change has arrived, without change, we can not make one step forward.”

“The purpose of creating the West Asian Taekwondo Championships is to produce solidarity and prosperity by improving taekwondo skills of the athletes in the region and thus developing the exchange among the member nations in the West Asia,”said ATU President Lee in his congratulatory speech during the opening ceremony.

ATU Activities

Asian Taekwondo Union President Mr. Dai-Soon Lee

gold medals and two silver medals, followed by Bahrain with one gold, two silvers and one bronze. Jordan finished third as it clinched one gold, followed by Qatar with one silver and one bronze, and Iraq with three bronze medals.

3. On the 2nd Meeting of West Asian Countries

On the 2nd Meeting of West Asian Countries

During the opening ceremony, a memorable event was held at the competition arena - the farewell ceremony for Iran’ s Hadi Saei Bonehkohal. Hadi, who won two golds and one bronze in the taekwondo competition at the past three Olympic Games, had a symbolic one-round match and as a traditional farewell custom by Iranian athletes kissed the four corners and the center of the taekwondo mat that has given him so much in life.

In the morning of Nov. 8, the second meeting of representatives from West Asian countries was held in Tehran.

After the opening ceremony, the poomsae competitions continued and Iran finished first in the overall medal tally with seven gold medals. Jordan came next with two silvers and one bronze, followed by Qatar with one silver and one bronze, and Syria with three bronzes.

The first meeting was held during the 20th Fajr International Taekwondo Championships in Bandar Abbas, Iran in February 2008.

On Nov. 9, kyorugi competitions started. Electronic protectors were used at the 1st West Asian Taekwondo Championships. Performance of the electronic protectors was excellent as there was not even a single protest lodged with the Arbitration Board, which once again proved that the reforms started by WTF Presdient Chungwon Choue was going in the right direction, and the electronic protectors are the most important part of solving this problem.

The majority of West Asian countries - Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Iraq - were present in the meeting, which was presided over by ATU President Lee.

In the meeting, a variety of subjects regarding the development and promotion of taekwondo in the region were discussed and the most important thing was to approve the rotation of the championships among junior national teams and senior national teams every other year, so the region’ s teams could have a good tournament before continental and World Championships. The participants voted to award Jordan the right to hold the inaugural West Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships in 2009, and Saudi Arabia earned the right to host the 2nd West Asian Taekwondo Championships in 2010.

In the kyorugi competiton, Iran ranked first in the overall medal tally with six

He also stressed the need to do more research about equipment used by taekwondo athletes and more medical research on the prevention of serious injuries to the athletes.

2.On Onthe the 1st 1st West WestAsian AsianTaekwondo Taekwondo Championships

The 1st West Asian Taekwondo Championships were held in a ceremony in Tehran, Iran on Nov. 8-9, 2008, attracting athletes and officials from eight countries. The inaugural regional taekwondo event, which featured both kyorugi and poomsae competitions, drew athletes from host Iran, Qatar, Syria, Bahrain, Jordan and Iraq. The poomsae competition was conducted as a demonstration event. On Nov. 8, four teams from Iran, Qatar, Syria and Jordan competed in the poomsae division in different age groups.

“We have to listen more carefully to spectators as no modern sports could The participating teams started competing in the preliminary round in

134 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

135

ETU Activities ETU Activities

ETU Activities

European Taekwondo Union President Mr. Athanasios Pragalos Major ETU Activities in 2008 For the European Taekwondo Union, the year 2008 was very successful both at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and its major championships. In the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games, seven ETU member countries won four silver medals and five bronze medals. Turkey clinched one silver and one bronze, while Greece, Italy and Norway grabbed one silver medal each. Croatia took two bronze medals in taekwondo, while France and Great Britain won one bronze medal each. For the ETU, the most successful event for 2008 was the European Senior Taekwondo Championships held in Rome, Italy on April 10 -13. The event drew athletes and officials from 41 ETU member countries. On April 8, two days before the opening of the European Senior Taekwondo Championships, ETU President Athanasios Pragalos and other leaders visited the Vatican to present Pope Benedict XVI with a taekwondo uniform. On Nov. 1-2, the European Team Championships were held in Konya, Turkey, in which Turkey was the winner both in the male and female categories. For the first time in its history, the ETU organized A-class ranking tournaments in 2008. About 10 international tournaments, mostly open events under the control of the ETU, were held in Azerbaijan, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Spain, Sweden and France. The ranking tournaments were a big success and at the end of the competitions, the winners received in each weight category an ETU Ranking cup. The ETU Technical Committee organized a poomsae seminar in Spain.

Major ETU Programs for 2009 The year 2009 will be another busy year for the European Taekwondo Union, as always.

In 2009, the ETU launches another new category. The 1st European Taekwondo Championships Under 21 are scheduled to take place in Bigo, Spain on Nov. 6-8. The European Junior Taekwondo Championships will be held in Trelleborg, Sweden on May 28-31. On the occasion of the championships, the ETU will hold its General Assembly on May 27. A total of 11 A-class international tournaments are scheduled for 2009. They are the Trelleborg Open in Trelleborg, Sweden on Feb. 14-15, the Dutch Open (Eindhoven, the Netherlands on March 2122), the German Open (Hamburg, Germany on April 4-5), the Belgium Open (Herentals, Belgium on April 18-19), the Spanish Open (Alicante, Spain on April 25-26), the Austrian Open (Innsbruck, Austria on May 3-4), the Danish Open (Kolding, Denmark on May 23), the Poomsae Austrian Open (Kufstein, Austria on June 14), the BTCB British Open (Manchester, England on Sept. 12-13), the Croatian Open (Zagreb, Croatia on Nov. 14-15), and the Paris International (Paris, France on Nov. 29-30).

ETU Suggestions The European Taekwondo Union favors adopting electronic body protectors at major taekwondo events. The ETU suggests that the World Taekwondo Federation create a group of international referees special for the World Taekwondo Championships. The Continental Unions can also do this for their respective Championships. The ETU also made one more suggestion that there should be more strict control on injured competitors as we see injured competitions fighting, which is not acceptable.

On July 3-5, the European Cadet Taekwondo Championships will be held in Zagreb, Croatia, drawing athletes in the age group of 12 to 14 years. The inaugural European Cadet Championships were held in Palermo, Italy in 2005, which attracted about 300 competitors from about 30 countries.

