WorldTaekwondo 2025 Magazine

Pan America

President’s Message

Beloved World Taekwondo Family,

The year 2024 was a celebration of 30 years of Taekwondo as an Olympic sport . From the Centennial Olympic Congress in Paris, France, on 4 September 1994, there was no better showcase of Taekwondo’s transformation into a global sport than the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Twenty-three Member National Associations won the 32 Olympic Games medals at stake. Dive deeper and the global appeal of Taekwondo becomes more evident – 8 gold medals won by 7 MNAs; 8 sil-

ver medals by 7 MNAs; and all 16 bronze medals by 16 MNAs. For the rst time, a refugee from the Azraq Refugee Camp established by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, Yahya Al Ghotany, took part in the Olympic Games. Taekwondo is a sport that o ers opportunities like no other.

The Paralympic Games paint a similar story. Ten gold medals were won by 9 MNAs; 10 silver medals by 6 MNAs and one neutral athlete; and 20 bronze medals by 16 MNAs and one refugee athlete Taekwondo is a sport that transcends barriers. The bronze medal won by refugee Taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi was the International Paralympic Committee Paralympic Refugee Team’s rst-ever medal. Taekwondo demonstrated its strongest value: universality.

Congratulations to all MNAs that medaled, and for those that did not, I wish you the best in the next Games cycle.

While the Olympic and Paralympic Games showcased the champions of today, the 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, Korea, paved the way for the stars of tomorrow.

With more than 1,600 athletes and o cials from 122 MNAs, Individual Neutral Athletes and the Refugee Team, Chuncheon hosted the largest-ever World Taekwondo Junior Championships Congratulations to the 30 MNAs that medaled, and I look forward to the growth of all junior athletes on your journey to become world and Olympic champions.

Just as importantly, it is not all about competitions. World Taekwondo launched a mental health program at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in our ongoing e orts to safeguard our athletes and o cials. We were inspired by the initiative and the positive feedback of the athletes, and will continue to use our events for this meaningful purpose.

From the largest-ever junior championships, we experienced a record-breaking World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong, China, with the participation of more than 1,700 athletes from 77 MNAs and Individual Neutral Athletes. We are increasingly seeing the in uence and importance of Poomsae as an inclusive sport for all and organised the rst-ever World Para Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Manama, Bahrain. In this regard, World Taekwondo is actively lobbying for the inclusion of Poomsae in the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, and multi-sport Games

A new chapter in World Taekwondo beckoned with the launch of the World Taekwondo Virtual Championships in Singapore. Virtual Taekwondo is on the cusp of ushering a new era for Taekwondo, and we look forward to its inclusion in the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025.

The second Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in Jordan expanded with the participation of Baseball5, Badminton, and Basketball. World Taekwondo and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation are grateful to have supportive and like-minded international federations that put their sports for the greater good. I wish to also acknowledge the incredible donation of arti cial grass from the Taishan Sports Group to the Azraq Camp.

Once again, World Taekwondo scored A2 in the governance review done by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. In fact, ASOIF acknowledged World Taekwondo’s outstanding governance for an international federation of our size, and I attribute this achievement to the integrity and dedication of our MNAs and stakeholders.

Looking back on another successful and eventful year, I want to thank every MNA and host city that has organised World Taekwondo promoted and recognised events. Through Taekwondo, every one of you aspired the global Taekwondoin towards Olympism and Peace in 2024.

It is this harmony that will bring glory to the World Taekwondo Family in 2025. The World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi, China, promises to be the largest and most prestigious ever In addition, a Presidential and Council election beckons, with a streamlined Council aimed at elevating World Taekwondo’s governance to the highest level.

Fujairah, United Arab Emirates. Over the past decade, the Championships has proven to be the perfect platform for nurturing young, aspiring Taekwondo athletes and launching their star-studded careers.

Since its inception in 2023, the World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge has awarded fearless and talented athletes to rise through the rankings and become Olympic and World champions. In this regard, we are excited at the prospect of witnessing new rising stars in the Grand Prix Challenge Series in Charlotte, USA; Muju Taekwondowon, Korea; and Bangkok, Thailand.

I am pleased to inform the World Taekwondo Family that we are in close collaboration with the International University Games Federation to expand the number of Taekwondo disciplines at the FISU World University Games in RhineRuhr, Germany. Taekwondo is already the third-largest sport in the University Games and if successful, it will o er more opportunities for athletes of other Taekwondo disciplines to take part in sport.

I also look forward to the announcement of Virtual Taekwondo in the inaugural Olympic Esports Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. World Taekwondo look to potential bidding cities to host the World Taekwondo Virtual Championships and continental tournaments to serve as quali cation pathways to the Games.

The third edition of the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in Jordan is expected to introduce new sports to the refugees and displaced children. As the festival grows, my personal hope is to see its expansion to other countries and continents in the years to go.

Finally, a new IOC President will be elected in March 2025. Whoever it may be, World Taekwondo looks forward to working closely with the new IOC President and the new ASOIF President to continue the upward trajectory of our sport and organisation.

In this regard, I would like to end my New Year’s message by thanking two remarkable men and close friends of Taekwondo: IOC President Thomas Bach and former ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti During their presidencies, they supported and stood with World Taekwondo and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation through challenging times and through the best of times. We are grateful to them and thank them for their friendship over the years.

In a fast-changing society where international communities and the world of sports are facing challenges everyday, World Taekwondo aims to proactively respond to this “New Normal” and continue to drive changes rather than being changed.

Harmony brings glory. I am con dent that this is going to be a glorious year. Thank you.

For the rst time in our history, the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships will take place in the Middle East in Chungwon Choue President, World Taekwondo

TAEKWONDO

A four-day Para Taekwondo training camp was held for Top 30 IRs selected for Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Idrissa Keita: A Tale of Resilience and Grit 89

Paralympic Medalist, World Champion among 13 Para Taekwondo Flagbearers at Paris 2024 Paralympics Opening Ceremony 90

Head of Team Meeting for Paris 2024 Paralympic Games 92

Khudadadi Wins Refugee Paralympic Team’s 1st-ever Medal: Israel, Mongolia and Peru grab golds on Day 1 of Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

Zakia Khudadadi: ‘Paralympic Medal is For all Women in Afghanistan, and all Refugees’

Refugee Para Athlete Earns Prestigious Womens’ Sport Award 101

First Paralympic Gold Medals for Türkiye, Azerbaijan and China, historic 1st medal for Nepal on Day 2 102

Great Britain Takes 1st Paralympic Golds: Uzbekistan, too, achieves success on nal day 110

Paris 2024: A Huge Hit

Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Photo Gallery

Iran Defends Male Title at World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series

Iran Doubles Down at World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series

China Earns Mixed Gender gold at World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series

Event Kicks o with Spectacular Opening Ceremony

Head of Team Meeting Held ahead of Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships

