WorldTaekwondo 2018 (45th Anniversary)

Peace is more Precious than Triumph

Introduction: WT President

Dear Reader:

2018

marks the 45th anniversary of World Taekwondo. To mark this important milestone, the federation has produced the book you are holding now. However, it is not a history. We published a history book on our 40th anniversary in 2013, and will fully update it on our 50th anniversary in 2023. This is a pictorial record of the last five years – and they have been a triumphant five years.

On the mats, we have seen electrifying action at venues as distant as North Africa and South America, East Asia and Western Europe. Off the mats, WT has engaged in initiatives to empower the powerless in locations ranging from earthquake-struck regions of Nepal to Syrian refugee camps in Jordan.

The standout fixture was the Rio Olympics, but we also saw our two biggest and best world championships ever; were informed that para taekwondo will be included on the Paralympic program in Tokyo 2020; and watched our premium Grand Prix series mature. To offer elite players ever-greater opportunities, we pioneered new formats including the big-money Grand Slam Champions series, and the outside-the-venue World Taekwondo Beach championships.

Taekwondo has never feared change. In the past, multiple initiatives ensured that our sport was fair and transparent. More recently, we have switched our attention to sports presentation, rule tweaks and field-of-play changes to ensure that taekwondo dazzles and excites.

Recognizing the importance of social responsibility, we have launched the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation and the Taekwondo Cares program, while aligning with partners including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Taekwondo is economical, easy to deploy and easy to practice. For the disempowered and the less fortunate, it is more than a sport: it is a gift that, once given, can never be taken away.

We have consistently promoted the messages “One World, One Taekwondo” and ”Peace is more Precious than Triumph.” In this vein, sports diplomacy undertaken with our brothers and sisters in the International Taekwondo Federation has helped bring the two Koreas together.

So, the last half-decade has been filled with golden moments. But, as you will see from our vision –laid out herein – there is more still to achieve as we surge from better to best. In the meantime: Enjoy this gallery of photographs and witness the dynamism and beauty of taekwondo in action!

Yours in sport –

Chungwon Choue President, World Taekwondo

Foreword: IOC President

Dear Friends,

As World Taekwondo celebrates its 45th anniversary, I would like to express my heartfelt congratulations on behalf of the Olympic Movement for reaching this important milestone. You can look back with pride on a period of extraordinary growth and development of taekwondo in the world. Building on the great tradition of Korean martial arts, taekwondo has grown to a global sport today and World Taekwondo is a global organization, with 209 national member associations.

The close partnership that the IOC has enjoyed with World Taekwondo will continue to grow and strengthen, particularly with the implementation of Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement. Over the course of the last 45 years, World Taekwondo has understood how to embrace change by continuing to develop sport in innovative ways and to promote the role of sport in society.

The exemplary work of World Taekwondo to support refugees around the world is a perfect illustration of the power of sport to change the world. It is also a true reflection of World Taekwondo’s mission of “Taekwondo for all” in action. By empowering the powerless with sport, it is bringing hope and belief to those who need it most.

The overarching mission of the Olympic Movement is to make the world a better place through sport. The IOC is privileged to have such a dedicated partner like World Taekwondo at our side on this journey. As World Taekwondo sets its sights on the next 45 years and beyond, we look forward to our continued partnership and cooperation to put sport at the service of humanity.

Thomas Bach President, International Olympic Committee

Foreword: IPC President

Dear Taekwondo Friends,

On behalf of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the Paralympic Family, would like to congratulate World Taekwondo on celebrating its 45th anniversary.

World Taekwondo’s mission to provide all with an opportunity to play, watch and enjoy the sport greatly resonates with the IPC and we are all hugely excited about para taekwondo’s debut at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The 72 para taekwondo athletes that compete in six medal events in Tokyo will go down in history. They will inspire a whole new generation to try the sport and further underline World Taekwondo’s commitment for everyone to enjoy the sport regardless of age, gender, religion, ethnicity or ability.

In just 45 years, World Taekwondo has come a long way. With a global membership of 209 countries, para taekwondo is currently practised in over 60 of them across all five continents. The beauty of para taekwondo is that it is a low-cost sport, it is popular in developing countries and the world’s leading athletes represent a whole host of diverse nations.

We look forward to seeing the sport take center stage in Tokyo and hope that as a federation you continue to make the same rapid progress that has been the hallmark of your first 45 years.

Best regards,

Andrew Parsons President, International Paralympic Committee

Photo by Agência Brasil Fotografias

FIXTURES FLYING HIGH:

PART 1-1

FLYING HIGH: FIXTURES

FIXTURES

Olympic Games

World Taekwondo Championships

World Taekwondo Grand Prix

World Para Taekwondo Championships

World Taekwondo Team Championships

World Taekwondo Junior Championships

World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

Youth Olympic Games

OLYMPIC GAMES

RIO 2016

Aug. 17-20, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

For the 31st Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, taekwondo promised “a Carnival of Kicks” and a “Festival of Fight.” With a combination of intense action, shock upsets, last-second wins and new heroes, it delivered.

The taekwondo competition ran from Aug.1720, 2016, with 128 athletes (64 male, 64 female) from 63 countries. In Carioca Arena 3, a combat-sports specialized venue in the city’s buzzing Barra Olympic Park, 128 players fought in eight weight categories: four male (-58kg, -68kg, -80kg, +80kg) and four female (-49kg, -57kg, -67kg, +67kg). Matches were officiated by a 30-strong team of referees boasting a perfect 50:50 gender split: 15 male, 15 female.

Taekwondo showcased a healthy medal spread: eight gold medals were won by six countries. Korea and China won two golds each, while Azerbaijan, Cote d’Ivoire, Great Britain and Jordan each clinched one, and 20 countries took home at

least one medal.

Rio Olympic firsts included: octagonal mats, to promote livelier footwork and craftier tactics; head PSS, to upgrade fairness and transparency; added points for spinning kicks to the body, to promote spectacular techniques; and athletes were allowed to wear uniform pants emblazoned with their national liveries, if they wished, to add color to the field of play.

In terms of landmarks, Aruba, Belarus, Cape Verde, DR. Congo, Moldova, Mongolia and Tonga all made their taekwondo Olympic debuts in Rio. Moreover, taekwondo provided Jordan with its first-ever Olympic medal (gold), Cote d’Ivoire its first-ever gold medal, and Iran its first-ever female medal (bronze).

Rio marked taekwondo’s fifth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympic Games and was widely seen at its best outing ever. But the best may be yet to come: Taekwondo is on the program of the 2020 Tokyo and 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

PART 1 FIXTURES OLYMPIC GAMES

Rio 2016 would prove to be taekwondo’s latest - and greatest - appearance at earth’s premier sporting event.

The taekwondo competition at Rio 2016 promised spectators a “Festival of Fight” - and with the best athletes in the world going toe-to-toe in a packed arena, it delivered.

Even before the action in Rio got underway, taekwondo hit the headlines when Tongan warrior Pita Taufatofua grabbed global attention by carrying on his national banner at the opening ceremony - bare-chested and slathered in coconut oil.

Rio’s Carioca Arena 3 was the setting for a “Carnival of Kicks” as the taekwondo competition lit up the venue (left and above).

“Ole, ole, ole, ole - Cisse! Cisse!” was the chant when Cheick Sallah “Fearless” Cisse (right, above) of Cote d’Ivoire struck gold - in the very last second of his match.

Ahmad Abughaush (right) on his way to a historic gold. The previously unknown “Desert Wolf” came from nowhere to win his Olympic victory, in one of the biggest surprises of Rio 2016. He gave Jordan a new hero - and taekwondo a great story.

Taekwondo bronze medalist Kimia Alizedeh Zenoorin (above) kicked down doors for Iranian women by becoming the first female athlete from her nation to win an Olympic medal in any discipline. Her victory ignited a social media frenzy back home.

Ahmad “The Desert Wolf” Abughaush presented Jordan (left) with its first ever Olympic medal - and it was gold.

Africa rising: Ruth Gbagbi of Cote d’Ivoire (bronze medalist, women’s -67kg, at left) and Abdoulrazak Issoufu Alfaga of Niger (silver medalist, men’s +80kg at right) along with Cheick Sallah “Fearless” Cisse of Cote d’Ivoire (gold medalist, men’s -80kg) put African taekwondo on the Olympic map in Rio.

addition to a 50-50 gender split in fighters, WT deployed a referee corps that was 50 percent female, 50 percent male.

Gender equality in action: In Rio 2016, in

Raheleh Asemani (above) won her place at the Olympics after qualifying as a refugee; she was granted citizenship by Belgium soon thereafter, and fought for her adopted country in Rio.

Great Britain’s Jade “The Headhunter” Jones emerged from Rio with her second consecutive Olympic gold medal.

GOLD MEDALISTS

*from left to right

Shuai Zhao

-58kg

China’s Shuai Zhao struck the first of China’s two golds in Rio.

Ahmad Abughaush

-68kg

Jordan’s Ahmad “The Desert Wolf” Abughaush won his country its first-ever Olympic medal – gold via a spectacular high-flying victory over Russia’s Alexey Denisenko.

Cheick Sallah Cisse

-80kg

Cheick Sallah “Fearless” Cisse of Cote d’Ivoire came from behind to win Olympic gold with a kick launched in the very last second of the final round.

Radik Isaev

Radik Isaev won the title in the men’s heavyweight division, which put Azerbaijan firmly on the taekwondo map.

63 Qualified NOCs for Rio 2016

Qualified by WTF Olympic Ranking

Qualified by Continental Qualification Tournament

Host Country Tripartite New Entry in Olympic Taekwondo

Asia (13 NOCs)

Pan America (15 NOCs)

Rio 2016 Medal Table Men's Division

under 58kg

Gold Shuai ZHAO China

Silver Tawin HANPRAB Thailand

Bronze Luisito PIE Dominican Republic

Bronze Tae-hun KIM Korea under 80kg

Gold Cheick Sallah Jr. CISSE Cote d'Ivoire

Silver Lutalo MUHAMMAD Great Britain

Europe (19 NOCs)

Oceania (4 NOCs)

Africa (12 NOCs)

Bronze Oussama OUESLATI Tunisia

under 68kg

Gold Ahmad ABUGHAUSH Jordan

Silver Alexey DENISENKO Russia

Bronze Joel GONZALEZ BONILLA Spain

Bronze Dae-hoon LEE Korea over 80kg

Gold Radik ISAEV Azerbaijan

Silver Abdoulrazak ISSOUFOU ALFAGA Niger

Bronze Maicon SIQUEIRA Brazil

Bronze Dong-min CHA Korea

Women's Division

Bronze Milad BEIGI HARCHEGANI Azerbaijan under 49kg

Gold So-hui KIM Korea

Silver Tijana BOGDANOVIC Serbia

Bronze Patimat ABAKAROVA Azerbaijan

Bronze Panipak WONGPATTANAKIT Thailand

under 67kg

Gold Hye-ri OH Korea

Silver Haby NIARE France

Bronze Ruth Marie Christelle GBAGBI Cote d'Ivoire

Bronze Nur TATAR Turkey

under 57kg Gold Jade JONES Great Britain

Silver Eva CALVO GOMEZ Spain

Bronze Hedaya WAHBA Egypt

Bronze Kimia ALIZADEH ZENOORIN Iran over 67kg

Gold Shuyin ZHENG China

Silver Maria del Rosario ESPINOZA Mexico

Bronze Bianca WALKDEN Great Britain

Bronze Jackie GALLOWAY United States

WORLD TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

The World Taekwondo Championships are the pinnacle of the sport. As they feature double the number of weight categories that appear at the Olympics, they are taekwondo’s biggest, longest and longest-running premium-level international competition. The last two editions of the World Taekwondo Championships, in 2015 and 2017, were bigger and better than ever before.

