Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of World Taekwondo - Taekwondo: Social Responsibility

A Combat Sport that is a Path to Peace

Dear World Taekwondo Family,

You have before you Book 1 of our two-book 50th anniversary publication. While the second volume focuses on the elite-level sport of Taekwondo, this volume features our efforts on the humanitarian front.

Those efforts are multiple for Taekwondo is more than a sport. As a sport, it can be practiced by anyone, anywhere. It is a democratic and economical activity as Taekwondo, in its basic form, requires no bats or balls, no courts or pools. As a form of physical education, it promotes multiple benefits: flexibility, agility, speed, power, grace and courage.

But with its root in martial arts, Taekwondo also instills positive mental values: respect, courtesy, self-control and indomitable spirit. Its promotion of self-defense instills self-confidence, while its constant striving for excellence instills self-worth. Hence, the paradox of Taekwondo: A way of fighting is a path to peace . This paradox is leveraged in our humanitarian endeavors.

Our affiliated charity, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) is using Taekwondo to empower the powerless – primarily, refugees and dispossessed persons - across the world. The THF is opening local chapters in countries and territories, and coo perating with other Olympic federations to bring the benefits of other sports to THF Taekwondo practitioners in THF camps and programs.

Taekwondo Cares offers a range of programs, including granting disadvantaged member national associations assistance with Taekwondo equipment, training and education.

Taekwondo, which originated in Korea, is even being used as a tool for diplomacy. It has smashed frozen frontiers and united sportsmen from both Koreas, including at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

In addition, many of our great member national associations have conducted humanitarian programs of their own.

All of the above, and more, is detailed in this book, proving that Taekwondo is not just a great sport, but also a vehicle for doing good in places that extend far beyond dojang and the stadium.

Yours in sport –

Chungwon Choue President, World Taekwondo

All about Taekwondo’s Humanitarian Initiatives

Doing the right thing, all around the world

Taekwondo Peace Corps

WT launched the Taekwondo Peace Corps (TPC) in 2008 to share the spirit of Taekwondo and to demonstrate that sport can contribute to promoting world peace and communication as well as to education and sustainable social development.

The TPC, under the theme of “World Peace through the Great Taekwondo Spirit,” was the first global peace movement to appear from the Taekwondo community.

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

Introduction

Taekwondo teaches the virtues of self-reflection, self-discipline, self-control, confidence, respect, patience, and balance of body and mind. These virtues help make people feel peaceful, synchronize their minds with the movements, and extend this harmony into life and society.

In the sense that Taekwondo ultimately pursues peace among humankind and harmony between humanity and nature, it shares its essence with the fundamental principles of the United Nations (U.N.) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

As Taekwondo is an effective educational tool for young people around the world, World Taekwondo (WT; formerly the World Taekwondo Federation, or WTF) has actively sought ways to share the value and philosophy of Taekwondo through goodwill activities. Starting in 2008, WT started to think in earnest about its social responsibility as an Olympic sport federation.

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

On the first TPC mission, seven teams were dispatched on July 5, 2008 for about one to two months to five countries - Russia, India, Pakistan, Paraguay, and China - in July and August 2008. Each team consisted of four people, mostly university students – three Taekwondo practitioners with at least 3rd Kukkiwon Dan (black belt), and one with proficient language skills.

The TPC was expanded into the World Taekwondo Peace Corps Foundation in 2009, which has so far dispatched over 2,500 volunteers to 123 countries on 24 occasions.

As part of efforts to further promote world peace, Choue strongly hopes the WT-initiated TPC program will be expanded into a new entity, tentatively named “Sport Peace Corps.” This would involve a range of Olympic sports promoted to developing nations and vulnerable populations in cooperation with the U.N. and the IOC.

Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation

To help refugees and displaced persons around the world, WT assisted in establishing the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in April 2016 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Choue, who heads both WT and the THF, officially announced his plan for the launch of the THF at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 21, 2015 on the U.N. International Day of Peace.

Under its mission “Empowering the Powerless,” the THF supports refugees and displaced persons worldwide by training them in the sport and martial art of Taekwondo. It provides them with necessary equipment, infrastructure and related educational programs teaching the values of Olympism, world peace and global citizenship.

The THF is now running Taekwondo programs at refugee camps in Jordan (Azraq Syrian Refugee Camp), Rwanda (Mahama and Kiziba camps), Turkiye (Elbeyli Refugee Camp), Switzerland (Lausanne), France (Paris and Saint-Denis), Eswatini (Malindza) and Mexico (Tijuana). In total, about 7,000 refugees have participated in THF programs.

The THF started a Taekwondo academy, called the Humanitarian Taekwondo Center, at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Amman, Jordan in April 2016. It remains the THF’s flagship project.

About 200 refugee children learn Taekwondo at the camp every week, which has produced about 70 black-belt holders.

A total of 10 international sport federations have signed a memorandum of understanding with WT and the THF to use the Humanitarian Taekwondo Center facility to teach their sports: wrestling, table tennis, badminton, judo, hockey, Muay Thai, baseball-softball, sambo, power boat, and basketball.

In the Mahama and Kiziba camps in Rwanda, the THF works with the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation and trains over 300 refugees every week. Some coaches are refugees themselves.

In Turkiye, the THF has partnered with the Turkish Taekwondo Federation since 2017 to teach refugee children Taekwondo at the Kilis camp. In September 2018, the Kilis camp was closed and the program restarted at the Elbeyli camp, which teaches about 2,000 refugees.

In August 2021, the THF started teaching about 20 refugees in Lausanne, Switzerland under the theme “Taekwondo for Inclusion.”

The THF started a refugee project in Paris, France in February 2022 together with the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) and the French Ministry of Sports. The project, which will run until the end of 2024 Paris Olympic Games, is expected to draw about 1,000 refugees.

The ORF, established in December 2017, is chaired by IOC President Thomas Bach and Choue is serving the foundation as a founding board member.

In February 2022, the THF and Next Generation Taekwondo, an academy based in Manzini, Eswatini launched a new project for about 80 refugees and displaced people at the Malindza refugee camp under the theme “Bringing Taekwondo to Refugees.”

WT Cares Program

WT started its in-house WT Cares Program in early 2016 to help fulfill its social responsibility as an international sport federation under the IOC.

The WT Cares Program is part of the development programs of the WT Member Relations & Development Department.

Under the mission of “Taekwondo for All and World Peace through Taekwondo,” the WT Cares Program reaches out to the disadvantaged, such as orphans, street children, reformatory inmates, alcohol and drug addicts, female household victims, etc.

WT carried out pilot Cares projects in earthquake-hit Nepal and at the Azraq Syrian Refugee Camp in Amman, Jordan in 2016.

WT then implemented its one-year Cares project in Rwanda in 2017 as part of the SBS Hope School program, which was resumed in 2019 for another one-year period. The SBS, which signed an agreement with WT, built schools as part of its corporate social responsibility program in Africa.

With financial support from the Asia Development Foundation (ADF), WT carried out its one-year Cares projects in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Cambodia in 2019. In 2019, the ADF donated USD90,000 to WT for the WT-ADF Cares projects, which increased to USD150,000 in 2020 and USD200,000 in 2021. The ADF donated WT USD150,000 in 2022.

In December 2020, WT started one-year Cares projects in Sri Lanka and Bhutan. In December 2021, WT began its Cares projects in Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Cambodia and Nepal. WT kicked off new WT-ADF Cares projects for Kyrgyzstan, Timor-Leste, and Mongolia in July 2022. In August 2022, a new WT-ADF Um Hong Gil Human School Cares project started near Pokhara, Nepal.

WT started a new one-year Cares project for Pakistan in May 2023, while continuing its Cares program for Sri Lanka in May 2023. WT wishes to further expand the WT Cares Program to other continents. WT is encouraging WT member national associations and continental unions to carry out Cares projects nationally and/or globally.

WT-ITF Taekwondo Demonstrations / ‘One World, One Sport Taekwondo’

Taekwondo has played a role in the promotion of peace on the Korean Peninsula, from where the sport originated.

The Seoul-based WT and the North Korea-led International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) performed joint demonstrations during the opening ceremony of the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia on May 12, 2015; and the opening and closing cer-

emonies of the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, Korea on June 24 and 30.

The joint demonstrations were made possible due to a protocol of accord, which was signed by the heads of WT and the ITF in Nanjing, China on Aug. 21, 2014 with the attendance of IOC President Thomas Bach.

The two organizations performed a joint WT-ITF demonstration shortly prior to the opening ceremony of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games on Feb. 9, 2018.

Under the slogan “One World, One Sport Taekwondo,” the two bodies then performed a joint demonstration in Pyongyang, North Korea on April 2, 2018. There was another joint WT-ITF demonstration in Pyongyang when the WT Demonstration Team visited the capital city of North Korea between Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 2018.

On May 30, 2018, the WT Demonstration Team performed in front of the Pope at the Vatican. The ITF Demonstration Team was supposed to join the demonstration, but failed to attend at the last moment.

Earlier, the WT Demonstration Team performed at the Vatican on Oct. 5, 2016. The Pope received an honorary Taekwondo black belt from WT President Choue at the Vatican on May 10, 2017.

On April 11, 2019, WT and the ITF joined hands to perform a joint demonstration at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland to mark the 25th anniversary of Taekwondo’s inclusion in the Olympic program, with the attendance of IOC President Bach.

At the ceremony, Bach said, “WT transformed a Korean martial art into one of the most popular sports in the world, and WT also has developed the men’s sport into a sport with gender equality.”

The IOC president continued to say, “WT opened a pathway to sport participation for refugees and provided motivation for the creation of Olympic refugee teams and the establishment of the Olympic Refuge Foundation.” He concluded by saying, “I wish to thank Taekwondo for demonstrating the power of sport in contributing to peace. I hope these two organizations will continue the collaboration they committed to in Nanjing, China in 2014, which witnessed.”

On April 12, 2019, WT and the ITF showcased the power of Taekwondo to promote peace during a joint demonstration at the United Nations Office in Geneva.

In 2021 the WT Demonstration Team competed in the preliminary and reached the final round of “America’s Got Talent” in September.

The WT’s slogan “Peace is More Precious than Triumph” was shown during the demonstration, winning the hearts of people worldwide.

‘Peace is More Precious than Triumph’

“Peace is More Precious than Triumph” is the slogan of WT. The slogan is from the title of a book by Young Seek Choue, an academic and the late father of WT President Choue.

When Korea was recovering from the devastating Korean War in the 1950s and 1960s, Choue Sr. prioritized education and peace as pillars to build a civilized world. He envisioned Korea as a global leader in these areas. For this reason, he created the Kyung Hee University System to promote world peace through education.

In 1975, he launched the Global Common Society, or GCS movement. GCS focuses on the development of individual ethical standards that collectively contribute to a civilized world. It is from such a humble beginning and vision that he ultimately created the global peace movement in 1981.

And it was through this global peace movement that Choue Sr. left behind a legacy that is still relevant to this day. In 1981, South Korea was not a member of the U.N. At that time, Choue Sr. was president of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP). During an IAUP meeting in San Jose, Costa Rica in July 1981, Choue Sr. proposed the founding of a UN International Day of Peace.

Costa Rica submitted the proposal on behalf of the IAUP to the 36th U.N. General Assembly in 1981. That same year, the U.N. accepted the proposal and recognized the third Tuesday of every September as the International Day of Peace, which later changed to Sept. 21. That was the beginning of the U.N. International Day of Peace, held on every Sept. 21.

Inspired by his father’s grand peace vision, Chungwon Choue has dedicated most of his efforts as president of WT to the realization of peace through the Olympic sport of Taekwondo.

WT Contribution to U.N. SDGs & Olympic Agenda 2020+5

WT is actively contributing to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 3 on good health and well-being, SDG 5 on gender equality, SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth, SDG 10 on reducing inequalities, SDG 11 on sustainable cities and communities, SDG 13 on climate action, and SDG 17 on partnerships for goals.

In accordance with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020+5, WT is closely cooperating with the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, the Olympic Refuge Foundation and other refugee-related international organizations.

For instance, Taekwondo was the first combat sport in the Olympic Games to allow the wearing of hijab under protective headgear at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. At the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Taekwondo was the only sport to send an equal number of male and female international referees.

In 2019, WT was one of the first international sports federations to sign the U.N. Sport for Climate Action framework, and was recognized by the IOC for taking concrete action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at WT’s World Championships.

Looking Back, Aiming Forward

Sport has a powerful role to play in addressing social issues and achieving global targets. Through Taekwondo, WT promotes values such as inclusiveness, respect, tolerance, courtesy, and integrity.

This is what “Peace is More Precious than Triumph” is all about. WT has evolved over the past decade, thus solidifying its status as an Olympic core sport. WT aims to become one of the most respected international sport federations by 2023, when it marks the 50th anniversary of its founding.

Taekwondo is the predecessor of the “Korean Wave,” or Hallyu - the global spread of Korean pop culture.

As Korea’s gift to the world, Taekwondo is a blessed sport that serves for the benefit of all mankind - “Hongik Ingan” in Korean. Within the space of half a century, Taekwondo has been promoted as a peace-loving, non-violent martial sport, which is greatly beloved by people all around the world.

Empowering the Powerless

TAEKWONDO HUMANITARIAN FOUNDATION

Gives refugees and displaced persons the chance to be global citizens

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) was created by World Taekwondo (WT) in 2016. The THF aims to empower refugees and displaced persons through the sport of Taekwondo in order that THF participants become good global citizens. The UNHCR and the Olympic Refuge Foundation are close partners of the THF.

At the grass-roots level, the THF is present on four continents: Asia, Africa, Europe and Pan America, and since its creation, over 14,000 refugees have attended THF trainings all around the globe. The foundation has developed its own educational methodology for THF coaches emphasizing on child protection and psychosocial effects such as leadership skills, well-being, social inclusion, and gender equality.

The THF tries to hire when it is possible refugees for project implementation. The THF offers some training possibilities in order that refugees can become coaches, or depending on their experience, a different paid role can be offered to them. The THF has hired eight refugees; in total, 18 persons are currently working for the foundation.

At the elite level, the THF supports - with the partnership of WTthe best refugee athletes and 14 refugees are now IOC Refugee Scholarship holders. In the Paralympic Games of Tokyo 2020, a para

refugee athlete attended the Games. In the Summer Olympics of Tokyo 2020, the best-ranked refugee athlete in all sport was Kimia Alizadeh; she finished in 5th place.

On advocacy, the THF has signed a memorandum of understanding with 10 international sport federations aiming to encourage partnership between sport entities for the empowerment of refugees through sport. The THF also encourages other organizations to create their sport programs at the THF Humanitarian Taekwondo Center at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Amman, Jordan.

The foundation is financially independent from WT and since its creation, over USD900,000 in cash and over USD350,000 in kind have been raised for THF projects. More than 85 percent of the funds are allocated directly to THF projects. The THF also fully financed the construction of a sport space at the Azraq Camp, which is called the Humanitarian Taekwondo Center.

The THF aims to continue to be one of the world’s leading sport federations for refugees in the sport eco system. For this purpose, new projects will be created at the grass-roots level, and we hope that one of our refugee athletes wins an Olympic medal at Paris 2024.

Timeline 2015-2023

Sept. 21, 2015

Announcement of WT’s plan for THF establishment

March 2016

A cooperation agreement with UNHCR on THF projects implementation

April 2016

Establishment of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation in Lausanne, Switzerland

April 2017

THF debuts at Kiziba camp in Rwanda

Oct. 2017

Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation signs agreement to manage academy in Turkiye

April 1, 2018

Launching of new fully dedicated Taekwondo training facility at Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan

May 15, 2019

IOC President Bach visits Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation booth during World Championships in Manchester, U.K.

July 23, 2020

Taekwondo, Wrestling “Aspire 2gether for Peace” at Azraq Refugee Camp

Feb. 16, 2022

THF and Next Generation Taekwondo launch new project in Eswatini

March 15, 2022

THF presents activities to support young refugees in France as part of Terrains d’Avenir program

May 18, 2022

THF expands to Italy and signs a cooperation agreement

May 24, 2022

THF signs a cooperation agreement with THF Asia

Aug. 18, 2022

THF signs a cooperation agreement with THF PanAmerica

Sept. 3, 2022

THF signs various cooperation agreements during the Grand Prix de Paris, France

Feb. 17, 2023

THF, French Taekwondo team up to support refugee athletes

Feb. 25, 2023

1st THF Hope and Dreams Sport Festival welcomes Taekwondo and Baseball5 in Azraq

Empowering Lives: New Humanitarian Mission is ‘Good to Go’

In line with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020, and in response to the global refugee crisis, WT is creating a focused new charitable arm: The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation

WT Chief Announces Plan for New Humanitarian Body at U.N. HQs

Chungwon Choue presents the THF to the world

ity is the flood of desperate refugees flowing across international borders.

According to the latest figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are over 25 million refugees worldwide, and the figure goes up to about 85 million when those internally displaced inside their own nations and those seeking asylum are added. Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), via its Olympic Agenda 2020, urged international federations to conduct social responsibility programs.

It was against the backdrop of these developments that World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue began in 2015 considering what role Taekwondo could or should play. The result of his thinking and related discussions was the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), a body de-

placed persons. It is an issue that Choue himself feels strongly about, given his personal history.

“I consider myself not a Korean, but a citizen of the world. However - as a Korean passport holder - this initiative is close to my heart,” WT President Choue said. “I am old enough to remember the devastation of the 1950-1953 Korean War and the many nations that rallied to Korea’s aid in those dark years. Now, as a Korean who heads the global Taekwondo family, I can return that favor by giving something back.”

While Choue had experience in charitable work – he previously presided over the creation of the Taekwondo Peace Corps, which dispatches young Korean instructors on short-term teaching missions around the world – he was also advised by Saudi Arabia and UK-based Taekwondo master Usman

Dildar. His London-based schools had, on their own initiative, raised money and delivered humanitarian supplies to “The Jungle” refugee camp in Calais, France, and the Afghanistan-born Dildar had relevant life experiences.

“I spent time growing up in refugee camps in Afghanistan and so I know first-hand the levels of fear, anxiety and indeed boredom of having nothing to do each day,” he said. “I know that our sport has a values system that can help provide structure to refugees’ time in camps and hopefully give them a passion and a future beyond their time in the camps.

My real hope is that we make a long-term difference.”

The THF is designed to assist two groups of people: refugees – persons forced abroad for political reasons, such as war; and displaced persons – those who have lost their homes for other reasons, such as natural disasters, but remain in their own nations.

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon

Choue revealed to the world on Sept. 21, 2015 WT’s plan for a new humanitarian organization in a speech at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, the United States, before overseeing an event that was surely unique in the organization’s history.

In an address to about 700 U.N. officials and students, Choue first introduced the benefits Taekwondo delivers.

“It may seem paradoxical that an art of combat can be a way of peace - but it is!” Choue said. “Taekwondo is connecting people worldwide through a dynamic sport practiced worldwide. It exemplifies Olympic values – which are sporting values and global values.”

Noting that, for individuals, Taekwondo is a vehicle delivering physical fitness, self-defense and self-respect, he then revealed WT’s new humanitarian initiative, the Tae-

kwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF).

The foundation is designed to help WT discharge its humanitarian responsibilities and assist with one of the greatest problems of our day: the refugee crisis.

“The refugee crisis is one of the biggest issues the world faces right now and it is an issue we must face together,” Choue said. “As IOC President Thomas Bach said, sport and the Olympic movement should play a part in bringing humanitarian help to refugees.”

“Taekwondo may be the ideal sport for refugee camps. As a sport which requires minimal equipment, Taekwondo is ideally positioned to help as it is easily deployable and easily accessible to all,” Choue continued. “Taekwondo will bring hope and dreams to young people in refugee camps, keep them active and promote our global values.”

After his speech, Choue introduced the

WT Demonstration Team to the audience. Team members mastered the challenge of a very narrow space between audience seating and the rostrum to deliver a short but spectacular presentation. The audience responded enthusiastically as the WT Demonstration Team members led the U.N. through a short Taekwondo lesson – surely a first for the global body. The WT leader had delivered his address on the “U.N. International Day of Peace,” an event first proposed by his late father, academic Young Seek Choue in 1981. “My father passed away three years ago in 2012 and so it is really touching and emotional for me to be here to present the WT Demonstration Team to the U.N.,” Choue said.

Following their date at the U.N., the WT Demonstration Team had another appointment: A performance at the West Point Military Academy.

Jordan is First Destination for Humanitarian Program

The first pilot program is upgrading the lifestyles of Syrian refugees while granting valuable experience in preparation for full-scale, global operations in 2016

A bold new program to empower refugees by teaching them Taekwondo kicked off with a spectacular opening ceremony for a training academy in Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp on Dec. 1, 2015.

The launch marked the start of a pilot program designed to gain experience before World Taekwondo’s nascent Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), begins full-scale operations in 2016.

In Zaatari refugee camp, some 70kms northeast of the Jordanian capital Amman, 14 members of the elite WT Taekwondo Demonstration Team, who had flown in from Seoul, performed kicks, aerials, self-defense techniques and board breaks. Visiting WT President Chungwon Choue then declared the Zaatari camp “WT Taekwondo Academy” open.

“The opening of this academy will, I hope, help improve the quality of life of refugees in this camp,” said Choue. “I invite anyone in Zaatari who has an

interest in physical fitness, sport or self-defense – be they young or old, male or female – to avail themselves of this facility.”

Given that any humanitarian activity must be sustainable over the long-term, localization is key. For this reason the academy, which contains a Taekwondo training hall and classrooms, is manned by four local Jordanian instructors. WT Demonstration Team member Hong Shiyoung remained in Jordan for two months to train the four in coaching techniques.

The four, who were chosen from among 20 applicants, were to teach Taekwondo to Syrian refugees in both Zaatari, home to 79,000 refugees, and at the Azraq camp, home to 28,000.

“Taekwondo is the perfect sport for refugees, many of whom have little to do all day, as it requires minimal equipment and minimal facilities,” said Usman Dildar, an Afghanistan-born Taekwondo

coach based in Saudi Arabia who carried out the WT reconnaissance prior to the academy’s opening. “However, as a demanding exercise, an Olympic sport and a martial art, it delivers physical fitness, self-confidence, self-defense and self-belief.”

Choue subsequently met three members of the Jordanian royal family – Prince El Hassan bin Talal, Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein and Prince Rashid bin El Hussein – on Dec. 2 to discuss aligning the Taekwondo program with the current refugee-assistance programs of the Jordanian government.

“The global refugee crisis is one of the greatest challenges facing humanity, and the plight of child refugees, as I have personally witnessed, is heart-rending,” WT President Choue said. “As an Olympic federation, it is WT’s responsibility to be part of the solution, and the THF is our vehicle to do that.”

Syrian Refugee Camp in Turkiye is WT’s Second Humanitarian Mission

Turkiye is leveraging its strong infrastructure in Taekwondo to help refugees in Kilis

World Taekwondo (WT) announced the expansion of its humanitarian project to Kilis, Turkiye, as it aims to use Taekwondo to bring hope and dreams to people in refugee camps around the world. The decision was made after WT President Chungwon Choue visited the Oncupinar Accommodation Center in Kilis, situated near Turkiye’s border with Syria on Jan. 15, 2016. The WT leader made the visit with European Taekwondo Union President Athanasios Pragalos and Turkish Taekwondo Federation President Metin Sahin ahead of the European Qualification Tournament for Rio 2016 in Istanbul, Turkiye.

The Turkish Taekwondo Federation had been successfully operating a Taekwondo program in the camp for the past

two years. There were about 60 students learning Taekwondo, which not only keeps them physically active but teaches them respect, self-discipline and understanding.

After his visit to the camp, Choue said: “We are delighted to announce that WT will make this center a WT-run taekwondo academy.”

“The Turkish Taekwondo Federation has been doing a fantastic job with its Taekwondo program in Kilis and working with them we will ensure that it has all the materials and instructors required,” he continued. “We will continue to work hard and contribute to global sustainable development.”

During Choue’s visit, new Taekwondo uniforms and shoes were distributed to

young Syrian refugees aged between 10 and 14 who demonstrated the Taekwondo techniques they have learnt.

The Oncupinar Accommodation Center was established in March 2012 for 15,000 refugees. That number reached 25,000 with a second stage of the facility having been built.

WT initiated its first pilot project in Syrian refugee camps of Zaatari and Azraq in Jordan in December 2015.

After the Turkish project, WT turned its attention to Nepal in early 2016. The expansion of WT projects would continue; WT was considering refugee camps in Ghana, Ethiopia, Colombia and Greece as future locations for WT Taekwondo academies.

In Nepal, Warm Welcome and ‘Heartbreaking’ Devastation

A high-level WT delegation was warmly welcomed by national leaders but at ground-zero, the extent of the destruction wreaked by 2015’s earthquakes made clear the urgency of the mission

Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Established in Lausanne, Switzerland

Twelve-year-old Raja Khadka will never forget the day the earth shook.

“I was in the forest when I heard a sound that I thought was a helicopter – but there was no helicopter,” he said, recalling the murderous earthquake of April 2015. “I ran and ran. I found my father, but our home had been totally destroyed. There was a buffalo wandering in the ruins.”

It was with the aim of helping children like Raja – as well as their parents - that a high-powered World Taekwondo (WT) delegation, led by President Chungwon Choue, set off for Nepal on Jan. 29, 2016 for a seven-day fact-finding tour. Mission members included, Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) President Lee Kyu-seok, European Taekwondo Union (ETU) President Athanasios Pragalos, Oceania Taekwondo Union (OTU) President John Kotsifas, WT Advisor Choi Chang-shin and WT Lausanne Office Director General Roger Piarulli as well as WT staffers and the WT Demonstration Team.

WT already established pilot programs for Syrian refugees in Jordan and Turkiye. Nepal presented a different problem: People displaced and disempowered not by political strife, but by natural disaster. The fact-finding mission was designed to see how WT can help in such situations, assisting physical and psychological recovery by empowering survivors with Taekwondo. Nepal provided a benchmark for future programs in disaster zones elsewhere.

The delegation got straight down to business. Within hours

of touching down in Kathmandu, they were motorcaded to the official residence of Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli. There, the prime minister thanked the delegation for their visit, and discussed the country’s plans for an official national sport – Taekwondo was one candidate for the position, vying with cricket and volleyball. Choue briefed him on the WT mission.

Two days later, the mission embarked in vehicles for a threehour drive through scenic hills and valleys to the worst-hit area of the country: Sindhupalchwok district. What awaited the mission in the district town of Khadi Chaur, set in a valley overlooked by steep-sided mountains, was astounding.

The little town’s main street was lined with cheering schoolchildren attired in Taekwondo tracksuits. Traditional dancers and a band playing giant brass trumpets serenaded the delegation, while townspeople cheered from streets, shops - even rooftops. As delegation members proceeded through the packed crowd, their necks were draped in garlands - scarves and floral necklaces.

At the Shree Shikchha Higher Secondary School sports field, huge crowds waited as the WT officials and local and national VIPs mounted the dais.

In an impassioned welcoming speech, Nepalese Sports and Youth Minister Shatya Narayan Mandal reminded the crowd of the power of sport. “All around the world people know Messi even if they don’t know who the president of Argentina is,” he said, referring to the legendary footballer. “This shows that sport can be more powerful than politics.”