Double Joy for Iran and Gold for Hosts Korea on Day 1 of World Taekwondo Junior Championships

Four Nations Grab Golds on Day 2 of Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships

5 Taekwondo Athletes Named to IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024

Saudi, Palestinian Fighters Make History at Asian Quali er 11 Coaches, Referees, Attend Joint Training Camp for Paris 2024 12

Olympic Taekwondo: High Kicks, High Thrills, High Tech to Hit Paris

Greece, Tunisia and Iran Win golds as World Taekwondo Junior Championships Reaches Halfway Stage

Day 4 of World Taekwondo Junior Championships Brings Golds for Philippines, Iran and Chinese Taipei

2 Golds for Iran, 1 Each for Croatia and Korea on World Taekwondo Junior Championships' Day 5

Korea, Morocco and AIN Get Golds on Last Day of World Taekwondo Junior Championships

Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships Awards 150

Noori and Nasiri Aim to Capitalize on Junior Championships Triumphs

Marufjonov Seeks to Emulate Uzbek Hero Rashitov

Wafa Adds Sheen to Golden Year for Tunisian Taekwondo

Bright Days for Greece Thanks to

Philippines, Singapore Triumph on Day 1 of Singapore 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Championships 170

Singapore Sweeps Golds as New and Futuristic World Taekwondo Virtual Championships Concludes 174 Singapore Dominates on Opening Day 177

Muju Taekwondowon 2024 International Open Virtual Taekwondo Championships Wraps up in Style 178

Korea Win Mixed Team Gold Medal at Muju 181

Australia, France, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and Rwanda Shine in Individual Events 182

Octagon Diamond Game Sees Mexico, Korea and France Take Last Golds 183

Daegu 2024 World University Taekwondo Festival Fires up 184

Global Students Wrap up Tournament in Korea’s Daegu 184

Taekwondo Mixed Team event added to 2025 FISU World University Games 185

Para Taekwondo Included in Chungcheong 2027 FISU World University Games: Taekwondo Medal count reaches 38 at the 2027 Games 186

Bahrain 2024: Croatia, Morocco Clinch 2 Gold Medals Each on Day 1 188 Head of Team Meeting 189

Bahrain 2024: Great Britain Steals the Show, Hosts Grab 1st Gold on Last Day 190

Opening Ceremony Raises the Roof of the Hong Kong Coliseum as Poomsae Worlds Get Underway 193 Head of Team Meeting

World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships o to Flying Start in Hong Kong, China

Team Korea Proves to Be a Poomse Powerhouse on Day 2 198

5 Countries Share Gold Medal Haul 200

First Golds Grabbed by Iran and Spain as Kick Fest Continues 202

Biggest Ever World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships Wraps up in Hong Kong, China 204

Awards, Closing Ceremony End 2024 World Poomsae 206

Vietnam Ends Gold Drought,

Taekwondo Marks World Health Day with Report on Mental Health of Elite Athletes 160

Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships Photo Gallery 162

Taekwondo on the Program of Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games 166

Taekwondo Set For Prominent Place At Dakar 2026

Youth Olympic Games Rises as Top-3 Medal Sport 167

1st-ever World Taekwondo Virtual Championships held in Singapore 168

Part 1

5 Taekwondo Athletes Named to IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (May 2, 2024)

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) con rmed that ve Taekwondo athletes will compete for the Refugee Olympic Team at the upcoming Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The team will comprise 36 athletes from 11 di erent countries and 12 di erent sports. With ve athletes, Taekwondo is the third most represented sport on the team. The addition of ve refugee athletes will result in the largest number of Taekwondo athletes ever at an Olympic Games with more than 130 due in Paris.

The ve athletes are:

Yahya Al Ghotany (M-68kg)

- Based in the Azraq Refugee Camp, Yahya ed Syria and started Taekwondo when he joined the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) programme

Farzad Mansouri (M-80kg)

- Mansouri left Afghanistan and competes in Great Britain with the national team

Kasra Mehdipournejad (M+80kg)

- Mehdipournejad ed Iran and now lives and trains in Germany

Dina Pouryounes Langeroudi (W-49kg)

- Langeroudi ed Iran in 2015 and now trains in The Netherlands. She competed for the Refugee Olympic Team at Tokyo 2020.

Hadi Tiranvalipour (M-58kg)

- Tiranvalipour was forced to leave Iran in 2022 and became a refugee in Italy where he trains with the national Italian Taekwondo team in Rome

Saudi, Palestinian Fighters Make History at Asian Quali

er

At the Asian Quali cation Tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, held in Tai’an, China, history was made with remarkable achievements in Taekwondo.

Saudi Arabia’s Dunya Ali M. Abutaleb became the rst female athlete from her country to qualify for the Olympic Games in Taekwondo.

Competing in the W49kg category, she secured her spot in Paris, building on her impressive performance at the World Championships in Guadalajara 2022, where she earned a bronze medal.

In another historic milestone, Omar Yaser Ismail of Palestine quali ed in the M-58kg category on Day 2 of the tournament.

“I am so happy, thank you for this amazing opportunity! I could not be in the Tokyo Olympics but now my Olympic dream is coming true and I will do my best in the Paris Olympics,” Germany-based refugee Kasra Mehdipournejad said at the ceremony. “But without the support of the IOC it would not be possible.”

He added, “I appreciate it and see you all in Paris!”

“We are extremely proud of the Taekwondo refugee athletes who have been selected for the Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024: At World Taekwondo we believe strongly in empowering refugees through sport,” World Taekwondo President, THF Chair and Olympic Refuge Foundation Board Member Chungwon Choue said. “The Refugee Olympic Team will not only inspire with their incredible sporting talent at Paris 2024 but will also build awareness of the global refugee crisis.”

This marks the rst time a Palestinian athlete has directly quali ed for the Olympic Games in any combat sport, setting a new precedent for Taekwondo in Palestine.

TAI’AN, China (Mar. 16, 2024)

Coaches, Referees, Attend Joint Training Camp for Paris 2024

The World Taekwondo Coach-Referee Joint Training Camp for Paris 2024 welcomed 32 coaches and 26 international referees to Muju Taekwondowon, Korea.

Held less than 100 days before the start of the Olympics, the three-day event provided an important opportunity for all participants to learn fully about some of the technological innovations in use to ensure the Taekwondo competition runs smoothly and safely.

Promoted by World Taekwondo and organised by the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation, it included sessions led by World Taekwondo Council Member and Technical Dele-

gate for Paris 2024 Mohamed Shaaban, Referee Committee

Chair Songchul Kim and Medical & Anti-Doping Committee

Chair Dr. Dae Hyoun Jeong.

Referees and coaches were informed about the Instant Video Replay (IVR) system and ways it can be used e ectively, including several scenarios for the participants to discuss. Presentations were also delivered on the Protector Scoring System (PSS) and the 4D Replay System.