Chelyabinsk, in the very heart of Russia and at the very center of Eurasia, was the setting for the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships. It featured not only the world’s finest fighters in action, but a spectacular opening ceremony with thousands of performers, full-on spectator engagement outside the stadium and a historic joint demonstration by the world’s two major taekwondo bodies: the Seoul-

2015

May 12-18

Chelyabinsk, Russia

based WT and the Vienna-based International Taekwondo Federation, or ITF.

Muju, deep in the rolling hills of Korea, was the setting for the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships. The competition itself was set in the mecca of the sport - the custom-built Taekwondowon complex. Featuring an opening ceremony that blended high technologies with local traditions, it followed on

2017

June 24-30

Muju, Korea

from Chelyabinsk with a joint WT-ITF demonstration. As WT represents South Korea and the ITF represents North Korea, the event had significant – and highly positive – political ramifications.

Among the many VIPs who graced the venue were South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and IOC President Thomas Bach.

2015 World Taekwondo Championships

May 12-18, 2015

Chelyabinsk, Russia

At the 22nd World Taekwondo Championships, eight male and eight female weight categories were contested by 872 athletes from 139 countries.

After six days of combat, from May 12-18, 2015, Iran took the overall male title, and Korea clinched the overall female crown.

In the women’s category, Korea came

top with three gold medals, followed by Chinese Taipei with one gold, one silver and one bronze, and Turkey with one gold, one silver and one bronze.

In the men’s category, Iran topped with three golds and one bronze, followed by Russia with two silvers and three bronzes, and Uzbekistan with one gold and two silvers.

The 2015 World Championships took place in Chelyabinsk - at the very heart of the world’s biggest nation.

The 2015 and 2017 World Championships were the biggest and best ever held.

At the 2015 Worlds, in addition to sport, there was spectator engagement outside Chelyabinsk’s Traktor Arena, and entertainment inside it.

Outside the stadium, specators enjoyed the fun; inside, the world’s top taekwondo athletes went to work.

High kicks and high emotions were on full display.

In the men’s -58kg category, Farzan “The Tsunami” Ashourzadeh Falleh of Iran dominated the 2015 fighting season.

2017 World Taekwondo Championships

June 24-30, 2017

Muju, Korea

The 23rd World Taekwondo Championships took place from June 24-30 2017. With a record 183+1 (the “one” denotes a refugee team) nations represented and 1,768 athletes and officials registered, the Muju Championships were the biggest taekwondo world championships in the history of the sport.

In the female division, Korea came in first place with two golds, one silver and three bronzes, followed by Turkey, Serbia, the Unit-

ed States and Great Britain.

In the male division, Korea again came first with three golds and one bronze, followed by Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan and Great Britain.

The 2017 Championships marked the biggest test yet for the new competition rules introduced at the beginning of 2017, designed to ensure that taekwondo – which has achieved its aim of being “fair and transparent” – is a sport that truly “dazzles and excites.”

The 2017 World Taekwondo Championships were graced by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who spoke at the opening ceremony, and by IOC President Thomas Bach, who attended the closing ceremony.

The opening ceremony for Muju 2017 blended Korean tradition and top-flight taekwondo - all enlivened with high technology.

Muju 2017 witnessed both musical performances and balletic action.

WORLD TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

Flying feet and flying flags at the 2017 Worlds.

In elite-level taekwondo, the feet fly fast and furious.

WORLD TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

2015 World Taekwondo Championships

May 12-18, 2015

Chelyabinsk, Russia

Medal Table

2017 World Taekwondo Championships

June 24-30, 2017

Muju, Korea

South Korea (KOR)

Iran (IRI)

Turkey (TUR)

Uzbekistan (UZB)

Chinese Taipei (TPE)

Great Britain (GBR)

Belgium (BEL)

Thailand (THA)

Azerbaijan (AZE)

Japan (JPN)

Spain (ESP)

Russia (RUS)

China (CHN)

France (FRA)

Cote d’Ivoire (CIV)

Ukraine (UKR)

Brazil (BRA)

Croatia (CRO)

Cuba (CUB)

United States (USA)

Belarus (BLR)

Colombia (COL)

Gabon (GAB)

Germany (GER)

Greece (GRE)

Hungary (HUN)

Mali (MLI)

Mexico (MEX)

Moldova (MDA)

Serbia (SRB)

(KOR)

Turkey (TUR)

Serbia (SRB)

Russia (RUS)

Great Britain (GBR)

China (CHN)

Azerbaijan (AZE)

Germany (GER)

Cote d’Ivoire (CIV)

Niger (NIG)

Iran (IRI)

United States (USA)

Thailand (THA)

Uzbekistan (UZB)

Chinese Taipei (TPE)

Vietnam (VIE)

Mexico (MEX)

Bulgaria (BUL)

Colombia (COL)

Croatia (CRO)

Gabon (GAB)

Italy (ITA)

Jordan (JOR)

Kazakhstan (KAZ)

Latvia (LAT)

Moldova (MDA)

Netherlands (NED)

Slovenia (SLO)

Spain (ESP)

Sweden (SWE)

WORLD TAEKWONDO GRAND PRIX

The World Taekwondo “Here Come the Champions” Grand Prix series has, since its debut in 2013 in Manchester, GB, laid claim to premium status among the WT’s roster of global tournaments.

Designed to offer the sport’s top-ranked athletes a regular, competitive series that fills the gaps in the calendar of Open Championships, biannual World Championships and quadrennial Olympics, it is now an absolutely key battleground for the world’s top fighters. A media- and spectator-friendly showcase of sports presentation, the Grand Prix provides a platform for the sport’s characters to leap toward stardom. Combat takes place in four male and four female Olympic weight categories.

The series is non-mandatory and invitational. There are three to four Grand Prix competitions, and one Grand Prix Final competition, each year. The series Final synchs with the annual WT Gala Awards night. For athletes, the Grand Prix delivers important ranking points on the path to the Summer Olympic Games, while also granting priceless experience fighting likely Olympic opponents.

For referees and officials, the series provides a test lab in which to analyze the performance of the latest equipment and rules.

And for the sporting public, there is an increased opportunity to see world-class taekwondo athletes doing battle in more venues, on more continents and on more broadcasts, than ever before.

2014

July 4-6

Suzhou, China

2015

Aug. 14-16

Aug. 29-31

Oct. 24-26

Dec. 3-4

2017

Aug. 4-6

Sept. 22-24

Oct. 20-22

Dec. 2-3

Manchester, Great Britain

2016

Dec. 9-10

Moscow, Russia Baku, Azerbaijan

Astana, Kazakhstan Samsun, Turkey

Sept. 18-20

Oct. 16-18

Manchester, Great Britain

Dec. 5-6

Queretaro, Mexico Mexico City, Mexico

As 2016 was an Olympic year, the Grand Prix Series was reduced to one event.

Moscow, Russia

London, Great Britain Rabat, Morocco Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire

2018

June 1-3

Rome, Italy

Oct. 19–21

Manchester, Great Britain

Aug. 10-12

Sept. 19-21

Moscow, Russia Fujairah, United Arab Emirates

Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei

Nov. 22–23

The Grand Prix series offers taekwondo’s premier-league fighters the opportunity to compete at the very highest level fourfive times per year.

Korea’s Tae-hun Kim, a consistent winner in the men’s -58kg category, is a kicking machine with one of the most lethal round kicks in the game.

The popular and personable Milica Mandic of Serbia is a consistent medalist in the women’s +67kg category; her coach, Dragan Jovic of Belgrade, is one of the most successful coaches in the sport.

In taekwondo, fury on the mats, and friendship off them, is the name of the game.

Scorpion kicks (left) and jumping spinning kicks (right) are among taekwondo’s most spectacular shots.

In the men’s -80kg division, Aaron Cook of Moldova – who wields an aggressive, spinning style of power taekwondo – is a consistent crowd favorite every season.

The round kick to the head (left, right above, right below) is one of the most powerful, high-scoring and crowd-pleasing techniques in taekwondo’s arsenal.

Mahdi “The Terminator” Khodabakhshi of Iran (men’s -80kg), a superstar in the 2014-2015 fighting seasons, returned to the mats after a post-Rio layoff in 2017.

EXPLOSIVE ACTION START TO FINISH

The Grand Prix series delivers explosive action, start to finish.

Team Korea’s Dae-hoon Lee is perhaps the most admired player in the sport, and is the man to watch in the men’s -68kg division.

All taekwondo’s top players know each other and meet regularly on the Grand Prix circuit that takes place in the second half of every fighting season. As a result, the events feature international friendships (left) as well as furious on-mats battles (right).

Korea’s Hye-ri Oh and Cote d’Ivoire’s Ruth Gbagbi are two of the top rivals on the circuit.

Grand Prix 360 degrees: From the mats to the coaches’ chairs to the stands.

WORLD TAEKWONDO GRAND PRIX

At any Grand Prix, Team Russia can be relied on to provide some of the top fighters - and some of the most vocal supporters.

Among the most dedicated persons in any taekwondo stadium are WT’s crack corps of international referees.

“I hope coach packed the aspirins...” Head kicks make impact.

WORLD PARA TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

For taekwondo to be a truly inclusive “sport for all” - a sport in which no athlete is left behind - it has to offer all players, be they able-bodied or disabled, the opportunity to scale the world’s ultimate sporting pinnacle. Given this, January 31, 2015 was a date for the taekwondo history books. On that day, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) announced that taekwondo would make its Paralympic debut in Tokyo in 2020.

That decision makes taekwondo a truly all-round, elite-level competitive sport, as it is now represented at both the Summer Olympics and the Paralympics. It also justifies WT’s long efforts to develop para taekwondo into a world-class format.

The 1st World Para Taekwondo Championships took place in Baku, Azerbaijan in 2009; the 2nd took place in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2010; the 3rd in Santa Cruz, Aruba in 2012; the 4th in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2013, and the 5th in Moscow, Russia in 2014. The excitement rose at the 6th World Para Taekwondo Championships in Samsun, Turkey in 2015 due to the IPC decision on Paralympic inclusion, and was further enlivened at the 7th and latest edition of the event, in London, Great Britain in 2017.

Now, as they gear up for Tokyo 2020, taekwondo’s para players are - at long last - being granted access to their respective nations’ top training facilities, as well as to wider public exposure and increased opportunities for government incentives and commercial sponsorships.

June 21-22

Sept. 17 Oct. 19

Moscow, Russia Samsun, Turkey London, Great Britain

Para taekwondo features the same demanding and explosive techniques as regular taekwondo, but given that so many athletes have upper-limb disabilities, head kicks are forbidden.

Para taekwondo is all set to be one of the hits of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

WORLD PARA TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS

Para taekwondo athletes display extraordinary dexterity with their feet - offering them skillsets that even some regular taekwondo players might envy.

ABILITY, IT IS ABOUT

NOT DISABILITY

WORLD TAEKWONDO TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

Team championships are taekwondo’s fastest, most furious competitions. This “battle of the nations” team format – with pre-fight huddles, shouted verbal encouragement and group victory celebrations – customarily ignites greater spectator emotion than the slower-paced, more tactical individual game.

Teams feature six players, including up to two foreign athletes. In the first round, fighters are matched by preset number, from lightest to heaviest, each fighting their opposite number. In the second and third, coaches can substitute fighters up to 12 times, signaling changes by audio horn. This is when the tempo accelerates: Fighters explode across the mats in a series of rapid-fire substitutions, generating a whirlwind spectacle of all-out taekwondo.