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Federation (THF) was officially established in Lausanne, Switzerland in April 2016 and held its first Board of Trustees Meeting in May 2016.

It shares office space with World Taekwondo (WT) in the Swiss city. At its first board meeting, the THF signed two cooperation agreements: one with WT and the other with Seoul-based charitable body, GCS International.

The THF was the brainchild of WT President Chungwon Choue in 2015, and was announced to the world in a speech at the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 21 that year. Its mission

was to teach Taekwondo – one of the world’s most economical, easily deployable sports – and related educational programs to refugees and displaced persons worldwide. Its operations were designed to be sustainable; aligned with the interests of related stakeholders; and fully transparent.

In cooperation with WT’s Taekwondo Cares Program, THF projects were already underway in Syrian refugee camps in Jordan and Turkiye, and among earthquake victims in Nepal.

“I am extremely excited that the THF is taking shape and starting operations,” said Chungwon Choue, who heads both

the THF and WT. “The THF will be a boon for refugees; will give WT the opportunity to carry out its social responsibility as an international federation; and will offer Taekwondo practitioners around the world the opportunity to do good as donors, as fund-raisers and as volunteers.”

One year later, on Jan. 24, 2017, the THF held another board meeting in Lausanne. The board approved MOUs with Burnaby City and the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation; a contract with the Huamin Charity Foundation; another contract with Human & Nature; and financial regulations.

Taekwondo Debuts at Kiziba Refugee Camp in Rwanda

Kiziba is the oldest refugee camp in Rwanda, and is home to more than 17,000 refugees, primarily from the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo

WT, THF to Support Taekwondo Programs for Refugees in Djibouti

North African nation next target for THF

Continuing its sustained efforts to bring the benefits of Taekwondo to refugees and displaced persons, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) started a new pilot project in Rwanda on March 30, 2017, with a first visit to Kiziba Refugee Camp, a camp established in 1996 and located about 15kms outside Kibuye town in Karongi district, in the western province of Rwanda.

The THF’s local operating partner, the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation (RTF), visited Kiziba camp and organized a demonstration event and workshop attended by hundreds of camp residents.

Kiziba is the oldest refugee camp in Rwanda, and is home to more than 17,000 refugees, primarily from the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. 77% of the refugee population living in Kiziba are women and children, and the camp hosts the largest population of protracted refugees in Rwanda.

Under the guidance of the UNHCR, the Kiziba Taekwondo Academy project aims at rendering a great service to the refugees living in the camp by allowing them to take part in playful physical activities and be exposed to the many benefits

and philosophy of Taekwondo and sports.

RTF Secretary General Placide Mugabo explained that “the refugees in Kiziba camp, especially the youth, were thrilled and showed eagerness to learn the sport.”

Another official camp visit was planned for the end of March 2017 to officially launch the Kiziba Taekwondo Academy from April on, with local Taekwondo coaches teaching daily training sessions in the camp for an initial duration of one year allowing the project to have a sustainable impact and give valuable feedback to the THF and its partners. This visit concurred with the WT Africa Para Taekwondo Open, taking place in Kigali on April 1-2, 2017.

The initiative was part of wider agenda between the THF, WT and the RTF to introduce and promote the sport in vulnerable communities, in addition to implementing humanitarian projects in refugee camps in Rwanda, following a memorandum of understanding between the three organizations signed in November 2016.

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue visited the Markazi Refugee Camp in Obock, Djibouti on May 12, 2017 on a reconnaissance to see how Taekwondo can assist the 1,500 Yemenese refugee residents there.

He was accompanied by Fardouza Moussa Egueh, president of the Djibouti Taekwondo Federation; Ahmed Ali Mohamed, vice president of the Regional Council of Obock; and Roger Piarulli, director general of WT on this visit to the camp.

“We are thankful to WT for its wonderful activities helping refugees,” said Abdul-Razack Ishak, UNHCR senior field assistant in Markazi. “The weather is getting hot here and it would be great if we could have indoor facilities where kids can learn and play sports.”

“I thank you all for your warm hospitality and I am committed to supporting young refugees in this camp, in close cooperation with the Djibouti Taekwondo Federation,” Choue said. “We will provide an indoor sport facility at this camp so that children here can take part in Taekwondo activities under comfortable conditions.”

Choue noted that Taekwondo was popular in Yemen and suggested that Yemenese talent produced in the camp should aim high and dream Olympic dreams. The global Taekwondo family has been working to empower refugees with Taekwondo since 2015. The main vehicle for this activity is the Lausanne-based Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation

(THF) and Choue doubles as president of both WT and the THF. In order to deliver effective and sustainable Taekwondo programs, three parties – the Djibouti National Olympic Committee represented by IOC Member and President of Djibouti National Olympic Committee Aicha Garad Ali; the Djibouti Taekwondo Federation, represented by President Fardouza Moussa Egueh; and WT-THF represented by Choue – signed an MOU committing them to empower young refugees in Djibouti.

After visiting the camp, Choue watched a demonstration performed by the members of the Djibouti Taekwondo Federation.

Choue said he was truly impressed by the passion of the Taekwondo practitioners, and promised to send instructors to Djibouti to further develop Taekwondo programs in the nation.

During his trip, Choue also paid a courtesy call on Hassan Mohamed Kamil, Secretary of State for Youth and Sports, to discuss the development plans of Taekwondo in Djibouti.

Kamil asked for cooperation from WT in ensuring access to women and less-privileged people, and to send qualified instructors to Djibouti. Choue committed to continued and sustainable supportive programs, and also proposed that Taekwondo be adopted in elementary school programs, given the educational value of Taekwondo for the young.

Dedicated Taekwondo Facility Opens at Azraq Refugee Camp in

Jordan

more than 32,000 refugees, victims of the Syrian civil war, of whom a great proportion are children. The center trains children from the camp in Taekwondo, providing them with physical fitness, sport, self defense, self- confidence and self belief.

The newly constructed, dedicated facility allows the academy to host more students and provide a better training experience with more classes and more diversified activities. Students are able to practice in comfort and safety.

The facility includes a classroom, which allows the THF to implement its education program that teaches Olympic values and the universal values of world citizenship.

“It was with great pride and humility that was able to open the new Taekwondo facility at the Azraq Taekwondo Academy,” said THF Chairman Chungwon Choue.

“The academy has been a great success and has already produced three black belts, but we knew there was even more that we could do to maximize opportunities for these young people,” he added.

Choue thanked Chairman Lu Dezhi of China’s Huamin Charity Foundation and Fujairah Crown Prince Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi Fujaira for their generous donations to the THF, which enabled the Azraq facility and other THF projects, and also to Taishan Sports Industry Group Co., Ltd. Chairman Zhiliang Bian who provided the new artificial grass lawn outside the gym.

The THF and WT recently signed agreements with the international federations representing badminton, table tennis and wrestling to include these sports alongside Taekwondo. All, like Taekwondo, are economical and easy to deploy.

Noting that its activities in Azraq are the flagship THF projects worldwide, Choue stated that the new facility “will provide a benchmark for future THF projects around the world.”

This means Azraq will be used as a model for THF academies across the world – in Rwanda in Djibouti and elsewhere.

A new, bespoke Azraq Humanitarian Taekwondo training facility was officially inaugurated on April 1, 2018 by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and World Taekwondo (WT), just short of two years after the launch of the foundation’s first pilot project in the camp.

President of the Jordan Taekwondo Federation Prince Rashid Bin El Hassan attended the event, along with representatives from other Jordanian organizations, includ-

ing the vice president of the Jordan Olympic Committee and the Amman mayor’s office.

Representatives of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, relief agency CARE Jordan and other officials of the foundation who travelled specially from overseas were also present. WT VIPs attending included Vice President Choi Ji-ho, Council members Hazem Naimat and Anatoly Terekhov and Marketing Chair Milan Kwee.

The Azraq Humanitarian Taekwondo Cen-

ter began operations on April 27, 2016, as one of the first projects set up in a refugee camp by the THF and WT.

At the end of 2017, the THF and WT took the decision to construct a dedicated Taekwondo training facility in Azraq. This purpose-built facility would make a difference to the quality of lives of hundreds of children.

The camp is located 90kms from the Jordanian-Syrian border and currently hosts

Jordanian Federation, THF Cooperate in Azraq Camp

Grass Getting Greener at Azraq Taekwondo Academy

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and the Jordanian Taekwondo Federation (JTF) signed a contract of mandate on Feb. 28, 2018 to cooperate in the management of the THF’s flagship project, the Azraq Taekwondo Academy in Jordan. A refugee camp was created in 2014 near the town of Azraq, Jordan, to accommodate incoming refugees from Syria’s ongoing civil war.

The camp now hosts more than 32,000 residents, many of them children.

The THF began to operate a Taekwondo academy for the children and youth of the camp in April 2016.

The cooperation contract between the THF and the JTF took effect in April, since when the JTF has been supporting THF projects by becoming its local focal point of coordination.

With the construction of a new Taekwondo facility, the academy is being expanded in terms of activities and training. The national federation’s help in coordinating this growth is expected to be instrumental.

Through this agreement, the two organizations have made a strong commitment to collaborate in promoting Taekwondo as a powerful tool for peace and social development as well as of social integration, a point of view strongly advocated by their mother organization, World Taekwondo (WT), which has also supported the project since its launch in early 2016.

The Azraq Taekwondo Academy was jointly launched by WT and the THF as a first pilot project that delivered valuable lessons before the development of other project locations in Rwanda, Turkiye, Nepal and elsewhere.

The sand and rocks outside the Azraq Taekwondo Academy have been replaced by a splash of green - a lawn of artificial grass.

The turf was gifted by THF supporter Shandong Taishan Sports Equipment Co., Ltd. The company also donated Taekwondo mats for the newly built academy that was inaugurated at the beginning of April 2018.

The mats have been in use ever since the new facility opened, welcoming an average of 200 participants on a weekly basis.

The installation of the artificial grass was finalized within the perimeter of the academy’s land in Azraq Camp with the help of THF board member Richard Barnor.

Thanks to the artificial grass, the THF will be able to expand its activities for refugee children and youth in Azraq, particularly now that additional sport organizations, including badminton, are joining the THF’s efforts to assist refugees.

The ultimate objective is to align with international sports federations that have a similar humanitarian vision, and eventually facilitate the growth of the academy as a multi-sports facility.

Localization Means Sustainability: Coach Asif Sabah of THF Azraq Academy

“My main motivation is simply giving these children something that will give them the chance to see something that will bring them back some of the hope they’ve lost,” said Coach Asif Sabah of his unique group of students on Jan. 4, 2018. “Sport can make their life better; it can refine their personalities, and give them something to hang on to.”

His students are Syrian refugees, many of who have suffered traumatic experiences, but Sabah offers them a life-enhancing skill. He is the local Taekwondo coach at the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Academy in Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan.

Born in Zaraq, Jordan in 1969, Sabah took up the sport at the age of 19 and started teaching it in 2002. He has also become a qualified Taekwondo first-level referee and possesses vast knowledge of techniques and rules.

Before working with the THF, Sabah managed his own Taekwondo training center in the village of Azraq, near the camp. It was there that he took in a couple of Syrian refugees who wanted to participate in training sessions. Seeing the impact Taekwondo had on these individuals filled him with joy, and is the main reason he joined the THF’s cause.

In order to ensure that its programs are sustainable, the THF focuses on localization - so hired Sabah. He has been coaching at the Azraq Academy since it opened in April 2016.

Still, he recognizes the challenges of both the students and their environment.

“These kids have been through a lot, and dealing with them isn’t always smooth and easy,” he admitted. However, Sabah finds his work extremely rewarding. “I am really touched by how fast their psychology, and their emotional state can change.” he said.

Over time, Sabah has gained their trust and built strong relationships with his students.

“It’s a relationship based on love and respect, it’s much bigger than a coach with his students, I’m very fortunate that they look up to me,” Sabah said. “On the other hand, I am learning a lot from them every day.”

A strong believer in the values of discipline, respect, order and responsibility of action, he conveys these values in every training session.

As a result, Sabah believes strongly that the sport will be of great benefit to the refugees over the long term.

“Taekwondo will raise and improve the self-confidence of these children, directing their attention toward something useful and benefitting them in many ways,” he explained.

Sabah hopes to continue working with refugees well into the future, providing them with long-term benefits and opportunities: “I hope that one day I can help my students gain Taekwondo professionalism and grant them the opportunity to travel and participate at Taekwondo championships all around the world,” he said.

The artificial grass outside the Azraq Taekwondo Academy, and the training mats within, were gifted by Shandong Taishan Sports Equipment Co., Ltd.

Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Chairman Chungwon Choue expressed his gratitude to the company and to Chairman Zhiliang Bian for their support of the THF.

“Thanks to the donation from Shandong Taishan, the children have a new surface to practice on, while the camp itself gets a soft surface and a splash of color,” Choue said.

Chinese Charity Pledges Donation to Set up Refugee Taekwondo Academies

China’s Huamin Charity Foundation committed to donate USD600,000 on Dec. 5, 2016 to the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and World Taekwondo (WT) to establish Taekwondo academies for refugee children.

The money was for establishing purpose-built Taekwondo facilities over the next three years. The three academies are to be run by WT and its associated charity initiative, the Switzerland-based THF.

Dezhi Lu, chairman of the Beijing-based Huamin Charity Foundation, flew to Seoul to sign the donation contract at the WT headquarters with WT and THF head Chungwon Choue, on Dec. 4, 2016.

On Dec. 5, Lu delivered a special lecture at Kyung Hee University's Suwon campus under the title “Donation Culture and Global Coexistence Strategy in the 21st Century.”

Lu expressed his pleasure at cooperating with Choue in the charity activities

of the THF, saying that his first visit to Korea will be a good memory. He promised that the Huamin Charity Foundation will continue to cooperate, based on China’s principle of strategic coexistence.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude to Chairman Lu, a true philanthropist,” said Choue, who had earler met Lu at the China Charity Fair 2016. “His donation will be well spent, helping empower some of the most powerless people on earth: refugee children.”

The THF, which was established by Choue in April 2016, has the mission of empowering refugee children by teaching them the sport and martial art of Taekwondo.

As one of the most economical and easily deployed sports on earth – one that requires virtually no equipmentTaekwondo is ideal for refugees, who often have little or nothing to do all day.

“Taekwondo teaches physical fitness, self-defense, self-confidence and self-belief, and is a gift that, once given, cannot be taken away: It can be

practiced by anyone at any time and any place,” said Choue.

“Alongside Taekwondo, we also teach classes on Olympism and global citizenship using a bespoke ‘edutainment’ syllabus designed for us by academics at Belgium’s Leuven University.”

WT and the THF are already operating a Taekwondo academy in a CARE facility in Azraq Camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

The Huamin funds will be used to build a purpose-built Taekwondo academy in Jordan.

Following that, another facility will be built in Rwanda, followed by one more in a location that is, as yet, undecided.

“These academies are specifically designed for Taekwondo, but our aim is to align with other relevant stakeholders in refugee relief,” said Choue. “If other sport organizations or NGOs need a physical facility in camps, once these Taekwondo academies are built, we may be in a position to assist them."

Shandong Taishan Paints Azraq Green

Crown Prince of Fujairah Donates for Taekwondo Programs to Empower Refugees

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, the Crown Prince of Fujairah, has committed to donating to the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF).

The Crown Prince of Fujairah announced during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Fujairah Open in Sheikh Zayed Sport City on Feb. 6, 2022 that he would be donating USD100,000 to the THF to help empower refugees worldwide.

This marked the third time the Crown Prince had made a generous donation following donations in 2017 and 2020. He previously spoke of the refugee crisis as being one of the greatest facing humanity and offered his full support to the THF.

At the opening ceremony of the 5th Fujairah Open Taekwondo Championships on Feb. 23, 2017, the Crown Prince also donated USD100,000 to Taekwondo charity programs for refugees.

THF Chairman and World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue said: “We are very grateful for His Highness’ generosity and continued commitment to supporting the THF in the vital work it conducts around the world. The money he has donated will make a real difference in the lives of so many refugees who participate in THF programs.”

He continued to say, “We would also like to congratulate His Highness on the success of the Fujairah Open and the ongoing development of Taekwondo in the UAE.”

“I want to offer my deepest thanks to His Highness both for his tireless support of Taekwondo in the UAE, and most especially, for this unexpected and extremely generous donation,” said Choue. “This money will be transparently used to create long-term, sustainable programs for the benefit of refugee children worldwide.”

“The growth of refugee numbers globally is one of the greatest crises facing humanity today,” said the Crown Prince of Fujairah. “I make this donation because Taekwondo is an economical, easy-to-deploy tool that delivers self-discipline, self-defense and self-confidence to refugees, so effectively upgrading their lifestyles.”

WT President Invites IFs to Join Hands with THF on Humanitarian Action

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue has called on International Federations (IFs) to join the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in empowering refugees through sport.

President Choue, who is also the THF chairman, was invited by ASOIF to speak at the ASOIF General Assembly in Bangkok on April 17, 2018 to provide attending IFs with an update on the foundation’s activities.

Officially established in April 2016, the THF has active projects in refugee camps in Jordan, Turkiye, Djibouti, Rwanda, France, etc. It has also opened a purpose-built Taekwondo academy at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan. The THF deploys coaches and Taekwondo equipment to refugee camps to teach young people Taekwondo and use the sport as a vehicle for encouraging healthier living, understanding and peace.

Choue explained to the ASOIF General Assembly that the “THF is looking to work with all stakeholders to ensure its projects are

as meaningful as possible and would welcome the opportunity to partner with other IFs.”

President Choue said: “We face a grave global crisis. There are over 22.5 million refugees worldwide; half of them are women and children. The solution to this crisis can only be found through collaboration, which is why we invite all IFs to collaborate with the THF and help us to empower the powerless.”

He continued: “The THF is now operating in six countries around the world and over the last two years we have seen firsthand what a positive impact sport can have on young people’s lives. These young people are in desperate need of support and through Taekwondo and sport we can provide them with so much joy and happiness and key skills for future life.” “We would like to offer a broader spectrum of Olympic sports and so we would be delighted to partner with other IFs and work together to provide refugee children with a greater variety of sports activities. Peace is More Precious than Triumph, and by working together we can help make sure that peace triumphs.”

The power of Taekwondo to promote peace and understanding was demonstrated at the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games in February when WT and the North Korean-led International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) performed a joint demonstration just prior to the opening ceremony.

THF, WT, World Wrestling Join Hands in Teaching Refugees

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), World Taekwondo (WT) and United World Wrestling (UWW) signed a memorandum of understanding to promote humanitarianism, peace and development-supporting activities.

THF Chairman and WT President Chungwon Choue and UWW President Nenad Lalović signed the agreement on Oct. 22, 2018 during the World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The agreement allows for full cooperation and information exchange between the three organizations. They aim to commit to developing close cooperation in the areas of promoting sport as a powerful vehicle toward peace, social development and integration of vulnerable populations, uniting forces in offering sport for development and peace activities, in particular at the THF’s existing Azraq Taekwondo Academy at Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan and potentially other locations worldwide, and exchange and sharing of expertise, know-how, information and populations.

“At World Taekwondo, our motto is: ‘Peace is more precious than Triumph’ and this landmark agreement reflects our commitment to that

ideal and is another key step forward in contributing to a more peaceful future through sport,” Choue said. “We have always been clear that we are open to working with other international federations to ensure we can help as many people in need as possible. We are greatly looking forward to working with the UWW to learn from them and to share our experience and expertise. Through our collaboration, we will be able to make a real difference to the lives of those that need it most.”

UWW President and IOC Executive Board member Nenad Lalović said: “We have followed the development of this humanitarian fund and have seen what it can achieve and look forward to joining World Taekwondo’s effort to diversify athletic opportunities in the camps.”

International Table Tennis Federation to Work with WT, THF to Assist Refugees

World Taekwondo (WT), the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) signed a memorandum of understanding on Nov. 28, 2018 to promote humanitarianism and peace and development activities.

The agreement was signed by WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue and ITTF President Thomas Weikert in the presence of IOC President Thomas Bach on the sidelines of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly in Tokyo, Japan.

Badminton Joins Taekwondo in Humanitarian Mission

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), World Taekwondo (WT) and the Badminton World Federation (BWF) signed a landmark memorandum of understanding to promote humanitarianism, peace and development-supporting activities.

THF Chairman and WT President Chungwon Choue, BWF President Poul-Erik Høyer and THF Executive Director Roger Piarulli met at the Maison du Sport International in Lausanne, Switzerland on Jan. 14, 2019, to sign the collaborative agreement.

Hockey and Taekwondo Offer Sport, Hope to Refugees

World Taekwondo (WT), the Humanitarian Federation (THF), the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the Hockey Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding focused on the promotion of humanitarian and peace-building initiatives. The agreement was signed on June 23, 2019 by WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue and FIH President Narinder Dhruv Batra.

WT, THF Get to Grips with International Judo Federation

World Taekwondo (WT) and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and the International Judo Federation (IJF) signed a memorandum of understanding on May 15, 2019 to promote humanitarian, peace and development activities.

The agreement was signed by WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue and IJF President Marius L. Vizer on the sidelines of the Manchester 2019 World Taekwondo Championships.

WT, THF Ally with World Baseball Softball

World Taekwondo (WT), the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) signed a memorandum of understanding on March 6, 2020 to promote humanitarian, social inclusion, peace and development-supporting activities. The signing ceremony took place at the WT Lausanne Office and was hosted by WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue, who was joined by WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari.

WT, THF and Muaythai to Empower Refugees, Migrants

World Taekwondo (WT), the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and the International Federation of Muaythai Association (IFMA) signed a memorandum of understanding committing the three partners to cooperate in the promotion of humanitarian and peace-building initiatives.

The agreement was inked on July 27, 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand by WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue and IFMA President Sakchye Tapsuan during the IFMA General Assembly.

Taekwondo Joins Hands with Sambo

World Taekwondo (WT) and its charity affiliate the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) signed a memorandum of understanding on Aug. 30, 2019 with the International Sambo Federation (FIAS) to advance youth inclusion in sport and related events globally.

The agreement was signed by WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue and FIAS President Vasily Shestakov in Chungju, Korea on the sidelines of the Chungju 2019 World Martial Arts Masterships.

Union Internationale Motonautique to Work Alongside WT, THF

World Taekwondo (WT), the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), which oversees powerboat racing, signed a memorandum of understanding on May 6, 2020 to promote humanitarian peace and development initiatives in sport. The signing was conducted online by WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue and UIM President Raffaele Chiulli.

WT, THF Sign MOU with FIBA Foundation

World Taekwondo (WT) and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) signed a memorandum of understanding on Nov. 28, 2022 with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Foundation to empower refugees and displaced persons through the practice of basketball and Taekwondo.

The MOU was signed in a ceremony at the WT office in Lausanne, Switzerland, with the attendance of FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis and WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue.

THF Joins Hands with Turkish Taekwondo Federation to Support Kilis, Elbeyli Refugee Camps

THF Starts Program for Refugees in Lausanne, Switzerland

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) signed a contract of mandate with the Turkish Taekwondo Federation (TTF) on Oct. 21, 2017 on partnering in the operation of a Taekwondo academy in Kilis refugee camp to the benefits of Syrian refugees.

The Kilis refugee camp was established in 2012 in the town of Kilis located near Turkiye’s border with Syria to accommodate victims of Syria’s civil war.

In 2014, the Turkish Taekwondo Federation began operating a Taekwondo academy in the camp. There were over 600 Syrian refugee

children attending Taekwondo classes.

With the signing of the contract, the THF took on the management of the academy, becoming the project owner, with the TTF acting as an operational partner.

Under the pact, the two entities agreed to promote Taekwondo as a powerful vehicle toward peace, social development and integration of vulnerable populations, notably refugees, in a manner that is respectful of the Olympic values, through the organization of Taekwondo classes and of related educational activities.

With the capacity of the academy estimated to expand to 1,200 students, the Kilis project became the THF’s biggest project.

As the Kilis camp was closed in 2018, the THF moved its project to Elbeyli by joining hands with the TTF in the running of the Taekwondo academy.

Just 100kms north of the Syrian town of Alepp, over the Turkish border, the Elbeyli refugee camp was built for refugees who have fled the Syrian civil war. Its population is over 16,000 refugees.

At the Elbeyli camp, two Taekwondo coaches are teaching about 1,400 Syrian refugee children through 18 training sessions per week.

The THF’s goal is to use Taekwondo as a tool to help Syrian refugees at the Elbeyli camp to live alongside with Turkish citizens by practicing a sport that will promote integration and improve their life skills. The THF program is compulsory for the children in the Elbeyli camps.

Among the THF’s main obligations were financial support of Taekwondo instructors and provision of Taekwondo equipment for the refugees taking part in the project, along with the implementation of its curriculum and guidelines in the academy by introducing them and explaining them to the coaches. Finally, the THF had to conduct monitoring and evaluation practices to assess the project’s outcomes, impact, and performance.

It was the third Taekwondo academy project of the THF at a refugee camp, with other academies operating in Azraq refugee camp in Amman, Jordan and the Kiziba refugee camp in Rwanda.

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) kicked off a program in August 2021 to help address refugees and persons seeking asylum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In partnership with the Canton de Vaud, the THF project aims to integrate refugees, mainly orphans, in Swiss society by becoming a member of a Taekwondo club.

The project is also supported by the EVAM (Etablissement Vaudois d’Accueil des Migrants) and the BCI (Bureau Cantonal Pour I’Integration des Etrangers et la Prevention du Racisme).

About 20 refugees are benefitting the THF program. One Taekwondo coach is teaching them the sport, two training sessions per week.

Through the project, the refugees can also improve their French language skills, but also learn the societal norms of Switzerland.

Taekwondo Accelerates Refugee Inclusion in

France

Taekwondo is serving as a boost for the social inclusion of young refugees or displaced persons in the Île-de-France, the region surrounding the French capital, Paris.

On Jan.12, 2022, the French Minister for Sport Roxana Maracineanu took part in a working group for the “Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Project” led by the French Federation of Taekwondo and Associated Disciplines (FFTDA) in partnership with the THF.

Alongside a high-level sportswoman at INSEP, the National Insittue for Sport, five refugees, immigrants and former asylum seekers were chosen to lead a project as social workers, sports workers, communication and research officers in the Centres d’Accueil de Demandeurs d’Asile (CADA), which process those seeking assylum in France. The five have been using Taekwondo, sometimes for several years, as a tool for social integration and citizenship.

At INSEP, in the presence of Maracineanu, the THF and the project’s partner organizations - Club Hanok, Jess Van Thuyne Gentilly, the Taekwondo League of Île-de-France and the Francophone Mental Training Association - signed agreements to cover the future work contracts of the five. The originality of the program is its focus on inclusion through the practice of Taekwondo.

Morever, those supervising the uprooted young people in the CADA are people who have experienced the same situations. As such, they are able to offer realistic advice

and prospects for social and professional integration.

After the first initiation, which will help restore confidence and self-esteem, the beneficiaries of the programassylum seekers or refugees in Île-de-France - will begin a 12-session learning cycle.

The cycle will offer opportunities for socialization, including learning the French language. The final stage of the project will involve their inclusion in a partner club. After passing their first grade, they will be able to join the partner structure free of charge. Membership will then be paid for in full within the framework of the project. Their immersion in the club will promote social links with other members, lead them to learn and take on the rules of society, and ensure the continuity of their integration within France.