The introduction of these systems to Taekwondo in recent years has helped to safeguard the fairness and integrity of competitions. The Training Camp ensured all referees and

coaches were well-versed in their operation. The camp also included sessions on Paris 2024’s Medical Service and Emergency Situation and on Integrity Education. Both ensure athlete safety and well-being remains of paramount importance for all referees and coaches.

After the formal education-based sessions, those in attendance participated in Game Management and Scoring Simulations. Signi cant time was devoted to this activity over two days, to give referees and coaches the opportunity to apply what they had learned and ensure familiarity with the systems in place in Paris.

Additional exclusive sessions were held for referees and coaches. Referees practiced and simulated hand signals, while coaches discussed actions, post-Paris.

Paris 2024 Taekwondo Sports Manager Mehdi Bensa was also present. During his presentation, he outlined logistics such as arrival and departure, accommodation arrangements, and accreditation processes.

“The World Taekwondo Coach-Referee Joint Training Camp inspired discussions among participants to address key challenges and achieve consensus on matters pertaining to the Olympic Games,” said Technical Delegate for Paris 2024, Mohamed Shaaban. “It also provided an excellent platform for coaches and referees to work together, fostering inclusivity and pursuing a common objective: the success of Taekwondo at the upcoming Olympics, in alignment with our federation and president’s vision as one Taekwondo family worldwide.”

High Kicks, High Thrills, High Tech to Hit Paris 2024 Olympic Taekwondo:

The Taekwondo competition at the Paris 2024 Olympics Games is set to be the biggest and best ever, with participant numbers, sport action, venue management and spectator engagement all soaring to new heights.

Biggest Ever, Best Ever

The competition - consisting of eight weight categories (four male, four female) - runs over four days, from Aug. 7-10.

It is the biggest Olympic Taekwondo event ever, elding 134 athletes. Of those, ve are refugees and one is an Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN).

In a sign of the sport’s universality, 60 National Olympic Committees are represented. Of those, nine are making their Olympic Taekwondo debuts in Paris: Bulgaria; Czech Republic; Fiji; The Gambia; Guinea Bissau; Hong Kong, China; Palestine; Timor Leste; and Uruguay.

Raising the Game

Taekwondo does not stand still: It is continually innovating. Matches in Paris 2024 will see two major changes from Tokyo 2020.

Firstly, the competition’s three-round matches will all be fought in a “best of three” system. That means if an athlete wins the rst two rounds, he or she wins the match.

Secondly, any athlete who su ers ve gamjeoms (penalties), automatically loses the round. That is down from 10 gamjeoms in Tokyo.

Both changes are designed to make the game as tense, dynamic and fair as possible.

Historic Games, Historic Venue

2024 marks the 30th year since the Centennial Olympic Congress of 1994 adopted Taekwondo as a medal sport. That landmark will be celebrated with a reception at Paris 2024’s OLY House, the hospitality venue for Olympians, on Aug. 6. The following day, battle commences – and the competition venue is a spectacle in its own right.

The Grand Palais, set on Paris’ most iconic thoroughfare, the Champs Elysees, was built as an arts venue for the Grand Exposition of 1900. The palace, featuring ornate stone facades and curved glass ceilings, has been specially repurposed for the 2024 Olympic Games. It is set to host Fencing and Taekwondo.

Audience Engagement: On the Streets, in the Venue

In the Grand Palais, audiences will be able to experience Taekwondo combat rst handvirtually. After donning a virtual reality headset and AXIS system, anyone will be able to feel what it is like to compete in the way of foot and st - but without contact, so risk-free.

In addition to the medal competitions, audiences will be treated to two special events on all four days. The WT Demo Team will perform and a special sport showcase will be displayed.

Though Olympic Taekwondo is an individual competition, the wider sport also features team combat. In Paris, mixed gender teams of male and female athletes from Brazil, China and Uzbekistan – the 2023 medalists of the World Cup Team Championships – plus a team from host France - will do battle in the sport showcase. Both events will warm up the audiences before each evening’s medal matches commence.

Olympic Medalists, Refugee Athlete, among

Taekwondo Flagbearers

Twelve Taekwondoin today had the honour of carrying their respective countries’ ags during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Since the Sydney 2000 Games, this is the second largest number of Taekwondoin as agbearers.

For the rst time in Olympic history, the ceremony took place outside the stadium with the athletes paraded by boat down the River Seine. The unique location made the athletes a central part of the show and provided them with an unforgettable experience as they were cheered by hundreds of thousands of fans on the banks.

Among the Taekwondo agbearers was Olympic Refugee Team Athlete Yahya Al Ghotany who only started training in Taekwondo ve years ago when he ed Syria and joined the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation programme in the Azraq Refugee Camp. He is the rst Olympian from the camp and the team’s agbearer.

Olympic Champion and rst-ever Gold Medalist from Côte d’Ivoire, Cheick Sallah Cisse, also bore his nation’s ag , after the same honor at Tokyo 2020.

For the Jordananian delegation, it was a clean sweep for Taekwondo as the male and female spots went to Tokyo 2020 Silver Medalist Saleh Elsharabaty and Rama Abo-Alrub.

Other Taekwondo agbearers included Abdoul Issoufou who won Niger’s second-ever Olympic medal, with a silver at Rio 2016, and Saudi Arabia’s rst female Taekwondo Olympian, Dunya Ali M Abutaleb.

Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony

World Taekwondo Demo Team Sets the Paris

Night Alight

Paris

Alight

Kicking o the Taekwondo at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the WT Demonstration Team, joined by the Italian Taekwondo Demonstration Team, tonight delivered a banging performance against an iconic backdrop.

A beautiful summer evening lured thousands of spectators to the forecourt of the landmark Hotel de Ville – Paris’ city hall since the 14th century –well before the teams began their warm up. Once the show got started, the crowd swelled further, as more and more people ooded in to get eyes on. That got underway with classic Poomsae moves set to classical music. Then came the signature

PARIS, France (Aug. 4, 2024) WATCH VIDEOS

moves: A serial of spinning, screaming aerial kick breaks. Those had the audience shrieking and the photographers diving for cover, as splinters from smashed boards rained down.

The tempo soared with creative Poomsae and more breaks set to the beats of drumming, electronic music and rock. The show ended with a homage to the host city: Team members billowed fabrics dyed red, white and blue – the colors of the French ag – and unfurled an Ei el Tower banner.

After the grand nale, WT President Chungwon Choue and French Taekwondo legend Pascal Gentil mounted the stage to thank the team members.

Paris Night

A day before the Taekwondo competition kicked o in Paris, World Taekwondo gathered in the city’s OLY House to celebrate the sport’s three decades of inclusion in the Olympic program.

Taekwondo was con rmed onto the Olympic program at a meeting of the IOC Congress in the French capital in 1994. It has been a medal event at all Summers Games since Sydney 2000. OLY House is a classic French mansion, complete with gardens, in central Paris. It has been converted into a showpiece of Olympism, open to all Olympians, for the duration of the Games.