The 2014 World Taekwondo Team Championships were held in Queretaro, Mexico on Dec. 6-7, 2014, with the participation of 578 athletes from 63 countries. In the men’s division, Russia won the gold medal, while host Mexico took the silver. The bronzes went to Iran and Korea.

In the women’s category, Korea took home the gold, while silver went to Cote d’Ivoire, and China and France shared the bronzes.

Mexico City, Mexico, hosted the 2015 World Taekwondo Team Championships, which took place on Dec. 8-9, 2015. Team China won gold in the female category, host Mexico took silver and Chinese Taipei and Korea settled for bronzes. In the male division, Azerbaijan was victorious

while Iran took silver, and Russia and Korea went home with bronzes.

The 2016 World Taekwondo Team Championships took place in Baku, Azerbaijan on Dec. 12-13, 2016. Defending champions China won gold in the female division, with silver going to Korea, and bronzes to Russia and Turkey. Azerbaijan retained its title in the male division, with Korea winning silver, and Belgium and Turkey taking bronzes. Korea took gold in the experimental mixed gender division, Russia won silver, and Belgium and the United States won bronzes.

The 2017 World Taekwondo Team Championships were held in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on Dec. 5-6, 2017. In the females, gold went to the defending champions China, silver to Korea and bronzes to Morocco and Code d’Ivoire. The males title was won by Iran, while Russia took silver and Korea and Cote d’Ivoire captured bronzes. In the mixed gender category, China won gold, Russia silver, and bronzes wen to Korea and to a Mexico-US joint team.

Wuxi, China hosted the 2018 Team Championships on Jan. 27, 2018, where the event was rebranded to the World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships. Korea was crowned champions in the men’s event, silver went to China 1 and bronzes went to China 2 and Iran. In the women’s division, China 1 won gold, China 2 won silver, while Morocco and Korea took bronzes. In the mixed gender, Russia won gold, China took silver, and Korea and Cote d’Ivoire took home bronzes.

Victory is even sweeter when you are part of a team...

WORLD TAEKWONDO TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS

The World Taekwondo Team Championships are the sport’s very own “Battle of the Nations.”

The non-stop, across-the-mats, kicking, jumping, spinning action of team taekwondo makes it unquestionably the sport’s most exciting spectator format.

Hopes are high that the crowd-pleasing team championship format may win Olympic recognition.

WORLD TAEKWONDO

JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

The biennial World Taekwondo Junior Championships, which were first held in Barcelona, Spain in 1996, feature 10 male and 10 female weight categories and are designed to provide a showcase for taekwondo’s future talent: athletes aged 15-17.

The 10th World Taekwondo Junior Championships were held in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei on March 23-26, 2014 and drew a total of 778 athletes and 472 officials from 105 countries.

Korea won the overall title in the men’s division as it clinched three gold medals, one silver and one bronze, followed by Iran with one gold, two silvers and one bronze, and Russia with one gold and two silvers. In the women’s division, Great Britain clinched the overall title with two golds and two bronzes, followed by Croatia with two gold medals, and Korea with one gold, two silvers and two bonzes.

The 11th World Taekwondo Junior Championships took place in Burnaby, Canada on Nov. 16-20, 2016, with the attendance of 846 athletes and 458 officials from 102 countries.

At the 11th edition of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships, Korea clinched the overall men’s title, while Russia came next, followed by Turkey. In the women’s category, Iran came first in the overall medal tally, followed by Chinese Taipei and Turkey.

The 2018 World Taekwondo Junior Championships were held in Hammamet, Tunisia on April 9-13, 2018, which attracted 962 athletes from a record 120 countries. In the male category, Iran was in first place overall, Korea was second and Turkey came in third. In the female division, Russia came out top, Great Britain was second overall, and Korea came in third place.

2014 2016 2018

March 23-26 Nov. 16-20 April 9-13

Taipei City, Chinese Taipei Burnaby, Canada Hammamet, Tunisia

WHERE TAEKWONDO STARS ARE BORN

The Junior World Championshipswhere taekwondo stars are born.

Taekwondo juniors tend to display the same technical abilities as the seniors, but without their tactical nous,making junior bouts more offensive and more action-packed.

WORLD TAEKWONDO

POOMSAE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The competitive format at Olympic, World Championship and Grand Prix taekwondo events is kyorugi, or sparring. This is the combative side of the contact sport, and the format with which the public is most familiar. But, harking back to its roots as a traditional martial art, taekwondo has another format: poomsae, or patterns. Poomsae are a series of combative motions – kicks, punches, blocks, specialized strikes with palms, knees, elbows, fingers, etc. – performed solo, without an opponent.

Poomsae provides an avenue of practice for those who are not keen on fighting; for those who have no training partners to spar against; or for those who have retired from combative competition. It is particularly ideal for elder practitioners, as it is a well-rounded, non-kinetic form of exercise that demands flexibility, balance, strength, speed and grace.

In short: If kyorugi is taekwondo’s “martial” side, poomase is the “art.”

In tournament format, poomsae is contested in both traditional and freestyle categories – the latter offering considerable scope for creativity. Championships cover both individual and group poomsae. The WT World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships are held biannually.

The 10th World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships were held in Lima, Peru. They started on Sept. 29, 2016 and ran for four days, with the world’s best athletes in seven divisions, across five age categories, competing for gold. They were also the largest ever in participatory terms, welcoming 760 athletes from 55 countries. Korea topped the medal table, followed by Turkey and the United States.

Taipei City, Chinese Taipei hosted the 11th World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in November 2018 (just after this book went to print). The 12th edition will be held in Vejle, Denmarkm in 2020.

2014 2016 2018

Oct. 30-Nov.2 Sept. 29-Oct.2 Nov. 15-18

Aguascalientes, Mexico Lima, Peru Taipei City, Chinese Taipei

While kyorugi (sparring) is the “martial” side of taekwondo, poomse (patterns) represents the “art.”

In elite-level poomsae, gravity is defied on a regular basis.

Grace and power - a poomsae panorama.

Group poomsae demands perfect synchronicity in addition to the elements of martial power and martial artistry.

YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES

The Youth Olympic Games are for athletes aged 16-17. The taekwondo competition at the event features five male and five female weight categories.

The 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games, which were held in Nanjing, China, featured taekwondo competition on Aug. 17-21, 2014. The taekwondo event attracted 100 athletes from 59 countries.

In the male division, Chinese Taipei took the overall men’s title, followed by Iran and France. In the women’s category, Chinese Taipei also clinched the overall crown, while Iran, Croatia, Thailand and the United States came next.

The taekwondo competition of the 3rd Summer Youth Olympic Games was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Oct. 7-11, 2018. In the male category, Iran walked away in first place, Russia in second place, and Korea in third. In the female category, Russia came out tops, Iran and Morocco in joint second place.

2014 2018

Aug. 17-21 Oct. 7-11

Nanjing, China Buenos Aires, Argentina

Why let the adults have all the fun? The Youth Olympic Games provides a foretaste of the talent being incubated for the Summer Olympics.

FLYING HIGH: FIXTURES

NEW FIXTURES

World Taekwondo Cadet Championships

World Taekwondo Beach Championships

World Taekwondo Grand Slam

WORLD TAEKWONDO CADET CHAMPIONSHIPS

As taekwondo becomes ever-more popular worldwide, its calendar of events necessarily grows. To feed its increasingly hungry talent pipeline, World Taekwondo inaugurated the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in 2014.

The event is open to youths aged between 12 and 14 years old, and competition takes place in 10 male and 10 female weight categories. The format used in cadet taekwondo is as the same as that used in adult taekwondo, with one difference: The head protectors have been equipped with transparent, high-impact plastic visors, offering an extra layer of safety for the young fighters.

The inaugural World Taekwondo Cadet Championships took place in Baku, Azerbaijan on July 24-27, 2014, with the participation of 575 athletes from 62 countries. Iran won the overall male and female titles.

The 2nd World Taekwondo Cadet Championships were held on Aug. 23-26, 2015 in Muju, Korea with 465 athletes from 59 countries. Korea took the overall male title and Iran clinched the overall female crown.

The 3rd World Taekwondo Cadet Championships were held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on Aug. 24-27, 2017 with 420 athletes from 46 countries. Mexico came out top in the male category, while Thailand won the overall female title.

2014

July 24-27

Baku, Azerbaijan

2015

Aug. 23-26

Muju, Korea

2017

Aug. 24-27

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

World Taekwondo Cadet Championships: Taekwondo’s talent pipeline is gushing.

Cadet Championships keep the water flowing into taekwondo’s talent pool.

Innovative face guards add an extra element of protection for cadets.

WORLD TAEKWONDO BEACH CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sun, sea, sand – and taekwondo? Absolutely! The World Taekwondo Beach Championships are the first elite-level taekwondo event to take place outside stadia and in the sunshine. With a relaxed dress code – athletes can strip off their uniform tops to flash a bit of muscle, and even don sunglasses – and with an emphasis on creativity, Beach Championships appeal to the youth market, while offering a new event for poomsae athletes.

The first-ever World Taekwondo Beach Championships took place at the Nautical Club on the historical island of Rhodes, Greece on May 5-6, 2017; the second was held at the same venue on April 25-28, 2018. Rhodes pioneered a duo of brand-new categories: ”freestyle dynamic kicks and breaking challenge” and “technical breaking.”

The funky and youthful new look sported by taekwondo in Rhodes was captured and broadcast live on the Olympic channel.

2017 2018

May 5-6 April 25-28

Rhodes Island, Greece Rhodes Island, Greece

WORLD TAEKWONDO BEACH CHAMPIONSHIPS

The historic and scenic Greek island of Rhodes provided a stunning backdrop for taekwondo’s first two Beach Championships.

SUN, SEA,

AND TAEKWONDO

Beach taekwondo is the first time the game has taken its top athletes out of the stadia and into the sunshine.

Beach taekwondo: is the only format in the game where shades are permitted on the mats

WORLD TAEKWONDO GRAND SLAM

Taekwondo took a giant leap forward in terms of sport presentation, media exposure and athlete reward with the launching of the ultra-elite World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series. The inaugural 2017 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series took place on four consecutive Saturdays between Dec. 30, 2017 and Jan. 20, 2018 in Wuxi, China.

The concept is not one more competition, it is one more very special competition – a “champion of champions” series. The Grand Slam has its own qualification tournament, but also invites the very top players from the Olympics, Worlds and Grand Prix. The aim is to create superstars.

Given this, the venue is a TV studio, not an arena. The field of play, inside the Wuxi Taihu International Expo Center, is bespoke designed. Featuring LED light panels and thunderous sound systems, it provides a benchmark for taekwondo events. A 4D camera rig – 97 cameras set up around the mats – was pioneered for the first-time in taekwondo, allowing video-game style visual effects – eg. freeze frame a kick, then run a seamless, 360-degree scan around the players.

To make bouts as viewer-friendly as possible, rules are tweaked. Extra points are added for the most spectacular techniques, so spinning kicks to the body protector gained four points, and to the head, five points. To encourage powerful strikes, fighters who knock down their opponents are awarded an extra five points, signaled by a standing count from the referee. The Grand Slam provides a test lab for WT; some rule changes pioneered here will make it into the regular game.

Coaches are urged to encourage their athletes to display maximal showmanship, and winners have much to cheer about: The Grand Slam offers the biggest prize money in taekwondo history: US$70,000 for first place winners, US$20,000 for second place and US$5,000 for third.

The 2018 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series will take place in Wuxi, China on Dec. 12-16, 2018.

2017 2018

Dec. 30-Jan. 6,13,20, 2018 Dec. 12-16 Wuxi, China Wuxi, China

The Grand Slam ‘Champion of Champions” event offers the incentive of big money prizes as well as sporting glory.