Under this concept, the THF, in partnership with the FFTDA, joined a consortium of six partners in Sept. 2021, including the NGOs Play International, Kabubu, Futbol Mas, Ovale Citoyen and Emmaüs Solidarité. They were selected in the framework of a call for projects by the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) and the Ministry of Sports, in order to design a unique program to support displaced persons or refugees in the Île-de-France region through sport.

This project is mainly financed by the Ministry of Sports through a 1 million euro grant to the ORF, which was created by the International Olympic Committee.

Activities

Refugees

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in collaboration with the French Taekwondo Federation (FFTDA) announced on March 15, 2022 its sport for protection program will partner with the “Terrains d’Avenir” initiative to support young refugees in France through Taekwondo.

The program was presented by THF Chairman Chungwon Choue to the French Sports Minister Roxana Maracineanu and representative of the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) during a THF training session in Gentilly, France.

The program was designed to empower girls through Taekwondo and promote gender equity, child protection and social inclusion. Participants in the program will learn self-defence as well as discipline, understanding and respect through a mixture of Poomsae and Kyorugi techniques. They will also learn Taekwondo and Olympic values and improve their French with the aim of becoming global citizens. Furthermore, the program will raise awareness around the issues of child safeguarding and women’s rights.

The program will be implemented and managed by six refugees and displaced persons living in the Île-de-France region undertaking coaching, communications, data reporting and project coordination. The THF strongly believes that refugees and displaced persons are

the best qualified persons to encourage other refugees to practise Taekwondo and to successfully implement the program.

“The THF is very proud to be involved in ‘Terrains d’Avenir’ and to expand the support we currently provide refugees and displaced persons around the world,” said THF Chairman Choue. “It was my pleasure to present to the French Sports Minister and the ORF how we will implement Taekwondo activities as part of this wonderful project.”

Choue added that the THF would be the perfect partner for Terrains d’Avenir. “We have seen throughout our work that Taekwondo is the ideal tool to empower refugees, promote social inclusion and instil skills which will serve them for years to come.”

Terrains d’Avenir (”Land of the Future’’) is co-financed by the ORF and the French Sports Ministry. The THF is one of a six partners which is responsible for organizing and implementing programs which promote inclusion and help create a sense of belonging among refugees and their host communities.

The city of Paris, the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF), the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee and the UNHCR are also supporting this initiative. More than 12,000 people will benefit directly or indirectly from the programs which run through to Paris 2024. It is open to any displaced young person in the region with a particular focus on people between the ages of 10 and 24.

THF Presents

to Support Young

in France as Part of “Terrains d’Avenir”

THF Opens New Taekwondo School for Refugees in Niger

the Diffa region as of June 2018.

The THF’s Diffa project intends to help refugees and IDPs of the region by addressing psychosocial issues caused by the traumatic events they have been through, offering them a fun yet effective and holistic sport and martial art.

Taekwondo training helps children and youth by fostering physical and mental wellbeing along with social interaction, while also giving the students a framework of personal discipline and ethics in an environment where they can feel safe. By doing so it is the project leaders’ intention to help all participants find a way to metabolize and transcend their precarious situation, helping them regain part of their childhood and finding hope for a better future.

In Diffa, nearly 60 percent of refugees and displaced persons are aged 17 or under. In displaced situations, formal education is often very limited and sometimes unavailable.

Through Taekwondo, the THF aims to address this issue by providing children and youth with important universal values such as team work, fair play, integrity, discipline, and respect. The THF’s education program further focuses on world peace, sustainability and good global citizenship.

In a continuation of its mission to share the benefits of Taekwondo and its philosophy to empower refugees and displaced persons, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) celebrated the launch of its project in the Diffa region of Niger, where operations officially started in early September 2018.

The project is the fruit of a collaboration between the foundation and the Niger National Olympic Committee (COSN), with the generous support of COSN President Issaka Ide, along with the involvement of local Taekwondo Olympian Issoufou Alfaga, silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He is also the 2017 World Taekwondo champion, and UNICEF ambassador for Niger.

Diffa, located in the extreme south-east of Niger, and its neighboring region of Northern Nigeria, have been severely affected by conflict and terrorist attacks in recent years, leading to a high number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and Nigerian refugees.

According to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there were more than 118,000 Nigerian refugees and 104,000 IDPs in

In addition, approximately 53 percent of children and youth living in Diffa are girls, who face additional barriers to access basic learning opportunities. Taekwondo can provide them with an important educational base and an increased self-confidence allowing them to discover their full potential.

A series of demonstrations is set to be organized in various schools at the start of the academic year in October to encourage children and youth to participate in the program and promoting Taekwondo to girls.

According to local THF coach Amadou Oumarou, “Children are very interested in the sport, especially those under the age of 15.”

The Diffa project is the foundation’s third project in Africa, with academies already running in Rwanda and Djibouti.

It demonstrates the THF’s commitment to continue to provide life-changing opportunities to severely vulnerable populations in multiple regions of the African continent.

The initiative is aligned with World Taekwondo’s, the THF’s and the Niger National Olympic Committee’s common agenda to further support the learning opportunities of children and youth in vulnerable situations, and to encourage their understanding of world peace, the values of Olympism and good global citizenship.

THF Moves Onward, Upward in Eswatini

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) participated with the Eswatini Taekwondo Federation (ETF) in the running of a Taekwondo competition in Eswatini on July 1-3, 2022.

What made the competition unique was the participation of a large population of THF refugee children and athletes from the Malindza Refugee Center.

As the second tournament of its kind organized by the ETF, it also welcomed athletes from nations around the African region, including South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Angola.

A letter from THF Chairman Chungwon Choue to Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture Madze Harris Bulunga affirmed the THF’s commitment to the empowerment of refugees. Choue also expressed his hope that the THF and the sports ministry of Eswatini can cooperate in empowering refugees and

bringing hope to displaced persons through Taekwondo in his country.

As further assurance of the body’s commitment, THF representative and board member Richard Barnor was in attendance.

Barnor was a guest of Bulunga and several of his cabinet members, and took the opportunity of briefing them on the THF’s global mission.

ETF Secretary Sizwe “Mshengu” Mabuza spoke at length about his federation’s activities, training refugee children in camps with special programs. Barnor appealed to Bulunga for his government’s support, both financial and otherwise, for the federation’s activities with refugee children.

The minister assured Barnor that, in light of what the THF is already doing in his country with young refugees, he would certainly give it serious consideration going forward.

WT President Attends Inaugural Board Meeting of Olympic Refuge Foundation

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue attended on Dec. 8, 2017 the inaugural board meeting of the newly created Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) – an initiative of the IOC to support creating accessible and sustainable sports facilities within disadvantaged communities and initiate sport-related programs directed at children, young people and vulnerable populations around the world.

The meeting took place at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland and was chaired by IOC President Thomas Bach, chair of the Foundation Board, with U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, serving as vice chair. President Choue joined fellow Board members, Zaiqing Yu, IOC vice president, H.E. Sheikh Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani, president of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and Yiech Pur Biel, athlete member of the Refugee Olympic Team Rio 2016, at the meeting.

During the meeting, the Board determined the objectives of the foundation and scope of the activities during the meeting. The importance and location of the first pilot project was also discussed. The foundation will also support the creation or rehabilitation of accessible sports facilitates in disadvantaged communities and riskfree play spaces without harassment or abuse.

IOC Honorary President Jacques Rogge was also appointed as

honorary member of the foundation.

Speaking after the meeting, WT President Chungwon Choue said: “It is a great honor to have been appointed as a member of Olympic Refuge Foundation and I am delighted to have an opportunity to contribute to this foundation on the perspective of International Federation. I firmly believe that all of us in the Olympic Movement have a social responsibility to use sport to contribute to a better and more harmonious society.

“I would therefore like to commend President Bach and the IOC for establishing this fantastic initiative in close coordination with the UNHCR. Social development through sport has always been something very close to my heart and I pledge I will do everything I can to contribute to the success of the foundation.”

“I am also very happy that the IOC accepted my proposal on creation of Youth Olympic Refugee Team for Buenos 2018 Youth Olympic Games which will be discussed at the next IOC Session in PyeongChang.”

President Choue said he would bring first-hand experience to the role having served as the founding president of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) since 2016. The THF’s mission and values are very closely aligned with the ORF as it aims to bring the physical and mental benefits of Taekwondo to vulnerable people.

WT Reinforces Humanitarian Commitment on World Refugee Day

World Taekwondo (WT) reiterated its commitment to using the power of sport to contribute to a better and more peaceful society on June 20, 2018 - World Refugee Day.

WT is one of the world’s leading international federations in promoting peace through sport. In 2016 it established the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in order to empower refugees through Taekwondo. The THF has gone on to establish projects in Jordan, Nepal, Turkiye, Djibouti, Rwanda and France. In April 2016, the THF opened its first. fully dedicated Taekwondo training facility at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan. The facility serves about 200 boys and girls, providing them with an important physical activity as well as teaching them critical skills and values which will support them in future life.

WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue said on 2018 World Refugee Day

“The refugee crisis is a global crisis. There are over 22.5 million refugees worldwide and half of them are women and children. World Refugee Day is an important reminder that we must all work together to solve this global problem. It is a time to show that we stand together with refugees all over the world and we are ready to support them.

“Through the THF, WT is supporting refugees in six countries around the world. We have seen the joy sport can bring but we know there is much more that we can do. Once again I reiterate our commitment to working with other IFs to provide refugee children with a broader spectrum of sporting activities. Through sport, we can provide millions of refugees with invaluable life skills and hopes for a brighter future.”

Syrian Refugee Earns Black Belt in Azraq Refugee Camp

First dan promotion is a milestone for Azraq Humanitarian Taekwondo Center

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Federation (THF) Azraq Taekwondo Academy, which teaches Taekwondo and related educational progrms to Syrian refugees in Azraq Refugee Camp, graduated its first-ever black belt in 2017.

Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj was born in August 2002 in Syria, and currently resides at Azraq Camp in Jordan. Although he was only 15 years old, Al-Farraj had been practicing Taekwondo since the THF Azraq Academy first started classes in the camp in April 2016. At that time he was 13, but had an obvious talent for the sport. One and a half years later he become perhaps the THF’s most accomplished student.

Al-Farraj said that he had been strongly impacted by Taekwondo and become passionate about the martial art. His coaches noted that he was extremely determined and practiced every day – not just during the organized training sessions, but also on his own. Due to his natural ability and motivation, the young boy developed strong bonds with both instructors teaching at the academy, who were both surprised and enthusiastic about his progress.

On Nov. 30, 2017, the Syrian teenager took part in a belt test with a large number of local Taekwondo students from Jordan. Of all the many students testing for black belt that day, Al-Farraj finished at the

head of the class, making him the first THF student to achieve the double feat: dan grade and best student at the dan grading.

Earning the iconic belt after only one and a half years of practice was no easy task, which was why the THF was so proud. The news was well received at the WT headquarters in Seoul, Korea.

“I was delighted to hear the news that Azraq’s first-ever black belt has been earned - this shows real progress,” said WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue. “I offer my congratulations to Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj, and thank his coaches for producing such a fine student in such a short time.”

Noting that “sustainability” is one of the key watchwords of the THF, Choue added, “I hope that, as he matures, Wael will pass on the sport to those younger and less experienced then himself, so that, in the fullness of time, the student becomes the teacher.”

In fact, that process was already underway: During his free hours, Al-Farraj began to teach Taekwondo to other children living in the camp.

Al-Ayoub of Azraq Refugee Camp is Youngest Refugee to Tie on a Black Belt

A 6-year-old girl named Doaa Al-Ayoub became the youngest refugee in the world to be awarded a black belt in Taekwondo in 2021.

The tiny athlete was tested by the Jordan Taekwondo Federation and everyone watching was impressed by her performance and self-confidence.

After testing, she asked her father if she could go to a children’s theme park as a reward for her performance.

Al-Ayoub was among the 16 students to have been awarded black belts at the Azraq Taekwondo Academy in the Azraq Refugee Camp. The academy is managed by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) as part of its commitment to empower refugees through Taekwondo.

Al-Ayoub continued her rapid development in the sport and was awarded a 2nd Dan in December 2022. She received the honor just over a year after first being awarded the 1st Dan black belt. She was once again tested by the Jordan Taekwondo Federation and impressed with her skill and discipline. Speaking about Al-Ayoub, World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue said, “we are very proud of Doaa and her incredible achievements at such a young age. With so much talent and determination there is no limit to what she can achieve in our sport.” “She is an example to all of us that no matter our circumstances, if we work hard, we can excel and pursue our dreams. We wish her all the best for the future and pursue our dreams.

Taekwondo, Wrestling ‘Aspire 2gether for Peace’ at Azraq Refugee Camp

Taekwondo and wrestling are two very different combat sports, but that did not stop them joining forces to empower refugees

World Taekwondo (WT), the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and United World Wrestling (UWW) hosted their first-ever joint training event, named “Aspire 2gether for Peace,” at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan on July 19, 2019.

The joint event was a tangible outcome of the landmark memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed between WT, the THF and UWW on Oct. 22, 2018. The Aspire 2gether for Peace event saw UWW unite with WT and the THF to deliver wrestling training to refugees at the existing Humanitarian Taekwondo Center.

The event was attended by a senior delegation from all three organizations including WT President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue, Olympic gold medalists and THF/WT Ambassadors Jingyu Wu and Ahmed Abughaush, and Olympic medalists and UWW Ambassadors Arsen Julfalakyan and Clarissa Chun. IOC Executive Board member HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein attended on behalf of the IOC. UNHCR delegates also attended the event. Taekwondo players from Azraq Camp performed a Taekwondo demonstration which was followed by a wrestling demonstration by the UWW Ambassadors and four local athletes. Wu and Abughaush, and Julfalakyan and Chun, respectively, delivered Taekwondo lessons and wrestling lessons to refugee children.

“We are delighted to have joined forces with United World Wrestling to show that our MOU was not just words, but the start of a real and tangible partnership which will benefit refugee children around the world,” Choue said.

He added that the partnership would be sustainable.

“This is not just a one-off event but the start of a long-term commitment,” he said. “By offering Taekwondo and wrestling lessons at our Humanitarian Taekwondo Center here in Azraq, we are able to reach even more young people and provide even greater support.”

Arsen Julfalakyan, UWW ambassador and Athletes Commission member, also spoke. “It is great to contribute to the lives of the refugees through sport and thanks to the opportunity given by WT and the THF, wrestling is in the Azraq sporting program.” “The refugees need sport in their lives which will enhance their current difficult situation. UWW is very proud to inspire future generations.”

200

Refugees Compete as ‘Hope and Dreams’ Championship is Inaugurated

The inaugural “Hope and Dreams” Taekwondo Championships concluded at the Prince Rashid Bin Al-Hassan Hall in Al-Hussein Youth City, Jordan on March 19, 2022.

It was organized by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in cooperation with the Jordanian Taekwondo Federation, with the aim of offering refugee athletes a dedicated competition.

More than 200 athletes participated in the event. They were from the Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps, as well as refugees training in other clubs around Jordan. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics mats were used for the championships.

It contributed to enhancing the humanitarian concept of sport and its role in refining the talents of young people, empowering them in their communities, and investing their energies for the better.

“This was a task assigned by THF Chairman Chungwon Choue,” said WT Council member and THF Board member Maher Magableh. “It represents athletes’ hopes of becoming effective members of their new societies, and their dreams of becoming champions.”

1st THF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival Welcomes Taekwondo and Baseball5

al University Sports Federation, were also in attendance.

The THF, WT and the WBSC are all members of joint UNHCR and International Olympic Committee (IOC) “Sports Coalition” and share a commitment to improving access for all refugees to safe and inclusive sporting facilities. The THF, WT and the WBSC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in March 2020 to promote humanitarian, social inclusion, peace and development-supporting activities.

The first-ever Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Hope and Dreams Sports Festival was held in Jordan on Feb. 25-27, 2023, giving refugees and displaced persons the opportunity to compete in Taekwondo and Baseball5 competitions.

The festival was organized by the THF and World Taekwondo (WT) in collaboration with the World Baseball and Softball Confederation (WBSC), reflecting the increased collaboration between the three organizations. The THF has hosted Hope and Dreams events in the Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps since 2021, but this marked an expansion to a multi-sport festival.

The festival took place at the Azraq Refugee Camp and in Jordan’s capital Amman, with around 300 young refugee athletes competing, including a refugee team from Afghanistan. On Feb. 25 at the Azraq Refugee Camp, there were Taekwondo and Baseball5 demonstrations as well as an exchange with refugee participants and games.

On Feb. 27 in the Jordanian capital, there was a Hope and Dreams Refugee Taekwondo Championships for Cadet and Junior categories and was followed in the afternoon by Taekwondo Championships for Senior categories and a Baseball5 Championships. Representatives from the Association of Summer Olympic International Federation (ASOIF), the UNHCR or the UN Refugee Agency, and the Internation-

THF Chairman and WT President Chungwon Choue said: “We are delighted to have hosted this Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in partnership with the WBSC. We have always been clear that our commitment to empowering refugees goes beyond Taekwondo and that we want to partner with other sports to expand the opportunities we are providing to those who need it most.

WBSC President Riccardo Fraccarri said “I am proud and enthusiastic to have been able to attend the inaugural Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in Jordan and witness first-hand how Baseball5 can be an excellent tool to promote inclusivity and team building, especially in under privileged communities, as well as seeing how important sport in general is in combating social inequality and promoting peace, well-being and social inclusion.”

ASOIF President Ricci Bitti said: “What a valuable initiative of two international federations teaming up to bring the physical and mental benefits of their sports to refugees and displaced people. It was impressive to see first-hand how much positive energy this Hope and Dreams Sports Festival was able to generate among the young people – young athletes who had to go through so much in their lives already and need to gain hope and confidence for their future.”

Dominik Bartsch, UNHCR representative to Jordan, welcomed the initiative: “Sports in refugee camps and beyond are impressive ways of bringing people together whose lives have been disrupted. The THF developed programs that build respect for others, self-control and redeem a pleasure in life that certainly belongs to youth of all ages.”

THF

Extends

to Italy, Signs Cooperation Agreement

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) signed a cooperation agreement on May 18, 2021 with the Fondazione Umanitaria Italiana Taekwondo (FUIT) as the two organizations pledged to work together to promote mutual humanitarian activities.

The agreement was signed during an online ceremony. Under the terms of the agreement, the two parties will exchange ideas and knowhow as well as support each other in raising funds for their respective initiatives and projects for refugees. The FUIT will help to strengthen the THF’s presence in Italy and the European Union.

WT, THF Aid Lebanese Taekwondo

Determined to find ways to support the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation (LTF) following the huge explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4, 2020 World Taekwondo (WT), the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), WT Council Members Maher Magableh and Pascal Gentil and Taekwondo Asia held a video call with the LTF under the direction of WT President Chungwon Choue.

LTF President Habib Zarifeh reported that 10 Taekwondo clubs in Beirut were destroyed during the explosion.

After the conference call, WT decided to provide Taekwondo equipment to the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation for distribution to the damaged clubs at the earliest opportunity. WT, in association with the Asia Development Foundation (ADF), also decided to send USD30,000 to the LTF to ensure students and clubs in Lebanon continue Taekwondo.

WT and the THF launched a fund-raising campaign for the “Great Champion Scholarship” created by Choue to support affected children in Lebanon. Choue also decided to waive registration fees for all LTF athletes and coaches attending World Taekwondo competitions and online training courses until 2021.

“On behalf of the World Taekwondo family and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the residents of Beirut,” Choue said. “During these most tragic circumstances, please be assured that World Taekwondo and its partners will do everything possible to provide support.”

“We are very proud to be a member of the Taekwondo family during this very difficult time,” said Zarifeh. “I would like to personally thank President Choue, World Taekwondo and the THF.”

THF Joins Hands with THF Asia

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) signed a cooperation agreement with the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Asia (THF Asia) on May 23, 2022.

This agreement allows the THF to develop projects in Asia, notably in South Korea and Thailand. The UNHCR is also involved in discussions.

THF Asia will operate at the continental level

from its base in Korea. It will work closely with the THF on education and reporting, and will donate a portion of the funds it raises to the THF.

“It is important that as the overall body, the THF works closely with each of these continental organizations to maximize efficiency and ensure we are providing the best possible support to those who need it most,” said THF Chairman Chungwon Choue.

THF Links up with THF PanAmerica

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) signed a cooperation agreement with THF PanAmerica on July 31, 2022. Under the agreement, THF PanAmerica will manage projects across PanAmerican territory and will raise funds for its own projects as well as for the international projects of the THF.

THF PanAmerica is chaired by Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU) President Juan Manuel López Delgado, but is independent of PATU and registered as a charity in the USA.

The first project took place in Mexico, at the end of September, in the Tijuana and Piedras Negras regions, where many young people face challenging circumstances. THF PanAmerica is also planning projects in Guatemala and Brazil.

“THF PanAmerica and PATU are fully committed to this noble project,” said López Delgado. “There is already an existing operation structure, people are interested in adding efforts, and the first steps are taken and ready to start.”

2020

April 22

TKD WT CARES

MISSION

- Taekwondo for All

- World Peace through Taekwondo

VISION

- Provide Taekwondo to those most in need

- Empower the powerless in developing countries

VALUES

- Inclusiveness

- Leadership

- Respect

- Indomitable Spirit

- Perseverance

- Self-Control

2016

Jan 1

Jan 15

Jan 29 - Feb 4

March 25 - 27

April 14 - May 14

WT Cares Program was launched

Pilot WT Cares project for refugee camp in Kilis, Turkiye

Pilot WT Cares project for earthquake victims in Nepal

Pilot WT Cares project for 11 local coaches and 390 local children in 9 earthquake-hit areas in Nepal

Aug 15 Dec 10, 2020

- Dec. 9, 2021

An MOU was signed with ADF on the continuation of its donation for the WT Cares Program

WT donated ADF funds to the Lebanon Taekwondo Federation to support explosion-hit Taekwondo dojangs in Beirut

WT Cares Program for street children and war orphans in Sri Lanka, Season 2

WT Cares Program to empower drug and alcohol addicts in Bhutan

OBJECTIVES & STRATEGIES

- Promote Taekwondo worldwide, especially in developing countries as a sport for all

- Provide the disadvantaged with opportunities to learn Taekwondo and participate in Taekwondo events

- Support the disadvantaged with necessary Taekwondo equipment and/or educational programs by dispatching local Taekwondo coaches to teach them Taekwondo spirit and techniques

- Give hope and dreams to the disadvantaged, thus helping promote world peace

2021

June 11

WT received funds from ADF for 2021 WT-ADF Cares projects

2022

March 25 WT received funds from ADF for 2022 WT-ADF Cares projects

July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023

WT Cares Program for orphans in Kyrgyzstan, Season 1

2017 2019

Oct 20

Sept 1, 2017 - Aug 30, 2018 Rwanda WT Cares-SBS Hope School Project

Dec 3

WT wired funds to support officers and Taekwondo athletes with disabilities in Afghanistan

WT wired funds for THF T-shirt production destined to children at the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan and the Elbeyli refugee camp in Turkiye

WT Cares Program for reformatory inmates in Mongolia, Season 1

WT Cares Program for children and women in vulnerable conditions and victims of household violence in Timor-Leste

Jan. 25

An MOU was signed with Asia Development Foundation (ADF) on WT Cares Program to promote Taekwondo and the Korean language for the disadvantaged in developing countries in Asia

March 1, 2019 - Feb. 28, 2020

May 1, 2019 - April 30, 2020

July 2, 2019 - July 1, 2020

Oct. 21, 2019 - Oct. 20, 2020

2nd Rwanda WT Cares-SBS Hope School Program

WT Cares Program for Women Empowerment and Reformatory Inmate projects in Nepal

WT Cares Program to empower street children and war orphans in Sri Lanka

WT Cares Program to empower children and female orphans, drug addicts, and victims of household and sexual violence in Cambodia

Dec. 10, 2021

- Dec. 9, 2022

WT Cares Program for Women Empowerment and Reformatory Inmate projects in Nepal, Season 2

WT Cares Program for street children and war orphans in Sri Lanka, Season 3

WT Cares Program to empower children in rural areas living in landfills, floating villages, and exposed to alcohol and drug consumption in Cambodia, Season 2

WT Cares Program to empower drug and alcohol addicts in Bhutan, Season 2

Aug 22, 2022 - Aug. 21, 2023

2023

Feb. 15

May 1, 2023

- April 30, 2024

WT Cares Program at Um Hong Gil Human School near Pokhara, Nepal

WT donated USD30,000 to support Taekwondo community in earthquake-stricken Turkiye

WT Cares Program for orphans and school students in Pakistan, Season 1

WT Cares Program for street children in Sri Lanka, Season 4

Taekwondo Cares Comes to Rwanda School

As part of its commitment to help build better societies through sport, World Taekwondo (WT) is supporting Taekwondo classes for primary school children in Rwanda from October 2017 in the first “Taekwondo Cares” project in the country.

WT and Korea-based Olympic broadcaster Seoul Broadcasting System have a memorandum of understanding under which SBS builds “Hope Schools” and WT supplies Taekwondo instructors and financial support to purchase related equipment.

The first “Hope School” to benefit from this joint program is the Mukiza Primary School in southern Rwanda. There, some 60 boys and girls received training in the sport by a WT-recognized Rwandan Taekwondo coach.

“Taekwondo upgrades children’s health, fitness, self-dis-

cipline and self-confidence, and is especially applicable in developing nations as it is one of the most cost-effective and easy sports to deploy,” said WT President Chungwon Choue. “I am delighted that this, our second charitable Taekwondo program in Rwanda, is now underway.”

Separately, WT’s Lausanne-based charity initiative, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, which assists refugees and displaced persons worldwide, has been running a program in the Kiziban Refugee Camp in Rwanda.

The camp hosts more than 17,000 refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo who were forced to flee their country due to war and instability. Since April 2017, the THF, in association with the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation, has been operating the Kiziba Taekwondo Academy, which runs three daily classes for 180 children.

WT Cares Allies with Asia Development Foundation on Nepal Projects to Assist Vulnerable Populations

The opening ceremony of World Taekwondo (WT) Cares projects for Nepal was held in Kathmandu, Nepal on Aug. 3, 2019

The Nepal Taekwondo Cares projects for reformatory inmates and female victims of home violence were jointly supported by WT and the Asia Development Foundation (ADF). Under agreement, the Nepal Taekwondo Association carried out the Nepal Cares projects for 2019.

The opening ceremony drew hundreds of people, including 88 students from two reformatory inmate centers – Prisoner Assistance Nepal and the Early Childhood Development Center – and 162 students from four women empowerment centers – Rakshya Nepal, Genesis Academy, Aasha Nepal and Maiti Nepal – all in downtown Kathmandu. The ceremony was held at the National Taekwondo Academy in Lalitpur, Nepal.

The two WT Cares projects for Nepal started in early May 2019 for a one-year period. Under agreement with WT in January 2019, the ADF financially supported the Nepal Cares projects.