Today’s event celebrating Taekwondo’s 30 years in the Olympics included a champagne reception, VIP speeches and gift presentations. A video retrospective of Taekwondo’s prior 30 years was played, and – wrapping up the event in spectacular style - the WT Demo Team performed on OLY House’s lawn.

Paris 1994 Paris 2024

1994 2024

World Taekwondo Celebrates 30 Olympic Years

Among the many VIPs WT President Chungwon Choue welcomed to today’s event were IOC Vice President Ser Miang Ng, IOC Member and International Skating Union (ISU) President Jaeyoul Kim, Chinese IOC Member Zaiqing Yu, Honorary IOC Member Ivan Dibos, Deputy Mayor of Paris in Charge of Sports, Paralympics and the Seine Karim Ziadi and OLY House host, President of the World Olympians Association Joël Bouzou.

Ng congratulated WT on three decades in the Games and on its innovations and reforms, saying that Olympic Taekwondo had transitioned “from strength to strength.” Moreover, as “a pathway sport,” it had provided multiple developing nations with their entry to the Olympics and to the medal podium, he said. He also thanked the federation for its charitable programs for refugees and displaced persons, conducted under the banner of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation.

Choue, in a speech laced through with humor, welcomed the WT global family to Paris. He noted that WT’s charitable arm, the THF, o ers training in Taekwondo to the inhabitants of Jordan’s Azraq Refugee Camp. The program is not restricted to Taekwondo: A total of eight Olympic sports will be represented in the next “Hopes and Dreams” festival to be held in Azraq, he said.

Also in the Middle East, he praised Saudi Taekwondo for qualifying its rst-ever female athlete into the Olympics.

Choue also touched on tomorrow’s Taekwondo. A futuristic format, Virtual Taekwondo, is being pioneered by and in Singapore, he said.

In Paris 2024, Taekwondo

‘Will Shine’

WT President Vows

Athletes and o cials praised the extraordinary venue Paris 2024 has o ered the sport and vowed to present the city with the best Olympic Taekwondo competition, ever, today.

Speaking at a pre-competition press conference at the French capital’s iconic Grand Palais, discussion covered venue preparation, the scale of the competitive eld, and the inner thoughts of two high-pro le players as they gear up for the battle ahead.

“At this Olympic Games, Taekwondo will shine,” WT President Chungwon Choue promised.

PARIS, France (Aug. 5, 2024)

Calling the Grand Palais venue “magni cent,” Choue said. “I don’t think we will have another venue like this.”

He praised Paris for installing an e ective temperature management system in the antique, glass-roofed site.

The venue’s acoustics, combined with the roar of the audience, “will create a good atmosphere for the athletes,” Technical Delegate Mohamed Shaaban said, noting that all tickets were sold out. “There is a lot of echo in the venue - it creates an amazing feeling.” Athletes agreed.

“I feel the pressure of this event as it is in Paris and I am a French athlete,” said Althea Laurin, (W+67kg) of Team France. “As we have seen in Fencing, people are screaming a lot and you can hear everything.”

Paris 2024 will be a very di erent competition to Tokyo 2020, held amid the global pandemic.

“Tokyo was without a crowd, it was very hard, but in Paris, it will be a very passionate crowd,” she said. “We [athletes] need to manage our feelings and stay focused, but I think we will enjoy it.”

Choue noted Taekwondo’s eld of 134 athletes hail from 60 NOCs as well as one AIN and a ve-person refugee team. Of the NOCs, nine are participating in Olympic Taekwondo for the rst time.

In an example of WT’s prioritization of gender equality, the 26 referees, coming from 26 di erent countries, is divided between equally between 13 males and 13 females.

“Taekwondo is the most tolerant and inclusive sport,” said WT Secretary General Jeongkang Seo. “We are con dent that our competition will demonstrate universality and excellence.”

One athlete who knows all about universality is Farzad Mansouri (M-80kg). After ghting for his own country, Afghanistan, in Tokyo, he is now a member of the Refugee Team. He has been preparing for Paris with Team GB.

“My heart will be with my team, and my country and my people,” he said. Regarding the IOC Refugee Team, he said, “This time, ghting for the refugee Olympic Team, I will do my best: We represent 100 million people.”

All the athletes obviously represent the sport of Taekwondo. The Olympic Games are the sport’s best once-every-four-years opportunity to showcase its attractions to the widest possible audience.

“Taekwondo is a beautiful sport, that helps develop con dence in children,” Laurin said. “We will try to make it great.”

In Intense Matches,

Korea and Thailand Grab First Golds of Paris 2024

Da y 1

The rst golds of the Paris 2024 Olympics Taekwondo competition were won in highly dramatic fashion by Korea in the M-58kg and by Thailand in the W-49kg categories.

Silvers went to Azerbaijan in the men’s, and China in the women’s. Bronzes were won by France and Tunisia in the men’s, and Iran and Croatia in the women’s.

At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the city has been the stadium, and the Taekwondo venue deserves special mention.

The antique, glass-roofed Grand Palais, with an 8,000-strong crowd stacked above the eld of play, is arguably the nest location elite Taekwondo has ever been played in.

The athletes rose to the occasion - and after the silence of the audience-free Tokyo 2020 competition, the Paris crowd raised the roof.

In the breaks, the WT Demo Team performed to massive applause. And in a sport showcase, a Mixed Gender Team competition was fought between France and China, with China winning.

PARIS, France (Aug. 7, 2024)

-58kg

This nal featured a perfect pair of warriors. Both are bouncy, attacking players, with wide technical arsenals and ambidextrous kicks. Both are Olympic debutants.

Taejoon Park, one of the brightest young hopes of Team Korea, is the 2023 World Champion and the winner of the Manchester 2022 Grand Prix. Azerbaijan’s Gashim Magomedov is a star from nowhere: prior to today, the biggest win in his career had been silver at the World Youths in 2019.

In the preliminaries, both delivered consistently exciting matches.

Battle commenced. The Korean scored rst. Both athletes fought, fast, from springy, tigerish crouches. Then, the Azeri hit the deck after a sharp but accidental lower-leg impact. He rose after a medical intervention, but in pain.

Park’s kick rate rose as he elevated his score to 7-0. The Azeri was su ering: Medics taped his shin on the FOP. He continued, but at the end of the round – won by Park – he had to be helped o by his coach.

To some surprise, Magomedov came out for Round 2. Park stabbed forward, applying kick pressure and ghting physically, in-close. The Azeri appealed a head kick: Rejected. Park scored a knockdown with a back kick to the head. 10-1 up, he attacked, driving Magomedov out of the area, ploughing him into the mats. Another medical intervention; this time, the Azeri was unable to continue, granting Park gold.