136 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

137

PATU Activities On the Use of Electronic Body Protectors and Suggestions The PATU first introduced the WTF-approved electronic body protectors (EBP) at the 9th Caribbean Championships in May 2008. During this event, the PATU set up an ad-hoc committee to evaluate the possibility of using electronic protectors in all future events of the PATU. All five members unanimously agreed and recommended the immediate use of this system in all PATU events as an officially recognized scoring system.

PATU ’ s sFour-Year 2. PATU’ Four-YearProjection Projection At the beginning of 2008, the PATU ’ s current Secretary General, Dr. Helder Navarro Carriazo, and I produced a comprehensive eight-year PATU development“Grand Plan”by systematically analyzing all areas of the PATU and submitted the plan to the WTF leadership. The plan was received with positive reviews from the WTF leadership, and was promised their commitment and support for the plan in all possible areas.

In 2010, the PATU will successfully complete its qualification tournament for 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. We will continue to communicate with the PASO Technical Commission to realize our proposal of increasing taekwondo athlete participation from the current 100 to 108 at the 2011 Pan Am Games.

I then introduced the plan to all PATU member nations for their consideration and support at the General Assembly. I am confident that the plan was accepted by the members of the General Assembly. Although the goals set forth in the“Grand Plan”are challenging, they are practical and attainable objectives that will develop the PATU to a higher level of recognition in the near future.

From the business outlook, we plan to organize our already successful“Pan Am Open”Championships and increase participation to 5,000 competitors with plans to build it up to an international taekwondo festival by 2012. With the success of this event, the PATU will be in a financially stable position to support additional programs and projects without burdening or relying on the WTF, the Kukkiwon and our member national federations.

As early as in January 2009, the PATU will be organizing a special committee to revise our current Statutes, to introduce athlete and tournament ranking systems, and to start sponsorship efforts to launch the first PATU National President’s Convention in the first half of 2009.

We are in the planning stage to develop new and fresh events to stir new interest and re-energize current support. Immediately effective will be the branding of PATU logos and direct merchandizing that will secure financial gains for the PATU before the end of next quadrennial period. Such efforts will not only give the PATU financial flexibility, but also define and identify the PATU on a global scale.

We will continue our efforts to organize and promote poomsae seminars, PATU poomsae and competition referee seminars in different regions, in an effort to educate, train and develop awareness of taekwondo to maintain the current global progress of taekwondo.

PATU Committeeforfor2009-2012 2009-2012 Term 1. PATUReport Reporton onExecutive Executive Committee Term

The Pan American Taekwondo Union held its General Assembly and an Executive Committee election on Oct. 2, 2008 in Caguas, Puerto Rico, prior to the 16th Pan American Taekwondo Championships.

I anticipate that by the end of 2010, all PATU national presidents will have all the necessary information and support from the PATU and the WTF to be able to facilitate a program to educate, train and advance their own athletes and coaches by applying the accessible programs from their government, the WTF, and the Olympic Solidarity programs.

Furthermore, the delegates also had the opportunity to evaluate my performance of the past nine months as the newly elected president. Together with the members’support and dedication, I was confidently able to successfully introduce many new programs that proved to be effective and beneficial in supporting a continued progress in different regions which included the WTF Standard Poomsae Seminars, Athlete and Coach Development Programs for small countries, uniform and equipment support programs, development of a new PATU Web site, corporate sponsorship efforts, and the introduction of electronic body protectors, to name a few.

The General Assembly was conducted in a highly diplomatic manner with the attendance of 36 member nations’presidents and delegates.

My objective is to assist and educate all PATU nations to be able to independently receive and implement these available programs successfully without relying on foreign assistances in the future. This movement will jump-start much needed technical development of small countries and advance technical standardization of all PATU athletes.

Finally, upon completion of the election for the new Executive Committee and Council members, all PATU members showed deeper commitment to work together to make our organization one of the strongest Continental Union of the WTF.

The General Assembly then moved on to hold an Executive Committee and Council election for the 2009-2012 term. Mr. Ji-ho Choi of the United States earned 28 votes to be elected president of the PATU, against Mr. Jose Cornelio of Aruba, who won eight votes.

The PATU will also work very closely with the Mexican Taekwondo Federation to prepare for the 2010 World Junior Taekwondo Championships in Tijuana, Mexico. I am confident that we will organize the finest World Junior Championships ever to be experienced in our continent.

The entire PATU has unequivocally expressed their strong desire to become a powerful presence in our sport taekwondo program, and all newly elected PATU leaders are enthusiastic for a renewed unity and organizational integrity for a progressive future.

138 WTF

PATU Activities

Pan American Taekwondo Union President Mr. Ji Ho Choi

We then performed a pilot study of this system at the Pan Am Open Championships in Puebla, Mexico, in preparation for the Pan Am Championships in Puerto Rico. The technicians from the LaJUST were present at all three events to assist with staff training, provide athlete practice sessions for the participating teams prior to the events, and to assure technical assistance during the events. Upon completion of the 16th Pan American Taekwondo Championships in Puerto Rico, the EBP received many positive reviews from all participating teams. The system certainly supported valid scoring method of delivering accuracy of power delivered to the valid scoring areas. It also recognized and promoted exact kicking techniques as described in the WTF Competition Rules. Many athletes with unclear, unconventional kicking techniques were not able to successfully score. Minor percentage of error was observed due to human error and computer malfunction. In many incidences, the judges were not able to actively score the head points due to impaired vision, too much distance from the action, or blocked view by the referee or the competitors. Other than that, the latest version of LaJUST EBP proved to be an effective means to judge, score and recognize superior performance without any serious problems. Nevertheless, as we strive ceaselessly to seek improvements in safety and fairness of competition scoring, I would like to make the following proposal to the current EBP system and amendments to the current Competition Rules and regulations to successfully adapt the EBP system for the upcoming World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009. a. Use of electronically censored gloves to register valid punching points b. Use of wireless scoring system for two judges and have them move along the boundary lines to actively score the head points c. Immediate video reviews and evaluation of head points With these positive changes to the current EBP system and the WTF Competition Rules, I am confident that scoring in all taekwondo games will be much more accurate and ultimately minimizing and perhaps eliminating all human errors related to scoring.