Among the dignitaries attending the ceremony were WT President Chungwon Choue; ADF Vice President Cho Nam-chul; Minister of Youth and Sports Jagat Bahdur Sunar Bishwakarma; Vice President of the National Sports Council Pitambar Timilsina; President of the Nepal Olympic Committee Jeevan Ram Shrestha; and Nepal Taekwondo Association President Prakash Shumsher Rana.

Also on hand at the ceremony were Secretary General of WT Pan America Rick Shin; President of GCS International Portland, USA

Chapter, Selma Li; and Grand Master Jay-kyun Shin, better known as “the Father of Nepal Taekwondo.”

During the ceremony, Choue delivered an honorary WT dan certificate to the Nepal sports minister and the National Sports Council vice president. He also gave WT appreciation plaques and appreciation certificates to local dignitaries in recognition of their dedication to the development of Taekwondo in Nepal.

The ceremony featured Taekwondo demonstrations by the Nepal Taekwondo Association Demonstration Team and students of the 2019 Nepal Taekwondo Cares projects.

“I wish to thank the Nepal Taekwondo Association and the Asia Development Foundation for supporting these Nepal Taekwondo Cares projects. We want to keep expanding these Cares programs in Nepal,” said Choue in the ceremony.

Earlier in the day, there was a dedication ceremony for a statue at the U.N. World Heritage site of Swoyambhu in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The statue was dedicated to the founder of GCS International, the late academic Young Seek Choue, who proposed the United Nations promulgate the U.N. International Day of Peace in 1981.

The peace statue text reads: “During the massive earthquake in April 2015 in Nepal, World Taekwondo carried out an earthquake relief project in Nepal. That project acted as a pilot program for the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, which was established in April 2016. Such initiatives and movements closely follow the spirit and philosophy of Dr. Young Seek Choue’s GCS Movement.”

WT Cares Empowers Sri Lankan Street Children

The number of street children in Sri Lanka is estimated at about 15,000. Street children are defined as those who live on the streets and are adopted by children-care centers. Some have been affected by the Sri Lankan civil war, while others became vulnerable due to various forms of discrimination and exploitation.

The “Road to Champions” Sri Lankan WT Cares project, involving 60 boys in Colombo and 23 girls in Kegalle, kicked off in early July 2019 for a one-year period.

The Sri Lankan WT Cares project was financially supported by the Asia Development Foundation (ADF) and carried out by the Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation.

On Jan. 25, 2019, WT signed an MOU with the ADF, under which the ADF provided WT with USD90,000 in cash to support WT Cares projects in developing Asian countries, such as Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka, among

others.

The Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation sent its project progress report to WT.

“Overall the project has completed its first task of introducing basic Taekwondo techniques and basic physical training and is looking forward to completing other steps on due dates,” the report reads. “The ultimate objective of the project is to help empower the street children to change their lives through Taekwondo and to help upgrade the children socially, mentally and physically.”

WT Cares Program Paves ‘Road to Champions’ in Sri Lanka

A ceremony for World Taekwondo (WT) Cares projects for Sri Lanka was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Jan. 25, 2020, with the attendance of WT President Chungwon Choue.

Under the theme “Road to Champions,” the Sri Lanka WT Cares Program started in early July 2019 for a one-year period, with the aim of empowering destitute children in Sri Lanka.

The 2019-2020 WT Cares project benefitted 60 male homeless children in Colombo and 23 street females in Kegalle. The Sri Lanka program was jointly supported by WT and the Asia Development Foundation (ADF) and was conducted by the Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation.

The ceremony, which took place at the Indoor Stadium of Kelaniya University, drew hundreds of people, including all the Taekwondo medalists at the 2019 South Asian Games.

The ceremony featured a special Taekwondo demonstration by all 83 students of the Sri Lanka WT Cares projects.

WT President Choue presented a WT appreciation plaque and Taekwondo development funds to Kanchana Jayarathna, president of the Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation.

Choue also honored all the Taekwondo medal winners at the 2019 South Asia Games in Nepal, and Taekwondo officials.

On Jan. 24, WT President Choue met with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at the National Assembly to present him with an honorary WT black belt. Clad in dobok, the Sri Lankan prime minister broke a board to receive an honorary Taekwondo black belt in an event which was broadcast nationwide in Sri Lanka.

Choue also met with Sri Lankan Olympic Committee President Suresh Subramaniam and Prof. D. M. Samasinghe, vice chancellor of the University of Kelaniya.

Kelaniya University plans to establish a Taekwondo major at its Faculty of Science in the near future and the Sri Lanka NOC plans to establish a national sport university, in which a Taekwondo major will be taught.

On Jan. 23, a ceremony was held at the Olympic House of the Sri Lanka NOC to officially inaugurate the GCS International Sri Lanka Chapter. At the inauguration ceremony, Kanchana Jayarathna, president of the Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation, was sworn in as president of the GCS Sri Lanka Chapter.

WT Kicks off Taekwondo Cares Project in Cambodia

21, 2020 for a one-year period for 20 female children who have been victimized and sacrificed by trafficking and sexual slavery, and for 50 male homeless street children.

On March 9, 2019, WT and the ADF delivered the Taekwondo Cares funds and university students scholarships to Cambodian Minister of Education, Youth and Sport Hang Chuon Naron in a ceremony at the Education Ministry in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The minister also served as president of the Cambodian Taekwondo Federation. The donation was handed over by ADF Executive Director Cho Nam-chul and Kang Seok-jae, senior consultant for WT Cares Program.

“I sincerely thank WT President Chungwon Choue and the ADF for initiating these good programs, which will greatly help develop Taekwondo in Cambodia” Naron said.

ADF Signs Pact with WT on Financial Support for Cares Projects

Azraq Athletes, WT Cares Students Compete at COVID-19 GCS Virtual Championships

World Taekwondo (WT) started its Taekwondo Cares project in October 2019 for about 70 Cambodian children in need of help, with the financial support of the Asia Development Foundation (ADF).

Under the theme “Beginning a New Life through Taekwondo,” the USD28,400 WT-ADF Cares project kicked off on Oct.

The ceremony drew 13 scholarship recipients and such dignitaries as Korean Ambassador to Cambodia Oh Nak-young; Kim Sethany, vice education minister of Cambodia and co-president of the GCS Cambodia Chapter; and Robert Hwang, co-president of the GCS Cambodia Chapter.

World Taekwondo (WT) signed a memorandum of understanding regarding its Taekwondo Cares Program with the Asia Development Foundation (ADF) in a ceremony at the WT headquarters on April 22, 2020.

Shortly after the signing, ADF Chairman Kim Joon-il delivered USD150,000 as a designated donation for the 2020-2021 ADFWT Cares Program to Chungwon Choue, president of WT.

The designated donation is to be used for helping empower the powerless in Taekwondo developing countries is Asia.

The ADF donation marked the second of its kind after Jan. 25, 2019, when the ADF delivered USD90,000 to WT for its 20192020 Cares Program. The designated donation was delivered by Cho Nam-chul, executive director of the ADF, to WT President Choue.

ADF also sent USD200,000 in Cares funds to WT in 2021 and USD150,000 in 2022.

Under the MOU, the two sides agreed to cooperate with each other on the WT-ADF Taekwondo Cares Program, while cooperating to foster global talent through Taekwondo and Korean language education; to support the dissemination of Korean culture; and to develop cooperative fields related to the two organizations.

Besides ADF Chairman Kim, Cho Nam-chul, executive director of the ADF, and Jong-nam Oh, director of the ADF, attended the ceremony. From WT, Seo Jeongkang, senior director of the WT Member Relations and Development Department, Kang Seok-jae, senior consultant for WT Cares Program, and other senior staff were on hand.

“Encouraged by the successful implementation of the 2019 ADFWT Cares projects, WT will do its utmost to use the ADF funds for orphans, reformatory inmates, female victims of household sexual violence and victims of natural disasters in Asian countries in the most transparent manner, thus giving them hope and dreams,” said WT President Choue in the ceremony.

Ten refugee children at the Azraq Syrian refugee camp in Jordan and dozens of WT Cares Program Taekwondo students in Nepal, Cambodia and Sri Lanka participated in the inaugural COVID-19 GCS Virtual International Taekwondo Championships.

The 1st Online Taekwondo Championships, which was held on June 4-7, 2020, Pacific time, were organized by the GCS International Portland, USA Chapter and the US World Class Taekwondo Association.

The event was supported by GCS International, MasTKD and other Taekwondo bodies.

The 4-day virtual Taekwondo event drew over 300 athletes from 20 countries. Among the athletes were 10 refugee children from the WTTHF Humanitarian Taekwondo Center at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Amman, Jordan, and about 30 Taekwondo students from Nepal, Cambodia and Sri Lanka - all Taekwondo students under the WT-ADF Taekwondo Cares Program.

The 20 participating countries were Aruba, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Island, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jordan (Humanitarian Taekwondo Center), Korea (GCS Global Taekwondo Peace Corps members), Malaysia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Panama, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkiye and the United States.

As the host of the COVID-19 GCS Virtual International Taekwondo Championships, the GCS Portland, USA Chapter offered sponsorships to 10 less privileged athletes at each of the 44 GCS chapters, as well as the Humanitarian Taekwondo Center, run by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation and WT, and countries under the WT-ADF Cares Program.

WT Cares Program Offers Discipline, Skills, Confidence to Vulnerable

in 4 Asian Nations

Taekwondo's mission to empower the powerless continues across Asia

World Taekwondo (WT) started Taekwondo Cares programs in four countries - Bhutan, Cambodia, Nepal and Sri Lanka - on Dec. 10, 2021 for a one-year period.

The activities were made possible by financial support provided by the Asia Development Foundation (ADF).

The programs are designed to assist, strenghten and rehabilite the most vulnerable members of society, mentally and physcially, through training in Taekwondo.

Under the theme “Road to Recovery through Taekwondo,” the 2021-2022 Bhutan WT-ADF Cares Program kicked off a project benefitting about 400 young people at three alcohol and drug rehabilitation centers in Thimphu and Paro, and two designated schools for poomsae and demonstration education in Thimphu.

In cooperation with the Bhutan Taekwondo Federation, the USD35,000, Season 2 project provided Taekwondo training to underprivileged members of society, offering hope, dignity and happiness.

After evaluating the Season 1 Bhutan Cares Program, WT decided to continue the Season 2 program. The Bhutan Cares project team observed “renewed enthusiasm and noticeable changes in mental and physical health, discipline and outlook among Cares students who received Taekwondo training,” according to the 2020-2021 Bhutan Cares evaluation report to WT. The 2020-2021 Bhutan WT-ADF Cares Program, which ended on Dec. 9, 2021, was offered to 302 people at three drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and one school.

Under the theme “Road to Champions" (Season 3), the 20212022 Sri Lanka WT-ADF Cares Program assisted 120 street, homeless, displaced and rehabilitating children. All received free Taekwondo training at five centers - each in Colombo, Badulla, Monaragala, Galle, and Anuradhapura.

In cooperation with the Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation, the USD30,000, Season 3 Sri Lanka Cares Program targeted street children in Sri Lanka. The number of street children in Sri Lanka is estimated to number around 15,000. For the Cares projects, the street children were defined as children who lived in the street and were adopted by child care centers.

The previous Season 2 Sri Lanka WT-ADF Cares Program, which ran from Dec. 10, 2020 - Dec. 9, 2021, benefitted a total of 113 students in four centers, each in Colombo, Kegalle, Galle and Anuradhapura.

The Sri Lanka Season 2 Cares evaluation report, which was submitted to WT, showed that, “Taekwondo has made significant changes in students’ behavior regarding anger control and their physical health. Some of the students have shared their personal experiences.” It continued, “After enrolling in the project they were able to spend their days more productively and got more energy for their educational and other activities, more patience in difficult situations, muscle relief and new hopes for tomorrow."

Under the theme “Beginning a New Life through Taekwondo,” the 2021-2022 Cambodia WT-ADF Cares Program (Season 2) will benefit about 150 children at three training centers in three different provinces: one center for children living in landfills around Phnom Penh; one center for children living in Siem Reap floating villages; and one center for alcohol- and drug-addicted children in Poipet.

The USD30,000, Season 2 Cambodia WT-ADF Cares Program was conducted in cooperation with the Cambodia Taekwondo Federation and the Cambodia Taekwondo Academy.

The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic forced the rescheduling of the Cambodia Cares Program Season 2. WT started its Season 1 Cambodia WT-ADF Cares Program on Oct. 21, 2019 for a one-year

period, targeting 20 female children victimized by trafficking and sexual slavery, and 50 male homeless street children.

Under the theme “Let’s Build the Future with Taekwondo (Season 2),” the Nepal WT-ADF Cares Program was offered to 111 children, including 65 females.

In cooperation with the Nepal Taekwondo Association, the USD30,000, Season 2 Nepal Cares program took place at three sites. A women empowerment program for deprived women and girls, and victims of household and sexual violence, was held at Maiti Nepal. Reformatory inmate programs for young prisoners took place at Prisoner Assistance Nepal (NP Nepal) and the Early Childhood Development Center (ECDC).

As its first Cares program, WT signed a one-year cooperation agreement with the Nepal Taekwondo Association in early May 2019 to launch the Nepal WT-ADF Cares Program, which benefitted 88 students from two reformatory inmate centers – Prisoner Assistance Nepal and the Early Childhood Development Centeras well as 162 students from four women empowerment centers –Rakshya Nepal, Genesis Academy, Sasha Nepal, and Maiti Nepal. Besides the one-year WT-ADF Cares programs, WT wired USD20,000 to the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in December 2021, which was used for the production of T-shirts for children at the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan and the Elbeyli Refugee Camp in Turkiye. The funds were part of the 2021 ADF-donated funds.

New WT Cares Projects Set for Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Timor-Leste

World Taekwondo (WT) and the Asia Development Foundation (ADF) kicked off their new WT-ADF Cares Program in three countries - Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan and Timor-Leste - on July 1, 2022, for a one-year period.

The new WT-ADF Cares projects, funded by the ADF, were designed to empower the powerless in developing countries in the Asian region through education in Taekwondo and the Korean language.

Under the theme “Bright Future with Taekwondo,” the 20222023 Mongolia WT-ADF Cares Program started with a total budget of USD30,000 for about 200 reformatory inmates in Ulaanbaatar.

Under the slogan “Dream through Taekwondo,” the 20222023 Kyrgyzstan WT-ADF Cares Program assists some 150 orphans, 75 in Bishkek and 72 in Cholpon-Ata with a total budget of USD30,000. The orphans will receive free Taekwondo education.

In cooperation with the Timor-Leste Taekwondo Federation and under the slogan “Building Self-Resilience through Taekwondo,” the 2022-2023 Timor-Leste WT-ADF Cares Program benefits about 80 children and women household-violence victims in Dili City with a total budget of USD33,000.

Since 2016, WT has carried out its Cares programs under the mission “Taekwondo for All,” and “World Peace through Taekwondo.”

WT Cares Project Kicks Off in Rural Nepal

World Taekwondo (WT) teamed up with the Asia Development Foundation (ADF) to start a new WT-ADF Cares Program for students at the Um Hong Gil Human School near Pokhara, Nepal, on Aug. 22, 2022 for a one-year period.

Under the theme “Let’s Build the Future with Taekwondo,” the 2022-2023 WT-ADF Um Hong Gil Human School Cares project is benefitting 87 middle and high school students at Birenthanti Secondary School in Birenthanti, about two hours from Pokhara by car.

The new USD25,000 WT-ADF Um Hong Gil Human School Cares project is funded by the ADF. The Nepal Taekwondo Association runs the program, dispatching local Taekwondo instructors to the secondary school.

The Cares program offers the school students one and a half hours of Taekwondo and Korean language classes after school, four times a week.

“I hope the Cares program will further expand to other schools in Nepal, and other Asian countries,” said WT President Chungwon Choue.

WT signed a cooperation agreement with the Seoul-based Um Hong Gil Human Foundation, headed by Chairman Lee Jae-hoo, at the WT Headquarters in Seoul, Korea on Aug. 29, 2017.

The Um Hong Gil Human Foundation was established in 2008 and has since built 16 human schools in remote areas of Nepal to commemorate Korean mountain climber Um Hong-gil’s achievement of climbing 16 slopes higher than 8,000 meters in the Himalayas - a

world first.

Birenthanti Secondary School, which was built in 2013, was the 4th school built by the foundation.

WT cooperated with the Nepal Taekwondo Association to organize the opening ceremony of the WT-ADF Um Hong Gil Human School Cares Program at the secondary school on Sept. 23, 2022 with the attendance of Choue and Um, among others.

Since 2016, WT has carried out its Cares programs under the mission “Taekwondo for All” and “World Peace through Taekwondo.”

The vision of the WT Cares Program is to provide Taekwondo to those in need and to empower the powerless, such as orphans, reformatory inmates, alcohol and drug addicts and street children, in developing countries.

In Jan. 2019, WT and the ADF, headed by Joon-il Kim, signed a memorandum of understanding on the WT Cares Program.

Opening Ceremony Held in Bishkek for WT Kyrgyzstan Cares Program

An opening ceremony took place in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for the WTAsia Development Foundation (ADF) Kyrgyzstan Cares Program on March 28, 2023.

The ceremony was held at the Sport Complex Sun City in downtown Bishkek with the attendance of WT President Chungwon Choue, Sadyr Mamytov, president of the National Olympic Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, and Aleksei Pak, president of the Taekwondo Association of the Kyrgyz Republic.

Under the theme “Dream through Taekwondo,” WT teamed up with the Taekwondo Association of the Kyrgyz Republic to kick off the WT-ADF Cares Program on July 1, 2022 for a oneyear project.

The USD30,000 WT-ADF Kyrgyzstan Cares Program 2022-2023 was funded by the ADF and the Kyrgyz Taekwondo Association is running the program by dispatching local Taekwondo instructors to two centers: one in downtown Bishkek, orphans of SOS Children’s Villages; and the other in Teplokluchenka near Issyk-Kul Lake for mostly orphans at the Ak-Suu Boarding School.

The Kyrgyzstan Cares Program offers about 150 orphan children two hours of Taekwondo education and training three times a week, thus helping them, who are socially vulnerble, with the opportunity to foster family warmth, health, and dreams through Taekwondo.

The opening ceremony drew some 20 Cares students from the Bishkek center and performed a Taekwondo demonstration, drawing big applause from the participants. A 40-member Taekwondo demonstration team of the Kyrgyz Taekwondo Association also show off their Taekwondo skills in front of WT President Choue.

The ceremony also featured a traditional Kyrgyz drum performance and a fan dance. A video on the WT Cares Program was shown for the participants.

In his opening speech, WT President Choue said, “I am pleased to visit Kyrgyzstan for the opening ceremony of the WT-ADF Kyrgyzstan Cares Program and my visit is more meaningful as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of WT and at the same time the 30th anniversary of the Kyrgyz Taekwondo Association.”

“The WT Cares Program is one of the flagship contributions of WT to the world, through which we give hope and dreams to those in need of help, especially underprivileged children,” Choue said. “That is the reason why Taekwondo and WT are more respected among international sports federations.”

Prior to the opening ceremony, WT President Choue met with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov to exchange opinions on the development of Taekwondo in the Kyrgyz Republic.

In the afternoon of March 29, WT President Choue and other WT and Kyrgyz Taekwondo Association leaders visited the Rukh Ordo Cultural Center in Cholpon Ata, the Issyk-kul Lake region, to meet some 35 orphan children from the WT Cares Program center in Teplokluchenka.

A total of 32 Cares students showed off their Taekwondo skills to draw big applause from the participants.

At the event, WT President Choue promised to visit the Cares orphanage when he visits Kyrgyzstan. Choue was given the title of an honorary professor of the Kyrgyz State Physical and Sport Academy by the academy’s rector, Dr. Azizbayev Saitdin Seyitbekovich, on March 27 at the office of the Kyrgyz NOC president.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka Kick Off 2023 WT Cares Programs

World Taekwondo (WT) teamed up with the Asia Development Foundation (ADF) to start a one-year WT-ADF Cares Program in two countries – Pakistan and Sri Lanka – on May 1, 2023. In cooperation with the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation, WT started the new USD17,000 Cares program to teach Taekwondo skills and spirit for about 1,000 orphans and school/ college students in the province of Punjab and the vicinity of Territory Islamabad.

Under the theme “Care for Those Who Dare,” the 2023-2024 WT-ADF Cares Program is funded by the ADF.

WT also joined hands with the Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation to kick off its Season 4 WT-ADF Cares Program, titled “Road to Champion.”

The Sri Lanka Cares Program will benefit about 100 street children in five centers, each in Colombo, Badulla, Monaragala, Galle and Anuradhapura.

Sri Lanka started its WT-ADF Cares Program in 2019 for the first time for street children and orphans, and then in 2020 and 2021. The beneficiaries of the WT-ADF Cares Program are Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Timor-Leste and Pakistan.

WT plans to expand its Cares projects outside Asia with new donations and encourages its member national associations to run their own Cares programs nationwide.

Taekwondo PEACE CORPS

Hope and Dreams to Youth of World

WT President Calls for Creation of ‘Sport Peace Corps’

Proposal Made at Inaugural International Sport Forum in Monte Carlo, Monaco

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue proposed the creation of the so-called “Sport Peace Corps” at an international forum on peace and sport in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on Dec. 6, 2007.

“Inspired by the ‘Taekwondo Peace Corps’ initiative, propose developing a ‘Sport Peace Corps’ program to expand the initiative globally in a larger scale and to involve other international organizations,” said WT President Choue.

He said, “the Sport Peace Corps entails provision of comprehensive sport-related assistance to the developing countries or the United Nations-assigned areas.” “The assistance includes coaching and training service to the local young athletes, supply of equipment and facilities, and finding the means and opportunity for the competent young people to participate in the international sport events.” “It requires a group of volunteers consisted of coaches, athletes, and teachers to be dispatched to serve the assigned community,” WT President Choue said.

He made the proposal at Session 4 of the inaugural International Peace and Sport Forum, which opened at the Monte Carlo Bay Hotel on Dec. 5 for a three-day run. The sub-topic of Session 4 was “The Sport Movement: Legitimacy, Means and Sectors of Intervention.”

Under the patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of the Municipality of Monaco, the first edition of the international forum drew more than 150 people from around the world.

The International Peace and Sport Forum is a unique international gathering, which brings together heads of state and governments,

sport governing bodies -- the International Olympic Committee, International Sports Federations, National Olympic Committees -- the World Olympians Association, strategic and financial partners, sport experts and non-governmental organizations.

Under the topic “Taekwondo’s Role as an Instrument of Peace,” WT President Choue said that “The Sport Peace Corps project aims at utilizing sport as part of education, training and youth program; giving hope and dreams to those who are deprived of the opportunity to learn and practice sports by providing equipment, skills for education and training, and coaches for any Olympic sport; encouraging balanced development of Olympic sport in different regions, correcting the uneven medal distribution in the past Olympic Games that benefitted a limited number of countries; and contributing to the promotion of friendship and understanding through sport and people-to-people interaction.” “Ultimately this project encourages participation of sport-loving people in the peace-building process.”

Choue’s proposal drew a keen and high interest among the participants in the forum.

The Sport Peace Corps concept was first raised by WT President Choue at an international workshop on sports and peace in Leuven, Belgium on Sept. 21, 2007. The workshop was jointly organized by Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the International Peace Research Association and the Graduate School of Physical Education, Kyung Hee University in Korea. It was supported by WT and GCS International.

At the forum, WT President Choue said, “The weight of sport as a

catalyst for peace and harmony can never be undermined. Sport has the power to bring people together, bridge differences, and promote communication and understanding.”

He said, “The Olympic ideal of developing sport is put as: to contribute to building a better and more peaceful world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The ideal has been the general guiding rule for the sport world for centuries.”

“Taekwondo is a philosophy of action that is based on several virtues such as self-reflection, self-discipline, confidence, respect for elders, patience, and the balances of body and mind. Practicing Taekwondo means making one’s mind peaceful, synchronizing mind with movements, and extending this harmony to one’s life and society. It is, thus, a way of life with lasting inner peace, different from physical fighting skills,” Choue said.

“Through its world competitions and events, Taekwondo also helps create the atmosphere of peace and harmony at the macro-level, facilitating friendship and a special bond among the participants from different parts of the world. Our championships and tournaments offer equal opportunities to the countries that tend to have negative reputation in the international politics, and provide equal opportunities without discrimination. Warm reception and openness to the internationally isolated countries with Taekwondo spirit and heart not only facilitate a special bond transcending the general preconception, but also exhibit effec-

tive soft power to induce engagement.

“At the micro-level, sports breed peace by playing a significant social, cultural, educational and recreational role, through which they influence positively on multi-faceted dimensions of political, economic and social realities. Upholding the ideals of fraternity, non-violence, tolerance and fairness, the practice of sport can be a powerful tool to strengthen social cohesion and integration of the global community transcending the difference of race, nationality, geographical borders, ideology, or religion,” he said.

WT President Choue said, “Taekwondo is not merely a sport, but encompasses excellent cultural values and spirits that cannot be learned from the textbooks. Taekwondo training teaches the youth justice, morality, cooperation, and love for one another, and to accept the universal sport rules of fair play. Through such learning and mental and physical disciplining, our sport helps the young people become good global citizens. It could also effectively stop them from getting involved in the youth delinquency, drugs, alcohol, and violence.”

“Taekwondo is Korea’s gift to the world. The gift package not only has Taekwondo’s oriental spirit and philosophy, but also its contribution to the humanity as an instrument for peace and hope in different geographical, cultural, and social contexts. Working together with the global Olympic families, WT will continuously make concerted efforts to contribute in the endeavor to serve the mankind through sport,” WT President Choue said.

WT Head Urges Creation of Sport Peace Corps

At a high-profile seminar in Turkmenistan, Choue urged other sports to follow Taekwondo’s lead and dispatch missions to developing nations

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue called for the support of the IOC, the U.N. and International Federations to help make a “Sport Peace Corps” a reality during a speech at the 2015 Turkmenistan International Sports Media Forum (TISMF) on April 3, 2015.

Speaking just three days ahead of the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, President Choue outlined his vision for the Sport Peace Corps and its potential to promote peace and development around the world.

The Sport Peace Corps would comprise coaches, athletes and educators who would be dispatched to assigned communities to provide sports equipment, training and education. Through the Sport Peace Corps, young people would gain a greater understanding of different cultures and nations and learn to live healthier lifestyles. These values are closely aligned with those of the IOC and the U.N. and WT has begun discussions with the two global organizations

about supporting the initiative.

Speaking after his presentation, WT President Choue said:

“Since I took over as president of WT in 2004, I have strongly believed in the principle that sport should act as a vehicle to promote friendship, respect, and peace. As an Olympic sport, we have been committed to working with the IOC to promote the Olympic values throughout the world.

“Sport can bring hope and inspire people from the most deprived countries and communities. As we have seen under the IOC’s leadership, we as a movement are stronger when we are united and humbly call on the IOC, the U.N. and all International Federations to unite behind the Sport Peace Corps. Together, we can inspire hope and create a better and more harmonious future.”

WT is looking to build on the success of the WT Taekwondo Peace Corps which was first launched in 2008 to instil self-awareness and discipline in young people.

