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.