The Korean dropped to his knees and embraced his downed opponent. Subsequently, Park assisted Magomedov onto the medal podium.

To the delight of the home crowd, Cyrian Ravet of France had lifted the rst bronze without a match: Tokyo 2020 Champion Vito Dell Aquila of Italy had withdrawn.

The second bronze match pitted Mohamed Khalil Jendoubi of Tunisia against Spain’s Adrian Vicente Yunta. It was a rough a air, with the referee working overtime and the Spaniard frustrated as Jendoubi’s high kicks lit up the board. The Tunisian took the win, 2-0.

W-49kg

This nal would be a very di erent matchup from the mens’ nal: Established Taekwondo legend against up-and-comer.

Thailand’s Panipak Wongpattanakit is the defending Olympic champion from Tokyo 2020, having taken bronze in Rio. A double world champ, she holds a record 13 Grand Prix golds, making her perhaps the most formidable ghter in Paris in any category.

Her opponent, Guo Qing, is a young gun on Team China, one of the sport’s most formidable squads. Holder of three Grand Prix medals, Paris was her rst Olympics.

Round 1: Guo opened the score with a high kick, but the Thai found her range and struck back twice, taking Round 1, 6-3. In the second, Guo played a cagey, hard-to-hit game. A last-second IVR from Wongpattanakit was rejected. With Guo taking Round 2, Round 3 would be the decider. 30 seconds left and no points. Soaring tension. The Thai kicked high. IVR. The closeness of her kick on camera drew gasps from the crowd. Awarded! 25 seconds to play. Another Thai high kick! Another IVR! Another win! Guo attacked as the seconds counted down, but it was a 6-2 Thai victory. The crowd exploded.

Wongpattanakit – who has vowed to retire, post-Paris – embraced her coach and fell to her knees, weeping.

In the rst bronze medal match, Saudi Arabia’s Dunya Ali M Abutaleb battled Iran’s Mobina Nematzadeh. Round 1 was slow paced – then the Iranian scored in the nal seconds with an axe kick. Similarly, a spectacular scorpion kick in the dying moments of Round 2 gave Nematzadeh the win and the bronze.

The second match saw Türkiye’s Merve Dincel Kavurat take on Croatia’s Lena Stojkovic. Round 1 saw erce, long-range play, but just one point on the board – for Stojkovic. The Croatian continued dominating, winning the round 5-3, to take both match and medal.

Uzbekistan and Korea Strike Gold on Day 2 in Paris

The second brace of gold medals of the Paris 2024 Olympic Taekwondo competition went to Uzbekistan in the M-68kg and to Korea in the W-57kg.

The latter marked the second gold for Team Korea on just the second day of competition.

Female silver was won by Iran, while male silver went to Jordan. Women’s bronzes were won by Canada and Bulgaria. Men’s bronzes went to China and Brazil.

Earlier, the Grand Palais had welcomed two special vis-

Da y 2

itors. French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and IOC President Thomas Bach watched the afternoon matches and visited the Virtual Taekwondo stand in the Grand Palais’ spectator-engagement area. Virtual Taekwondo o ers audience members the opportunity to don headsets and sensors, then engage in contactless, digital combat. Prior to the evening sessions, the WT Demo Team performed. In a sport showcase, Uzbekistan bested Brazil 21-8 in Mixed Gender Team competition.

The category nal pitted Nahid Kiyanichandeh of Iran against Yujin Kim of Korea.

The Iranian fought at Tokyo 2020 without result, but is raising her game: She holds two Grand Prix silvers and is 2023 World Champion. By contrast, the Korean won the 2016 Youth World Championship, but has made less impact on the elite level. Paris 2024 is her breakout tournament.

The match started with minimal action: Both athletes stalked each other around the mats in a war of nerves. Scrappy contact near the end of the round saw gamjeoms hit the board, and a failed IVR by Kiyanichandeh. Kim won Round 1, 5-1.

In Round 2, Kim found her range. A head kick by the tall Korean put her ve points up, pressuring the Iranian to ght forward. Kim added another two points – then another three. Facing 8-0 defeat in the nal seconds, the Iranian attacked – then suddenly stopped ghting and shook hands just before the nal bell. That gifted Kim an Olympic gold medal before the end of the second round. A remarkable achievement for a previously unheralded ghter.

The rst bronze medal was won by popular Canadian Skylar Park, who defeated Lebanese Laetitia Aoun. The second was taken by Bulgaria’s Kimia Alizadeh Zenozi who beat China’s Zongshi Luo after a tight ght that she won, in Round 3, by a single point.

The nal saw defending Olympic Champion Ulugbek Rashitov of Uzbekistan take on Zaid Kareem of Jordan.

The Uzbek star was always going to be the man to beat in Paris. Gold from Tokyo 2020 and bronze from Rio 2016 adorn his trophy cabinet, and last year he added two Grand Prix golds to that collection. The Jordanian was making his Olympic debut in Paris, but had already made an impact at the elite level, with three Grand Prix medals.

Kareem took rst blood with a body kick, going 2-0 up, but Rashitov, biding his time, struck back with a beautiful spinning heel kick across the face: 5-2. Kareem bought his score up to four, but Ulugbek won the round.

In the second, Rashitov went swiftly ahead with a whiplike body kick. The Jordanian returned re, but was not scoring. Both men went down in a urry of ying legs, and Ka-

-68kg

reem lost an IVR. 13 seconds remained. Rashitov sealed the deal by dropping his opponent with a side thrust kick. In the nal instant, the Uzbek lost a point for retreating o the mats, but with 0.1 seconds left on the clock, the Jordanian had no chance to raise his score. It was a poised and highly professional performance by Rashitov, who in dominant fashion, lifted his second consecutive Olympic gold, driving his star into the stratosphere. After Great Britain’s Tokyo Silver Medalist Bradly Sinden was a surprise no-show, China’s Yushuai Liang took the rst bronze.

The second bronze was more dramatic. Brazil’s Edival Pontes took on Spain’s Javier Perez Polo in a erce kick fest that went to the third round. Pontes won bronze in a very, very tight match.

Golds Go to Hungary and Tunisia Day3

On the third day of action at the Paris 2024 Olympic Taekwondo competition, Tunisia struck gold in the M-80kg and Hungary took home gold in the W-67kg. Men’s silver was won by Iran, while women’s silver went to Serbia. Male bronzes were won by Italy and Denmark. Female bronzes went to USA and Belgium. Belgium, Denmark and Hungary are all rst-time medal winners in Olympic Taekwondo competition. Prior to the evening sessions, the WT Demo Team performed. And in a sport showcase, France defeated Brazil in Mixed Gender Team competition.

PARIS, France (Aug. 9, 2024)

nal pitted Iran’s Mehran Barkhordari, who holds Grand Prix gold and silver, against towering Tunisian Firas Katoussi who has one Grand Prix gold and a Military World Games gold under his black belt.