World Taekwondo Federation

139

OTU Activities Q : What was your evaluation of the Q : What was your evaluation ofatthe taekwondo competition thetaekwondo 2008 competition the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games? Beijing at Olympic Games? A : For the OTU, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games represent the cornerstone of our development as we were very successful in qualifying nine athletes for the Games from four different countries: Australia, New Zealand, the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea. For our Olympic athletes from Papua New Guinea and the Marshall Islands, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were their first international competition. Whilst no medals were gained at the 2008 Olympic Games, the Olympic experience and the realization that Oceania athletes are now able to qualify for medal contention at an Olympic Games will lift the profile of our sport within our region and provide strong interest in our sport. Q : What were the major activities of your Q : What were the major activities of your Taekwondo Union in 2008? Taekwondo Union in 2008?

Q : What are the major activities of your Q : What are the major activities of your Taekwondo Union in 2009? Taekwondo Union in 2009?

A : We are a very small Continental Union compared to the other four unions, so our events calendar is much smaller. Our major event was the 2008 Oceania Taekwondo Championships which were held in Auckland, New Zealand on Dec. 5-6, 2008.

A : The coming years and, in particular 2009, promise to be a very challenging year for the OTU as we are planning to implement some very important development programs in our region to assist our member nations.

Our total member nations within the Oceania region is 13 member nations at the moment as the OTU was only established in 2005, so we have a very small history and we are very young compared to the other Continental Unions who have been in existence for decades. It is pleasing to note that nearly all member nations attended the 2008 Oceania Championships, which was a very exciting event and provided our Oceania athletes with much needed international competition experience. We held senior and junior kyorugi as well as poomse competitions in the same championships in Auckland, so as to consolidate our events calendar and to reduce costs as many of our member nations are developing nations and do not have the resources or the budget to be attending as many events as they otherwise would like to attend.

140 WTF

These initiatives will include: Referee courses, accreditation and seminars Coaching course, accreditation and seminars Junior and senior athletes development programs Junior talent identification programs with particular focus on the 2010 Youth Olympic Games Solidarity support for our developing member nations The establishment of an Oceania region training center There are logistical and practical difficulties in implementing these programs within our region as all of our member nations are islands separated by sea and travel within the region is very difficult and very expensive. Naturally, the implementation of such programs also involves considerable financial expense on

the part of the OTU whose role is to develop and promote our great sport within the Oceania region. The challenge for the OTU will be to finance these important programs on a very small budget, so we have to source major sponsors to assist us in this task. We have been fortunate to have had assistance and support from Samsung, the WTF â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s global partner, and Adidas, but much more financial assistance is required if we are to achieve real development and improvement in our region. Naturally, we will seek as much assistance from the WTF as possible as well as the Kukkiwon. Australia and New Zealand will also play a leading role in our regional development as they are far more developed nations and have a lot more experienced and qualified personnel who will be of assistance to our member nations. We aim to have greater participation of the OTU at the 2009 WTF World Taekwondo Championships and of course we are all looking forward to the 2012 London Olympic Games where the OTU hopes to qualify even more athletes for these games from a broader number of OTU member nations.

It should also be noted that our sport is one of the very few sports that provides athletes from developing nations with a real and rare opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games, which after all is the greatest and most prestigious sporting event in the world. This is a credit to the WTF as there are not many international sporting organizations which can provide such an opportunity to its athletes.

performance in Beijing. The implementation of an electronic chest protector and the current review of our WTF Competition Rules are all major initiatives being implemented by the WTF which are aimed at making our sport more transparent, exciting and attractive to the broader public and sponsors at large. These changes and more are required if we are to cement our position as a permanent full medal Olympic sport. Doyou youhave haveany any suggestions for further the QQ::Do suggestions for the further development taekwondo development of taekwondoof and the World and the World Taekwondo Federation? Taekwondo Federation?

A : Unity in our sport is very important particularly given that there are many other sports who seek to take our place on the Olympic program. We naturally are entitled to disagree with each other and are perfectly entitled to have a different view, but in the end we are all part of the same sporting

family, so we must work hard in 2009 to secure our place as a permanent Olympic Sport. What we must do now is focus on the major task ahead of us in 2009 in securing our future as an Olympic Sport because if we do not do this, we will all be accountable for the end result.

OTU Activities

Oceania Taekwondo Union President Mr. Phil Coles

The promotion of our sport as a truly global sport should be high on the WTF â&#x20AC;&#x2122; s agenda, with particular emphasis on introducing more member nations of the WTF in 2009. We are yet to reach our full potential and we have much room for expansion of our sport globally. There is now greater liaison and cooperation between the WTF and the Continental Unions, but there are some initiatives that can be implemented by the WTF, which will enhance our development and growth. Establishing a greater presence in Lausanne and the establishment of regional WTF headquarters in each of the five Continents will decentralize the WTF, so that it is able to respond to global issues more efficiently and effectively.

The OTU is very proud to have had nine athletes represent our region at an Olympic Games and when you compare the size of our region to that of other Continental Unions, we have done very well. Our region is also proud of the fact that we have achieved a gold and silver Olympic medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games so we are well placed compared to many other regions. We have also produced World Cup champions and medalists from World Championships as well as a silver medalist at the 2008 WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships which also stand us well for future development. It is clear however, that the WTF has many important issues to address following our sports

World Taekwondo Federation

141

2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps

Russia (Moscow)

India (Goa) China (Urumqi)

Pakistan (Islamabad)

India (Mumbai)