GB’s Bianca Walkden is hoisted aloft by her beau, Moldova’s Aaron Cook, after she won the women’s heavyweight category at the very first Grand Slam in Wuxi. She plans to put the downpayment on a home with her winnings.

At the same event, Russia’s Maksim Khramtcov displays his “Red Machine” t-shirt in victory. Khramtcov has displayed perfect form in the 2018 fighting season and currently looks unbeatable.

Putting the boot in on taekwondo’s “Champion of Champions” stage (left) - and loving the game (right).

Great kicks at the Grand Slam

“Taekwondo in a Box:”

The Grand Slam takes place in a bespoke studio, rather than a stadium, to maximize its impact for the TV cameras.

The Grand Slam blends sport, sideline entertainment and Hollywood-style presentation in order to showcase taekwondo in a maximally TV-friendly format.

High kicks, furious action, big money.

INCLUSIVITY DOING THE RIGHT THING:

HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVES

THF Nepal

THF Turkey

THF Jordan

THF Rwanda

Taekwondo Cares

Charity Events: Malaysia, Jeju, Ulsan

HUMANITARIAN INITIATIVES

Beyond the gates of sports stadia, World Taekwondo has been globally engaged in a wide series of humanitarian activities across the globe since 2015.

In line with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Agenda 2020; the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and in response to the global refugee crisis; WT created a focused new charitable arm, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in Lausanne, Switzerland in April 2016.

The THF’s mission is to “Empower the Powerless” – refugees – with the gift of taekwondo training. Following a range of working-level meetings, the THF concept was discussed and approved by the WT Council in 2015. The foundation’s existence and mission was formally announced to the world in a speech delivered by WT President Chungwon Choue to the UN headquarters in New York on Sept. 21, 2015. Before the official launch of the THF on April 15, 2016, WT conducted several pilot projects at refugee camps in Jordan and Turkey, and among displaced persons in earthquake-struck Nepal in 2015 and 2016.

Two flagship projects are ongoing. On April 1, 2018, the THF officially opened its WT-THF Taekwondo Academy at the Azraq Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan. Since 2017, the THF has been running a similar program in the Kiziban Refugee Camp in Rwanda. Looking ahead, WT President Chungwon Choue visited the Markazi Refugee Camp in Obock, Djibouti on May 12, 2017 to see how taekwondo can assist the 1,500 Yemenese refugees resident there.

In 2016, WT initiated its in-house Taekwondo Cares program as part of the 2016 WT Development Program. It promotes taekwondo among the WT’s 209 member national associations, pri-

oritizing grassroots programs, including those involving social minorities, rather than elite-level programs. It focuses on MNAs in developing countries, and assists social minorities, victims of natural disasters, orphans and reformatory inmates. WT supported taekwondo classes for primary school children in Rwanda for a one-year period between September 2017 and August 2018 in the first Taekwondo Cares project in the country. To attain its vision of “Constructing a Brighter Society through Sport,” WT plans to expand its humanitarian initiatives to African countries, such as Niger and Cote d’Ivoire, and other regions.

WT is also conducting fund-raising projects in cooperation with non-governmental organizations. In 2018, WT and GCS International, a UN-affiliated NGO, jointly organized a “World Peace” walkathon on Jeju Island, Korea. Fund-raising “Humanitarian and Refugee Runs” were organized in major Malaysian cities by Taekwondo Malaysia on the occasion of the 2018 Malaysia Open.

WT’s various humanitarian programs enable the federation to fulfill its social responsibility. The lives of socially disadvantaged and disempowered persons can be upgraded via taekwondo training - which delivers physical fitness, mental discipline, self-defense, self-confidence and self-belief. When necessary, training programs are backed up with equipment and infrastructure. Related educational programs on Olympism, world peace and global citizenship are part of the offering. Programs are designed to be sustainable, aligned with related organizations and transparent.

WT’s efforts in the humanitarian space have been recognized. On Nov. 24, 2016, WT was honored with “The Federation of the Year Award” at the Peace and Sport Awards 2016 in Monaco.

WT executives and demo team members were shocked at the devastation they witnessed in earthquake-struck Nepal - but were also won over by the astonishing welcome they received.

The deployability of taekwondo - which requires only the human body and virtually no equipment - is a special advantage in the rugged terrain of earthquake-struck Nepal.

Refugees from Syria got a taste of combat sport rather than mortal combat as WT and the THF expanded their humanitarian outreach in Turkey.

THF JORDAN

The full-time, fully dedicated taekwondo school in the Azraq Refugee Camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan is the THF’s flagship project.

For refugees from war-torn Syria, the WT motto, “Peace is more Precious than Triumph” has a particular poignancy.

The WT-THF Taekwondo Academy was officially opened in a ceremony on April 1, 2018 at the Azraq Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan.

Following on the heels of the benchmark Azraq Refugee Camp project, the benefits of taekwondo - physical fitness, mental discipline, self-defense and self-belief - are being imparted to refugees in Rwanada.

Taekwondo Cares is the WT’s in-house program to provide financial aid, as well as training, uniforms and equipment, to needy federations worldwide.

Taekwondo has put its best foot forward with a range of charity fundraisers to assist the needy worldwide. Fund-raising “Humanitarian and Refugee Runs” were organized on March 1-4, 2018 in major Malaysian cities by Taekwondo Malaysia on the occasion of the 2018 Malaysia Open.

To help empower the powerless in developing countries, WT joined hands with GCS International to organize the 2018 Jeju World Peace Walkathon on July 17, 2018 on Jeju Island, Korea

A charity demonstration by World Taekwondo was performed on Ilsan Beach in Ulsan, Korea on Aug. 16, 2018. The event was organized by GCS International to help the needy in developing countries.

INITIATIVES

WT-ITF in Russia 2015

WT-ITF in Muju 2017

WT-ITF in PyeongChang 2018

WT at the Vatican 2018

WT-ITF in Pyongyang 2018

PEACE INITIATIVES

It may seem paradoxical that a combat sport can bring humans together – but it can. “Peace is More Precious than Triumph” is the slogan of World Taekwondo for 2018, and WT, particularly the WT Demonstration Team, has undertaken multiple sport diplomacy initiatives in recent years.

Under the motto “One World, One Taekwondo,” the global taekwondo family came together at the 2015 and 2017 WT World Taekwondo Championships, and at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

A historic, first-ever joint demonstration by the Seoul-headquartered WT (which includes South Korea among its member nations) and the Vienna-headquartered International Taekwondo Federation, or ITF (which includes North Korea among its member nations), took place during the opening ceremony of the 2015 WT World Taekwondo Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Further joint WT-ITF demonstrations were held at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2017 WT World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, South Korea on June 24 and 30, 2017. These events were made possible as WT invited the ITF President and Demonstration Team to WT World Championships.

The developments sprang from a Protocol of Accord signed by WT President Chungwon Choue and then ITF President Ung Chang on Aug. 21, 2014. The signing took place in Nanjing, China, during the 2nd Youth Olympic Games, personally overseen by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.

Under the protocol, athletes registered with the WT and the ITF can compete in the other federation’s competitions, obviously under the rules and

formats of the other organization. This creates exciting opportunities, granting the world’s very best taekwondo athletes the chance to compete with one another, regardless of federation.

Even higher-profile WT-ITF shows took place during and around the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, held in South Korea. There were demonstrations during the pre-opening ceremony on Feb. 9, 2018 in PyeongChang; on Feb. 10 in Sokcho; and on Feb. 12 and 14 in Seoul. Now known as “The Peace Olympics,” the 2018 Winter Games were one of the key initiators of the current inter-Korean reconciliation process. Subsequently, the Seoul-based WT Demonstration Team was invited to perform in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, in April and October 2018.

And the WT Demonstration Team has gotten its kicks at other high-prestige locations worldwide. On Sept. 21, 2015, the team was invited to show off taekwondo at the UN headquarters in New York to commemorate the 2015 UN International Day of Peace. The team subsequently performed at the UN Office in Geneva on May 18, 2016.

At the Vatican in Rome, Italy on Oct. 5, 2016, the WT Taekwondo Demonstration Team delivered a historic performance on the occasion of the first Global Conference on Faith & Sport, with the attendance of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, IOC President Thomas Bach and Pope Francis. And on May 30, 2018, the team put on another show in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Rome, in the presence of His Holiness Pope Francis.

In recognition of its sport diplomacy efforts, the WT was honored with the title “Federation of the Year” at the Peace and Sport Awards 2016 in Monaco on Nov. 24, 2016.

The WT Demonstration Team united with their brothers and sisters from the International Taekwondo Federation, or ITF, to put on a scorching show at the opening of the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia.

Brotherhood across borders: WT and ITF share the same mats.

Breaking boards - and breaking barriers. South Koreans from the WT Demonstration Team and North Koreans from the ITF Demonstration Team wowed the crowd at the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships in Muju.

In a breaktaking show of sport diplomacy, North and South Koreans demonstrated together at Taekwondowon in Muju, South Korea.

Though taekwondo is a Summer Olympic sport, athletes from both Koreas put on a series of shows prior to, and on the sidelines of the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.

Photo by IOC

Photo by Getty Images

During the “Peace Olympics,” senior ITF officials and team members spent time with their WT counterparts at various locations in South Korea.

Taekwondo’s global recognition continues to grow by leaps and bounds: WT executives and Demonstration Team members were invited to the Vatican in 2018.

From Seoul with love: The World Taekwondo Demonstration Team performed in front of 2,300 fans on Oct. 31, 2018 at the Taekwondo Hall in Pyongyang, North Korea.

A joint demonstration by the World Taekwondo and the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) was performed at the Taekwondo Hall in Pyongyang, North Korea on Nov. 2, 2018.

AN EVOLVING FEDERATION SURGING AHEAD:

Rule Changes

Gala Awards

Players of the Year

Referees of the Year

Coaches of the Year

Key Personnel

WT Demonstration Team

Rebrand: From WTF to WT

MOUs

Vision

Game Changes: Taekwondo’s New Rules

The rule changes address four key issues.

1

Taekwondo needs more action, so must promote offensive players.

3

The 2017 WT World Taekwondo Championships represented the biggest showcase for the new taekwondo ruleset created in the wake of Rio 2016. But why did taekwondo need to change its rules?

Following the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games – plagued by controversies over scoring and refereeing - the sport’s Olympic future was in jeopardy. The WT instituted a reform drive to improve the transparency and fairness of the game.

The key breakthrough was the introduction of the electronic protector and scoring system (PSS). The PSS makes all points scored immediately visible to the crowd, while obviating human error in judging. Referee training and education were massively upgraded and the Instant Video Replay (IVR) system was introduced. Thanks to these developments, taekwondo was controversy-free at London 2012 and Rio 2016. It is now a firm fixture on the Summer Olympic Games program.

But there have been drawbacks. The PSS – like all technologies – is imperfect. It has also altered the way the game is played: With the power component removed, taekwondo has gone from knockout mode to point-scoring mode. This has resulted in a cleft between “old school” taekwondo – the powerhouse contact sport of the past – and “new school” taekwondo – the modern, tactical game, which prioritizes front foot kicks and favors tall, skinny players.

Even many exponents of “new school” prefer “old school” techniques and fighters, who tend to be head hunters, spin kick-

ers and crowd pleasers. But “new school” dominates the medal tables.

With the 2016 Games over, a four-year window of opportunity opened for the WT to re-inject spectacle back into the game. The aim is for taekwondo at Tokyo 2020 to be not only “fair and transparent,” but also to “dazzle and excite.”