WT President Meets with U.N. Secretary General for Discussions on Creating Sport Peace Corps

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon

Choue was invited by U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to the U.N. headquarters in New York on April 6, 2015 to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

President Choue joined IOC President Thomas Bach and a number of high-level delegates, including IPC President Sir Phillip Craven and IOC member Angela Ruggiero in New York as they discussed the increasingly important role sport has in bringing about positive change around the world. During an event called “United Action Towards Sustainable Development For All Through Sport,” Bach called for sport to be included in U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Choue attended a private meeting with U.N.

Secretary General Ban after the event to discuss the Sport Peace Corps concept and how it could help contribute to building a fairer, more equal and peaceful society.

Speaking after the meeting, Choue said:

“I am very grateful to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for giving up some of his valuable time to meet with me today. We had a very productive meeting and we are all in agreement that sport has a unique power to create a more peaceful future.”

“It is my hope that soon, with the support of the U.N., the IOC and all the International Federations, we will be able to launch the Sport Peace Corps to harness this immense power and bring hope and harmony to some of the world’s most deprived countries and communities,” he added.

WT

Taekwondo

Peace

Corps Launched in 2008

summer dispatch. They were dominantly university students in their 20s. Through a strict screening procedure, including tests and interviews, 27 volunteers, including 19 males, were selected as members of the TPC, and were sent to seven regions in five different nations: China, India, Pakistan, Paraguay, and Russia. Prior to the dispatch, they participated in 15 different TPC volunteer training programs, which included courses on Taekwondo spirit, Taekwondo rules, Taekwondo teaching methods, Taekwondo competitions, Taekwondo Poomsae, referee training, health education, meditation, Korean language, cultural understanding, etc.

Taekwondo learners, practitioners, and local residents were all invited to participate in the programs provided by the TPC. All the programs, thus, were managed based on participants’ spontaneity.

The TPC delivered Taekwondo instruction programs and education packages for local Taekwondo instructors, while administering special programs customized for different levels - beginners, intermediate, advanced, children/youth/adults - for other participants.

TPC volunteer training programs were given with respect to what volunteers are responsible for as visitors and what they are accountable for as TPC members. TPC programs for local instructors and participants similar to the TPC volunteer training programs were offered as well.

Taekwondo teaches virtues of self-reflection, self-discipline, self-control, confidence, respect, patience, and balance of body and mind. These virtues help make our mind peaceful, synchronize the mind with the movements, and extend this harmony to life and society. In the sense that Taekwondo ultimately pursues peace among humankind and the harmony between the humanity and the nature, its essence shares with the fundamental principles of the United Nations (U.N.) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

World Taekwondo (WT), an International Federation governing the sport of Taekwondo, and GCS International, an NGO in a special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council, under the leadership of Chungwon Choue as President of the two organizations, seek feasible ways to share the value and philosophy of Taekwondo through goodwill activities.

As a result, the Taekwondo Peace Corps (TPC) was proposed, and launched with the hope to share the spirit of Taekwondo and to demonstrate that sport can indeed contribute to promoting global peace and communication as well as to education and sustainable social development.

WT and GCS International together had been searching for ways to contribute to peace and social development in the global community. The Taekwondo Peace Corps was one of the ambitious projects

devised to realize this vision. For the purpose of maximal productivity and managerial efficiency of the TPC, multifaceted collaboration and international support were mobilized within the Taekwondo community. A prospect of the U.N. and the IOC working together to promote global peace and harmony through sport endowed further motivation for the TPC project.

The TPC was expected to supplement and refine the existing solidarity program of WT, which has been providing Taekwondo equipment and training opportunities to the less-developed WT member nations; to share the spirit of Taekwondo and respect for humankind: to give participants an opportunity to learn about the Taekwondo culture of cultivating sound mind and healthy body; and to encourage young people to enjoy the experience of sharing love for humanity and working together to create a favorable environment for sustainable development and peaceful co-existence.

Recruitment of Taekwondo instructors and interpreters for the TPC was performed on a voluntary basis. Likewise, participants who attended the TPC program did so on a voluntary basis. Therefore, spontaneity has been founded on all processes.

Upon announcing the TPC recruitment on WT and GCS International Web sites, more than 60 volunteers applied for the TPC 2008

The training focused on what and how to teach, how to approach culture learners, how to make the experience enjoyable, and how to behave as peace facilitators. Volunteers’ accountability guidelines and visitors’ responsibility codes were strictly adhered to all the time

to ensure appropriate conduct and behavior of the TPC members. The spirits of Taekwondo and sport ethics were taught prior to the physical skill learning program. An emphasis on the philosophical dimension was reinforced through a mental training practice, which was designed to familiarize the participants with the concepts of peace, harmony, fair play, and respecting the rules and regulations. The spirit of independence is based on self-values. The values of independence and collaboration were highlighted simultaneously throughout Taekwondo competitions and cooperative trainings. Taekwondo contains diverse educational “self” values such as self-control, self-confidence, self-defense, team-based problem-solving and so forth.

The spirit underlying Taekwondo is not to be aggressive but defensive. The concept of self-defense was accentuated at the beginning of the TPC programs. The TPC programs were specifically designed to foster self-confidence in participants through enhancement of their ability to defend themselves.

The TPC training programs target on nurturing leadership as an instructor, master, referee, and colleague. The latest Taekwondo curriculum and instruction methods were introduced through the TPC training programs to develop members’ teaching ability, which highlighted service-oriented leadership rather than charismatic leadership. The members were expected to respond to the local instructors’ objectives and participants’ needs, and not to behave as a superior officer or a commander. This effectively facilitated volunteers’ quicker adaptation to local customs and better susceptibility to cultural relativism, gender equality and racial indiscrimination. Learning Taekwondo is to cultivate the spirit of challenge. Nurturing the spirit of challenge is to empower and enable the participants to go beyond their limits and envision the future. With regard to followership, the importance of showing respect to their teachers and judges and obeying rules and referee decisions in competitions was accentuated in the Taekwondo philosophy class. In today’s society, the spirit of fair play is stressed in all areas,

stretching to political, economic, social and cultural spheres. Since Chungwon Choue, president of WT and GCS International, is concurrently serving as president of the Korean Fair Play Committee (KFPC), a member of the International Fair Play Committee (IFPC), conceptualization of fair play had a special weight in the TPC programs. Accordingly, this important value was accentuated in every class for both TPC volunteers and participants.

The TPC volunteer training programs included learning of Olympism. It is because Olympism constitutes the fundamental principle of all sports participating in the Olympic Movement and its ideals share with those of the Taekwondo spirit. One of the Olympic ideals is the spirit of fair play, which was stressed repeatedly as the major theme in all classes.

Local Taekwondo instructors and participants were taught about the spirits of Taekwondo, Taekwondo etiquette, and fair play in Taekwondo through various classes and TPC activities, underlining respect for the competition rules and referee decisions as well as for the opponent players.

The concepts of spontaneity and accountability are closely related to democratic values. All the volunteers and participants chose to join the TPC programs according to their own will, but once they joined, they were to be strictly responsible/accountable. Getting

accustomed to the values of service-oriented leadership/ followership, fair play, responsibility, accountability, and rule-abiding attitude through the TPC programs implies exercise of democratic practice.

Taekwondo training, therefore, naturally implants democratic values in volunteers and participants alike. The TPC programs may serve as an effective means to educate and spread the democratic values in youth and children of the underdeveloped countries, where establishment and consolidation of a democratic system are still in need.

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

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

Face-to-face communication and open dialogues between local participants and TPC volunteers helped both parties acquire mutual understanding of respective culture and build friendship easily. The

TPC programs also offered a basic Korean language class. For participants, learning Korean, including some verbal orders used in Taekwondo training and competitions, helped develop closer affinity to the sport of Taekwondo. However, language was not the decisive factor in facilitating communication and special bond between volunteers and local people. Sport itself is a universal language.

The TPC opened a new possibility and a window of opportunity for sport-related organizations to contribute to the humanity and peace-building. The TPC teams dispatched in the summer of 2008 were warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated by the five host countries. The impressive turnout at the training and enthusiasm shown by the participants certainly reflected the yearning of the local people for an opportunity to learn and practice Taekwondo.

Above all, the TPC presented an opportunity and resources to children to enjoy and play and to share important values in life as well as a vision of never-ending hope, optimism, and confidence.

The TPC participants equally experienced priceless one month of sharing the spirit of Taekwondo, valuable friendship, and special bond with those who love Taekwondo in distant parts of the world. It was agreed by both volunteers and participants that the first dispatch period was rather short to grasp the Taekwondo culture and spirit in those countries to the full extent.

World Taekwondo Peace Corps Foundation Launched

The World Taekwondo Peace Corps Foundation was launched in a ceremony in Seoul, Korea on Sept. 17, 2009 to further activate the WT Taekwondo Peace Corps.

The ceremony, which took place at the Plaza Hotel in downtown Seoul, drew about 700 people, including 48 members of the 2009 Summer WT Taekwondo Peace Corps.

Among the dignitaries were Korean Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myunghwan; and Kim Dae-ki, 2nd vice minister of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry, who read Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s congratulatory speech for the participants.

“Through Taekwondo, the world has come to understand Korea and it has greatly contributed to the formation of a global network. The Korean government has designated Taekwondo as one of Korea’s 10 culture brands this year,” said President Lee. “I hope the just-launched World Taekwondo Peace Corps Foundation to make great efforts for global service.”

Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu said in his congratulatory remarks that “With the creation of the foundation, the quality

of the Taekwondo Peace Corps will be further upgraded.”

Grand National Party lawmaker Park Jin, who also served as chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, said in his congratulatory speech that “On behalf of the National Assembly, I am here and the National Assembly fully supports the foundation.”

Also attending the ceremony were Gen. Ahmed Fouly, president of the African Taekwondo Union and vice president of WT; and Choi Ji-ho, president of the Pan American Taekwondo Union and WT Council member; and Lee Dai-soon, president of the Asian Taekwondo Union and vice president of WT.

The foundation, a non-profit organization, received a formal recognition from the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. WT President Chungwon Choue served as chairman of the foundation, which took over all the matters related to the WT Taekwondo Peace Corps. Lee Hyu-won, president and CEO of Shinhan Investment Corp. assumed the presidency of the foundation.

Status of Dispatched Volunteers and Equipment Support by World Taekwondo Peace Corps Foundation

1. Dispatch Status of Volunteers

Year Category Country Number of Persons Dispatched Countries

2008

Summer 5 27 India, China, Pakistan, Russia, Paraguay

Winter 8 32 Uzbekistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Egypt, Greece, Russia, Bolivia

Summer 12 48 Mongolia, Bhutan, India, Philippines, Nigeria, Angola, Samoa, Isle of Man, Azerbaijan, Poland, Mexico, El Salvador

2009

Winter 24 98

Summer 20 110

Winter 25 107

Timor-Leste, Laos, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Iran, Cambodia, Philippines, Angola, Egypt, Congo, New Zealand, Samoa, Greece, Russia, Poland, Mexico, Brazil, Suriname, Ecuador, Chile, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico

Laos, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Philippines, Ghana, South Africa, Madagascar, Morocco, Zimbabwe, Vanuatu, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Belarus, Sweden, Finland, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago

Nepal, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Cambodia, Libya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Algeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Congo, Tunisia, Tonga, Fiji, Greece, Russia, Belarus, Sweden, Croatia, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Jamaica

2010

Mid- to Long-Term 7 16 Kazakhstan, Thailand, Philippines, Morocco, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Bulgaria

Youth 2 40 Cambodia, Thailand

Cultural

Performance Team 2 40 Morocco, Zimbabwe

Summer 19 106

Winter 22 102

2011

Nepal, Laos, Macau, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Thailand, DR Congo, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mozambique, Senegal, Ethiopia, Congo, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Barbados

Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Thailand, South Africa, Niger, Rwanda, Morocco, Algeria, Comoros, Congo, Tanzania, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Greece, Russia, Sweden, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Suriname, Puerto Rico

Mid- to Long-Term 6 11 Timor-Leste, Philippines, South Africa, Greece, Bolivia, Brazil

Youth 1 30 Vietnam

Cultural Performance Team 3 24 Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador

Summer 17 80

Nepal, Chinese Taipei, Myanmar, China, Thailand, Ghana, Mozambique, Benin, Seychelles, Uganda, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Bulgaria, Portugal, Mexico, El Salvador

Winter 27 124 Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Thailand, DR Congo, South Africa, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Greece, Sweden, Brazil, Colombia

2012

Mid- to Long-Term 7 11 Timor-Leste, Kazakhstan, Thailand, South Africa, Botswana, Russia, Honduras

Cultural Performance Team 3 29

South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini

Year Category Country Number of Persons Dispatched Countries

Summer 21 97

Winter 26 122

2013

Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, China, Cambodia, South Sudan, South Africa, Mauritius, Senegal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Russia, Turkiye, Poland, Brazil, Paraguay

Nepal, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Singapore, India, China, Cambodia, Turkmenistan, Gabon, South Africa, Lesotho, Senegal, Sudan, Zambia, Cameroon, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Sweden, Poland, Nicaragua, Venezuela

Mid-Term 7 9 Kazakhstan, Botswana, Fiji, Russia, Mexico, Honduras, Colombia

Cultural

Performance Team 3 36 Myanmar, Vietnam, Singapore

Summer 26 107

2014

Winter 18 83

Nepal, Laos, Sri Lanka, India, China, Cambodia, Tajikistan, Hong Kong, Ghana, Lesotho, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Swaziland, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Latvia, Sweden, Georgia, Poland, Suriname, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay

Nepal, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Seychelles, New Zealand, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Sweden, Estonia, Poland, Bolivia, Paraguay

Year Category Country Number of Persons Dispatched Countries

Summer 10 40 Laos, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Ghana, Rwanda, Seychelles, Algeria, Fiji, Poland, Mexico

2018

Winter 22 100

Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Ghana, Gabon, Rwanda, Mozambique, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Zambia, Kenya, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Russia, Sweden, Poland

Team 3 60 Vietnam, Cambodia, United States 2019

Summer 7 39 Laos, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Fiji, Poland, Mexico

Winter 22 94

Nepal, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Ghana, Gabon, Seychelles, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Algeria, Uganda, Tanzania, Kiribati, Fiji, Latvia, Russia, Ireland, Poland, Mexico

Team 3 60 Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Ireland

Mid- to Long-Term 5 6 Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Fiji, Cayman Islands

Total 555 2,529 A total of 123 countries (excluding duplicated countries)

Summer 16 79

Winter 32 121

Laos, China, Cambodia, Turkmenistan, Rwanda, Madagascar, Seychelles, Eswatini, Zambia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Latvia, Sweden, Poland, Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago

Mid-Term 9 11 Singapore, Kazakhstan, South Africa, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Bolivia, Honduras 2015

Timor-Leste, Laos, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Hong Kong, Gabon, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sudan, Algeria, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Denmark, Russia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Estonia, Poland (2 teams), Guadeloupe, Mexico, Honduras, Colombia, Paraguay

Team 3 26 Laos, Sudan, Colombia

Mid-Term 9 10 Nepal, India, China, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Botswana, Mexico, Canada, Paraguay

Summer 19 58

Winter 19 66

2016

Nepal, Laos, Vietnam, India, Indonesia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ghana, Seychelles, Comoros, Fiji, Latvia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Poland, Mexico, Paraguay

Timor-Leste, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Gabon, Morocco, Seychelles, Kenya, Tanzania, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji, Russia, Sweden, Estonia, Poland, United States, Mexico

Team 3 45 Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Mexico

Mid-Term 14 19

Summer 16 71

Winter 16 69

2017

Myanmar, Bhutan, India, China, Kyrgyzstan, DR Congo, South Africa, Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Switzerland, Mexico, Uruguay, Cayman Islands

Nepal, Laos, Japan, Jordan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Gambia, Seychelles, Latvia, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Poland, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Argentina

Nepal, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Gabon, Seychelles, Algeria, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Fiji, Russia, Bulgaria, Poland

Team 3 53 Laos, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan

Mid-Term 13 13

China, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Thailand, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, Fiji, Ireland, Poland, Mexico, Haiti, Uruguay, Cayman Islands

2. Status of Overseas Taekwondo Equipment Support

5 Counties

2020

Jordan, Turkiye, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Cambodia

2021 6 Countries

Madagascar, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Tajikistan, Vietnam, Cambodia

2022

Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyzstan, Timor-Leste, Lebanon, Honduras

Total

17 Countries

A total of 14 countries (excluding duplicated countries)

Peace is More Precious than Triumph

New Protocol Holds Promise of Global Taekwondo Cooperation

WT Invites ITF President, ITF Demonstration Team to 2015 World Taekwondo Championships

The global Taekwondo family at last came together under one roof at the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships in May, 2015 in Russia. Steps had been taken to bring World Taekwondo (WT) and the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) closer than they have ever been before.

WT President Chungwon Choue wrote in January 2015 to ITF President Ung Chang, requesting an ITF Taekwondo demonstration and Chang’s attendance at the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia on May 12-18, 2015.

This development sprang from a protocol of accord that was signed by WT President Choue and ITF President Chang on Aug. 21, 2014. The signing took place in Nanjing, China, during the 2nd Youth Olympic Games and was personally overseen by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach.

Under the protocol, athletes registered with WT and the ITF are free to compete in the other federation’s competitions, obviously under the rules and formats of the separate organizations. This created exciting new opportunities, granting the world’s very best

Taekwondo athletes the chance to compete with one another, regardless of which federation they belong to.

The two federations sought various ways to increase cooperation for the benefit of the entire global sport.

Integration efforts between WT and the ITF date back to January 1982, when the two sides held their first round of talks in Vancouver, Canada. In 1980, the IOC recognized WT as the sole international body governing global Taekwondo.

In August 2002, former WT President Kim Un-yong met with ITF President Chang in Monaco to agree to push for Taekwondo exchanges. On Aug. 20, 2003, WT and the ITF announced a mutual agreement on the integration matters between the two bodies during the 2003 Summer Universiade in Daegu, Korea.

After WT President Choue was inaugurated in June 2004, Choue met with ITF President Chang in Athens, Greece at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. In June 2005 at the IOC headquarters, Choue and Chang agreed to develop a committee to discuss integration plans, arbitrated by then-IOC President Jacques Rogge.

In 2005, WT and the ITF had two rounds of talks to discuss technical integration matters of the two bodies: the first on June 27 and 28 in Beijing, China and the second on Aug. 30 at the same venue. At the first talks, they agreed that the launch of the Coordination Committee was subject to the approval of their respective decision-making bodies, such as the Council and General Assembly.

WT President Choue, ITF President Chang and the IOC president met again on Sept. 20, 2006 at the headquarters of the IOC, where the IOC President coordinated the WT-ITF talks. After four working-level talks, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding on Dec. 2, 2006 in Doha, Qatar on the formation of a coordination committee to discuss integration matters of the two Taekwondo bodies. Afterwards the two sides held five Taekwondo Integration Coordination Committee meetings in Beijing, China, with the last one taking place on September 2008. These efforts made little headway, but the new protocol offers enticing potential to overcome the schism in the sport.

WT-ITF Break Barriers, Smash Barriers Historic, First-Ever Joint Demontration at 2015 WT World Championships

The Russian city of Chelyabinsk was the setting for the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships – an event that featured not only the world’s finest Taekwondo athletes in action, but also a spectacular opening ceremony, full-on spectator engagement and a historic, first-ever joint demonstration by the world’s two major Taekwondo bodies.

During the opening ceremony, there was a historic joint demonstration by the Seoul-headquartered World Taekwondo (WT), which includes South Korea in its membership, and the Vienna-headquartered ITF, or International Taekwon-Do Federation, which counts North Korea among its members.

A special message from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was read out in which he said the event was “breaking barriers” and would be “a step toward dialogue and reconciliation.”

IOC President Thomas Bach delivered a pre-recorded speech in which he said he “valued the cooperation” between the two federations and called the demonstration “a firm foundation for the future.”

The performances – each 20 minutes long – illustrated both what unites and divides the federations which administer Taekwondo globally.

The ITF demonstration team, largely North Koreans, but including Russians and Czechs, came on first. Coordinated group poomsae and a display of break-falling – a skill rarely seen in WT Taekwondo – was followed by combat line drills. A trio of female athletes in black demonstrated self-defense, then a choreographed fight routine against male “attackers” that drew both gasps and laughs from the audience.

Advanced breaks included an aerial split kick-round kick combo, and a somersaulting double heel kick break. Group fights featured such unusual techniques as head butts, drop spinning sweeps, sacrifice throws and aerial leg takedowns. The male performers then removed their dobok – revealing toned torsos and drawing a few wolf whistles – and endured strikes across their limbs and torsos from four-by twos, leaving the field of play lettered with splintered timber.

Then it was WT’s turn. Mainly South Korean, the team also included a Turk and three Russians. The difference between the two demo

teams was clear from attire: the ITF appeared in classic white; WT in red and yellow, blue and white. Another difference was presentation: the ITF used no aural backing; the WT team performed to piped-in music.

The opening was real showmanship. A tableau of punches and kicks against a backdrop of the flags of Russia and WT. After a lightning costume change, came a funky fusion of poomsae and modern dance. The tempo changed when the master coach performed a set of power breaks, then the team carried out blindfold breaks guided onto targets by hand bells.

This was followed by a series of brilliantly coordinated breaks in which both the holders and the board breakers were leaping and spinning. Things changed again with Slavic dancing and a display of the Russian national colors. The iconic Korean folk song “Arirang” played as the team performed poomsae, before a final pair of high kicks unfurled banners advertising the Chelyabinsk championships. Yet if the ITF demonstration could be classified as “traditional” and WT’s as “creative,” if the ITF team focused more on power and WT more on finesse; if the ITF show was low-tech, and WT hightech; it was evident that the techniques had more similarities than differences.

WT, ITF: Shoulder to Shoulder

Joint Demonstrations Highlight Opening, Closing Ceremonies of 2017 World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, Korea

World Taekwondo (WT) and the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) joined hands to jointly perform demonstrations during the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, Korea in June 2017.

The moment the audience had been waiting for was a joint demonstration during the opening ceremony of the championships by the ITF and WT demonstration teams.

The WT squad was the first to ignite the arena. In black, white and colored dobok, they performed group poomsae that ran like a martial kaleidoscope, then a flying series of non-stop kick breaks. Funkier

stuff followed: Taekwondo dance, set to thumping electronic rock. Next, traditional group poomsae and sky-high breaks, followed by power breaks. A performance followed using – unusually for Taekwondo, a primarily unarmed martial art – oars and sticks.

After this, the team surged over the floor in a parade of freestyle leaps, kicks and gymnastics to K-rock. The show ended with high breaks that unfurled the new WT banner.

After the stage was cleared of smashed boards, the highly anticipated ITF Demonstration Team, composed of North Koreans, entered.

The team marched on wearing plain, traditional dobok, and were introduced by a sturdy matron at the mic. First, they performed traditional group poomsae marked by powerful basics.

This was followed by self-defense and power kick breaks using unusual angles – jumping ax kicks and jump twist kicks.

Next was female against male self-defense including head locks with the legs followed by full body slams.

A drama – three attackers assaulted a young man and his lady friend – followed. All attackers were swiftly dispatched.

Next came power breaks by the team’s biggest member against some very thick boards. The breaker was given the biggest applause of the evening for his repeated efforts to break one particular chunk that stubbornly refused to shatter.

Next was a series of well-timed and somersault breaks, then the unbreakable board was bought out once more. Yet again, it failed to succumb, even to a barrage of jumping spinning back kicks.

The ITF show ended with break falls, combat techniques and tile smashes that left power from the shattered masonry lingering in the air.

WT, ITF Presidents Plant Peace in Muju

In a deeply symbolic move, President Ri Yong Son of the International Taekwon-Do Federation and President Chungwon Choue of World Taekwondo planted a tree together outside Taekwondowon in Muju, Korea during the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships.

“There is a saying, ‘From small acorns, mighty oaks grow,’” said Choue. “I hope and believe that the small steps we are taking toward Taekwondo unity here in Muju will lead to great things for the global Taekwondo family in the future.”

Taekwondo Heats Up 2018 Winter ‘Peace Olympics’ in PyeongChang

Taekwondo is not a Winter Olympic event, but our sport was central to inter-Korean reconciliation moves at the PyeongChang Games

Taekwondo players from both sides of the Korean Peninsula, representing World Taekwondo (WT) and the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) performed together at the pre-show of the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. The collaborative demonstration was an iconic moment for Taekwondo and the Olympic movement. Defying sub-zero temperatures, it took place on an open-air stage at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium ahead of the opening ceremony. The demonstration set the tone for the official opening ceremony, which delivered a powerful message of peace to the world with athletes from North and South Korea marching out together behind one flag.

“Today is a historic moment for World Taekwondo, for the International Taekwon-Do Federation and for the Korean Peninsula,” said WT President Chungwon Choue. “Sport has the power to bring countries together and open up dialogue.”

The WT demonstration team was the first to perform at the preshow, smashing boards with high kicks. They were followed by the ITF members, who showcased a range of power moves. The two teams then carried out a joint demonstration. Throughout, the performers enjoyed the vocal backing of 200 North Korean cheerleaders applauding every move.

WT and the ITF signed a protocol of accord with the full endorsement of IOC President Thomas Bach in August 2014. The protocol was signed on the sidelines of the Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China. Since then, the ITF Demonstration Team has joined the WT

Demonstration Team to perform at the 2015 World Taekwondo Championships in Chelyabinsk, Russia and at the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships in Muju, South Korea.

On the sidelines of the Muju tournament, ITF President Ri Yong Son and WT President Choue discussed a joint performance at the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Amid a number of inter-Korean reconciliation moves underway at the 2018 Winter Games, the two teams also performed a demonstration in the coastal town of Sokcho on Feb. 10. While the PyeongChang demonstation had been a truncated performance, the Sokcho event ran for over an hour.

The demonstration took place at the Gangwon Career Center, before a sellout crowd of enthusiastic locals and VIPs including former U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, IOC Vice President Ugur Erdener, ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, IOC Members Ivan Dibos, Aicha Garad Ali, Ung Chang, Poul-Erik Høyer, Jean-Christophe Rolland, President of the International Handball Federation Hassan Moustafa, FISU President Oleg Matytsin, and WT Council member Angelo Cito.

“This is the moment when we see the power of sports to unite people and countries,” said Erdener. “Sport can make a difference in our world.” “Sport is a powerful way to promote peace and reconciliation,” added Ban, who joked about his 10th dan Taekwondo black belt – an honorary rank. “We can witness how powerful sports are to promote, reconciliation, friendship and harmony. Let us work together to make this world better.”

Prior to the performance, a welcoming ceremony was held by the city’s mayor at Sokcho City Hall. The ceremony was attended by senior WT officials including President Chungwon Choue and Secretary General Hoss Rafaty, as well as by ITF President Ri Yong Son and ITF Vice President Hwang Ho-Yong.

The performance, which lasted slightly over one hour, took on the format of a WT demo, an ITF demo, then a joint demo to wrap up the event.

The WT demonstration started with a short film of recent humanitarian and social efforts made by the federation. It included footage of nations impacted by war and natural disasters, then showed work by WT and its charity affiliate, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, in earthquake-struck Italy and Nepal, and at the Azraq Camp for Syrian refugees in Jordan. The film also included highlights of the joint WT-ITF demonstration at the 2017 Muju World Championships, and the honorary black belt presentation ceremony made by Choue to the Pope at the Vatican.