Round 1 saw Katoussi dominating the center of the mat as the smaller Iranian circled, seeking openings. First blood –two points - went to Barkhordari. Fierce ghting took place on the perimeter, but the Iranian held out and it looked like the nal seconds, the Tunisian equalized and added an extra two

In Round 2, Katoussi initiated, landing a lightning, close-range crescent kick to the

With just 10 seconds left, the Iranian attacked and fell. Katoussi, sensing victory, gestured to the crowd. Four seconds left, and Barkhordari requested an IVR. Rejecturry in the last 1.7 seconds the

He had played smart and economically, scoring as needed – and earning the OlymBronzes were won by Simone Alessio of

Viviana Marton of Hungary took on Aleksandra Perisic of Serbia in the nal. The Hungarian is a relative newcomer to the elite game but is seen as a rising star. The Serb holds a Grand Prix gold and a World

Paris’ Last Taekwondo Golds Go to France and Iran

On the fourth and nal day of the Paris 2024 Olympic Taekwondo competition, France struck gold in the W+67kg category – in supremely dramatic style - while Iran won gold in the M+80kg.

Women’s silver was won by Uzbekistan and men’s silver by Great Britain. W+67kg bronzes went to Korea and Türkiye. M+80kg bronzes

went to Cuba and Côte d’Ivoire. Another winner was the crowd. The Grand Palais audience brought the thunder – thunder ampli ed by the venue’s awesome acoustics. Earlier, the WT Demo Team had performed a France-themed show, and in a sport showcase, China beat Uzbekistan in a Mixed Gender Team bout.

PARIS, France (Aug. 10, 2024)

MCaden Cunningham of

on Arian

First blood went to Cunningham with a whiplike body kick. Salimi shot back high. In an exchange of clean techniques, Cunningham again drew ahead. The Iranian requested an IVR: Refused. Both men spun and kicked, and Round 1 ended with the Brit 6-3 up. Round 2 saw clean, long-range ex changes, before the Iranian opened the scoring with a round kick to the head. With his radar locked, Salimi surged his points and won the sec ond round, 9-1.

After a quick hug, Round 3 kicked o either way. Both went straight to the head. Some rough play at the edge of the mat; both ghters were ous kicks. As the round counted down, Salimi found Cunningham’s torso - then impacted to his head.

Result: 6-2 and gold to Salimi. Bronzes were won by Rafael Alba of Cuba and Rio 2016 Champion, Cheick Sallah Cisse of Côte d’Ivoire.

Great Britain would take

Salimi of Iran in a battle of two young stars and Olympic debutants.

W+67kg

The venue o ered a potential eld of dreams for local hero Althea Laurin of France: She was Tokyo bronze medalist, and is top seed and current World Champion.

But her opponent, 2022 World Champion Svetlana Osipova of Uzbekistan, had been ghting masterfully all day.

Round 1: Laurin went straight for the head with her long, arcing front-leg round kick – and won an IVR just 33 seconds in. The crowd ignited. The Uzbek gamely returned re, but the French ghter danced out of trouble and ended the round, 3-0.

In the second round, the Uzbek went on the attack. Laurin evaded and continued threatening with her high kick. Meanwhile, a Mexican wave surged round the

stands, encircling the ghters on the mats. Yet – no score.

With seconds left on the clock, the Uzbek landed to the head for three points. It looked like Osipova had won the round - but a split second before the buzzer sounded, Laurin’s coach requested an IVR.

Granted! The score tied at 3-3.

Tense seconds passed as the arena waited for the superiority decision and - it went to Laurin. Gold for France for the rst time ever in Taekwondo!

The stadium leapt to its feet with a roar as Laurin danced and pulled her coach onto the mats.

Bronzes were won by Dabin Lee of Korea and Na a Kus Aydin of Türkiye.

And that ended the Taekwondo Competition at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games. We have seen stars born, legends retire and some classic ghts in a unique, superb venue. Merci, volunteers! Merci, Grand Palais! Merci, Paris!

Crowd Tries Tomorrow’s Taekwondo

Taekwondo stage set up inside Grand Palais

For the four days of the Paris Olympic competition, World Taekwondo o ered an exciting glimpse into the future: Virtual Taekwondo, or VTKD.

Set up in the spectator engagement area of the venue, VTKD granted fans an opportunity to play a risk-free, contact-less version of the game. More than 300 signed up to try it out, with many others watching.

Among those who watched the fun was IOC President Thomas Bach, during his visit to the Grand Palais on Aug 8.

World Taekwondo’s VTKD was developed by Refract Technologies and VSPO, and re ects the surging popularity of virtual sport worldwide.

“VTKD o ers a barrier-free platform where everyone can play,” enthused World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue. “It bridges the real and virtual worlds, and I am excited by the positive attributes of tness and digital engagement that VTKD o ers.”

VTKD is a virtual reality-based (VR) Taekwondo game where athletes and fans battle digitally through their avatarars. Players wear VR headsets and motion-tracking devices on their limbs and body; in essence, the body becomes the controller.

Virtual sport is gaining widespread popularity, with a growing number of tournaments being organized worldwide.

VTKD was one of the most watched sports in the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore in June 2023, and the inaugural World Taekwondo Virtual Championships will take place in the city state on Nov. 16-17, 2024.

“The public tryout was greatly received where participants from the age of 6 to the age of 50 got to experience a future form of Taekwondo that has the bene ts of being non-contact and highly immersive,” said Chong Geng Ng, founder of Refract Technologies.

Danny Tang, co-founder of Asia’s biggest esports company, VSPO, reckoned that VTKD represents an important future for esports as it makes contact sports more accessible for fans.

“Virtual sports is a key area for growth and innovation for our industry because it unlocks so many possibilities for fans

– no matter their backgrounds or physical attributes – to experience sports in new and safe ways,” he said.

Committed to align with the IOC’s Olympic Agenda 2020 and 2020+5 vision in growing digital engagement, the VTKD project, initiated by World Taekwondo and Refract in 2018, aims to nurture a new generation of virtual athletes united by the Olympic values of respect, friendship and excellence. VTKD was rst showcased to Bach during the World Taekwondo Championships in Manchester, GB, in 2019.

About Refract

Established in 2019, Refract is a Singapore-based technology group behind many of the world’s most innovative games and virtual sports. Specialized in AR and XR games, Refract is an industry leader in creating virtual sports such as VTKD and V-Boxing where players can use their bodies as controllers and compete in highly immersive environments.

Choue Welcomes

Terrains d’Avenir Bene ciaries to Olympic Venue

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue invited bene ciaries of the Terrains d’Avenir program living in a shelter for asylum seekers in Paris to experience the spectacle of Olympic Taekwondo at the Grand Palais.

They were joined by ASOIF President Francesco Ricci Bitti.