China (Qingdao) 142 WTF

Paraguay (Asuncion) World Taekwondo Federation

143

4. Feasible and Latent Effects through TPC

Report on 2008 Summer

Taekwondo Peace Corps 1. The Purpose of Taekwondo Peace Corps Taekwondo teaches virtues of self-reflection, self-discipline, self-control, confidence, respect, patience, and balance of body and mind. These virtues help make our mind peaceful, synchroniz the mind with the movements, and extend this harmony to life and society. In the sense that taekwondo ultimately pursues peace among humankind and the harmony between the humanity and the nature, its essence shares with the fundamental principles of the United Nations (U.N.) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), an International Federation governing the sport of taekwondo, and GCS International, an NGO in special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council, under the leadership of Dr. Chungwon Choue as President of the two organizations, seek feasible ways to share the value and philosophy of taekwondo through goodwill activities. As a result, the Taekwondo Peace Corps (TPC) was proposed, and launched with the hope to share the spirit of taekwondo and to demonstrate that sport can indeed contribute to promoting global peace and communication as well as to education and sustainable social development. 2. The Societal Contexts of TPC Launch The WTF and GCS International together have been searching for ways to contribute to peace and social development in the global community. The Taekwondo Peace Corps was one of the ambitious projects devised to realize this vision. Professionals and experts from various fields who share the interest voluntarily joined in the project as decision-making board

144 WTF

WTF President Chungwon Choue poses with members of the Taekwondo Peace Corps and the WTF Demonstration Team in a launch ceremony at the Suwon campus of Kyung Hee University in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province on July 5, 2008. members, lecturers, Web designers, instructors, and advisers. For the purpose of maximal productivity and managerial efficiency of the TPC, multifaceted collaboration and international support were mobilized within the taekwondo community. A prospect of the U.N. and the IOC working together to promote global peace and harmony through sport endowed further motivation for the TPC project. 2.1 Hope and willingness of the WTF and GCS International to contribute to the global community set the foundation of the TPC launching. 2.2 Prospect of U.N.-IOC collaborative contribution to world peace and harmony through sport has motivated the TPC launching. 3. The Expected Goals of TPC 3.1 TPC is expected to supplement and refine the existing solidarity program of the WTF, which has been providing taekwondo equipment and training opportunities to the less-developed WTF member nations. 3.2 TPC is expected to share the spirit of taekwondo and respect for humankind. This initiative intends to gather the energy of young people in the world to become one global family that transcends the differences. 3.3 TPC is expected to give participants an opportunity to learn about the taekwondo culture of cultivating sound mind and healthy body. 3.4 TPC is expected to encourage young people to enjoy the experience of sharing love for humanity and working together to create a favorable environment for sustainable development and peaceful co-existence.

4.1 Feasible Educational Achievement There were two different education programs; TPC education programs for volunteers and TPC programs provided by the volunteers for local taekwondo instructors and participants. The former is called TPC volunteer training programs, while the latter is described as TPC programs in this document. 4.1.1 Spontaneity Recruitment of taekwondo instructors and interpreters for the TPC was performed on a voluntary basis. Likewise, participants who attended the TPC program did so on a voluntary basis. Therefore, spontaneity has been founded on all processes. As a result, volunteers and participants were fully motivated to join in the program, teach/learn taekwondo, and enjoy the activities offered by the TPC. - Volunteer Perspective Upon announcing the TPC recruitment on the WTF and GCS International Web sites, more than 60 volunteers applied for the TPC 2008 summer dispatch. They were dominantly university students in their 20s. Through a strict screening procedure, including tests and interviews, 27 (19 males and 8 females) volunteers were selected as members of the TPC, and were sent to seven regions in five different nations: China, India, Pakistan, Paraguay, and Russia. Prior to dispatch, they participated in 15 different TPC volunteer training programs, which included courses on taekwondo spirit, taekwondo rules, taekwondo teaching methods, taekwondo competitions, taekwondo Poomsae, referee training, health education, meditation, Korean language, cultural understanding, etc. Specific information on the TPC dispatch is as follows:

- Participant Perspective Taekwondo learners, practitioners, and local residents were all invited to participate in the programs provided by the TPC. All the programs, thus, were managed based on participants’spontaneity. The TPC delivered taekwondo instruction programs and education packages for local taekwondo instructors, while administering special programs customized for different levels (beginners, intermediate, advanced, children/youth/adults) for other participants. 4.1.2 Responsibility/Accountability TPC volunteer training programs were given with respect to what volunteers are responsible for as visitors and what they are accountable for as TPC members. TPC programs for local instructors and participants similar to the TPC volunteer training programs were offered as well. - Volunteer Perspective The training focused on what and how to teach, how to approach culture learners, how to make the experience enjoyable, and how to behave as peace facilitators. Volunteers’accountability guidelines and visitors’ responsibility codes were strictly adhered to all the time to ensure appropriate conduct and behavior of the TPC members. - Participant Perspective The spirits of taekwondo and sport ethics were taught prior to the physical skill learning program. An emphasis on the philosophical dimension was reinforced through a mental training practice, which was designed to familiarize the participants with the concepts of peace, harmony, fair play, and respecting the rules and regulations. 4.1.3“Self”Values The spirit of independence is based on self-values. The values of independence and collaboration were highlighted simultaneously throughout the taekwondo competitions and cooperative trainings. - Volunteer Perspective Taekwondo contains diverse educational“self”values such as self-control, self-confidence, self-defense, team-based problem-solving and so forth.

World Taekwondo Federation

145

Report on the first Dispatch of the

Taekwondo Peace Corps

Each delegation was supposed to manage every task on its own although one or two local guides were assigned to each delegation. Delegation members as a team were expected to participate in managerial work as well as administration of the programs. This gave all the delegation members chances to develop their ability to self-control, level of selfconfidence, and skills for problem-solving. - Participant Perspective The spirits underlying taekwondo is not to be aggressive but defensive. The concept of self-defense was accentuated at the beginning of the TPC programs. The TPC programs were specifically designed to foster selfconfidence in participants through enhancement of their ability to defend themselves. The TPC meditation program for participants and local instructors, in particular, helped increase the level of self-confidence remarkably. 4.1.4 Service-oriented Leadership and .Followership Fostering service-oriented leadership/followership based on spontaneity and self-confidence nurturing programs were emphasized both in the TPC volunteer training programs and the TPC programs for local instructors and participants. - Volunteer Perspective The TPC training programs target on nurturing leadership as an instructor, master, referee, and colleague. The latest taekwondo curriculum and instruction methods were introduced through the TPC training programs to develop members’teaching ability, which highlighted service-oriented leadership rather than charismatic leadership. The members were expected to respond to the local instructors’objectives and participants’ needs, and not to behave as a superior officer or a commander. This effectively facilitated volunteers’quicker adaptation to local customs and better susceptibility to cultural relativism, gender equality and racial indiscrimination.