Then it was time for live action. The performance started with a fan dance performed by players in red and black dobok, followed by group poomsae, using the fans as weapons.

Next was a swirling banner dance, which ended with a group tableau, followed by group poomsae in slow-motion, punctuated with fast moves and loud kiaps.

Blindfold breaks were done to the sound of a tinkling bell, then that crowd favorite, aerial breaks, was performed. The athletes then picked up weapons – staffs and short-sticks – for both routines

and two-man fights. Power breaks were performed, and then some very thick board were destroyed by the team’s master coach. The mood changed with flips, tricks and dancing, followed by an upbeat performance to the folk tune, “Arirang.” The demonstration finished with a line of ten boards being broken by a running series of jump spin kicks that was dizzying just to watch. Finally, a high-altitude break was undertaken, and a banner reading “One World, One Taekwondo” was unfurled from on high.

Next up from the ITF.

The ITF team marched on in traditional, all-white dobok. While WT had used backing music, the ITF team were introduced by a female MC at the microphone, and moved in military-like coordination to shouted commands. The demonstration started with some crisp poomsae that made the stage shake with the jumps and stamps. Flying high kick breaks and running kick breaks, as well as coordinated pattern breaks performed by multiple players followed. Then came the most popular part of the performance: Power kicks smashing 6cm, 7cm, and even 10cm thick stacks of wood, as well as roof tiles.

The performance ended with a joint poomsae by WT and ITF team members, followed by the unfurling of another banner, reading “Peace is More Precious than Triumph.”

VIPs then mounted the stage – covered in splintered wood – for a photo session and to congratulate the two teams. Then it was all over.

WT and ITF teams performed two more demonstrations in Seoul before the ITF squad returned home.

Pope Receives Taekwondo Honor

There are moments when you are utterly thrilled: Rejoicing at a result, at the winning of a medal or at some other historic success that will remain forever in your memory. This was a moment like that.

On May 10, 2017, World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue, accompanied by President of the Italian Taekwondo Federation Angelo Cito, was received by Pope Francis in the Saint Peter’s Square in Vatican City. With them were Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Holy See Jeong Jong-hyu and Honorary President of

the Italian Taekwondo Federation Park Young-gil.

After a fraternal greeting, Choue awarded the Pope an honorary 10th dan black belt - the highest rank in Taekwondo.

The Pope – a sports fan who is known for his passion for the Argentinean football club San Lorenzo - thanked Choue. At the World Conference on Sport and Faith hosted by the Pontiff at the Vatican in October 2016, the Pope showned great interest in the WT Demonstration Team’s performance during the opening

ceremony. The team also performed for victims of the earthquake that took place in Amatrice, Italy in 2016. The Pope expressed his interest in the humanitarian activities of the global Taekwondo family, notably the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF). The THF was established in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2016 with the mission of “empowering the powerless” – teaching Taekwondo to refugees and dis-

placed persons throughout the world.

The meeting ended with a traditional farewell. “Pray for me,” the smiling Pope Francis implored his guests.

“It was a tremendous honor to meet a man who has such immense moral stature worldwide,” said Choue after the meeting. “It was a great privilege to brief him on the sport of Taekwondo, and on our humanitarian activities across the globe.”

Black belt awarded to the Pontiff in the Vatican

On Holy Ground: Taekwondo Soars in Heart of Vatican

His Holiness Pope Francis and thousands more watch demonstration in St. Peter’s Square

World Taekwondo (WT) performed a historic demonstration in Vatican City in the presence of His Holiness Pope Francis, reflecting the federation’s ongoing commitment to sending a message of peace through Taekwondo.

The demonstration took place in St. Peter’s Square on May 30, 2019 in front of thousands of people gathered from all over the world for Pope Francis’ general audience.

The team performed a powerful and highly symbolic demonstration that ended with team members unfurling a banner reading “Peace is More Precious than Triumph” in Italian. Following the demonstration, Pope Francis personally thanked the team.

Pope Francis spoke many times of the positive values sport brings to society.

In May 2017, the Pope was awarded an honorary 10th dan black belt by WT President Chungwon Choue during a special visit to Vatican City, where the Pope expressed his interest in the humanitarian activities of the THF.

“It is a huge honor for World Taekwondo to be invited to Vatican City to perform a demonstration at this holy and historic location,” Choue said. “We are very grateful to His Holiness Pope Francis for allowing us this opportunity to send out a message that peace is more precious than triumph.”

WT has been widely recognized for its commiment to charitable initiatives and sports diplomacy.

In 2016, the WT Demonstration Team performed in an indoor auditorium in Vatican City for the 1st Global Conference on Faith and Sport.

‘Taekwonplomacy:’ Full-Power Peace Message Delivered in Pyongyang

For the second time in 2018, the WT Demo Team enjoyed a thunderous reception in the North Korean capital

For the second time in 2018, World Taekwondo (WT) and the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) performed a spectacular joint demonstration in North Korea’s capital Pyongyang, showcasing the power of Taekwondo as a vehicle for sport diplomacy. They previously performed together in Pyongyang in April 2018.

On Oct. 31, 2018, in front of more than 2,300 people packed into the Taekwondo Hall, demonstration teams from the two international Taekwondo governing bodies put on a show of jaw-dropping athleticism.

The WT Demonstration Team opened the show with a fusion of poomsae and modern dance before carrying out blindfold breaks, in which the strikers were guided on to targets by hand bells. Then came a series of brilliantly coordinated breaks involving punches and kicks, followed by choreographed fight routines.

After 30 minutes of WT’s performance, the ITF team marched on

in traditional, all-white dobok without any background music. Their performance was full of power moves, breaking bricks and tiles with kicks, and enduring strikes across their limbs and torsos.

While WT’s performance was more colorful, the ITF’s appeared to be more traditional .

Joint poomsae wrapped up the evening and the crowd reacted enthusiastically with thunderous applause. At its conclusion, WT and ITF athletes shook hands; some embraced each other. For many, it was a reunion at the same venue.

“Among the four joint performances they have displayed so far, this one was the best,” WT President Chungwon Choue said.

“Today has shown that there is far more that unites us than divides us. Taekwondo has the power to open up dialogue and contribute to more peaceful understanding between nations,” he added.

Among the dignitaries who watched the event were ITF President Ri Yong Son and North Korea’s National Sports Guidance Committee Chairman Choe Hwi.

After the event, Choue invited the WT delegation, ITF officials and athletes to a special dinner at Pyongyang’s famed cold noodle restaurant, Okryugwan.

The demonstration followed an agreement signed between WT and the ITF that would see the two federations forming a joint committee with the aim of “One World, One Sport Taekwondo.”

Boards Smash, Hands Clap at U.N.

World Taekwondo (WT) and the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) showcased the power of Taekwondo to promote peace during a joint demonstration at the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) on April 12, 2019.

It was the fourth demonstration held over the last week to mark the 25th anniversary of Taekwondo being included in the Olympic program. It also celebrated the growing collaboration between the two federations.

The U.N. office in Geneva, a symbol of unity, collaboration and international peace, provided an ideal setting for the joint demonstration, sending a strong message about Taekwondo’s power to teach values that transcend sport.

U.N. Geneva Director General Michael Moller, ambassadors, members of the diplomatic corps as well as board members and staff from international organizations watched with awe as 28 delegates from WT and 23 delegates from the ITF showcased the skill, excitement and drama of Taekwondo.

The athletes performed gravity-defying kicks, spectacular board breaks, self-defense moves and graceful poomsae skills. Many members of the audience, unfamiliar with Taekwondo, were clearly astonished.

This was the second time WT visited the U.N. offices in Geneva, after an initial visit in 2016 to discuss humanitarian and peace-building initiatives. The WT Demonstration Team had the honor of performing a demonstration during that visit.

Prior to the performance, Moller said, “We are proactively looking for ways to strengthen our cooperation with international sport fed-

erations. We are doing this because we see important synergies between the work of sport federations and international organizations. Sport is an important enabler to reach out to young people worldwide and to disseminate the values enshrined in the U.N. Charter.”

“It is an honor to be back at the U.N. office here in Geneva; WT and the U.N. share many of the same values,” said WT President Chungwon Choue. “It was at the U.N. headquarters in New York in 2015 that we first announced the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF). Since then, we have supported a number of humanitarian and peace -building initiatives all around the world.”

Choue noted the importance of the venue. “Today was a symbolic moment for our sport as it was the first time that WT and the ITF have performed together at the U.N.,” he said. “We have different rules, use different equipment and some of the techniques used by our athletes have diverged, but as today’s event has proven, we are moving toward unity.”

WT and the U.N. have enjoyed a close relationship for many years, particularly in providing opportunities for refugees.

“The ITF has conducted joint demonstrations with WT several times in the past with the purpose to unify Taekwondo,” said ITF President Ri Yong Son. “Taekwondo is the legacy and pride of mankind as it promotes people’s health and aspires for peace and justice. I hope this historic event will be the opportunity to unify Taekwondo.”

Prior to the event at UNOG, a WT and ITF joint demonstration had taken place at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) under the theme of “Taekwondo for Peace.”

U.N. staffers enjoy scorching demo of Taekwondo unity in Geneva

Taekwondo in Central Role at 1st DMZ Peace Festival

The 2019 DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) Peace Festival took place in Paju, Korea, on June 29, 2019 with thousands of Taekwondo practitioners taking part to promote a message of world peace.

The 2019 DMZ Peace Festival was jointly promoted by GCS International, headed by Chungwon Choue, who also serves as president of World Taekwondo (WT), and the Kukmin Daily, one of Korea’s nationwide newspapers.

Paju City, actually a county in Gyeonggi Provice, is north of Seoul and just south of the DMZ that divides the Koreas. It takes about one hour by car to get to the Paju Peace Nuri Park, the festival venue, from Seoul.

The inaugural event was organized by the DMZ Peace Festival Organizing Committee and Co. Act, a non-profit organization initially run by high school and college students in the United States.

Among supporters of the peace festival were WT, the Oughtopian Peace Foundation, Radian QBio, Paju City, the Korean National Tuberculosis Association, the National Unification Advisory Council and the Korea Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Under the theme “Hand in Hand for Peace,” the one-day event aimed to provide free Taekwondo education for children in developing countries and to promote world peace.

Among VIPs attending the inaugural DMZ Peace Festival were

Choue; Byun Jae-woon, president of the Kukmin Ilbo; Lee Hwayoung, vice governor for peace of Gyeonggi Province; Choi Jongwhan, mayor of Paju City and Seung Myung-ho, a board member of GCS International and chairman of the Hankook Ilbo.

The festival was composed of two parts: an official opening ceremony including Taekwondo performances by the WT Taekwondo Demonstration Team and the GCS Global Peace Corps Taekwondo Demonstration Team and an art exhibition along the electric fences of the DMZ near the Peace Nuri Park.

Around 5,000 Taekwondo practitioners from across Korea also carried out a flash mob performance, wishing for world peace, drawing applause from the spectators.

For the art exhibition of the 2019 DMZ Peace Festival, Cooperation Act, a U.S. NGO, received about 500 drawings and paintings in a digital art file from participants outside of Korea. The topic of the art exhibition was world peace. The art pieces were on display in an original size and/or in a postcard size in two designated areas.

“We are pleased to work with the Kukmin Daily for the 2019 DMZ Peace Festival through which we want to show the world that Taekwondo is a peace-loving Olympic sport,” said Choue. “Sport is a precious tool to bring humans together across political barriers, and World Taekwondo is strongly committed to this goal.”

2020 DMZ Peace Festival Held Online, Offline

World Taekwondo (WT) supported the 2020 DMZ Peace Festival, which was held in both on- and off-line formats on Oct. 7, 2020.

The 2020 DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) Peace Festival, the second of its kind, was jointly promoted by GCS International, a Seoul-based U.N.-affiliated NGO, and the Kukmin Ilbo, a daily newspaper.

Other backers included the Korea Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, WT, the Gyeonggi-Do Taekwondo Association, the Oughtopian Peace Foundation, the GCS Korea Chapter and the Korean Fair Play Committee. The event took place at the Convention Hall of the Kukmin Ilbo with the attendance of less than 50 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was broadcast live via YouTube.

The event drew dignitaries such as GCS International and WT President Chungwon Choue and Kukmin Ilbo President Jae-woon Byun.

As a special guest, Master Jeong Soon-cheon of Canada attended the event as in his capacity as a member of the Public Relations Committee of the International Taekwondo Federation.

Attending the event online were representatives from about 40 GCS national chapters, of which a dozen delivered their peace messages in real time via Zoom.

The festival started with opening remarks by Kukmin Ilbo President Byun and GCS International President Choue, followed by an award-

ing ceremony for the winners of a world peace art contest, a video showing of a joint Taekwondo demonstration by WT and the International Taekwon-Do Federation, and a 30-minute online peace-message presentation session.

“The DMZ Peace Festival aims to help enhance the awareness of world peace, thus helping create an amicable atmosphere for a unified Korea,” said Choue. “In this regard, the 2020 DMZ Peace Festival has a special meaning in that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of the Korean War.”

“The power of sport is great,” said Byun in his opening remarks. “Through the Korean national sport of Taekwondo, the Kukmin Ilbo wants to keep sending the message of peace and hope to the world, together with GCS International.”

“I congratulate the DMZ Peace Festival Organizing Committee for your enormous contributions in making this a significant day,” said Selma Li, president of the GCS Portland, USA Chapter, in an online peace message.

Taekwondo Master Rick Shin also delivered a short peace message for the attendants.

The 2020 DMZ Peace Festival closed with a group photo, with attendees holding up the GCS banner.

Taekwondo Joins 2021 DMZ Peace Festival

The 2021 DMZ Peace Festival was held successfully in Paju, Korea, on June 20, 2021.

The 2021 DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) Peace Festival, the third of its kind, was jointly promoted by GCS International, a Seoul-based U.N.-affiliated NGO, and the Kukmin Ilbo daily.

The event, which was held at the Theater Hall of the Munsan Administrative Welfare Center in Paju, north of Seoul and near the DMZ, was supported by World Taekwondo (WT); the Korea Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; GCS Korea Chapter, and the Korea Fair Play Committee.

Because of the COVID-19 situation, a maximum of 100 people were

allowed to participate in the 2021 fest.

The event, which was broadcast live via YouTube, drew dignitaries such as GCS International and WT President Chungwon Choue; Kukmin Ilbo President Jae-woon Byun; Dong-sup Lee, president of the Kukkiwon; Kyung-duk Kim, president of the Gyeong Gi-Do Taekwondo Association; Huh Jong, president of the GCS Korea Chapter; Myung-ho Seung, a board member of GCS International and chairman of the Hankook Ilbo daily; and Kwang-kyun Lee, a board member of GCS International.

The ceremony was followed by Taekwondo performances by the GCS Global Peace Corps Taekwondo Heroes Team and the WT Demonstration Team, drawing big applause from the participants.

U.S. House of Representatives Members Michelle Park Steel and Young Kim sent their respective congratulatory video messages for the 2021 DMZ Peace Festival.

“I hope the 2022 DMZ Peace Festival will be COVID-19 free and draw more than 10,000 people, as we saw at the inaugural 2019 DMZ event at the Imjingak Peace Nuri Park in Paju,” said Choue during his opening remarks. “I also hope that the Taekwondo Demonstration Team of the North Korea-led International Taekwondo Federation will perform at the 2022 DMZ World Festival.”

Taekwondo is the Highlight at 2019 GCS International Convention

Taekwondo took center stage at the 2019 GCS International Convention, which took place on Sept. 21, 2019 at Chosun University in Gwangju, Korea, where a GCS Global Peace Corps was inauguarated. The convention, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the founding of Seoul-headquartered charity organization GCS International and the 38th U.N. International Day of Peace, drew approximately 2,200 people from about 20 countries.

Founded in 1979, GCS International is a Seoul-based UN-affiliated non-governmental organization headed by Chungwon Choue, who also leads World Taekwondo (WT). With three major spirits of goodwill, cooperation and service, it strives to promote a healthy society, better living, preservation of nature, restoration of human dignity and world peace.

GCS International was founded by WT President Choue’s late father, Young Seek Choue, who proposed the International Day of Peace and the International Year of Peace to the United Nations in 1981 and was unanimously approved by the U.N. General Assembly that year.

In 2016, GCS International signed a memorandum of understanding with WT and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation to help empower the powerless in developing countries.

WT President Chungwon Choue; Hong Sung-geum, acting president of Chosun University; Lu Dezhi, vice chairman of the China Charity Alliance; WT Secretary General Hoss Rafaty; and WT Council

Member Kim Inseon attended.

At the 2019 GCS International Peace Seminar, Choue made a keynote speech, followed by presentations by Prof. Luc Reychler of Leuven University in Belgium.

After that, there was a ceremony to inaugurate the GCS Global Peace Corps, followed by a 15-minute joint Taekwondo demonstration by about 1,250 members of the GCS Global Taekwondo Peace Corps Korea.

In the afternoon, the 2019 GCS Peace Concert took place at the university’s Haeoreum Center in which a 37-member Korea Saxophone Harmony played classic and pop songs, followed by a 20-minute classic song performance by Korean Soprano Kim Jee-hyun and Tenor Lee Jeong-won.

The concert was followed by a 30-minute Taekwondo musical by members of the Chosun University Taekwondo Demonstration Team.

“‘Peace is More Precious than Triumph’ is the title of a book by Young Seek Choue, the founder of the GCS Movement, and the words are a precious lesson to all mankind,” Choue, the late academic’s son, said. “In this regard, the inauguration of the GCS Global Peace Corps on the occasion of the 2019 GCS International Convention is very meaningful and brightens the future of the GCS Movement.”

He expressed his wish for other sports beyond Taekwondo to join the GCS Global Peace Corps, which would ultimately help promote world peace.

Prominent VIPs Address

‘World Taekwondo Peace Festival’

The World Taekwondo Peace Festival was held in Seoul, Korea on Nov. 22, 2021 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Olympic Taekwondo and the 40th anniversary of the U.N. International Day of Peace.

The event, which took place at the Seosomun Shrine History Museum in Seoul, was jointly promoted by World Taekwondo (WT), the GCS International, and the U.N. Association of the Republic of Korea.

The festival, which lasted about two hours, featured a 20-minute Taekwondo performance by the WT Demonstration Team, an opening ceremony, and a one-hour peace concert.

Shortly after the performance, there was an opening ceremony, in which WT President Chungwon Choue delivered a speech, followed by congratulatory remarks by Vice Sport Minister Jung-bae Kim, former U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, and U.N. Association-Korea President Ho-jin Lee.

IOC President Thomas Bach also delivered a congratulatory video message.

Choue said in his opening remarks, “Since 2000, Taekwondo has featured in six consecutive Olympic Games. Throughout the past 21 years, Taekwondo has not only brought excitement to fans around the world; Taekwondo has also created a pathway for refugees, displaced persons, and the underprivileged to fulfil their sporting dreams. In Tokyo, we had four Taekwondo refugee athletes competing for the very first time in the Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Choue, who has also served as president of GCS International since 2006, did not end his remarks there. “I sometimes wish that there is no such things as a U.N. International Day of Peace, because we should all live in a peaceful world every day,” he went on. “Unfortunately, there is no such utopian world. We, as global leaders, have a role to play in nurturing generations to live in harmony and respect. In a world of peace.”

Ban fondly recalled Choue’s father, Young Seek Choue, in his speech. “It was Young Seek Choue who initiated the very idea of International Day of Peace.”

In his congratulatory video message, IOC President Bach said: “Today’s festival is more than celebrating the long history of Taekwondo as an Olympic sport. Today you are putting the spotlight on the unique power of sport to unite the entire world in peace.

“Peace - this was also central to the thinking of the founder of the IOC, Pierre de Coubertin. When he revived the Olympic Games 127 years ago, he saw them as a way to promote peace among nations and peoples,” Bach said.

“This is why I would like to thank World Taekwondo under the great leadership of President Choue for organizing this festival that celebrates sport, peace and solidarity,” Bach concluded.

The peace concert featured eight songs.

Mezzo-soprano Nam-ok Paik performed “Song of Peace.”

Then Korean Soul, a famous Korean black gospel group, performed “Oh Happy Day,” followed by “Yo Soy Maria” by the Jazz Quartet.

Band Leenalchi, a seven-member group, performed “Tiger is Coming” and “Please Don’t Go.”

The Korean Adopted Children Choir performed “Magnolia Blossom,” which was written by GCS founder Young Seek Choue and composed by Dong-jin Kim, and John Lennon’s peace anthem, “Imagine.”

‘2016 Taekwondo World Peace Festival’ Rocks the Heart of Seoul

Post-Rio, Seoul celebrated Taekwondo’s Olympic success in style

For five hours on the balmy Sunday evening of Sept. 4, 2016, central Seoul thrilled to the sight of whirling, spinning kicks and echoed to the thunder of booming music as the city hosted the “2016 Taekwondo World Peace Festival.”

The festival, set in Seoul’s iconic City Hall Plaza, was headlined by high-flying, highkicking Taekwondo demonstrations. It also featured musical performances by leading K-pop acts.

The festival, in which a Taekwondo vision statement was announced, was co-organized by World Taekwondo (WT) and the Global Taekwondo Support Foundation for Peace and Unification, headed by Jun Yong-won.

Free and open to the public, the event welcomed thousands of fans who not only enjoyed the entertainment, but also got the chance to meet and collect the autographs of Team Korea’s Rio Olympic medalists and to peruse a “Taekwondo History Wall” set up in the plaza. VIPs in attendance included WT President Chungwon Choue and former WT President Kim Un Yong. “A sport with 80 million people

can and should play a bigger role for world peace,” said Choue in an address to the crowd, referring to the charity programs being carried out by WT and its refugee-empowerment initiative, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation.

2018 Jeju World Peace Walkathon Makes Strides for the Powerless

‘World Peace Island’ is setting for Open Taekwondo Championship and for fund-raising walkathon

The 2018 Jeju World Peace Walkathon was held on the “world peace island” of Jeju, Korea on July 17, 2018 drawing hundreds of people from around world.

The inaugural charity walking event, which was held at the Jeju Seaside Art Center in Jeju City, was jointly promoted by World Taekwondo (WT) and GCS International, a Seoul-headquartered, U.N.-recognized NGO.

“Taekwondo is a combat sport, but here, on the island of world peace, it is an art of friendship and peace,” said WT President Chungwon Choue.

The walkathon drew hundreds of people, mostly athletes and officials attending the 2018 Jeju Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships, which kicked off on July 18 for a weeklong event.

The opening ceremony featured a Taekwondo demonstration by about 40 senior Jeju citizens, whose average age was 80.

“I am pleased to see that, here today, we have so many athletes and officials from around the world attending the 2018 Jeju Korea Open and the 2018 Jeju World Peace Walkathon,” Choue said in

his opening remarks. “To fulfill its social responsibility, World Taekwondo will more actively carry out humanitarian projects to empower the powerless around the world.”

He continued, “We are doing it through our in-house ‘Taekwondo Cares’ program. We are doing this through our Swiss-based charity, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation. And we will also be doing it hand in hand with GCS International and other international NGOs.”

At the end of the opening ceremony, WT Council Member Inseon Kim, together with two Uzbek female athletes and two Nepalese female athletes, recited the slogan of the event, “Peace is More Precious than Triumph,” three times in English and Korean.

After a 30-minute opening ceremony at the Jeju Seaside Art Center, participants joined a 2.3km seaside walk from the center to the famous tourist attraction of Yongduam Rock via the Yongyeon Bridge.

The walkathon raised funds to be disbursed to orphans, reformatory inmates and victims of natural disasters in developing countries.

WT Chief Takes Center Stage at Peace and Sport Forum 2019

‘Investing in Peace, Acting through Sport’

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue was a key speaker in Monte Carlo, Monaco on Day One of the 12th edition of the Peace and Sport Forum on Dec. 11, 2019.

“Investing in Peace, Acting through Sport” was the theme of the event, which aimed to identify and share solutions to scale-up investment in long-term efforts, transform societies and leave a sustainable legacy.

Choue joined a panel of esteemed guests at the One Monte Carlo Conference Center on the opening day, addressing over 600 key decision-makers on one of the most pressing topics in sports. Choue’s expertise in this area demonstrated how WT is one of the leading International Federations in the development of peace through sport.

Choue also spoke about WT Cares, which introduced programs to help get children off the streets and into schools and Taekwondo clubs in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, the Cares program also worked on strengthening gender empowerment in Nepal and collaborated with the Cambodian government to educate about, and campaign against sexual violence.

Choue, who is also chairman of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), spoke about the THF Humanitarian Taekwondo Center, which was built for young people in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan. Taekwondo is taught to about 100 refugees at the center.

Seven Taekwondo athletes are being assisted by Olympic Solidarity through its Refugee Athletes Support Program, including one athlete from Azraq. WT has the second highest number of athletes on the program.

Following panel discussions, Choue noted how the THF is reaching out to align with other IFs.

“We have signed MOUs with Olympic IFs and non-Olympic IFs such as muaythai and sambo. We expect to sign with more IFs in the future.”

And beyond the flagship THF program in Jordan, the charity is looking further afield.

“We are now looking to expand such programs to other countries like Djibouti, Rwanda, and Colombia because we know that we can offer the gift of sport to refugees and socially underprivileged children and young adults,” Choue said.

Choue

Details Cross-Sport Collaboration for Refugees

WT Pledges Commitment to Refugees at First-Ever Global Refugee Forum

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue, who is also chairman of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) and a board member of the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF), outlined on Dec. 12, 2019 the important role that safe sport can play in promoting social inclusion for refugees and displaced people around the world.

Choue delivered the messages during his keynote speech at the Peace and Sport International Forum. He also took part in a panel discussion during the forum entitled, “Sport for the Global Compact of Refugees” alongside Director of External Relations for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Dominique Hyde, and IOC Member Seung-min Ryu.

Choue spoke of the work of the ORF, which was launched in 2017 under the vision of IOC President Thomas Bach.

“The aspiration of the ORF is for one million forcibly displaced young people to have access to safe sport by 2024,” Choue said. “This is an ambitious goal that the Olympic movement can reach together with those who are already active in this field so that sport can be a tool to improve social inclusion for the most marginalized in our world.”

Related bodies are already aligning.

“Together with the UNHCR and the IOC, through the endorsement of the pledges, a coalition of more than 80 organizations has emerged,” Choue said. “I look forward to seeing this coalition grow further as working together in partnership we can multiply the impact of each of our individual efforts.”

In the evening, Choue joined delegates at the Peace and Sport Gala Awards 2019.

World Taekwondo (WT) united with 81 signatories across the global sports movement and pledged to support refugees through sport, during the first-ever Global Refugee Forum at the Palais Des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on Dec. 17-18, 2019.

WT was one of only two International Federations (IFs) invited by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to the inaugural forum along with the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). Both organizations were invited in recognition of their ongoing commitment to refugees through their respective humanitarian organisations.

As a signatory of the UNHCR-IOC Sports Coalition pledge, WT representatives joined key stakeholders from governments, NGOs and the private sector at the forum. IOC President Thomas Bach addressed delegates.