The Terrains d’Avenir programme was launched in February 2022 and is co- nanced by the Olympic Refuge Foundation and French Sports Ministry. It aims to help refugees in the Île-de-France region to create a sense of belonging and set themselves on a positive life path through sport.

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) was one of six partners responsible for organising and implementing the project.

Choue welcomed the participants, many of whom live in the same shelter for asylum seekers – the CADA de Châtillon in the south-west of Paris. As part of Terrains d’Avenir they started practicing Taekwondo in April this year. Aged from 18-50, they practice Taekwondo once a week at the VanThuyne Taekwondo venue. According to coaching sta , all are very committed, are respectful and arrive on time to the training sessions. The participants come from Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Mauritania.

In a short time, they have improved their technical level, are happy to be part of the Taekwondo family, and would like to train more often.

All participants expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to watch the ghts and learn more about elite, Olympic-level Taekwondo.

Gentil Named ‘Believe in Sport’ Ambassador for Paris 2024 Olympic Games

Pascal Gentil, member of the French Taekwondo team for the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Olympic Games and former co-chair of the WT Athletes Committee, has been named by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as a “Believe in Sport” ambassador for Paris 2024.

His role is to raise awareness of the threat of competition manipulation among quali ed athletes, their entourage members and o cials, while empowering them to make the right decisions.

“As a French athlete and two-time Olympic medalist in Taekwondo, I am proud to take part in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Gentil. “Welcoming all the delegations at the Paris airports, encouraging fair play, preventing competition manipulation, and inspiring athletes and fans worldwide are crucial initiatives.”

“Just as we did at World Taekwondo and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), let’s come together to uphold the true spirit of the Olympics and make Paris 2024 an unforgettable celebration of athletic achievement and sportsmanship,” he added.

Competition manipulation happens when athletes intentionally underperform or lose on purpose, and also when o cials intentionally make wrong decisions a ecting the competition. Reasons may be for nancial, sporting, or for some other advantage.

The awareness campaign encouraged all athletes participating in Paris 2024 to undergo the online course ahead of the Olympic Games, allowing them to fully focus on their competitions upon arrival in France.

PARIS, France (Aug 8, 2024)

Taejoon Park

Spin for the Win, Fight to the Finish

Anew star has arisen - a star who has thrust Team Korea back to the top of the game.

Shockwaves rippled across the sport’s homeland when the team returned from Tokyo 2020 without a single gold medal. Taejoon Park xed that on Day 1 at Paris 2024 yesterday – in dramatic style.

While some athletes rely on just one or two kicks, Park, a 20-year-old 2022 Grand Prix gold medalist and 2023 World Champion wields a full arsenal. “I have a lot of kicks,” he said. “Everything!”

And he is a spinner. “I’m successful at the spin kick,” he said. “When I spin, I hear the noise of the spectators.”

After a day of battle in the Grand Palais, the M-58kg category nal promised a dream match: Under the glass roof, Park would ght Azerbaijan’s Gashim Magomedov for the gold.

The Azeri’s style mirrors Park’s: Attacking, ambidextrous, lively. Both players were making their Olympic debuts in Paris.

Park’s aim was “forward pressure,” he said. “Never stop kicking!”

Round 1 commenced with both ghters imme -

diately going full throttle and the Korean opening the scoring. Then, a setback occurred.

After a shin clash, the Azeri hit the deck. The two players spoke brie y during the medical intervention.

“I said, ‘Sorry,’” Park recalled. “He said, ‘No problem – it’s sports.’” Magomedov rose, but in pain. Combat recommenced.

Park’s kick rate soared, elevating his score to 7-0. The Azeri was suffering: Medics were called up again, taping his leg. At the end of Round 1 – won by Park – Magomedov had to be helped o the mats.

The crowd applauded as Magomedov rose for Round 2. Park’s competitive mindset remained focused.

“I felt sorry for him, but it was the Olympic nal,” Park said. “My attention was on the game.”

Round 2: The Korean stabbed forward, ghting physically, in-close.

The Azeri appealed a head kick: Rejected.

Park scored a knockdown with a back kick to the face. 10-1 up, he attacked, driving Magomedov back, out of the area and onto the mats. Medics arrived but this time, the Azeri could not continue - granting Park gold. The Korean embraced his downed opponent.

Park started Taekwondo aged 11 with dreams of Olympic gold. A newcomer to the game’s top tier, he accessed the sports’ elite via the Grand Prix Challenge, a series inaugurated in 2022 to fast track rising athletes through the rankings. In Paris, his dream was delivered.

“It was unbelievable!” he said. “I did it!”

All that remained was to collect. Park and Magomedov walked to the podium shoulder to shoulder, the Korean supporting the limping but smiling Azeri. The crowd roared their approval; a special moment. Having struggled to cut weight, Park can nally relax, watch movies and eat caramel popcorn. (“He really likes sweet things!” a colleague con ded.)

Now, after reaching Taekwondo’s pinnacle at a young age – what next? “My dream is to be a long-time player,” he said. That means Team Korea’s gruelling quali cation processes; the Grand Prix; next year’s Worlds in Wuxi, China; and LA 2028.

Taekwondo is not the only skill he is polishing. Park said he is working on English, which will enable him to vault language barriers and interact with competitors across Taekwondo’s wide world.

“I really want to thank everyone who was cheering for me,” Park said.

THAILAND Panipak Wongpattanakit

‘Enjoy the Last Dance’

and ght the long ght.”

Round 1. Guo opened the scoring with a high kick, but the Thai found her range and struck back twice, taking the round, 6-3. In the second, Guo played a cagey, hardto-hit game. A last-second IVR from Wongpattanakit was rejected, giving Guo Round 2. Round 3 was the decider but with 30 seconds remaining, the score was stuck at 0-0. Tension climbed. The Thai kicked high. IVR. The closeness of her kick to Guo’s head on the replay screen drew gasps from the crowd. Awarded! Twenty- ve seconds left. Another Thai high kick! Another IVR! Another win! Guo surged forward as the seconds counted down, but could not catch up. It ended 6-2, granting Wongpattanakit her last victory and her second Olympic gold. The crowd exploded. Overcome by the moment, the Thai fell to her knees, weeping.

Two days later, she re ected on it all.

SPrix in order to beat Lee’s 12-gold record, he relented.

“We talked before Paris, and he agreed [on my retirement],” she revealed.

Wongpattanakit has long followed an extreme training regime, which starts before breakfast. And she routinely trains with men. “That made me stronger and faster,” she said.

Her tall, leggy physique – she specializes in high kicks –is ideal for clean, long-range Taekwondo, but she admits to pre- ght nerves.

“Before a ght, my heart beats faster, so I do breathing exercises before I go on,” she said. “And I stop all social media!”

Though Wongpattanakit is retiring from competition, she is not retiring from Taekwondo.

ay farewell, ladies and gentlemen: A legend is leaving the house.