That will open the way for taekwondo to be not just the hugely successful participation sport it is – the WT boasts 80 million members globally – but also a global spectator sport. Once crowds increase, global media will get into the action and elite fighters and teams will benefit from enriched sponsorship opportunities.

So, there is much at stake. The game-changing process got underway when the WT invited some 30 top coaches and executives to a five-day brainstorm in Seoul in October 2016. Having exchanged ideas and elicited feedback from the coaches, the WT Technical Committee presented the proposed changes to top-level WT executives - the organization’s president, secretary general, director generals and Continental Union presidents. The ideas were then presented to the WT General Assembly in Burnaby, Canada in November 2016, on the sidelines of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships. They were voted in. Implementation started at the beginning of 2017.

Thus, the main changes are as follows.

An extra point (from one point to two) has been added for kicks to the body. This is designed to add more action, and to help shorter fighters take on the tactical “taekwondo” fighters who can pick off opponents from long range with front-leg kicks. It also breaks down taekwondo’s point system from 1-4 points. (1 point: punch to body. 2 points: kick to body. 3 points: spin kick to the body or kick to the head. 4 points: spin kick to the head.)

Matches used to end if there was a 12-point gap between fighters after the first round. To accommodate the extra point for body kicks, this has been extended to a 20-point gap.

The kyong-go (half-point penalty) has been eradicated. Now, only gam-jeom (one point penalty) is applied. This makes matches easier to understand. Ten gam-jeoms result in a loss by disqualification.

Wider sanctions are implemented for leg blocks, kicking the

4

2

There are too many stoppages, mid-game.

The introduction of PSS and IVR has improved officiating, but it must be improved further.

Taekwondo must be easier for the general public and media to understand.

opponents’ legs, below-the-belt kicks and continually raising the knee without kicking. This change is designed to encourage more offensive kicking.

Players are allowed to push with their hands as long as they kick immediately after the push. (This was previously disallowed.) However, pushing opponents off the mats, or while they are kicking, is penalized. This change is designed to encourage athletic balance and more fight flow.

The “golden point” round has been cut from two minutes to one, to encourage more active and decisive play.

Coaches are no longer allowed to make video appeals for head kicks. This is designed to stop stoppages and encourage more game flow.

Since the application of the new rules, all indications are encouraging. And more tweaks have been made with the input of the Grand Slam series.

WORLD TAEKWONDO

GALA AWARDS

Putting on the Ritz: WT’s annual Gala Awards, inaugurated in 2015, offer athletes the opportinity to interact in dinner jackets and party frocks rather than tracksuits and dobok.

The upscale venues for the annual Gala Awardssuch as Mexico City’s magnificent Opera House, pictured here - are a far cry from from the utilitarian stadia where the sport is contested.

The Gala Awards: “Oscar Night” for WT.

KEY PERSONNEL

The key personnel in World Taekwondo hail from all corners of the world.

WT Secretary General Hoss Rafaty, an Iranian-American who is both a longtime taekwondo practitioner and a successful entrepreneur, brings a wealth of business and international experience to the organization.

Technical Committee Chairman Jin-bang Yang of Korea has had a long and varied career in the game. The taekwondo master and professor was one of the key figures in introducing WT taekwondo to China and the Eastern Europe after the 1988 Olympic Games.

Games and Equipment Committee Chairman Mohamed Shaaban of Egypt oversees all operations on the field of play.

Referee Committee Chairman Song-chul Kim of Canada, a former winner of the WT “Referee of the Year” award, ensures that taekwondo maintains its reputation for fairness and transparency.

&

WT Education Committee Chairman Philippe Bouedo of France is also the WT’s technical delegate to Tokyo 2020. A former head of the WT Games Committee, international coach and international player, the Frenchman is one of the best-known faces at taekwondo events worldwide.

Para Taekwondo Committee Chairman Chakir Chelbat took on that position after a long and successful tenure heading the WT Referee Committee. The Swede will lead the sport into its Paralympic debut on the mats at Tokyo 2020.

Philippe Bouedo

Education Committee Chair France

Chakir Chelbat

Para Taekwondo Technical

Referee Committee Chair Sweden

Mohamed Shaaban Games & Equipment Committee Chair Egypt

Referee Committee Chair Canada

Song-chul Kim

Technical Committee Chair Korea

Jin-bang Yang

Secretary General USA

Hoss Rafaty

WT DEMONSTRATION TEAM

Challenging the limits of athletic endeavor against some of the globe’s most spectacular backdrops.

The WT Demonstration Team puts on a show like no other.

Demo Team performances frequently include localized cultural elements as well as straight-up taekwondo.

Fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gentlemen: Air Taekwondo is cleared for takeoff...

The WT Demonstration Team are global ambassadors for our sport - and provide us with a taekwondo-specific asset that other international federations do not possess.

Solid ver. GLOBAL PRESENCE, GLOBAL POWER, GLOBAL PRESTIGE

The 2017 World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, Korea were the occasion for the launch of World Taekwondo and the unveiling of its new brand and corporate identity.

World Taekwondo with its new logo is aligned with the federation’s mission to develop and grow taekwondo around the world from the grassroots to the elite level, giving everyone the opportunity to play, watch and enjoy the sport.

Since its inception in 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation has, for convenience, used the acronym “WTF.” For reasons that have nothing to do with taekwondo, that acronym has, in the Internet era, become a very negative term – one that we do not want associated with our sport. But that is not the main reason for the rebrand. The more important issue is this. There are countless taekwondo federations around the

world. Some are multinational, many are national, some are simply local. But there is only one World Taekwondo Federation.

The World Taekwondo Federation is the federation that has transformed taekwondo from a Korean martial art to a global combat sport. It is the federation that has grown the organization to 209 member national federations worldwide. It is the federation that has led taekwondo into the Olympic Games, and which administers taekwondo at the “Greatest Show on Earth.” It is the federation that has introduced technological innovations such as the electronic protector and scoring system and instant video replays. It is the federation that has enabled taekwondo’s inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. And it is the federation that is taking taekwondo beyond the realm of combat

sports and into the field of humanitarianism. For this reason, a new brand that differentiates our federation from all others - one that incorporates the values of inclusiveness, innovation, universality and excellence - is called for. Our new brand, “World Taekwondo,” is it. It makes clear that World Taekwondo is the undisputed leader of the global taekwondo movement. It is a brand that speaks of our global presence, global power and global prestige.

This is expressed visually through the new logo which reflects our great heritage but also our forward-thinking, modern approach. It maintains the “kicking athlete” design that was the “T” in the “WTF,” but instead of the acronym WT, the new brand stands boldly as World Taekwondo. The “kicking athlete” is colored in the world’s five colors (blue,

green, red, yellow and black) to represent the globalization of the sport and its membership.

After its official rollout at the World Taekwondo Championships in Muju in 2017, the new brand has been incorporated in all official communications, marketing materials and branded merchandize. It has been disseminated to our continental unions and to our partner companies. The new logo will allow the federation to better connect with fans, athletes and sponsors.

On June 23, 2017, the World Taekwondo Federation became World Taekwondo. The launch of the new brand is more - far more - than just a new design, a new look or a new name. It is the vanguard of our vision for an upgrade of the entire organization, based on the values of inclusion, innovation, universality and excellence.

WT General Assembly

WT’s top body looks ahead, sees bright future

2018 Hammamet, Tunisia

2017 Muju, Korea

2015 Chelyabinsk, Russia

2014 Taipei, Chinese Taipei

2016 Burnaby, Canada

WT Council Meetings

2018 Hammamet, Tunisia

2017 Muju, Korea

2016 Burnaby, Canada

2015 Bangkok, Thailand

2015 Chelyabinsk, Russia

MOUs

World Taekwondo has signed a series of memoranda of understanding (MOUs) in recent years with non-governmental and international organizations.

World Taekwondo inked an MOU with the Um Hong Gil Human Foundation at the WT headquarters in Seoul, Korea on Aug. 29, 2017. Under the pact, WT will support taekwondo education for school students in remote areas in Nepal.

On Nov. 29, 2017, World Taekwondo signed an MOU with KMP Corp. and GCS International to provide free medical service in developing countries.

On Sept. 28, 2018, World Taekwondo inked a cooperation agreement on the promotion of taekwondo and the Korean language at the WT headquarters in Seoul with the Asia Development Foundation, the International Center for Korean Culture and GCS International.

On the sidelines of the 2016 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, World Taekwondo and its associated charity foundation, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), signed cooperative agreements to undertake humanitarian activities with the Canadian city of Burnaby and the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation on Nov. 16, 2016 in Burnaby, Canada.

World Taekwondo and the THF inked a partnership agreement with Peace and Sport to join forces to promote taekwondo as a tool for social development in a ceremony in Monaco on Nov. 24, 2016. The agreement commits all parties to promote peace, social cohesion and coexistence, and to improve living conditions via taekwondo. It also encourages education, training and responsibility among youth through taekwondo practice.

On Jan. 29, 2017, the THF, the City of Paris and the French Taekwondo Federation signed a common agreement on the occasion of the 25th World Men’s Handball Championships in Paris, France. Through this agreement, the three parties agreed to work together to further their shared goals and the mission of empowering refugees and displaced persons through providing opportunities and access to the sport of taekwondo in the local community of Paris.

World Taekwondo, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and United World Wrestling (UWW) signed an MOU to promote humanitarian, peace and development-supporting activities on Oct. 22, 2018 in Budapest, Hungary. They commit to cooperate in offering sport for development and peace activities at the THF’s existing Azraq Taekwondo Academy in Jordan.

Vision From Better to Best

A Sport with a Sense of Duty

World Taekwondo sees its duties as extending beyond the realm of sport. It is committed to fulfilling its social responsibility and making a contribution to social development and humanitarian causes, in the belief that the sport can help achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. As a global sport, taekwondo promotes friendship and understanding among peoples of all colors, cultures and creeds.

Doing the Right Thing

Playing for Peace, Kicking for Reconciliation

WT announced that it would launch the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in 2015 at the UN in New York, USA; it became formalized as a legal entity, based in Switzerland, in 2016. The THF’s mission is to leverage the innate deployability of taekwondo, which requires no bats or balls and no pitches or pools, to “Empower the Powerless” refugees and displaced persons worldwide. It does so by training them in the sport and martial art of taekwondo. Taekwondo offers the benefits of physical fitness, mental discipline, self-defense and self-belief. It is a gift that once given, can never be taken away. And for refugees who often have little productive to do all day, it can be doubly precious.

At its first full-time dojang, the Azraq Taekwondo Academy for Syrian refugees in Jordan, the THF supplies training, equipment and infrastructure, as well as related educational programs teaching the values of Olympism and global citizenship. Partly as a result of the THF’s efforts, WT and THF President Chungwon Choue was invited to join the IOC’s Olympic Refuge Foundation. In 2016, WT launched its internal Taekwondo Cares program, which supports poorly funded federations worldwide with training, equipment and travel expenses, and also works with the THF.

Taekwondo’s efforts to do good extend further. Breakthrough joint demonstrations have been held with the International Taekwondo Federation, which includes North Korea among its membership. These initiatives have contributed to ongoing peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula. WT has also been invited to conducted a demonstration at the Vatican. These various initiatives have helped to position taekwondo as a vehicle for peace building.

A Sport for All

Boasting 209 Member National Associations, or MNAs, in every corner of the world, WT practitioners number in the tens of millions, making taekwondo a truly global activity. Taekwondo promotes discipline and respect by combining its Asian heritage with the values of a modern, Olympic sport.