Just one week prior, WT President Chungwon Choue had spoken at the Peace & Sport Forum in Monte Carlo. There, he had joined a panel of esteemed guests, such as the Director of External Relations for the UNHCR, Dominique Hyde, to discuss the topic of “Sport for the Global Compact of Refugees.”

Taekwondo Peace Promotion in Focus at SportWorks Talks

World Taekwondo (WT) President and Chairman of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Chungwon Choue presented a SportWorks Talks webinar on Sept. 17, 2020 on how Taekwondo has been used as an effective tool for social development and peace.

More than 700 people from around the world registered to attend the webinar. During the presentation, Choue discussed how WT has supported the global peace movement. Choue’s dedication to global peace can be traced back to his late father, Young Seek Choue, who in 1981, successfully proposed that the 36th United Nations General Assembly adopt Sept. 21 as the International Day of Peace.

Choue launched the Taekwondo Peace Corps in 2008 to send coaches and volunteers around the world to help young people in developing countries and promote cross-cultural respect. Over the last 10 years, more than 2,000 volunteers have touched the lives of thousands of young people

around the world through the Taekwondo Peace Corps.

The next peace initiative was the creation of the THF which was formally established in 2016. The THF has launched projects in Jordan, Niger, Turkiye and Rwanda, with a flagship Humanitarian Taekwondo Center constructed in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan.

The third peace initiative Choue described was Taekwondo Cares, a sport development program. Taekwondo Cares is focused on grassroots development and provides aid for WT’s member national associations.

WT launched a successful crowdfunding campaign for its Great Champion Scholarship to help Lebanese children affected by the devastating explosion in Beirut.

Within weeks, the global Taekwondo family raised USD10,000 to assist them with their tuition and Taekwondo fees, and also collaborated with the Asian

Development Foundation to donate USD30,000 to aid recovery efforts in the city.

“Through Taekwondo, we promote values such as inclusiveness, respect, tolerance, courtesy, and integrity,” Choue said. “On the mat, we are competitors but we play fair. Off the mat, we are friends.

“The children we have reached had no place to call their home, and some of them had witnessed war and tragedy. They had lost hope and dreams but through Taekwondo, they found a way to be inspired again

“Achieving peace is not a task just for World Taekwondo, but is the responsibility of every international sports federation in the Olympic and Paralympic family.”

Choue also touched on the work WT has done for the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Following the presentation, Choue answered an array of questions from the webinar participants on WT’s various projects and efforts to promote peace.

Countering Violent Extremism via Sport

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue was among the roster of distinguished and expert speakers who took part in a high-level, online meeting on Sports Values for Preventing Violent Extremism on Sept. 18, 2020.

The event was organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT). Choue was speaking on a session entitled “Understanding contemporary forms of extremism and shaping international policies to tackle them through sport.”

He was joined by an array of notable speakers from the world of sport including world-famous football manager, José Mourinho, IOC Member Sari Essayah and former Dutch National Team footballer, Edgar Davids.

Speaking via video during the meeting, Choue spoke of the role that WT and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) have played in combating extremism and promoting peace through sport. From the Taekwondo Peace Corps, and the Taekwondo Cares sport development program, to the THF projects across Jordan, Turkiye, Djibouti, Nepal and Rwanda, WT has supported thousands of young people in need over the last decade.

President Choue said:

“‘Peace is More Precious than Triumph’ is a motto, a way of living that was passed down from my late father, Young Seek Choue. Sport has a powerful role to play in creating a civilized society. As an Olympic sport, I am always thinking about how we can contribute to human society. Through Taekwondo, we promote values such as inclusiveness, respect, tolerance, courtesy,

and integrity.’’ Choue detailed how WT is contributing to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Taekwondo was the first combat sport in the Olympic Games to allow the wearing of hijab in Beijing 2008. At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Taekwondo was the only sport to send equal number of male and female international referees. In 2019, WT was one of the first International Sports Federations to sign the U.N. Sport for Climate Action framework, and has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee for taking concrete action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at WT World Championships.

The virtual meeting was organized by the UNOCT in partnership with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), and the International Center for Sport Security (ICSS).

It featured discussions between senior United Nations officials, member states and international organizations representatives, policymakers, and sports personalities committed to the fight against violent extremism.

The event was held to build on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Security Council Resolution 2419 (2018) on Youth, Peace and Security. The resolution recognized the “growing contribution of sport and culture to the realization of development and peace in the promotion of tolerance and respect as well as the contributions sport and culture make to the empowerment of youth and women, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives.”

Taekwondo’s Got Talent!

WT Demo Team reaches final of hit American TV Show ‘America’s Got Talent’

The World Taekwondo (WT) Demonstration

Team unleashed an eye-popping display of kicks ‘n tricks in the finals of the “America’s Got Talent” TV show on Sept. 14, 2021, showcasing the sport to an entirely new audience estimated at 10 million for the season.

Though they did not, ultimately, win the competition, their months-long odyssey from the preliminaries through to the season’s grand finale capped a difficult, but ultimately triumphant year for Taekwondo. It followed the sport’s COVID-defying showing with the rest of the Olympic family in Tokyo 2020, and its triumphant debut on the Paralympic stage.

For the TV show, the team blended their trademark high-octane, high-altitude Taekwondo skills with inspirational messaging.

In June 2021, the 24-member team won the Golden Buzzer from host Terry Crews during the audition round.

In the quarterfinals, the team fired off a three-minute routine that ended with the message, “Peace is More Precious than Triumph.” That prompted Judge Simon Cowell to exclaim, “I love your message, I love your talent, I love your ambition - This is what ‘America’s Got Talent’ is all about!”

At the semifinals on Aug. 31, their performance held nothing back in terms of physical spectacle. “The danger level is off the charts!” an awed Crews commented. The theme was overcoming disasters and living together with

hope. The team ended their performance by unfurling a banner which read: “Goodwill, Cooperation, Service.”

At the finals on Sept. 14, the theme was recognizing, respecting, and harmonizing to overcome confrontation and antagonism. The flawless display of martial skills, seamless choreography and athletic excellence won a standing ovation from the show judges.

“This is a show!” said Judge Heidi Klum. “If you see this live, I don’t care if you’re five or 95 - bring your whole family. could watch a two-hour show just of this!”

Prior to their finals performance, a member of the team said in a video message, “This journey has given us an unbreakable bond and has absolutely made us stronger.”

In audience voting on Sept. 15, Dustin Tavella was crowned the season’s winner, taking home a USD1 million prize and a bagging show in Las Vegas. His act blended magic tricks with moving anecdotes about family and relationships. Even though the WT Demo Team did not go all the way, WT President Chungwon Choue was full of praise.

“I want to personally thank every single member of the WT Demonstration Team for showcasing our sport’s highest skill levels, as well as its positive values, in such entertaining style,” he said. “This initiative has taken Taekwondo out of the stadia and into the living rooms of millions of Americans – an entirely new audience for us. Thank you!.”

WT Demo Team Reach Finals of ‘Italia’s Got Talent’

The World Taekwondo (WT) Demonstration Team hit all the right buttons during their “Italia’s Got Talent” audition, as judge Mara Maionchi secured the team a place in the final on Jan. 17, 2020.

The 2,000 spectators who filled the theater roared in appreciation of the mastery of power and skill displayed by the team.

The audience joined the judges in giving them a standing ovation. Maionchi, an Italian record producer, was so impressed that she pressed the golden buzzer to ensure the WT Demonstration Team were one of the 12 finalists in the competition.

The team was first approached by the Federazione Italiana Taekwondo about participating in Italia’s Got Talent after a fantastic display at the Roma 2019 World Taekwondo Grand Prix.

In their display, the team proudly represented Taekwondo and showed it is not just a sport for competition, but an exciting and captivating artistic discipline driven by sound values.

The preliminary rounds of the competition were filmed in Avellino, Italy and aired to a global audience.

Italia’s Got Talent is one of Italy’s most popular reality contests. The show is viewed by millions around the world each week.

Demo Team Win Golden Buzzer on ‘France’s Got Talent’

The World Taekwondo (WT) Demonstration Team amazed audiences around the world as they secured the Golden Buzzer at the auditions of France’s Got Talent on Oct. 20, 2021.

The team put on a spellbinding performance which captivated the celebrity judging panel and those watching in the audience. Multi-million record selling singer Hélène Ségara decided the performance was worthy of the final and pressed the Golden Buzzer. Fellow judges, magician Eric Antoine, comedian Sugar Sammy and singer, actress, TV host and fashion designer Marianne James, shared Ségara’s praise for the act.

The 12 members of the Demonstration Team were joined by seven members from France to total a team of 19, plus the head coach. The performance began with four female warriors showcasing different Taekwondo techniques before the male members of the team joined them and demonstrated energetic and acrobatic board breaking.

France’s Got Talent was in its 16th season and was broadcast on French channel M6.

The WT Demo Team previously wowed audiences on the Italian and U.S. editions of the global franchise.

Equality and Inclusion

IOC President Awards WT Diploma for its Gender Equality Efforts

WT, Saudi Olympic Committee Host First-Ever Gender Equity & Women Leadership Forum

The first-ever Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum took place on Nov. 27-28, 2020, which was co-hosted by World Taekwondo (WT) and the Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee.

IOC President Thomas Bach granted World Taekwondo (WT) a “Women and Sport” Achievement Diploma in recognition of its outstanding contribution to promoting the development and participation of women and girls in sport. It was received by WT on Dec. 6, 2017.

WT made specific efforts for gender equality at the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. In Rio, in addition to the customary 50:50 split in Taekwondo’s competitive categories (four female and four male weight categories), the federation, for the first time, had a 50:50 gender split in its contingent of international referees.

WT is also promoting a new category in its annual Team Championships: A mixed-gender team. The category was first experimentally contested alongside the existing female team and male team formats at the 2016 World Taekwondo Team Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and was most recently contested on the regular program at the 2018 World Cup in Wuxi, China.

“It is deeply rewarding to receive recognition from the IOC for our efforts to promote gender equality,” said WT President Chungwon Choue.

“But our challenge now is not just gender equality, it is equality in all areas: World Taekwondo aspires to break all barriers of gender, race, religion and culture in order to truly become a sport for all.”

The federation continues to promote geographical equality. In 2017, it has hosted top-level events in Africa: The Grand Prix Series 2 in Rabat, Morocco, and the Grand Prix Finals and World Taekwondo Team Championships in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

It is also promoting equality of opportunity.

In response to the global refugee crisis, WT’s charity initiative, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, is operating Taekwondo training and education programs in refugee camps in Jordan, Rwanda, etc.

The forum gathered a number of high-profile leaders from across WT, the IOC and Saudi Arabia who spoke of their personal experiences and the work being done to promote gender equality. Speakers included the president of the SAOC and the president of WT, while a video message was delivered by IOC President Thomas Bach.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, our role as members of the sports movement has become even more important to help the world reconnect, recover and thrive,” HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, president of the SAOC, said in advance of the event. “Sports has a lot to offer to the international community in such unprecedented times, and we are honored to join World Taekwondo in organizing the 1st World Taekwondo Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum to discuss how sports, and Taekwondo in particular can contribute to gender equity and women leadership in society.”

The necessity of the forum was made clear by the head of WT. “All stakeholders in the Olympic family have a responsibility to do more when it comes to promoting gender equity and women leadership,” said WT President Chungwon Choue. “Under the leadership of the IOC, great progress has been made; however we know there is still some way to go to truly achieve gender equality.”

Choue noted that WT was the first federation to achieve full gender equity among its athletes and international referees at the Olympic Games - but added, “We cannot be satisfied with that alone.”

IOC Associate Director Irina Gladkikh and Gender Equality Manager Sandra Lengwiler presented on the IOC Gender Equality movement.

HRH Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud, presented about Saudi Arabia’s progressive initiatives over the years, including Saudi Arabian Women in Sports “Vision 2030.”

WT Council member and President of the Guatemalan Taekwondo Federation, Maria Borello, presented the World Tae-

kwondo Gender Equity Roadmap and shared experiences from promoting women empowerment in Guatemala. Borello emphasized WT’s commitment to aligning with the IOC’s Gender Equality Recommendations and acknowledged that more work is being done to create more opportunities for women leaders in the federation.

A number of world-class athletes and ex-athletes also took part. Para Taekwondo Champion Lisa Gjessing of Denmark shared her inspiring journey of overcoming cancer to become a 4-time Para Taekwondo World Champion. Olympian and WT Council member Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain spoke of WT’s women empowerment programs. And Olympian and Member of the IOC Athletes’ Entourage Commission Myriam Baverel of France touched on her Taekwondo journey.

Sophie Roduit, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) project manager, addressed how Taekwondo is helping to empower women in refugee camps around the world. Tae-

kwondo helps teach young girls self-esteem and respect, and builds better relationships with their local communities. Roduit explained how the THF is committed to increasing gender equity within its board and its coaches and also ensuring greater gender balance within THF participants. The THF is also planning an awareness campaign during the International Day of the Girl.

The forum was moderated by Hadwad Moawad, a member of the WT Taekwondo for All Committee, who explained about the synergy between gender equity and gender equality.

Speaking after the forum, Choue vowed to make “meaningful progress at our national events” and to “create more opportunities for women to excel in leadership positions within the World Taekwondo family.”

WT organized the 2nd Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum virtually on March 6-7, 2021 in commemoration of World Women’s Day.

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HADWAH MOAWAD MEMBER, WT TAEKWONDO FOR ALL COMMITTEE

LAMA ALFOZAN MODERATOR

SARAH STEVENSON MEMBER, WT COUNCIL

MARIA ROSARIO BORELLO CASTILLO MEMBER, WT COUNCIL

THOMAS BACH PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

CHUNGWON CHOUE PRESIDENT, WT

HRH PRINCE ABDULAZIZ BIN TURKI AL FAISAL AL SAUD PRESIDENT, SAUDI ARABIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE

2nd WT Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum Charts Path For Female Participation

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue expressed his hope that the Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum will create a meaningful legacy for women in Taekwondo.

The second edition of the virtual forum took place on March 6-7, 2021, which was co-hosted by UK Sport.

“Through the World Taekwondo Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum, we have created a platform to showcase the achievements of women in and through sport,” Choue said at the forum. “The forum is not just for World Taekwondo, but an initiative to work with other organizations to advance the values of gender equity and equality together. I hope the World Taekwondo Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum will create a pathway and legacy for women for many years to come.”

“There is much to celebrate and we have made positive progress in the journey but it is an ongoing journey and there is no time to stop,” said UK Sport Chair Dame Katherine Grainger, who shared her journey from Olympian to sports leadership. “We can use this weekend to feel energized and re-inspired to continue on the quest for genuine equity.”

“We should all feel a sense of responsibility,” she added. “We all have a role to play whatever position we may be in and that individual

and collective responsibility will make a positive change.”

Distinguished speakers included IOC Executive Board Member and Vice Chair of the IOC Women in Sport Commission, HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein, who spoke of the need to ensure that gender equity was addressed at every level of sport. IOC Member and President of World Rowing Jean-Christophe Rolland shared his federation’s active role in advancing gender equality through institutional changes.

Jordanian National Commission for Women’s Affairs Secretary General Salma Nims delivered a powerful and thought-provoking presentation on gender equality during the ongoing pandemic. She was joined by Lisa Hindson, Advisor for Games Planning, Venue Operations, Readiness and Knowledge at the IOC, who spoke of sport event management during COVID-19.

A session was dedicated to psychology in sport. It saw contributions from IOC Senior Sports Intelligence Manager Niccolo Campriani, Sarah Broadhead, Team GB Sports Psychologist, and Dana Touran, member of the World Taekwondo Development Committee.

The final session involved a Q&A with inspiring young Taekwondo female ambassadors including Para-Taekwondo athlete Maisie Catt who has aspirations to represent Team GB in the future.

Women’s Open Championships: ‘Historic Decision’ for Saudi Arabia

The first-ever World Taekwondo Women’s Open Championships were held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 25-27, 2021, which were hailed as “historic” for sport in the kingdom.

The three-day, G-4 event, the first global Taekwondo event hosted in Saudi Arabia, drew 171 athletes from 36 countries as well as a refugee team.

As many as 20 Olympians from Tokyo 2020 participated in the Riyadh 2021 World Taekwondo Women’s Open Championships, including silver medalists Lauren Williams from Great Britain and Tatiana Minina from the ROC, and bronze medalists Tijana Bogdanovic from Serbia, Ruth Gbagbi from Cote d’Ivoire and Great Britain’s Bianca Walkden. Other notable athletes included two-time world champion Jae-young Sim of Korea and Olympic Refugee Team athletes Kimia Alizadeh Zenoorin and Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi.

Eight weight categories were contested -46kg, -49kg, -53kg, -57kg, -62kg, -67kg, -73kg and open weight. The championship was a single-elimination system with the first two days of competition dedicated to preliminaries and semi-finals. On Nov. 27, the last of the preliminaries and semi-finals took place before finals in all eight weight categories.

Winning athletes secured 40 ranking points with second and third places taking 24 and 14.4 ranking points, respectively.

“Taekwondo is a global sport which is open to all and we pride ourselves on being gender equal,” said World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue. “We know we can develop Taekwondo further, and by hosting the Women’s Open Championships in

Riyadh, we will help promote gender equality in the Middle East and around the world.”

Ten Saudi athletes were amongst the 171 players and 85 officials from 36 countries.

The 10 pioneering players representing the kingdom were Tayba Al Sharif, Lara Kazim, Rahaf Al Shammari, Nuha Al Maymani, Ethar Hayyan, Sara Al Shaer, Abrar Bukhari, Mays Al Shammari, Dunya Abu Talib and Turtila Al Taweel. The team was led by Nujood Al Imam in addition to coach Fatimah Hayat and physiotherapists Amna Al Assaf and Raghad Al Ghamdi. President of the Saudi Taekwondo Federation Shaddad Al Amri described the inauguration of the World Taekwondo Women’s Open Championships as “a historic decision for sport in Saudi Arabia.”

“We are fully prepared from all technical and organizational aspects and the Saudi female players are raring to go in what will be the largest Saudi team to compete in a global competition like this,” he said.

WT Implements Strategy to Ensure Half of Referees Are Women

In the words of the United Nations: “While the world has achieved progress toward gender equality and women’s empowerment, women and girls continue to suffer discrimination in every part of the world.”

Building on its ongoing efforts to promote and respect gender equality, World Taekwondo (WT) has developed and implemented a strategy designed to guarantee that half of all referees officiating at WT-sanctioned events are women – representing a substantial step toward gender equality.

WT has dedicated a considerable amount of time and effort to identifying and training female referees, increasing their technical knowledge and ensuring they qualify to international standards.

WT’s work with member national associations to develop the skills of female referees and promote female athletes has created a snowball effect, encouraging greater participation from members of the gender split. Since then, WT is striving for the gender equality policy to be implemented at all of its major events, and for the Continental Unions and member national associations to follow

its lead.

The policy has created awareness among the Taekwondo community about the issue while also encouraging more women and girls to take part in the sport at all levels.

The initiative has led to an increase in the number of WT referees, which previously had an unequal gender split, roughly two thirds male, one-third female. The gender gap gave WT an opportunity to be a role model and actively demonstrate the fair play principles it has promoted for many years: openly stating that WT can be an agent for change in removing any potential barriers to women’s participation in Taekwondo, and ensuring that women have a strong presence in various roles across the sport.

The policy has helped create a more inclusive organization that recognizes the organizational and international value of providing equal opportunities for women involved in Taekwondo. The increased number of female referees has also sent a clear message to female Taekwondo athletes that refereeing opportunities may be available to them after they finish their competing career.

WT Appoints 1st Female Head of Referee Committee

The appointment of American Amely Moras as chair of the World Taekwondo Referee Committee in 2021 was a first. As World Taewkondo (WT) marches toward equality in all areas, she is the first woman to head the critically important committee.

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

Aiming to make fights as action-packed as possible, WT has introduced a “best of three rounds” system. The new format was first implemented at the Roma 2022 World Taekwondo Grand Prix.

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

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

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

Zimbabwe’s Teenage Taekwondo Trainer Natsiraishe Maritsa Wins IOC Women and Sport Award for Africa

was one of the highlights of the forum. WT has also been working with the Zimbabwe Taekwondo Association and the Korean government-funded Taekwondo Promotion Foundation to send equipment and supplies to support her initiative. WT will continue to monitor her journey and provide the necessary help along the way.

WT President Chungwon Choue said: “Natsiraishe thoroughly deserves this award in recognition of the crucial work she is doing in supporting young women in her community. Her determination to reduce inequalities through sport and raise awareness through the global media has also helped these vulnerable women and girls attend school and receive quality education. It is truly inspirational to witness her contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals and Olympic Agenda.”

The IOC Women and Sport Trophy represents opportunity, recognition and empowerment. Each year, the IOC Women and Sport Awards are given to women, men or organizations which have made remarkable contributions to the development, encouragement and reinforcement of women and girls’ participation in sport.

THF Athlete Wins IOC Scholarship for Paris 2024

Natsiraishe Maritsa, an 18-year-old Taekwondo trainer from Zimbabwe, was recognized on Feb. 3, 2022 for her selfless efforts to use Taekwondo to empower young girls in her community, as she was awarded the Winner for Africa at the IOC Women and Sport Awards.

Maritsa drew global attention in 2021 as the story spread of how she was fighting child marriage in Zimbabwe through a combination of Taekwondo and discussions about the dangers of early marriage. Maritsa founded the Vulnerable Underaged People’s Auditorium Initiative in 2018 and teaches young girls Taekwondo to instil self-confidence and create a safe space where they can share concerns and experiences and discuss issues such as child pregnancy and gender-based violence and harassment.

Maritsa said: "Taekwondo tenets empowered me to fight for child marriages and had positive results to people who I impacted the Taekwondo tenets to. With Taekwondo we are indeed champions of freedom, justice and peace."

Maritsa was nominated for the award by World Taekwondo (WT). She like so many around the world was inspired by her actions. Maritsa was invited to speak at the 2nd World Taekwondo Gender Equity and Women Leadership Forum in March 2021 and

Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) athlete Yahya Basam Al-Ghoutani was awarded a Refugee Athlete Scholarship by the IOC in 2022 to help him train toward the goal of being selected for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024.

Al-Ghoutani met with IOC President and Chair of the Olympic Refuge Foundation Thomas Bach, alongside fellow Taekwondo refugee athlete Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj , during Bach’s visit to Jordan. The meeting took place at the JOC’s Olympic Preparation Center where Bach was visiting.

Al-Ghoutani became the eighth Taekwondo athlete to have been awarded a Refugee Athlete Scholarship for Paris 2024, along with compatriot Wael.

Al-Ghoutani is a Syrian refugee living in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan. He has been training in Taekwondo through the THF since he was 15 and became the THF’s second black belt back in 2018.

“We are delighted that Yahya has been awarded this IOC Scholarship,” said THF Chair Chungwon Choue. “We are thankful to the Olympic Refuge Foundation and Olympic Solidarity for the support they are providing Yahya and our other Taekwondo refugee athletes as they pursue their Olympic dreams.”

Korean

Fair Play Committee Holds 1st Korean Fair Play Award

2nd Korean Fair Play Awards Ceremony

Held in Seoul

Star Vika Inspires Ukraine’s Para-Taekwondo Athletes

The Korean Fair Play Committee (KFPC), headed by World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue, held its first Korean Fair Play Award ceremony in Seoul, Korea on Nov. 21, 2007.

The awards ceremony took place at the Olympic Parktel in Seoul, drawing hundreds of sports figures.

In the men’s individual division, Song Jin-woo, a pitcher of the Hanwha Eagles professional baseball club, earned the honors as the winner of the 2007 Korean Fair Play Award. The honors in the women’s individual category went to Chun Joo-weon, a guard of the Shinhan Bank Sbirds women’s basketball team.

The Korean national men’s and women’s basketball teams shared the 2007 Korean Fair Play Award in the team division, while Kim Kuntae, referee manager of the Korean Volleyball Federation and a FIVB referee, won the honors in the special prize division.

A seven-member KFPC Screening Committee selected the 2007 Korean Fair Play prizewinners after strict selection sessions, mainly based on the applicants’ outstanding examples of fair play attitude and good sportsmanship in sports. The committee’s conviction is to regard fairness as more important than winning at all costs.

As part of its efforts to promote the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship in the Korean sports community, the KFPC, which was inaugurated in 2006, presents Korean Fair Play awards annually starting in 2007. Chungwon Choue, president of WT, was nominated as the first president of the KFPC in its inaugural General Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 26, 2006.

The KFPC then recommended the prizewinners as the Korean candidates for the World Fair Play Prizes for the year 2007, which was organized by the International Fair Play Committee (IFPC).

The Korean Fair Play Committee (KFPC), led by World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue, held its second Korean Fair Play Award ceremony in Seoul, Korea on Nov. 20, 2008.

The awards ceremony was held at the Olympic Parktel in Seoul, with the attendance of hundreds of sports figures.

A six-member KFPC Screening Committee selected the 2008 Korean Fair Play prizewinners after strict selection sessions, mainly based on the applicants’ outstanding examples of fair play attitude and good sportsmanship in sports.

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

The Doosan Bears, a Korean professional baseball team, and the Korean national women’s basketball team won the honors in the men’s and women’s team division, respectively. In the special prize division, Park Jong-chul, a disabled weightlifter, and the Jeonnam Sports Association shared the honors.

“To instill Olympic ideals of friendship, solidarity and fair play in youth is one way to enhance the educational value of sports,” said KFPC President Choue in his welcome speech at the awarding ceremony.

Dr. Choue said, “To attain that goal, IOC President Jacques Rogge proposed the creation of Youth Olympic Games and the proposed 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games will serve as a good opportunity for youth to share friendship and solidarity, as well as learn more about fair play spirit and peace.”

Vika Marchuk of Ukraine, who was born with severely disabled arms, was abandoned as a baby and raised in an orphanage, suffering a hard life before being discovered by Taekwondo coach Yuliya Volkova. Marchuk, previously a track and field athlete, was raised to championship level by Volkova’s patient coaching.

In 2012 it all came together. Marchuk – better known simply as Vika - grabbed gold at the 3rd World Para-Taekwondo Championships in Santa Cruz, Aruba, that year.

In 2013, she repeated the feat at the 4th championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Marchuk’s story – a combination of tough life, fairy godmother coach and bravura performance in elite global competition - captured the hearts of the global Taekwondo community.

So, what was the legacy of those championship wins?

“I think my success in the world championships showed other people that regardless of whether you are healthy or have a disability, you can have success if you work hard,” said Marchuk, who also received an apartment and a small stipend from a grateful government.

For Moscow 2014, Ukraine fielded a five-strong team, and some of the athletes admitted that the smiling teammate they train alongside was an inspiration.

“I am in training together with Vika – the same dojang, the same

coach,” said 15-year-old Oksana Hrankina. “I see how big and how strong her spirit is; it is a big motivation for me to get stronger to get the same success.”

It is not just athletes who learned of Vika’s story and took action.

“In our country, people with disabilities are not like others, they are second-class citizens,” said Team Ukraine’s male team coach Serhiy Brushnitskyy. “I was thinking of working with such people after Vika’s success. People with disabilities are strong enough; I am proud to work with people with disabilities in Ukraine.”

And however serious social prejudices against the disabled may be in Ukraine, being a world-class para-athlete has granted many a sense of self-worth and dignity.