146 WTF

- Participant Perspective Learning taekwondo is to cultivate the spirit of challenge. This does not mean challenging the instructors or rules. Nurturing the spirit of challenge is to empower and enable the participants to go beyond their limits and envision the future. With regard to followership, the importance of showing respect to their teachers and judges and obeying rules and referee decisions in competitions was accentuated in the taekwondo philosophy class.

4.2 Contribution to Social Development

4.1.5 Fair Play In today’s society, the spirit of fair play is stressed in all areas, stretching to political, economic, social and cultural spheres. Since Dr. Chungwon Choue, President of the WTF and GCS International, is concurrently serving as President of the Korean Fair Play Committee (KFPC), a member of the International Fair Play Committee (IFPC), conceptualization of fair play had a special weight in the TPC programs. Accordingly, this important value was accentuated in every class for both TPC volunteers and participants.

Harmonious collaboration and group effort among the participants were encouraged in all classes, conveying a message that all humans are equal and shall be respected in all circumstances.

- Volunteer Perspective The TPC volunteer training programs included learning of Olympism. It is because Olympism constitutes the fundamental principle of all sports participating in the Olympic Movement and its ideals share with those of the taekwondo spirit. One of the Olympic ideals is the spirit of fair play, which was stressed repeatedly as the major theme in all classes. - Participant Perspective Local taekwondo instructors and participants were taught about the spirits of taekwondo, taekwondo etiquette, and fair play in taekwondo through various classes and TPC activities, underlining respect for the competition rules and referee decisions as well as for the opponent players. 4.1.6 Democracy The concepts of spontaneity and accountability are closely related to democratic values. All the volunteers and participants chose to join the TPC programs according to their own will, but once they joined, they were to be strictly responsible/accountable. Getting accustomed to the values of service-oriented leadership/ followership, fair play, responsibility, accountability, and rule-abiding attitude through the TPC programs implies exercise of democratic practice. Taekwondo training, therefore, naturally implants democratic values in volunteers and participants alike. The TPC programs may serve as an effective means to educate and spread the democratic values in youth and children of the underdeveloped countries, where establishment and consolidation of a democratic system are still in need.

4.2.1 Anti-Discrimination All local residents were welcomed to the TPC programs regardless of race, gender, age, religion, or disability. Since taekwondo does not stress the physical dimension alone, but psychological and spiritual dimensions as well, any type of discrimination based on physical appearance was strictly prohibited in administration and management of the TPC programs.

4.2.2 Communication Face-to-face communication and open dialogues between local participants and TPC volunteers helped both parties acquire mutual understanding of respective culture and build friendship easily. The TPC programs also offered a basic Korean language class. For participants, learning Korean, including some verbal orders used in taekwondo training and competitions, helped develope closer affinity to the sport of taekwondo. However, language was not the decisive factor in facilitating communication and special bond between volunteers and local people. Sport itself was a universal language. 4.2.3 Cultural Understanding and Mutuality Misunderstanding and ignorance of other cultures have been a major cause of cultural clashes and conflicts between different civilizations. Exchange of culture and human resources is, therefore, essential to enhance mutual understanding and to accept cultural diversity. The TPC is an example of providing young people opportunities to learn about different culture and different people in the world. The TPC certainly offered a unique experience to volunteers to live in a different cultural setting and participants to learn about the Korean culture. The TPC will be developed to recruit volunteers from diverse cultures and races to encourage further cultural exchange.

the project will pursue diversity of volunteers and wider range of TPC beneficiary. Utility maximization and collective effort are crucial for the purpose of promoting global peace and harmony through sport. Active support of the international organizations such as the U.N. and the IOC as well as global support is called for in order to increase the feasibility of the resultant effects of the TPC. 5. Conclusion: Promoting Global Peace and Harmony through Sport The TPC opened a new possibility and a window of opportunity for sportrelated organizations to contribute to the humanity and peace-building. The TPC teams dispatched in the summer of 2008 were warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated by the five host countries. The impressive turnout at the training and enthusiasm shown by the participants certainly reflected the yearning of the local people for an opportunity to learn and practice taekwondo. Above all, the TPC presented an opportunity and resources to children to enjoy and play and to share important values in life as well as a vision of never-ending hope, optimism, and confidence. The TPC participants equally experienced priceless one month of sharing the spirit of taekwondo, valuable friendship, and special bond with those who love taekwondo in distant parts of the world. It was agreed by both volunteers and participants that the first dispatch period was rather short to grasp the taekwondo culture and spirit in those countries to the full extent. Based on the positive experience of this pilot study, the TPC program will continue with a twice a year short-term dispatch for two months and a long-term dispatch of instructors for six months to two years, targeting on more recipients and a larger number of countries. The establishment of the TPC worldwide will be encouraged with its bases in as many countries as possible and by incorporating qualified taekwondo instructors of different nationalities. This will be a significant step toward achieving global peace and harmony through sport.

4.2.4 Volunteerism There are a number of volunteer activities in the field of sport. Unlike the majority of existing volunteer activities in sport, the TPC does not aim exclusively at increasing the number of taekwondo population or upgrading taekwondo skills, but at sharing the spirit of peace and harmony through taekwondo and providing service to the global community. Its goodwill and service-oriented intent demonstrate a desirable form of consistent volunteerism in sport. 4.2.5 Collaboration of the International Community For the purpose of continuity and expansion of the TPC worldwide,

World Taekwondo Federation

147

Interview with

Paraguayan Ambassador to Korea As far as the passion for taekwondo is concerned, Paraguayan Ambassador to Korea Ceferino Adrian Valdez Peralta may be second to none among foreign envoys in Korea. His two daughters are taekwondo practitioners. Paraguay was the quickest responder to the World Taekwondo Federation’s invitation to the 2008 summer Taekwondo Peace Corps program. The WTF selected five countries - Paraguay, China, Russia, Pakistan and India - to send its first Taekwondo Peace Corps members during the summer of 2008. On July 11, 2008, the Paraguayan ambassador even invited four members of the 2008 Summer WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps to his residence in Seoul. The four volunteers, all Korean university students, left for Asuncion, Paraguay on July 22 and returned home on Aug. 19. The four members, three taekwondo majors and one Spanish major, taught local people taekwondo. Kong Jin-seong, 25, a junior at Donga Universtiy in Busan and majoring in taekwondo, has found a perfect match between what he studies and what he feels passonate for. “I want to be a taekwondo ambassador.”It was his second voluntary mission after Cambodia. The envoy poured out his personal affection and national interest in the traditional martial art of taekwondo. In Paraguay, he said, the word taekwondo is commonly heard at training centers scattered across the country, along with Korean supermarkets and“jimjilbang,”or a Korean version of a sauna. Reflecting his great interest, the ambassador proposed opening a large taekwondo training center with an offer of land and some other facilities in Paraguay. “It is just not my idea. It has been addressed by the Paraguayan Olympic Committee,”he said.