As well as being highly deployable, taekwondo is also highly economical. As such, it offers opportunities to developing countries to capture Olympic medals. In Rio 2016’s taekwondo event, Jordan won its first Olympic medal, while Iran won its first-ever female Olympic medal and Cote d’Ivoire won its first-ever Olympic gold medal. As it requires little more than the human body, taekwondo can be practiced anywhere, anytime, by anyone - regardless of age, gender or ability. It requires little or no infrastructure and leaves a zero permanent footprint. WT is committed to gender equality at all events, and offers identical competitive formats and conditions for male and female athletes.

Para taekwondo is growing rapidly around the world and will make its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The last World Para Taekwondo Championships in London, UK, attracted 263 athletes from a record-breaking 59 countries.

WT is dedicated to continuing the growth of the sport around the world from the grassroots through to the elite level.

A Sport that Dazzles and Excites

Taekwondo is innately one of the world’s most exciting contact sports. With its heavy focus on high, jump and spin kicks, its techniques challenge the limits of human athletic performance.

WT is constantly innovating its sportive format to create best-of-breed athlete and spectator experiences. The aim is to marry exciting and dynamic competitions with informative, engaging sports presentation.

Athletes are allowed to choose their own walk-on music, while MCs, pounding rock and roll music and demonstration events keep stadia hyper during breaks in play. New competition rules have upped the action by encouraging greater use of advanced techniques, with the emphasis being on speed and skill rather than power. Octagonal mats demand livelier footwork, greater use of peripheral vision and upgraded tactics and ringcraft than the square mats of yore. And to ensure that the action flows non-stop, athletes are penalized if they do not attack.

In terms of athlete presentation, WT recognizes that the combination of baggy uniforms, boxy torso PSS and bulky head protectors do not show off the athletic physiques and facial features of our fighters to their best advantage. This has made uniform and protective gear innovation a major issue for the federation. Colored uniform pants were trialed at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and dynamic-looking competition uniforms are to be unveiled in 2019.

WT launched the World Taekwondo Grand Slam in 2017, which draws together the world’s very best athletes and offers record prize money. The action is set in a studio, rather than a stadium, in order to make taekwondo as TV-friendly as possible. The employment of 4k cameras – offering remarkable, 360-degree, “Matrix”-style views of the action, complete with slo-mo effects - offers fans at home a dramatic new look at elite-level taekwondo.

Taekwondo is a uniquely visual sport, and WT is partnering with Olympic Channel and an increasing range of other platforms to promote events to global TV audiences.

Growing Sport, Expanding Skills

World Taekwondo is working closely with its 209 MNAs to provide greater opportunities for young people to engage in the sport, while the Taekwondo Cares program specifically promotes taekwondo within MNAs, targeting grassroots and social development programs.

WT has created development and education master plans to expand related programs to athletes, coaches and instructors, and to disseminate standardized taekwondo education materials around the world at all skill levels.

As a communications tool, WT is also expanding the sophistication of its Global Membership System – including creating an online tool for easy access to these programs.

WT has developed a progressive roadmap to make it one of the first Olympic international federations to dive into e-sports. Taekwondo will use e-sports as a platform to promote health and fitness among youth through interactive, augmented reality and virtual reality apps.

WT has emplaced professionalized bidding to fully align the federation with the needs of modern cities. This system provided greater opportunity for cities around the world to host events in the most cost-efficient way. New bid requirements for host cities educate them in organizing legacy and social development projects to ensure taekwondo continues to grow in their countries, post-event.

Fairness and Transparency on the Mats Athlete Welfare: Our No. 1 Priority

independent, world-leading anti-doping program. The ITA will deliver core anti-doping services, including risk assessments, test distribution planning, in-competition and out-of-competition testing, a registered testing pool and athlete whereabouts management, athlete biological passports and support on compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code. In synch with these efforts, WT delivers anti-doping education programs at all its competitions, as well as on its website. WT also delivers specifically targeted programs for young athletes.

Toward a Better Tomorrow

World Taekwondo is accelerating into the future with pride in its yesterdays and confidence in its tomorrows.

Throughout its short but packed history, the federation has made a virtue of change, constantly evolving and improving the sport for the betterment of all. Wherever taekwondo goes in the future, it will be energized by its legacy, and by its commitment to being faster, higher and stronger than ever before.

World Taekwondo is committed to fairness and transparency on and off the mats.

WT is one of the leading sporting bodies when it comes to leveraging technology to make adjudication consistent, transparent and fair. Over the past decade, the PSS has helped ensure scoring is fair and objective. WT is working to ensure secure and standardized PSS scoring for the decades to come. Appeals and instant video replays remove chances of human error in refereering and judging. Joint workshops with in-venue results providers and PSS suppliers ensure scoring integrity and consistency for fair competitions.

The welfare of athletes is the foremost, core, top-of-mind priority for WT. And compared to its rough-and-tumble early days as a martial art, taekwondo today is a very safe contact sport.

Electronic Protector and Scoring Systems, or PSS, which are built into the protective gear, together with rule changes, have chopped the injury rate to close to zero – and even zero at many competitions. For example, there were no significant injuries during the taekwondo Olympic competition in London in 2012. The federation is promoting ever-increasing levels of professionalism among coaches and referees, following a 2009 review. This encompasses such things as pre-event referee and coach training camps.

WT approved the “Hammamet Declaration” in 2018 which included a commitment to ensuring safe sport by taking all relevant measures for the prevention of injury, and the protection of athletes from all types of abuse in accordance with the IOC’s toolkit. WT is currently developing its own safeguarding toolkit and program together with the IOC, to be introduced to the taekwondo community in 2019.

Integrity and Transparency in the Office

WT is taking concrete steps to further improve good governance practices and ensure integrity by updating its statutes and governance policies in line with international best practices in all areas.

Internally, the entire federation was restructured in 2018 to ensure greater efficiency, transparency and professionalism. As part of this restructuring, WT is adding more and more international members to the staff at its Seoul, Korea, headquarters.

WT is working to develop a standard policies information kit which will be disseminated to MNAs. In line with global trends, WT is also developing a strategic plan focusing on sustainable and value-based approaches. It also publishes financial accounts that comply with international auditing standards.

On the issue of fairness, WT is firmly and fully committed to ensuring clean athletes and dope-free competitions and is partnering with best-in-class partners in this field.

WT partnered with the International Testing Agency in Oct 2018 to deliver an

APPENDICES:

ALL ABOUT WORLD TAEKWONDO

WT Chronology 1973-2018

45 Years in Pictures

From Korean Martial Art to Global Combat Sport

Taekwondo at the OlympIc Games

WT World Taekwondo Championships

The Rise of Para Taekwondo 2009-2018

WT Continental Taekwondo Unions

Global Membership

Chronology:

Major Landmarks in the Globalization of Taekwondo,

1973 —2018

May 25-27, 1973

The 1st World Taekwondo Championships were held in Seoul, Korea with the participation of 16 countries (Austria, Brunei, Chinese Taipei, Ivory Coast (Cote d’Ivoire), France, Hong Kong, Japan, Khmer (Cambodia), Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Uganda, the United States, and West Germany).

May 28, 1973

The WTF was established.

Oct. 8, 1975

The WTF was affiliated to the GAISF (General Association of International Sports Federations, which was renamed SportAccord in 2009).

April 9, 1976

Taekwondo was adopted by the CISM (International Council of Military Sports) as an official sport for the World Military Championships.

July 17, 1980

The WTF was recognized by the IOC at the 83rd IOC Session in Moscow.

Aug. 12-13, 1983

The PASO adopted taekwondo as an official sport of the Pan American Games.

Nov. 28-Dec. 1, 1983

The SCSA (Supreme Council for Sports in Africa) adopted taekwondo as an official sport of the All- African Games.

Sept. 28, 1984

The OCA (Olympic Council of Asia) adopted taekwondo as an official sport of the Asian Games.

May 8-10, 1986

The FISU (International Federation of University Sports) adopted taekwondo as an event for the World University Championships.

Sept. 17-20, 1988

Taekwondo participated in the 24th Olympic Games in Seoul as a demonstration sport.

Aug. 3-5, 1992

Taekwondo participated in the 25th Olympic Games in Barcelona as a demonstration sport.

Sept. 4, 1994

Taekwondo was adopted as an official sport of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games at the 103rd IOC Session in Paris.

Feb. 15, 1995

The WTF was affiliated to the ASOIF (Association of Summer Olympic International Federations).

Nov. 5-8, 1996

The IOC Executive Board decided at its meeting in Cancun, Mexico to increase the taekwondo quota at the Sydney Olympic Games from 64 to 100 athletes.

Nov. 1997

Taekwondo was adopted as an official sport of the World Military Games.

July 14, 2000

The FISU Executive Board meeting in Beijing selected Daegu, Korea as the host city of the 22nd Summer Universiade in 2003. Taekwondo was included in the 2003 Universiade as an optional sport.

Sept. 27-30, 2000

Taekwondo participated in the 27th Olympic Games in Sydney as an official sport.

Dec. 11-13, 2000

The IOC Executive Board confirmed taekwondo as an official sport of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.

Jan. 2001

The Chinese Olympic Committee announced that taekwondo will participate in the Chinese National Athletic Meet to be held in November 2001 for the first time.

Sept. 18-20, 2001

Taekwondo’s quota at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games was expanded to 124 athletes.

Jan. 11-12, 2002

The FISU Executive Committee meeting in Tarvisio, Italy decided to include taekwondo in 23rd Summer Universiade to be held in Izmir, Turkey on July 16-26, 2005 as an optional sport.

Nov. 29, 2002

The participation of taekwondo in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as an official sport was confirmed at the 114th Session of the IOC held in Mexico City, Mexico.

Oct. 14-20, 2003

Taekwondo took part in the 5th Central Asian Games held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for the first time.

Jan. 9, 2004

Un-yong Kim submitted his resignation as WTF president.

Feb. 15, 2004

Sun Jae Park was elected acting president of the WTF for the remaining term of office of Un-yong Kim at the extraordinary Executive Council meeting held in Bangkok, Thailand.

June 11, 2004

Chungwon Choue was elected as new president of the WTF for the remaining term of office of Un-yong Kim at the extraordinary General Assembly held in Incheon, Korea.

Aug. 26-29, 2004

Taekwondo participated in the 28th Olympic Games in Athens with an attendance of 64 males and 60 females from 60 nations.

Sept. 24, 2004

The FISU decided at its Executive Committee meeting in Insbruck, Austria to include taekwondo in the Universiade to be held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2007. Oct. 4, 2004 Proposals for the WTF Reform Committee were passed at the extraordinary WTF Executive Council meeting in Seoul, Korea.

Dec. 8-11, 2004

The 1st WTF Reform Committee meeting was held in Seoul, Korea and the status of all aspects of taekwondo and the WTF were examined.

Jan. 25-27, 2005

The 2nd WTF Reform Committee meeting took place in Bangkok, Thailand and prepared reform recommendations.

March 2, 2005

The WTF-Kyung Hee University Partnership Taekwondo Training Program for athletes and coaches was launched in partnership between the WTF and the International Taekwondo Academy of Kyung Hee University.

March 10, 2005

An extraordinary WTF Executive Council meeting was held in Lausanne, Switzerland and approved the reform recommendations from the WTF Reform Committee.

April 12, 2005

Chungwon Choue was reelected president of the WTF at the WTF General Assembly held in Madrid, Spain on the occasion of the 2005 WTF World Taekwondo Championships. The recommendations from the Reform Committee were accepted by the WTF General Assembly.

July 8, 2005

The 117th IOC Session in Singapore (July 7-9) decided on the programs of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Out of 28 summer Olympic sports, 26 sports, including taekwondo, were confirmed as program events of the 2012 London Olympic Games.