Vika was the first Para Taekwondo athlete in any post-Soviet country to receive the Merited Master of Sport award .

A Para Taekwondo pioneer, Marchuk has seen international success since shortly after the sport was developed.

In 2019, she won all seven of her events, including a record-setting sixth world crown and a fifth European title.

Her storied career and contributions to the development of the sport in Ukraine are what prompted the Ukrainian government to grant its most prestigious sports award to a Para Taekwondo player for the first time.

‘Meditation in Action’

Poomsae - solo form routines - was a new addition at the 2014 championships. The discipline offers unique benefits to the intellectually disabled

Anyone doubting the transformative potential of para-Taekwondo should speak to Irma Cordoba.

“ When you work with love, perseverance and interest, Taekwondo accomplishes great things,” said the Colombian mother, speaking in a T-shirt emblazoned with the name of her daughter, Jhormary. “Through Taekwondo, Jhormary has changed in unimaginable ways - including aspects of her life that medical therapies had not been able to overcome.”

Cordoba was speaking on the sidelines of the 5th World Para-Taekwondo Championships on June 21-22, 2014 in Moscow, Russia, just after her daughter, Jhormary Rojas, 32, had delivered an impressive performance in poomsae competition – a subcategory of Taekwondo added to the championships for the first time in Moscow for those with intellectual disabilities.

If kyorugi (sparring) is the “martial” side of Taekwondo, poomsae is the “art.” Athletes are required to perform a series of pre-choreographed, solo, set movements –“poomsae” - against an imagined opponent.

The moves range from the simple – a chest-level punch – to the challenging – a head-level side kick. Poomse is graded to various levels of difficulty and in competition, athletes are graded on components such

as movement correctness, precision and grace. While poomsae lacks the impact of kyorugi, it promotes concentration, balance, agility, flexibility and leg strength.

“Poomsae is meditation in action,” said Sergey Proskurnev, chairman of Russia’s Poomsae Referee Committee. “It is really good, both mentally and physically.”

Poomsae is a demanding discipline even for those with normal memories and motor coordination.

Imagine, then, how much more challenging it is for the intellectually disabled – the category Jhormary was competing in. Add in impassive judges, a huge hall, fierce fighting underway on the adjacent matt and a noisy crowd - and the stress factors ramp up.

This did not stop four intellectually impaired athletes from competing in the event.

On the 21st, they marched to the competition mat, bowed in, performed their poomsae, bowed out and marched off. Their results appeared on electronic scoreboards.

Colombia’s Rojas was the only competitor to display two different poomsae; she also chose the most advanced patterns seen in the competition, Taebaek and Shipjin. Her performances were authoritative, displaying long, low stances and a clear expression of power that shook her dobok (uniform).

Watching Rojas’ performance, one would be

hard pressed to tell that she was in any way disabled. She ended with an overall score of 7.265.

Austrian Dominick Radosztics, 20, performed Taeguk 1-jang, Taekwondo’s most basic poomsae. The nine-year Taekwondo veteran gave a performance that showcased careful, deliberate concentration and finished with a sharp “kihap” (spirit shout). He repeated the form a second time, ending with a combined score of 5.400.

Russia’s Sergey Kiselov, 23, performed Kumgang Palchang. The poomsae is characterized by stance shifts, straight palm strikes and balance-challenging onelegged stances.

‘Gasoline for Life:’ Danish Champ Retains Title in Trail-by-Fire Finale

Lisa Gjessing lost an arm to cancer in 2012, but now reckons she is happier than she was prior to the amputation. How so? Well … being a world para-Taekwondo champion has something to do with it.

The 35-year old Dane boasts the svelte physique of an elite-level athlete and the sculpted Nordic facial features that modelling agencies would kill for. She is successful both professionally – she is a state prosecutor – and personally – she is married with two children, aged five and eight.

But cancer is no respecter of looks or position: In 2009, Gjessing was diagnosed with the disease.

“It was a big shock,” she said. Gjessing underwent various treatments and in 2012, her lower left arm was amputated. The trauma forced some introspection, and she decided to return to an old love.

Before her illness, Gjessing had practiced Taekwondo, competing at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships. But in 2004, she had given up the practice, partly due to familial and educational commitments, and partly due to failing the 2004 Olympic qualifications. Fast forward to 2012, and while she was in rehab, she saw something that inspired.

“I saw the Paralympics in London a few months after my amputation, and I thought, ‘How can I feel sorry for myself, when they can do all this?’” she recalled.

She contacted her former coach Bjarne Johansen. After an eightyear layoff, Gjessing got back into training. “Johansen had an elite Taekwondo center and his guys were on a high level,” she said.

“But I found I could still kick.”

Just a month and a half later, she entered the (able-bodied) National Championships and won in her class. “That felt really good,” she recalled, and started intensive training for the World Para-Taekwondo Championships in 2013.

In Lausanne, she took home the gold.

That win, plus her previous experience in able-bodied Taekwondo, gives her a unique vantage point from which to judge the two formats.

Para-Taekwondo has removed the crowd-pleasing head kicks which tend to be lateral; this makes it more linear, with more backand-forth movement, she said. She was also surprised that (at least in the women’s categories) there was as wide a pool of opponents as in able-bodied. She will stick with the para-format.

“From now on, I’m only doing para-Taekwondo, I am not going back to able-bodied,” she said. “With work and kids, I don’t want to fight with head contact.”

In 2014 in Moscow, having trained six days a week for months in the run-up she was in tigerish condition to defend her title. Her first two matches were a cruise. Against relatively inexperienced opposition, she won 16-0 and 12-0; both fights were – prudently - stopped by the judges. The situation presented Gjessing with an issue. “I felt I should have been more gentle with them, I want them to be up and coming as want more competitors!” she said. “It is a dilemma.”

RUSSIA’S SPARTAK

‘GRIZZLY’ GAZZAEV: A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS

Refugee Para Coach: Against All Odds

Sky-High Barriers

They have made a lifestyle out of overcoming barriers unfamiliar to most. Be it learning to swim with no arms, paint with their feet, or change a diaper one-handed, Para athletes have learned to adapt their lifestyles to their impairments.

Refugee Para athletes have an additional degree of difficulty.

Besides finding ways to excel with their impairments, refugee athletes must also find a way to succeed without the support of their own states.

knew just what to do: “Taekwondo became the natural point of contact when I came to Rwanda.”

He found others like him – impaired and forced to flee because of the civil war in Burundi. In fact, he found four other Para Taekwondo athletes. And that’s how Hakizimana discovered his calling.

“When I arrived there, I found all martial arts were mixed,” he said. “I divided them and made Taekwondo separate –that’s how I finally had a Taekwondo club there in the camp.”

The Rwanda Taekwondo Federation then made him an instructor at the Mahama Taekwondo Academy, which is supported by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation.

Imagine you, an 8-year-old boy, are walking to school. You decide, for fun, to open an electricity power box. You are immediately floored with a massive electric shock – but get up and continue on your way to school. Then you collapse. Discovered by passers-by, you are rushed to hospital.

Imagine, if you can, that both your arms then become infected from the injuries. The doctors are forced to amputate them - bit by bloody bit - until you have no arms left. Imagine that.

Or, if you prefer, ask Spartak Gazzaev, for this was exactly his experience. But if you think that devastating experience caused the Russian lifelong trauma or caused him to give up on life –well, think again.

“I got used to it, I kept going: Why feel sorry for yourself?” he asked. “Now I have a wife with zero disability and four kids - my eldest is 19, my youngest is 4 - and I feed the whole family, including uncles and cousins. Nobody works! Only me.”

Gazzaev is a three-time world para-Taekwondo champion – a remarkable feat for a 42-year-old. Outside the dojang, he lives life with the same relentless energy he displays on the mats. his lack of upper limbs does not stop him from driving a car, riding a bike, swimming mountain rivers (“they are fast and cold”) or skiing. He also plants his own vegetables and changes diapers. In the future, he plans to learn to fly helicopters.

In short, Gazzaev is an impressive man. He minces few words about those who lack the willpower to achieve what he has achieved. “What is most important is the head,” he said. “A lot of people have both arms but cannot help themselves.” In common with many of his countrymen, he has a philosophical side. “If you

want to live, you need to move, to keep going,” he mused. “I am just a simple human. Everybody has their own life and they decide themselves for what kind of life it will be.”

Gazzaev has clearly decided to live life to the max. His uncompromising attitude is recognized by his teammates, who have dubbed him “The Russian Grizzly.” “I am from a republic in the mountains, and I rarely smile,” the North Ossetian says (with a smile). “The Russian bear can be very friendly – or he can kill you!”

The region he hails from is known for breeding exceptionally hard, determined men: It is famed among Russians as the only part of Eurasia which Genghis Khan failed to conquer. Overrun, the ancestors of today’s North Ossetians pulled back into their mountain fastness and fought a guerilla war that even the fearsome Mongolian warriors could not win.

Gazzaev’s own combative training commenced in 1990, when he took up karate. After 20 years, he switched styles to Taekwondo as he predicted - correctly, as it turned out - that the sport was poised to enter the Paralympic arena. He now holds a 1st dan black belt and has five years of experience.

So far, no competitor has stood in his way. He seized his third World Para-Taekwondo Championship gold medal in Samsun, Turkiye where the final match posed few challenges. “It was easy - one breath!’ he said. “I won by 12-point gap.” His favored technique is the 45-degree turning kick to the torso: “When I kick, the body collapses,” he said.

A salaried athlete, employed by the Russian government, he is rewarded with bonuses for wins. He also finds the time to run a multi-purpose shop in his home village in North Ossetia and plans to open several more.

Take, for example, Para Taekwondo’s Parfait Hakizimana. He is a star Burundian athlete who has been living in the Mahama refugee camp in Rwanda for the last five years due to the civil war (1990-1994) in his homeland – a conflict that claimed his mother.

Hakizimana makes a living in the dusty plains of eastern Rwanda. In a camp of over 50,000 Burundian refugees, he has carved out a career as a Taekwondo athlete and coach to over 1,000 refugee children.

He credits this achievement to the assistance of the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation, which pays his salary, and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, which empowers refugees and displaced people worldwide by training them in the sport and martial art of Taekwondo.

In fact, it was Taekwondo’s philosophy that drew Hakizimana to the sport in the first place.

‘Taekwondo is my Family’

Parentless by the age of 11, he was drawn to Taekwondo because he saw “no separation, no tribes – just unity.” He credits the values of Taekwondo - namely respect, friendship, and competitiveness - to finding his own place in a new country.

After losing his parents at a young age, Hakizimana turned to Taekwondo because “Taekwondo is my family.” He was on the path to stardom in Burundi, training under the founder of Taekwondo in the country, before being forced to flee his country’s civil war.

After ending up at the largest refugee camp in Rwanda, he

This has led to more training, a coach’s salary, and even the opportunity to compete in international-level events.

Hakizimana took part in Para Taekwondo’s 2017 African championships, where he won his first fight, before falling to the No. 1 seed in a quarterfinal loss (18-12).

He won the national-level Ambassador’s Cup the following year, being named the tournament’s top athlete.

Still, things aren’t ideal.

Hakizimana lacks sufficient funding for full equipment, the services of a quality coach and the means to participate in more international-level tournaments.

Building a Better Tomorrow

Obviously, these are not the only challenges a refugee athlete faces.

Beyond the difficulties of living in a refugee camp, where sustenance is primary and opportunities are severely limited, refugee athletes face the profound challenge of competing abroad, where host nations are wary of any potential claim for asylum.

This reality means that Hakizimana’s only international-level tournament remains the African championships held in Rwanda. That makes virtually impossible his dream of competing in the Paralympic Games.

“I want to participate in more competitions, win more trophies, and go to the Paralympic Games,” he explained. “I also want to build a better life for myself and my family.”

While Taekwondo remains a refuge for this refugee, it also offers a potentially shining future.

“My dream”, he told World Taekwondo, “is to open a Taekwondo club of my own – open to everyone in Burundi.”

Garcia Lopez Wins Mexico’s Highest Sport Award

Teenage World Para Champion Juan Diego Garcia Lopez wins Mexico’s prestigious National Sport Award

Mexico’s Most Prestigious Sport Award

Each year since the inception of the awards in 1975, the Mexican National Sports Commission (CONADE) recognizes Mexico’s best athletes in a glamorous ceremony hosted by the Mexican president. Athletes are selected based on their yearly achievements, their career in sports, and their impact on society.

Diego Lopez became the first Para Taekwondo athlete to win the National Sport Award based on his dominant performance in 2019.

2019: A Year to Remember

Perhaps the brightest among Para Taekwondo’s new wave of teenage stars, Garcia Lopez had one of the best seasons in the sport’s history in 2019.

At 16, he started the year by winning his first world championship. He then won four more international titles, including gold at the inaugural Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru.

He nearly finished 2019 undefeated, losing only one match on a last-second score.

The talented teen was already on pundits’ radars after claiming the 2018 Pan American championship at 15-years-old. His impressive 2019 moved him from No. 5 to No. 2 in the rankings – enough to secure automatic qualification to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Joining Mexico’s Legends

Garcia Lopez joined Mexican sporting legends like World Series winner Fernando Valenzuela (baseball), world record holder Jessica Salazar (cycling), and Pan Am Games champion Yahel Castillo (diving). Winners received 796,000 pesos (USD40,000), a certificate signed by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and a golden medal.

2022: Para Taekwondo’s March toward Parity

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

The year 2022 was a sensational one for Para Taekwondo. Here are eight key developments that illustrate the strides made throughout the year.

1. Para Taekwondo Joins Grand Prix Series

Bright lights, ring walks, big-time fights – Para Taekwondo athletes joined their able-bodied siblings in 2022 at Taekwondo’s biggest top-tier event series, the Grand Prix.

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

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

the opportunity to show their skill against the world’s best when they might otherwise not have that chance.”

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

Uzbekistan which won 14 medals at Para Grand Prix events in 2022 and Azerbaijan, which won nine medals, were previous recipients of World Taekwondo participation support.

WT set aside USD50,000 for 2023 to continue its support of underrepresented groups.

3. Para Taekwondo Leads Para Sport Integration

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

4. As Good as Able-Bodied

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

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

The audience gets it, too.

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

5. Participation Support Works

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

“Nepal’s success is a testament to the support of World Taekwondo,” said WT Para Taekwondo Director Olof Hansson. “It shows what can happen when athletes get

7. Para Taekwondo Supports Ukraine

Despite the war tearing apart their nation, five different Ukrainian athletes stepped onto the medal podiums at events in 2022, led by sixtime World Champion Vika Marchuk’s European Championship silver and her pair of Para Grand Prix bronze medals.

In a noble sign of the fraternal nature of the sport, the Ukrainian Para Taekwondo Team has enjoyed massive support from their counterparts in the Danish Para Taekwondo Team.

8. ‘Undisputed’ is a Disputed Label

World Para Taekwondo’s introduction of the “undisputed” label for fighters that had won each of the first three Para Grand Prix Series events caused a stir in the Para Taekwondo community, with international media jumping on the term, while athletes and coaches debated exactly who should earn the title.

More widely, even 2022’s top fighters showed the difficulty of going an entire calendar year undefeated. With the busiest Para Taekwondo calendar in history on hand for 2023, the days of prohibitive favorites at the top of weight categories look to be a thing of the past.

Service Around the World

Thai Taekwondo Association Offers Free Training for Orphans

Thailand's national Taekwondo governing body is offering free Taekwondo training for orphans in Thailand, drawing great support and interest from the public and the media.

The association plans to expand its Taekwondo teaching program for local orphans. It marked the first time in Thailand that orphans receive free Taekwondo training.

On March 16, 2008, the Taekwondo Association of Thailand held an opening ceremony for the Pakkred Home for Boys in the province of Nonthaburi, Thailand.

Under the one-year Taekwondo training program, about 100 orphans at the Pakkred Home for Boys received two hours of training on Saturdays and Sundays free of charge.

Five teachers, composed of coaches of Taekwondo clubs, international referees and former national team coaches, give the free training to the orphans, and the association pays for the teachers.

The association provides the orphanage with Taekwondo equipment such as mats and protectors, as well as Taekwondo uniforms or dobok.

For the association, the Pakkred Home for Boys was the second of its kind.

The Thailand association started providing a free training to about 100 orphans at the Maharaj Home for Boys on Feb. 19, 2008.

Pimol Srivikorn, president of the Taekwondo Association of Thailand, is the founder and supporter of the training program.

“We started the program as we wanted to give something back to the society and we wanted to promote Taekwondo in all aspects by giving local orphans free Taekwondo training,” Pimol said.

Pimol said, “After one month of training, we found that the students perform better as they receive strict training, and we found that they felt more confident and disciplinde.”

“As the students really appreciate the program, we plan to expand the program to involve female orphans as early as next year, while increasing the number of male orphan-

ages which receive free training across the nation,” Pimol said. “To do so, we expect more financial support from our government and sponsors.”

“The free training program for local orphans is greatly helping enhance the image of Taekwondo in Thailand,” he said. “The popularity of Taekwondo is rapidly growing in Thailand.”

Hundreds of thousands of people practice Taekwondo in Thailand and the Southeast Asian country earned three berths for the Taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games through WT world and continental qualification tournaments.

Bare Feet, Kind Heart

Choi was tracked down by local media and though he expressed surprise at the attention, granted interviews.

“It was a small gesture on my part, but it was something I felt I should do,” the Incheon native, a student of Jeonju University, said.

He explained that he had always felt close to his grandmother, but she had passed away when he was 15. Since then, he had always had an affinity for women of his late grandmother’s age.

Choi credited his Taekwondo training for his manners.

“I have learned Taekwondo since I was five and met many good masters and seniors,” he said in interviews. “I have learned a lot from them on how to be a good person. Learning Taekwondo helps develop not only the body, but also the character.”

The young athlete also got a bit of exercise out of the event, when, having given away his shoes, he had to return to his hotel barefoot.

“The pavements were scorching,” he told local media, “So I sprinted the eight minutes back to my hotel!”

Choi Dae-ho, a Korean Taekwondo instructor, found himself at the center of an online buzz in Singapore, where he was holidaying, after a kind-hearted gesture he made hit the media.

On Feb. 2, 2013, the 22-year-old was taking a bus in Singapore when he saw an old lady travelling barefoot. In an impromptu gesture, he knelt in front of her and gave her the flip-flops he was wearing.

The old lady resisted, but then, teary eyed, accepted the gift. A fellow member of the Taekwondo Peace Corps photographed Choi kneeling in front of the lady and posted the picture online. From there the picture went viral, and Singaporeans posted questions online, wondering who the kind-hearted young man was, and why he had done what he did.

A Taekwondo Peace Corps instructor has won Singaporeans’ hearts with a gesture that put the shoe on the other foot

WT Demonstration Team Performs, Teaches at Refugee Camp in Italy

Following the Vatican conference, WT’s refugee outreach continued on their Italian tour as they performed and taught at the Croce Rossa Camp in Rome

The World Taekwondo (WT) Demonstration Team performed for refugees, mainly from African nations, at the Croce Rossa Refugee Camp in Rome, Italy on Oct. 7, 2016.

Refugees applauded wildly and took photos with the demo team members after the performance. The team also offered the refugees a free Taekwondo class.

“Many African nations won medals in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics,” said WT President Chungwon Choue in a speech of encouragement to the refugees who attended. “Going forward, WT aims to provide refugee athletes with the chance to compete in major championships,” he added.

Taekwondo Malaysia Organizes Fund-Raising Run for Refugees

Innovative fund-raising and promotional activities for the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) took place on the margins of the 2018 Malaysia Open Taekwondo Championships on March 1-4, 2018, raising USD15,000 for refugees.

The events were co-organized by World Taekwondo (WT), Taekwondo Malaysia and the Asian Taekwondo Union in Putrajaya, Western Malaysia.

The main event occurred before the actual competition, when all Malaysian Taekwondo associations came together under Taekwondo Malaysia’s leadership to take part in a nationwide “Humanitarian and Refugee Run.”

The fund-raiser was held in and around major Malaysian cities for two weeks before the opening of the 2018 Malaysia Open, and saw more than 25,000 Taekwondo practitioners, parents and the general public run a distance of 3km for the noble cause.

It was the first time that such an event had been organized by any Taekwondo organization around the world.

In total, the run managed to collect USD15,000 for the benefit of the THF, which will help the foundation strengthen its ongoing and future projects in refugee camps worldwide.

The run served as a benchmark for future THF fund-raising events to be held in conjunction with WT-sponsored competitions globally.

WT, Wuxi Arrange COVID-19 Medical Relief

World Taekwondo (WT), the Wuxi Municipal People’s Government, and the Jiangsu Wuxi Economic Development Zone held a donation ceremony via video conference on March 17, 2020. It was agreed that the Wuxi City and Jiangsu Province governments would donate 100,000 protective masks to WT as part of global efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19. The generous donation was in response to WT’s initiative to donate 10,800 hand sanitizers to Wuxi in February 2020 to help the city’s government when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak in China.

WT and Wuxi share a strong bond, with the WT Wuxi Center and several high-profile WT events based in the city. Wuxi is the host of the annual end-of-season WT Grand Slam Champions Series. Through the joint partnership, the donated masks were sent to selected countries that were most seriously affected by COVID-19.

“The world is facing unprecedented challenges. It is at times like these that it is more important than ever that we stand in solidarity with each other,” said WT President Chungwon Choue. “In this global period of uncertainty with many sports events being postponed or cancelled to protect the wellbeing of everyone involved, it is important that we continue to live by the Olympic values, showing friendship and respect to our fellow global citizens.”

Wuxi Vice Mayor Liu Xia said: “There’s an ancient Chinese poem that states, ‘Long distance separates no bosom friends.’

Entrusted by Huang Qin, Secretary of the Wuxi Municipal CPC Committee and Du Xiaogang, Mayor of Wuxi Municipal People’s Government on behalf of Wuxi Municipal CPC Committee, Wuxi Municipal People’s Government, and 6.59 million citizens in Wuxi, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you and World Taekwondo for your kind assistance delivered in our difficult time.”

THF Official Conquers Kilimanjaro to Raise Funds for Refugees

Farah Al Assa’ad, coordinator in Jordan for the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in February 2022 and unveiled the THF flag as part of her fund-raising mission for the foundation.

Al Assa’ad set off on the expedition to Africa’s highest peak in mid-January in order to raise funds to support the work

of the THF. She was led by Mostafa Salameh, the first Jordanian to reach the top of Mount Everest.

“I would like to send a message to support the refugees in all refugee camps around the world,” Al Asa’ad said. “To achieve their dreams and aspirations by practicing sport that develops their bodies, minds, and their self-confi-

dence, that teaches them tolerance and sport’s ethics, and enlighten their lives with hope for a better future.”

“The mountain that has inspired the African continent on its journey to freedom, today extends its inspiration to reach all the world’s refugees, renewing hope in them and promising them a better tomorrow,” she said.

Bach Praises Italian Taekwondo’s Aid for Ukrainian, Afghan Athletes

IOC President Thomas Bach, after receiving the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) Gold Collar - the highest honor of Italian sport - spent a wonderful day among athletes and sports managers on Sept. 16, 2022.

Great emotion surrounded his visit to the Italian Taekwondo Federation gym, the nerve center of the country’s Taekwondo Olympic preparation in Rome.

There, he greeted Italian Olympians Vito Dell’Aquila and Simone Alessio and federation technical staff.

He also met the Ukrainian National Team and an Afghan refugee athlete. Both have been welcomed by the Italian Taekwondo Federation over the past two years.

“All this is wonderful, I warmly renew my thanks,” Bach told Italian Taekwondo Federation President Angelo Cito, referring to the help offered to the Ukrainian athletes and the young Afghans in Italy by the Centro di Preparazione Olimpica dell’Acqua Acetosa.

“Thank you very much for what you have done for these athletes,” Bach continued. “It’s the translation and application in the field of the Olympic spirit and our values, to stick together in the spirit of inclusion and non-discrimination: ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius - Communiter!’”

Cito expressed his thanks for Bach’s surprise visit.

“We are really proud of this wonderful surprise in the house of the Olympic athletes of Taekwondo - this is the beating heart

of our sport where all the sacrifices and joys, defeats and victories converge, where everything is lived through the five-circle values,” Cito said. “We welcome into the family these athletes in difficulty, in the spirit of the fundamental values of the Olympics.”

Cito noted that the aim of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Italia was to give hope through sport to those in life who did not have the same opportunities.

“I can only thank with all my heart President Bach and President of the CONI Giovanni Malago for the welcome surprise,” he said.

Kicking Kids Tell Tashkent: ‘Taekwondo for All’

Locals got a taste of Taekwondo when a flash mob briefly took over central Tashkent

A Taekwondo flash mob briefly took over the Fraternity of Peoples Square in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in a “Taekwondo for All” event on Aug. 8, 2019.

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue witnessed the display of more than 2,000 Taekwondo youth practitioners, including 50 disabled students. Also attending were Minister of Physical Culture and Sports Dilmurad Nabiev; President of the Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee Rustam Shaabdurakhmanov; and President of the Uzbekistan Taekwondo Association Sherzod Tashmatov.

After the flash mob, Choue thanked the national leader for his contribution to Taekwondo in the country.

“My special thanks go to President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Without his enormous support, Taekwondo wouldn’t be as popular as it is now,” Choue said. “I believe all students here will be part of the future for Taekwondo in Uzbekistan.”

WORLD Taekwondo MEMBER NATIONAL ASSOCIATIONS MEMORIES

Sun Jae Park (center) Founder of Italian Taekwondo Federation 1996

Taekwondo Tram in Estonia 2021

Barcelona 1992 Spain Team

First Spanish Championships 1976

THF at earthquake zone in Amatrice, Italy on 2016

Türkiye Taekwondo Magazines from 1973

The First World Taekwondo Championships Germany Team at 3rd World Taekwondo Championships Chicago 1977

First training in Tragwein Upper Austria in 1978

Mr. Fernando Jaramillo, founder of Taekwondo in Cuba in 1987

World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final Ivory Coast 2017

Grand Master Lee Kwang Bae, founder of Taekwondo in Austria, in 1977 in Austrian Television. The lamp height was 3.20m

11th Taekwondo World Championships 1993 New York City Madison Square Garden

Team Delegations at the First WT Championships in Seoul, Korea

Master Kang Shin-chul, Iran Taekwondo 1985

First World Taekwondo Junior Championships Barcelona 1996

European Championships Poster-Denmark 1980

Grand Master Lee Kwang Bae, founder of Taekwondo in Austria, during a breaking test

Bum Jae Lee, Jose Cedeño (-54kg) gold medalist from Ecuador, and Byong Ok Kang at the 5th WT Championships 1982

Championship of the Kyrgyz Republic in Taekwondo 2001

First students of Grand Master Kim Young Tae, founder of Taekwondo in Ivory Coast

Master Ki Hyung Lee, first President of Peruvian Taekwondo Federation

Guatemala_Social Empowerment Project for Aboriginal Tipulcan Girls. National Championships 2018

Founder of the Danish Taekwondo Federation, Gunnar Soerensen, with national team coach Kyoung An Choi (left) and Hur Heng Taek, Holland (right)

WORLD TAEKWONDO

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Taekwondo: Social Responsibility

Published to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of World Taekwondo

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