148 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

149

WTF to Dispatch 2008 Winter

Taekwondo Peace Corps Members in January 2009

After a successful 2008 Summer WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps program, the World Taekwondo Federation will send 2008 Winter WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps teams to about 10 countries for about two months starting in January 2009. The WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps program is operated as one of the WTF Solidarity programs for technical enhancement of WTF member national associations. The WTF plans to expand the number of Taekwondo Peace Corps members and the countries to which members will be sent. In the summer of 2008, a total of 27 Taekwondo Peace Corps members were selected and they underwent two weeks of intensive training-camp education course in the fields of competition, poomsae and taekwondo demonstration. Seven teams were dispatched for about one

150 WTF

month to five countries - Russia (Moscow), India (Mumbai and Goa), Pakistan (Islamabad), Paraguay (Asuncion), and China (Qingdao and Urumqi). Reflecting the successful Taekwondo Peace Corps activities, a growing number of countries are showing interest in the program. Each team consists of four people - three taekwondo practitioners with at least 3rd Kukkiwon Dan certificate holders, and one with proficient language skills. On July 5, 2008, the WTF launched the 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps in a ceremony in Suwon, Korea. The launch ceremony, which was held at the Suwon campus of Kyung Hee University, drew 27 members of the 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps.

“Through the Taekwondo Peace Corps, the WTF can ultimately contribute to the promotion of world peace,”said WTF President Choue in his welcome speech at the launch ceremony.“After consultations with our 188 member nations, we will dispatch Peace Corps members to taekwondo-developing countries, especially in Africa and the Middle East.” Dr. Choue said,“If the Taekwondo Peace Corps project is carried out successfully, then we will expand the program to involve all Olympic sports into a‘Sport Peace Corps’program, in cooperation with the United Nations and the IOC.”

The WTF disbanded the 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps at the headquarters of the GCS International in Seoul, Korea on Sept. 6, 2008.

Shortly after taking the helm of the WTF in June 2004, WTF President Choue promised to launch the Taekwondo Peace Corps, thus helping enhance the image of taekwondo and the WTF in the international sports community.

The Taekwondo Peace Corps is promoted by the WTF and organized by GCS International, a United Nations-recognized non-governmental organization with a special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council. GCS stands for goodwill, cooperation and service. WTF President Chungwon Choue heads the two international organizations.

The Taekwondo Peace Corps idea was first raised by Dr. Choue at an international workshop on sports and peace in Leuven, Belgium on Sept. 21, 2007, and then at an international forum on peace and sport in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on Dec. 6, 2007.

World Taekwondo Federation

151

Moment of Victory Taekwondo is a lifetime pursuit and it takes years of training to develop beautiful techniques and even more training to keep it.

152 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

153

Taekwondo is an Effective Educational Tool for Children Worldwide,

WTF President Says

Taekwondo is an effective educational tool for young people around the world and now is the time for taekwondo to serve the world, says president of the world’s taekwondo governing body. As part of efforts to promote global peace, the president says that he hopes the WTFinitiated Taekwondo Peace Corps program to be expanded into a new entity of the so-called “Sport Peace Corps,”in cooperation with the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee. “As proven by numerous studies, taekwondo training has significant educational effects on children in the stage of personality forming and emotional vulnerability,”said Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo Federation. “It teaches youth about justice, morality, respect,

154 WTF

cooperation, lover for one another, and to accept the universal sport rules of fair play,”he said.

enhancement of the young.” “This, in effect, could curtail them from getting involved in youth delinquency, drugs, alcohol and violence.”

wish is a noble act of the taekwondo people.” Dr. Choue said that there are many people in the world who are deprived of the opportunity to learn and practice sports due to lack of necessary equipment, facilities, instructors, and program, he said. Some countries are desperate and eager to receive any kind of training equipment and uniforms, either new or used.

Under the topic“The Value of Korean Traditional Sport in Youth Education,”WTF President Choue “The educational value of taekwondo has been recognized by many countries outside Korea,” made the remarks in the Plenary G session of the 6th World Forum on Sport, Education and he said.“Last year, the Sichuan and Hunan provinces in China adopted taekwondo as Culture at the BEXCO in Busan, Korea on Sept. 27, 2008. Dr. Choue’s 20-minute presentation a required course in their elementary schools. Primary schools in the Boston area and Indonesia “As part of its efforts to provide them with such drew keen interest from the participants in have introduced taekwondo as a mandatory the IOC forum. necessities, the WTF has expanded its assistance curriculum. Canada’s Chatham College in the form of in-kind contributions to countries International initiated a residential secondaryThe three-day, IOC-promoted forum, which in need among its 188 member nations around opened on Sept. 25 in a ceremony, drew more school taekwondo program.” the world,”WTF President Choue said. The WTF than 800 world sports leaders, including about 30 has also launched initiatives with other relevant Taekwondo is not merely a sport, but IOC members. The biennial event is organized organizations to send taekwondo equipment encompasses excellent cultural values and spirits to the disadvantaged countries and to provide by the metropolitan city of Busan. that cannot be learned from the textbooks, he taekwondo training program for coaches and WTF President Choue said,“Through such said.“Sharing these excellent qualities of athletes from less developed countries. taekwondo with those who are deprived of learning, and mental and physical disciplining, it helps sound personal development and selfthe opportunity to learn and practice despite their One ambitious project by the WTF is sending

World Taekwondo Federation

155

taekwondo instructors to countries in need of assistance to offer programmed physical and mental training to the local people, especially to the disadvantaged youth. Dr. Choue said,“The Taekwondo Peace Corps is just the beginning. Inspired by our experience, I proposed developing the Sport Peace Corps program to expand the initiative globally and to involve other sport-related organizations such as the IOC, U.N. institutions, as well as their network of relations with the sport-related institutions and sponsors.”