July 20, 2005

An extraordinary WTF Executive Council meeting recognized the Oceania Taekwondo Union as the 5th Continental Union of the WTF, bringing the number of Continental Taekwondo Unions of the WTF to five (Asia/Africa/Europe/Pan America/Oceania).

July 20, 2005

The first demonstration of electronic protector was made on the occasion of the extraordinary WTF Executive Council meeting held in Seoul, Korea.

Feb. 5-7, 2006

The IOC Executive Board decided at its meeting in Turin, Italy to expand the number of taekwondo entries at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games from 124 to 128 (two males and two females were added in consideration of the new establishment of the Oceania Taekwondo Union).

July 25, 2006

The number of WTF member nations rose to 182 at the 17th WTF General Assembly held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Sept. 4, 2006

The WTF celebrated Taekwondo Day on the occasion of the 1st WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships held in Seoul, Korea on September 4-6, 2006.

Sept. 4-6, 2006

The 1st WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships took place in Seoul, Korea.

Sept. 14-18, 2006

The WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships took place in Bangkok, Thailand, the first ever team competition among WTF-promoted events.

Nov. 3-4, 2006

The WTF Paralympic Committee meeting was held in Seoul, Korea to promote poomsae as a sport for the Paralympic Games.

Nov. 7-9, 2006

A WTF Reform Evaluation Committee meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Dec. 1, 2006

Jean-Marie Ayer was appointed as the WTF’s attache in Lausanne.

March 4-5, 2007

An electronic protector test event (WTF Electronic Protector International Taekwondo Championships) took place at the Hoban Gymnasium in Chuncheon, Korea to examine the acceptability of electronic protectors.

March 5, 2007

The WTF Executive Committee meeting held in Chuncheon, Korea examined the acceptability of electronic protectors and decided not to use them at the 2007 Beijing WTF World Taekwondo Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games taekwondo competitions.

May 16, 2007

The IOC decided to increase the number of bronze medals for the taekwondo competition at the Olympic Games from one to two beginning at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

May 17, 2007

The 18th WTF General Assembly approved two new members, bringing the total number of member nations to 184. It also approved poomsae competition uniforms.

Feb. 29, 2008

Singapore was selected as the host city of the 1st Youth Olympic Games in 2010, in which 100 taekwondo athletes would participate.

Aug. 20-23, 2008

The taekwondo competition of the 29th Olympic Games was held in Beijing, China with the participation of 128 athletes, 64 male and 64 female, from 64 nations.

May 5, 2009

An opening ceremony of the expanded WTF liaison office in Lausanne was held.

May 18, 2009

East Timor became a member of the WTF, bringing the total number of members to 189.

June 10, 2009

The first WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships were held in Baku, Azerbaijan on the occasion of the 2009 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships held in the same place.

June 10-14, 2009

Electronic body protectors and instant video replay systems were used at the 2009 World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships and the 1st World Para-Taekwondo Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan, the first of their kind at WTF-promoted championships, together with the new Competition Rules.

June 2009

The WTF adopted a World Ranking System.

July 1-6, 2009

Kyorugi and poomsae were both competed in the 2009 Summer Universiade held in Belgrade, Serbia, in which taekwondo participated as an optional sport.

July 11-12, 2009

Taekwondo participated in the 2nd Lusofonic Games held in Lisbon, Portugal.

Aug. 6-9, 2009

The 1st World Youth Taekwondo Camp was held in Muju and Seoul, Korea in joint cooperation between the WTF and the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation as an annual event.

Oct. 14-18, 2009

The 19th Men’s & 12th Women’s WTF World Taekwondo Championships took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, the first world championships to use electronic body protectors.

Oct. 26, 2009

The WTF and the OC of the 2013 Mediterranean Games agreed to include taekwondo in the 2013 Mediterranean Games.

Nov. 13-14, 2009

The FISU Executive Committee meeting held in Erzurum, Turkey decided to include taekwondo on the official program of the Summer Universiade from 2017 onwards as a compulsory sport.

April, 2010

Taekwondo was confirmed to participate in the 2011 European Masters Games and the 2013 World Masters Games.

June 7, 2010

The Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) informed the WTF that taekwondo was approved by the CGF Sport Committee and Executive Board as a Category 2 sport.

Aug. 15-19, 2010

Taekwondo was competed in five weight categories for men and women at the 1st Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore for athletes aged 16-17 years old.

Sept. 1-2, 2010

The 1st SportAccord (World) Combat Games were held in Beijing, China with taekwondo being competed in four Olympic weight categories for both men and women.

April 29-30, 2011

The 3rd International Symposium for Taekwondo Studies was held in Gyeongju, Korea for two days under the title of “Realization of Olympism through Taekwondo Education.”

May 1-6, 2011

The WTF Global Athlete License (GAL) was implemented in early 2011 and first introduced in the WTF-promoted championships at the 2011 WTF World Taekwondo Championships held in Gyeongju, Korea on May 1-6, 2011.

July 28, 2011

The WTF Council meeting in Vladivostok, Russia approved three new members, taking the WTF’s global membership to 200, the 8th largest among International Sports Federations.

Sept. 18-20, 2011

Taekwondo made its debut at the 2011 European Masters Games held in Lignano, Italy with taekwondo competition conducted in four Olympic weight categories each for men and women in kyorugi and individual, pair and team divisions in poomsae.

Feb. 14, 2012

The WTF announced it had appointed Jean-Marie Ayer as new Secretary General of the WTF. Outgoing Secretary General Jin-suk Yang was appointed chair of the WTF Academy.

April 2, 2012

The WTF Medical Code and Bylaws on Betting and Anti-Corruption were enacted at the WTF Council meeting held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt on the occasion of the 2012 WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships.

April 3, 2012

The WTF General Assembly in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt passed the proposed amendment to Poomsae Competition Rules on mandatory use of poomsae competition uniforms at WTF-recognized poomsae championships.

April 3, 2012

The WTF General Assembly approved the Seychelles as its 201st member at its meeting held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.

Aug. 8-11, 2012

The taekwondo competition of the 30th Summer Olympic Games took place in London, the U.K. with 128 athletes, 64 male and 64 female, participating from 63 nations. Eight gold medals were taken by eight countries.

Oct. 22, 2012

Sierra Leone became a provisional member of the WTF, bringing the total membership of the WTF to 204.

Nov. 21, 2012

The creation of the WTF World Cadet Championships for athletes aged 12-14 and the WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series was approved at the WTF Council meeting held in Santa Cruz, Aruba on the occasion of the 2012 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships and the 3rd WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships.

Dec. 6-9, 2012

Free-style poomsae competition was conducted for the first time at the WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Tunja, Colombia in addition to recognized poomse competition.

Feb. 11, 2013

A Grand Prix meeting was held in Lausanne. It was recommended to hold one Grand Prix Series around the end of 2013 with Grand Prix Series 1, 2 and a final in 2014 and Grand Prix Series 1, 2, 3 and a final in 2015.

Feb. 12, 2013

The IOC Executive Board at its meeting in Lausanne selected 25 core sports for the 2020 Olympic Games, including taekwondo.

June 7, 2013

The WTF signed an MOU with CPISRA (Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association) and INAS (International Sport Federation for Para-Athletes with Intellectual Disability) on mutual cooperation for development of para-taekwondo on the occasion of the WTF extraordinary Council meeting and 2013 WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships, both held in Lausanne.

June 19, 2013

Kosovo became a provisional member of the WTF, bringing the total members of the WTF to 205.

July 26-Aug. 10, 2013

The WTF-OCA Asian Youth Taekwondo Camp was held in Bangkok with the participation of 85 athletes and coaches (1 male athlete, 1 female athlete and 1 coach per NOC) from 26 NOCs in Asia.

Sept. 1, 2013

Taekwondo was first included in the UNOSDP Youth Leadership Camp held in Gwangju, Korea organized by the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee for 34 participants from Asia and Oceania.

Sept. 7-10, 2013

Taekwondo was confirmed as one of the 25 core sports for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games at the IOC Session held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Oct. 16, 2013

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) granted an IPC-recognized IF status to the WTF.

Oct. 25, 2013

The WTF signed an MOU with the ICSD (International Committee of Sports for the Deaf, CISS in French) on mutual cooperation in St. Petersburg on the occasion of the taekwondo competition of the 2nd SportAccord World Combat Games held in St. Petersburg on Oct. 23-24, 2013.

Nov. 24, 2013

The WTF signed an MOU with the IBSA (International Blind Sports Association) on mutual cooperation for the development of para-taekwondo in Athens, Greece during the 2013 IPC General Assembly.

Dec. 13, 2013

The WTF signed an MOU with UNOSDP (U.N. Office on Sport for Development and Peace) on mutual cooperation in Manchester on the occasion of the 2013 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final held in Manchester, the U.K. on Dec. 13-15, 2013. Following this MOU, a taekwondo session would be included in UNOSDP YLC to be held in Berlin, Gwangju and Florida in 2014.

Dec. 13-15, 2013

The 1st WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final took place in Manchester, the U.K., inviting athletes ranked within the top 32 places in WTF Olympic rankings.

March 23-26, 2014

The 10th WTF World Taekwondo Junior Championships were held in Taipei city, Chinese Taipei to attract 778 athletes and 472 officials from 105 countries.

June 21-22, 2014

The 5th WTF World Para Taekwondo Championships were held in Moscow, Russia, drawing 111 athletes from 37 countries.

July 24-27, 2014

The 1st WTF World Taekwondo Cadet Championships were held in Baku, Azerbaijan to draw 575 athletes from 62 countries.

Aug. 17-21, 2014

Taekwondo was competed at the 2nd Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China, with the participation of 100 athletes from 59 countries.

Aug. 21, 2014

The WTF signed a protocol of accord with the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) in Nanjing, China. The signing was overseen by IOC President Thomas Bach.

Oct. 30-Nov. 2, 2014

The 9th WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships were held in Aguascalientes, Mexico, to attract 461 athletes from 46 countries.

Dec. 5, 2014

The first WTF Gala Awards dinner was held in Queretaro, Mexico, in which Korea’s Dae-hoon Lee and Great Britain’s Jade Jones were named athletes of the year.

Dec. 6-7, 2014

The 6th WTF World Taekwondo Team Championships were held in Queretaro, Mexico with the participation of 578 athletes from 63 countries.

Jan. 16, 2015

An extraordinary WTF Council meeting was held in Bangkok, Thailand, in which WTF President Chungwon Choue dismissed Jean-Marie Ayer from his position as WTF secretary general.

Jan. 31, 2015

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) voted to put taekwondo on the official program of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.

April 8, 2015

The WTF signed a global partnership agreement with Booyoung Group.

May 12-18, 2015

The 22nd WTF World Taekwondo Championships were held in Chelyabinsk, Russia, which drew 872 athletes from 139 countries. On May 12, 2015, a historic joint demonstration by the WTF and the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF) was held during the opening ceremony of the 2015 Chelyabinsk World Taekwondo Championships.

Aug. 14-16, 2015

The 2015 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series 1 was held in Moscow, Russia to attract 245 elite athletes from 52 countries.

Sept. 18-20, 2015

The 2015 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series 2 was held in Samsun, Turkey to draw 232 athletes from 50 countries.

Sept. 21. 2015

WT President officially announced WTF plan to launch of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) on the 2016 U.N. International Day of Peace at the U.N. headquarters in New York, USA.

Oct. 16-18, 2015

The 2015 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series 3 was held in Manchester, United Kingdom with the participation of 237 athletes from 56 countries.

Dec. 1, 2015

A pilot program of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) was held in Jordan, with the participation of the WT president, officials and the WT Taekwondo Demonstration Team.

Jan. 15, 2016

WTF announced the expansion of its humanitarian project to Kilis, Turkey.

Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2016

A pilot program of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) was held in Nepal with the participation of the WTF President, CU presidents and the WT Taekwondo Demonstration Team.

March 7, 2016

The National Training Center opened at Newton Heath in Manchester, Great Britain in a ceremony. The center serves as one of the WTF’s regional training centers.

March 10, 2016

The WTF signed a cooperation agreement with U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Geneva, Switzerland.

April 8, 2016

An honorary WTF 10th Dan black belt was given to IPC President Sir Philip Craven in Bonn, Germany on the occasion of the 1st WTF President Cup –European Region.

April 15, 2016

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) was officially registered with the Commercial Register of Canton of Vaud, Switzerland.

April 30, 2016

WTF signed an MOU with the Huamin Charity Foundation in Beijing, China.

May 6, 2016

An opening ceremony of the WTF Central Training Center took place at Taekwondowon in Muju, Korea.

May 18, 2016

The WTF Demonstration Team performed at the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) in Switzerland.

Aug. 17-20, 2016

The taekwondo competition of the 31st Summer Olympic Games took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with 128 athletes, 64 male and 64 female, participating from 63 countries. Eight gold medals were taken by six countries. Korea and China won two gold medals each, while Great Britain, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Cote d’Ivoire clinched one gold each.

Sept. 4, 2016

The 2016 Taekwondo World Peace Festival was held at the City Hall Plaza in downtown Seoul, Korea.

Sept. 23, 2016

The THF signed a cooperation agreement with the Huamin Charity Foundation in Shenzen, China.

Oct. 5, 2016

The WTF Demonstration Team performed at the Vatican in Rome, Italy on the occasion of the 1st Global Conference on Faith & Sport, with the attendance of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, IOC President Thomas Bach and Pope Francis.

Oct. 7, 2016

The WTF Demonstration Team performed for refugees at the Croce Rossa Refuge Cam in Rome, Italy.

Oct. 11, 2016

The WTF Demonstration Team performed for victims of an August 2016 earthquake at Amatrice, Italy.

Nov. 16-20, 2016

The WTF World Taekwondo Junior Championships were held in Burnaby, Canada, drawing 846 athletes and 458 officials from 102 countries. WTF and the THF signed a cooperative agreement with the Canadian city of Burnaby.

Nov. 24, 2016

WTF was named “The Federation of the Year” by Peace and Sport in Monaco for WT’s humanitarian efforts. WTF and THF signed a partnership agreement with Peace and Sport in Monaco.

Dec. 11, 2016

The 3rd WTF Gala Awards took place in Baku, Azerbaijan and raised over US$60,000 for its charity initiative of the THF.

Jan. 29, 2017

The THF signed a common agreement with the City of Paris and the French Taekwondo Federation in Paris, France.

April 1, 2017

The THF launched a one-year Taekwondo Academy pilot project at the Kiziba refugee camp in Rwanda.

May 5-6, 2017

The 1st World Taekwondo Beach Championships were held in Rhodes, Greece.

May 10, 2017

An honorary WTF 10th Dan black belt was given to Pope Francesco at the Vatican in Rome, Italy.

June 23, 2017

The WTF launched its new brand name of World Taekwondo and unveiled its new logo.

June 24, 26, 28, 30, 2017

Joint demonstrations by the WT and the ITF were held at Taekwondowon in Muju, at the Kukkiwon in Seoul, and in Jeonju, Korea on the occasion of the 2017 WT World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, Korea.

Aug. 29, 2017

WT signed an MOU with the Um Hong Gil Human Foundation at the WT headquarters in Seoul, Korea.

Nov. 22, 2017

An honorary Dan certificate was given to U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Mr. Filippo Grandi at the WT headquarters in Seoul, Korea.

Nov. 29, 2017

WT signed MOU with KMP Corp. and GCS International on free medical service.

Dec. 8, 2017

WT President attended the first board of directors meeting of the Olympic Refuge Foundation at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Dec. 30, 2017

The inaugural 2017 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series was held in Wuxi, China.

Jan. 6, 13, 20, 2018

The Wuxi 2017 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series II, III, IV were held in Wuxi, China.

Jan. 27, 2018

The Wuxi 2017 World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships were held in Wuxi, China.

Feb. 9-14, 2018

Joint demonstrations by WT and the ITF were held during the pre-opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 9 in Chang, on Feb. 10 in Sokcho, and on Feb. 12 and 14 in Seoul.

April 1, 2018

A taekwondo-dedicated WT-THF Taekwondo Academy was officially opened at the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan.

April 9-13, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo Junior Championships were held in Hammamet, Tunisia.

April 25-28, 2018

The 2nd World Taekwondo Beach Championships were held in Rhodes, Greece.

May 6-7, 2018

The taekwondo competition of the 2018 ISF Gymnasiade took place for the first time in Marrakech, Morocco.

May 30, 2018

World Taekwondo performed an historic demonstration at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Rome in the presence of His Holiness Pope Francis.

June 1-3, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series took place in Rome, Italy.

June 4, 2018

World Taekwondo opened its 10th Regional Training Center, the Olympic Training Center “Giulio Onesti,” in Rome, Italy.

July 27-29, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships were held in Wuxi, China.

Aug. 10-12, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series II was held in Moscow, Russia.

Sept. 19-21, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series III was held in Taoyuan, Chinese Taipei.

Oct. 7-11, 2018

The taekwondo competition of the 2018 Youth Olympic Games took place in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Oct. 19-21, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Series IV was held in Manchester, the United Kingdom.

Nov. 15-18, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships were held in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei.

Nov. 22-23, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final took place in Fujairah, UAE.

Nov. 24-25, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo Team Championships took place in Fujairah, UAE.

Dec. 12-16, 2018

The 2018 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series took place in Wuxi, China.

WT is Born: 1973 -1979

WT Takes Off: 1994 -2000

WT Develops: 1980 -1993

WT Challenges, WT Reforms: 2001 -2004

WT Reaches Out: 2005 -2011

WT’s Golden Years: 2012 -2018

Origins

For some 2000 years, a range of martial arts were practiced on the Korean peninsula. However, the martial arts that would form what we now call “taekwondo” first appeared in Korea after the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945) ended. Following the Korean War (1950-1953), a number of these martial arts styles and schools agreed to cooperate and use the name “taekwondo” (literally: “The way of fist and foot”) to describe what they did in 1959. In 1965, the name taekwondo was officially adopted.

Defining Taekwondo

Judo and taekwondo are both modern, unarmed martial arts, but while judo is based on grappling, taekwondo is based on striking. What differentiates taekwondo from its cousins, wushu and karate, is its emphasis on high kicking. For reasons that may be linked to physiology - Koreans inhabit a mountainous peninsula, and have the cultural habit of sitting on the floor, granting them legs that are both strong and flexible– and/or may be linked to national character – the Korean spirit is emotive and passionate – taekwondo emphasizes spectacular leg moves. Today’s taekwondo provides its practitioners with a physical encyclopedia of high, spinning and jumping kicks that challenge the boundaries of athletic endeavor.

From Combat Sport to Olympic Sport

Taekwondo’s first appearance at the Summer Olympic Games was in Seoul, in 1988, as a demonstration event. It appeared, again as a demonstration sport, at the Barcelona Summer Games in 1992. There were no demonstration sports in Atlanta in 1996, but taekwondo reappeared as a full medal sport in Sydney in 2000, then in Athens in 2004, in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012. Rio 2016 marked taekwondo’s fifth consecutive appearance on the Olympic program as a full medal sport.

Competitive Formats

Two competitive formats exist for taekwondo: Poomsae, or solo patterns of taekwondo movements; and kyorugi, or sparring. Only kyorugi is an Olympic event. Kyorugi offers a plethora of national, regional and global championships, from Cadets and Juniors to Opens and Worlds. An invitational Grand Prix series was instituted in 2013 to create a regular circuit for the sport’s elite athletes, to incubate stars and to upgrade the sport’s media exposure.

3 From Martial Art to Combat Sport

Going Global

While a small number of itinerant Korean masters travelled the world teaching the martial art from the mid-1950s onwards, taekwondo went global during the Vietnam War in the 1960s, when it was taught to Korean and South Vietnamese troops for physical conditioning and combat training. Many U.S. troops stationed in Vietnam and Korea also learned taekwondo, then taught it when they returned to the U.S., joining a growing number of Korean masters. In the 1970s, taekwondo received a huge boost from the worldwide martial arts movie boom.

With the advent of protective gear, the martial art morphed into a combat sport. Under the auspices of the Korea Taekwondo Association, the first world championships were held in Seoul in 1973, with 161 athletes from 16 nations competing. The World Taekwondo Federation, or WTF, was founded in Seoul in 1973 as the international governing body. Under the auspices of the WTF, taekwondo evolved in all aspects, from its competitive systems to its technical repertoire. It also saw a massive expansion in its geographical reach, its number of practitioners and its range of championships.

A Global Sport

While the sport was customarily dominated by Koreans, this is no longer the case: In London 2012, only one gold medal went to Korea. Taekwondo now offers one of the widest medal distributions in the Games: In Rio 2016, it gave Jordan its first-ever Olympic medal, Iran its first-ever female Olympic medal and Cote d’Ivoire its first-ever gold medal. It requires no real equipment other than the human body, so is an economical, democratic sport. An estimated 80 million people practice WT taekwondo globally, making it one of the world’s most popular participant sports.

A Global Organization

Today, the WT is headquartered in Seoul, Korea, with an office in Lausanne, Switzerland. The current WT president is Chungwon Choue (Korea) and the current WT secretary general is Hoss Rafaty (USA). Taekwondo is practiced in 209 countries and territories worldwide, administered by five Continental Unions (Africa, Asia, Europe, Pan America and Oceania).

TAEKWONDO at the OLYMPIC GAMES

Sydney 2000

Sept.27-30

Sydney, Australia

Beijing 2008

Aug. 20-23

Beijing, China

Athens 2004

Aug. 26-29, Athens, Greece

London 2012

Aug. 8-11 London, England

Rio 2016

Aug. 17-20 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

World Taekwondo Championships

Posters

Para Taekwondo

Ever-Bigger, Ever-Better: The Rise of 2009

-2018

Number of Athletes / Countries

1st Baku, Azerbaijan

June 10, 2009

38/19

2nd St. Petersburg, Russia

May 11, 2010

66/21

3rd Santa Cruz, Aruba

Nov. 22, 2012

53/14

4th Lausanne, Switzerland

June 8, 2013

86/25

5th Moscow, Russia

June 21-22, 2014

111/37

6th Samsun, Turkey

September 15-17, 2015

130/38

7th London, United Kingdom

October19, 2017

263/59

PAN AMERICA

EUROPE

ASIA

A Pictorial Record 2014 — 2018

Publisher: Chungwon Choue, President, World Taekwondo

Managing Editors: Hoss Rafaty, Secretary General

Eil-chul Kim, Executive Deputy Secretary General

Editor-in Chief: Seok-jae Kang, Senior Consultant, WT Taekwondo Cares Program

Writers/Editors: Andrew Salmon, Jerry Ling, Romee Giri

Contributing Photographers / Denis Sekretev, Emmanuel Hammond, Seuk-je Lee, Jin-ho Lee

Designed and Produced by / DN (www.d-n.kr | d-n@daum.net)

Seoul Headquarters Lausanne International Headquarters

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Tel: (82-2) 566-2505 / 557-5446

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Homepage: www.worldtaekwondo.org

Avenue de Rhodanie 54, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland

Tel: (41-21) 601-5013

Fax: (41-21) 601-5983

E-mail: lausanne@worldtaekwondo.org