Under the topic“The Value of Korean Traditional Sport in Youth Education,”WTF President Chungwon Choue (at the podium) speaks during the Parallel G session on the third day of the 6th World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture at the BEXCO in Busan, Korea on Sept. 27, 2008. At the session, President Choue made a presentation on the WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps program.

The Sport Peace Corps entails provision of comprehensive sport-related assistance to the underdeveloped countries or the U.N.-assigned areas, he said. “The assistance includes coaching and training service to the local young athletes, supply of equipment and facilities, and finding the means for the competent young people to partake in international sporting events.” Dr. Choue concluded his presentation by saying,“Someday my vision of the Sport Peace Corps will be realized to further promote the Olympic ideal, and offer chances to youths from wider range of countries to partake in international sporting events, where they can showcase their athletic talent while enjoying the priceless educational experience.” “I assure you that taekwondo will be at the forefront all the way in the course of realizing this vision of sharing love and hope with the world through sport.”

156 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

157

Busan IOC Forum Olympic Culture and Education in Korea

IOC World Forum: Sport and Education for the Now Generation

The Value of Korean Traditional Sport in Youth Education Chungwon Choue President, World Taekwondo Federation The following is the full text of WTF President Chungwon Choue’s speech delivered at the 6th World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture at the BEXCO in Busan, Korea on Sept. 27, 2008.

Introduction

Educational Values The Educational ValuesofofTaekwondo Taekwondo

Taekwondo Peace Corps Taekwondo Peace Corps

A sound body and mind are inseparably related. One cannot be mentally sound without being physically healthy nor be completely healthy without being mentally sound. The Korean martial art taekwondo has its essence in training one’s body while cultivating one’s spirit. Taekwondo is a philosophy of action that is based on several virtues such as self-reflection, self-discipline, confidence, respect for others, patience, and the balances of body and mind. Practicing taekwondo means making one’s mind peaceful by synchronizing mind with movement, and extending this harmony to one’s life and society. In short, it is a way of life with lasting inner peace, different from physical fighting skills.

Taekwondo is not merely a sport, but encompasses excellent values and spirits that cannot be learned from the textbooks. Taekwondo is a defensive martial art of purifying fundamentally offensive orientation such and fostering ability to socialize and positive interaction based on discipline, courtesy, respect, and patience. It teaches the youth about justice, morality, cooperation, love for one another, and to accept the universal sport rules of fair play. Through such learning and disciplining, taekwondo helps sound personal development and self-enhancement. Taekwondo training is virtually education for the whole man.

Sharing the excellent qualities of taekwondo with those who are deprived of the opportunity to learn and practice despite their wish to do so is a noble act. Youth in less developed and underprivileged countries, for instance, have difficulties practicing taekwondo due to a lack of necessary equipment, facilities, instructors, or program. Some countries are desperate and eager to receive any kind of training equipment and uniforms, either new or used.

Taekwondo, therefore, is a useful tool for the education of youth with its proven positive effects on self-control and character building. Taekwondo also provides attractive possibilities for youth to engage and become involved in society with awareness of prevalent social and health problems. This paper outlines such outstanding educational qualities of taekwondo, and discusses the mechanism of sharing such values with youth in the world.

In Korea, there has been increasing demand on taekwondo training for elementary school students. It is reported that over 90% of taekwondo practitioners registered at private Dojangs are children. Taekwondo Dojang has now become an important setting for education, in which children learn life virtues and experience personal growth. The educational value of taekwondo has been recognized by many countries outside Korea. In 2007, the Sichuan and Hunan provinces in China adopted taekwondo as a required course in their elementary schools. Indonesia also introduced taekwondo as a mandatory curriculum in primary schools and Canada’s Chatham College International initiated a residential secondary-school taekwondo program. Considering that taekwondo education at school can bring about multiple educational effects on both physical and mental discipline of youth, inclusion of taekwondo in the formal physical education curriculum of primary and secondary schools in Korea is strongly advisable.

Introduction

158 WTF

There are numerous studies conducted, which found positive effects of taekwondo training on children and youth in the stage of personality forming and emotional vulnerability. According to the studies, mental and physical training of taekwondo significantly improves the level of concentration, sociability, confidence-building, self-possession, leadership, learning attitude, and EQ (Emotional Quotient). It also helps youth to relieve stress and secure emotional strength. This, in effect, could help youth attain ability to judge what is right or wrong, therefore, prevent them from getting involved in youth delinquency, crimes, drugs, alcohol, and violence.

As part of its effort to provide them with such necessities, the World Taekwondo Federation, the sole International Federation governing the sport of taekwondo recognized by the IOC, has expanded its assistance in the form of in-kind contributions to countries in need among its 188 member nations around the world. The WTF has also launched initiatives with other relevant organizations to send taekwondo equipment to the disadvantaged countries and to provide taekwondo training program for coaches and athletes from less developed nations. One ambitious project by the WTF

is sending taekwondo instructors to countries in need of assistance to offer programmed physical and mental training to the local people, especially to the disadvantaged youth. In July 2008, the WTF, together with GCS International launched the“Taekwondo Peace Corps”project. Originally, the idea came from the“Peace Corps”of the United States proposed by John F. Kennedy, which has been dispatching American volunteers to less developed countries to help on development, education, information technology and environmental preservation since 1961. The Taekwondo Peace Corps embraces a similar mission and function. It is comprised of volunteers from the taekwondo community who wish to share fundamental values and hope through taekwondo. In 2008, 27 Korean taekwondo instructors were selected as the first Taekwondo Peace Corps members through a strict procedure of recruitment and selection. They went through a twoweek training course based on the educational program specifically designed for the Taekwondo Peace Corps activities.

Under the topic“The Value of Korean Traditional Sport in Youth Education,” WTF President Chungwon Choue (at the podium) speaks during the Parallel G session on the third day of the 6th World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture at the BEXCO in Busan, Korea on Sept. 27, 2008. At the session, President Choue made a presentation on the WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps program.

This includes how to give different levels of training both in Poomsae (form) and kyorugi (sparring) and how to teach cultural and spiritual aspects of taekwondo. Following a comprehensive preparatory period, seven teams were dispatched to five applicant nations - Russia (Moscow), India (Mumbai and Goa), Pakistan (Islamabad), Paraguay (Asuncion), and China (Qingdao and Urumqi) for one month. Each team comprised of competent taekwondo university students who are qualified for taekwondo education and those who have proficient language skills. The educational packages such as training booklet, CDs, uniforms, and other equipment were sent along to each region. The WTF member national associations in respective country offered supplementary assistance like accommodation and transportation. The Taekwondo Peace Corps teams were warmly welcomed by the host countries. The impressive turnout at the training and enthusiasm of the trainees not only reflected the ever-growing popularity of taekwondo in all parts of the world, but also their yearning for an opportunity to learn and practice taekwondo. In particular, the Taekwondo Peace Corps activities were received favorably by the children of less developed countries who had been deprived of opportunity and resources to enjoy and play. Sport is not only for competent athletes, but for everyone to enjoy. The Taekwondo Peace Corps members spent the most valuable one month of sharing the spirit of taekwondo, priceless friendship, and special bond with those who love taekwondo in distant parts of the world. Hopefully, the Taekwondo Peace Corps presented the youth in host countries with an opportunity to grow spiritually and cultivate one’s body and mind while sharing a vision of neverending hope, optimism, and confidence to those who suffer from material deprivation. The first dispatch period was rather short to implant the taekwondo culture and spirit in those countries to the full extent. Based on the experience of this pilot study, the Taekwondo Peace Corps program will continue with a twice-a-year short-term dispatch for 2 months and a long-term dispatch of instructors for 6 months to two years, targeting on more recipients and a larger number of countries. The Taekwondo Peace Corps is just the beginning. Taekwondo is Korea’s gift to the world. The gift package not only has taekwondo’s oriental spirit and philosophy, but also its service to the humanity as an instrument for peace and harmony in different geographical, cultural, and social contexts. The Olympic ideal behind developing sports is“to contribute to building a better and more peaceful world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.” As demonstrated by the Taekwondo Peace Crops project, taekwondo will lead, rather than merely follow the movement of fulfilling the goals of Olympism and of contributing to the mankind.

160 WTF

SportPeace Peace Corps Sport Corps Inspired by our experience and concept of“Taekwondo Peace Corps,”I propose developing the“Sport Peace Corps”program to expand the initiative globally and to involve other sport-related organizations. The Sport Peace Corps entails provision of comprehensive sport-related assistance to the underdeveloped countries or the U.N.-assigned areas. The assistance includes coaching and training service to the local young athletes, supply of equipment and facilities, and finding the means and opportunities for the competent young people to partake in international sport events. In addition, depending on the type of assistance requested by target countries, it would coordinate collaboration among the stakeholders to gather necessary human and material resources. This Sport Peace Corps project requires a group of volunteers consisted of coaches, athletes, and teachers in any sport to be dispatched to serve the assigned community. It also requires participation of the international organizations such as the IOC, UN institutions as well as their network of relations with the sport-related institutions and sponsors. The Sport Peace Corps project aims at: 1) utilizing sport as part of education, training and youth program; 2) provide equipment, skills for education and training, and coaches for any Olympic sport in countries in need of assistance; 3) give hope and dreams to young people who are deprived of the opportunity to learn and practice sport, and 4) contribute to the promotion of friendship and understanding through sport and people-to-people interaction. Enhanced partnership and coordination of action of international organizations and International Sport Federation can indeed create synergy to strengthen the role of sport in solving international economic, social, cultural and humanitarian problems and promoting peace and development in the world. In this regard, positive consideration of the Sport Peace Corps and close collaboration of the IOC and the U.N. are strongly called for.

Conclusion Conclusion Healthy body and sound mind of youth is a fundamental basis for the bright future of the mankind. Sport is a powerful tool to teach young generations the value of justice, morality, cooperation, understanding and universal sport rules of fair play, while endowing healthy life. Offering various learning experiences and opportunities for friendship, cultural exchange and education to youth through sport is what our generation can and should do for them. Accentuating the importance of creating various educational opportunities through sports, the International Olympic Committee plans to organize the 1st Youth Olympic Games in 2010 in Singapore. The WTF truly welcomes the IOC initiative of the Youth Olympic Games, which will mark a major turning point in Olympic history. If put into practice, the Sport Peace Corps project will surely complement and facilitate the Youth Olympic Games by offering a chance to youth from wider range of countries to partake in international sporting events, where they can showcase their athletic talents, while enjoying the priceless educational experience.

World Taekwondo Federation

161

162 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

163

Magazine 2009,Issue No. 96 ISSN 1599-3779

REVIEW WTF TAEKWONDO Publisher / Dr. Chungwon Choue, President Editor-in-Chief / Mr. Jin Suk Yang, Secretary General Magazine Director / Mr. Seok-jae Kang, PR Director Editors / Mr. Jerry Ling, Mrs. Su-jin Chae Senior Design Adviser / Prof. Kenneth S. Park, Kwangwoon University Design Adviser / Prof. Hyun-Jong Kang, Yuhan College Contributing Photographer / Seuk-je Lee Designed by / GG Company

The WTF is delighted to bring you the official publication of the federation. The WTF Taekwondo magazine epitomizes our enthusiasm and progressive mindset in leading taekwondo and the WTF in the new centry. The WTF Taekwondo is published annually. It is a summary of the previous yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s events, competition results and happenings throughout the world of taekwondo. It provides the events of this year, interviews with taekwondo stars and the useful information on taekwondo.

â&#x201C;&#x2019; 2009 World Taekwondo Federation This publication and its contents may not be reproduced, even in part, in any form, without the written permission of the WTF.

4th Fl. Joyang Building 113, Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea, 135-090

164 WTF

Tel. (82-2) 566-2505 / 557-5446 Fax. (82-2) 553-4728 Homepage. www.wtf.org E-mail: pr@wtf.org World Taekwondo Federation

165

166 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

167

168 WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

169

170 WTF