After winning gold in the W-49kg on Day 1 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Taekwondo Competition, Thai super ghter Panipak Wongpattanakit told a press conference that she was hanging up her black belt.

The Thai – who celebrated her 27th birthday the day after her win – has cut an extraordinary swathe through the game.

Paris 2024 marked her second Olympic gold after Tokyo 2020, on top of a bronze in Rio 2016. In addition, she holds a joint record – with Korean ghter Daehoon Lee – of 12 Grand Prix golds. Those achievements engrave her name into Taekwondo history.

Now, however, it’s “job done.”

When it comes to the game, few ghters are so emotionally invested. That was clear before her nal.

“This was the last time for me,” she said. “I was crying.”

Just before descending the Grand Palais staircase and marching up onto the eld of play, she phoned Thailand.

“I called my psychologist,” she recalled. “And she told me: ‘Let’s enjoy the last dance!’”

The “last dance” was with a tough partner. Her opponent, Guo Qing is a rising star in one of Taekwondo’s top squads, Team China.

“She has high kicks, she has punches and she is very good at kicking in the close ght

– she is dangerous!” said Wongpattanakit. “My plan was to keep the distance

The Grand Palais venue made Paris 2024 “the most beautiful competition in my life,” she said. And the fandom turned up, en masse.

“All the fans came to see me, they were all shouting, ‘Panipak!’” she said. “There were so many Thai ags I thought I was competing in Thailand!”

The competition was fought on Aug. 7. Aug. 8 was Wongpattanakit’s 27th birthday.

“After the match, the fans sang Happy Birthday to me,” she said. “It gave me a warm heart.”

Given that she is at the pinnacle of the game, why is she retiring?

Speaking to journalists after the match, she made clear the sacri ces elite-level players in a demanding contact sport make: She has had surgery on one knee, and also has issues with hips and ankles.

Though her coach urged her to win one more Grand

Her new focus is on expanding Thailand’s talent pipeline. She and her partner operate two gyms in Bangkok, teaching both grassroots and elite Taekwondo.

Taekwondo has been good to the Thai - and not just in terms of her haul of precious metal. It also gave her health.

“I had asthma when I was little, and when I ate seafood, I got a rash,” she said. “My father made me play sport, so now I can eat seafood. I really like it!”

Sport runs through the Wongpattanakit family. Her parents nicknamed her sister “Bowling,” her brother “Baseball” and her “Tennis.”

“My father likes tennis, and I play,” she admitted. “But I am no good!”

Fate came knocking when the youthful Wongpattanakit saw her brother practicing Taekwondo. She was drawn to both the uniform and the action...and the rest is history. That history will endure. For those who might want to repeat it, she has some sound advice. Her personal motto is, “Di cult is not impossible.”

KOREA Yujin Kim

Grandma Knows Best

At eight years old, Yujin Kim’s grandmother led her out of her home in Incheon, Korea, and into the Taekwondo gym across the road. Advising the young Kim to learn self defense, her grandmother told her, “You should start Taekwondo.” Sound advice – and a fateful day.

Sixteen years later, the little girl who took up Taekwondo to protect herself strode onto the eld of play in Paris’ Grand Palais to do battle for an Olympic gold medal.

Kim was at her peak.

“In the morning, when I got up, I felt good, very goodphysical good, mental good!” Kim said. “In all my life, my condition was the best ever.”

Her opponent: World Champion Nahid Kiyanichandeh of Team Iran.

The game started as both athletes stalked each other in a war of nerves. Scrappy contact near the end of the round saw gamjeoms and a failed IVR by Kiyanichandeh. Kim took Round 1, 5-1. In Round 2, Kim’s target radar was locked on.

A head kick put her up, pressuring the cagey Iranian to ght forward. Kim took two more scores. Facing 8-0 defeat, the Iranian attacked – then suddenly stopped and shook hands just before the nal buzzer.

The odd end to the match caught Kim o -guard. “I thought, ‘Is this real?” she said. “It gave me the willies!”

Then reality sank in: She was Olympic Champion. “It was unbelievable!” she said. “This was my dream!”

Turning dream into reality has taken Kim down a long path.

Her rst medal – and recognition that she had talentcame at a youth provincial championships when she was 12.

As she grew, Kim developed a peak Taekwondo physique.

“I am really tall so my opponents are afraid to attack - it’s a big advantage,” she said. “Because I am long and thin, my nickname is ‘The Stick.’”

The preferred weapon of ‘The Stick’ is – naturally - the axe. “My favorite technique is the front leg axe kick,” she said. “That gets three points.”

Soon, she was ghting on the international circuit. She won Youth World Championship gold in 2016, two Universi-

ade golds, and the 2024 Asian Games bronze. Even so: At the elite end of the game, she has not made waves at the senior Worlds, or the Grand Prix series.

Prior to Paris, few would have put her in Korea’s top-tier. “I kept trying to be on the national team,” she recalled. “I just kept trying.”

Olympic gold will blast her pro le through the roof. She is particularly pleased to have medaled in 2024, given Team Korea’s results in Tokyo 2020, where it won no golds.

In training, the shadow of 2020 hung over the team. “It would be a lie to say there was no burden,” she admitted.

In Paris, that burden lifted. Team-mate Taejoon Park struck gold on Day 1. Kim followed up on Day 2. “Two golds - it was unbelievable!” she said. “It was a huge honor to be a gold medalist on Team Korea.”

Back home, it will be back to the mats. Kim needs to start prep for next year’s Worlds in Wuxi, China, and will then be aiming to defend her title at LA 2028.

But that is looking into tomorrow. Today, with precious Olympic metal hanging around her neck Kim has to contact someone back home.

“I’d better call Grandma!” she said.

HUNGARY

Viviana Marton

‘I Don’t Want to Lose Time’

Can a relatively unknown 18-year-old player seize an Olympic medal in her debut at the greatest show on earth? Ask Viviana Marton of Hun gary.

When she stood in front of Aleksandra Peri sic in the nals of the W-67kg category in Paris’ Grand Palais on Aug. 9 she was undaunted by the Serbian’s Grand Prix gold medal and world title.

“I was con dent in myself that if I do what I have to do, I could win the gold,” she said. “And it did not matter which competitor it was.”

As Round 1 got underway, both fought side-on to dominate the center of the FOP, with neither giving an inch. The Hun garian opened the scoring with a high kick that arced around the Serb’s guard for a three-point lead. Fighting actively and ambidextrously, she extended her lead and ended the round, 7-1.

Round 2: First blood went to Peri sic with an up-close body kick - soon equaled by the Hungarian: 2-2. Marton landed again to the torso, meaning Perisic had to go all out. She forced Marton back as the seconds counted down, but the Hungarian held a tight defense to win the round.

Round, match - and gold!

Despite her student’s youthfulness, her coach was not surprised at the feat.

“She is a pitbull, she is tough - she can beat any one,” said Coach Suvi Mikkonen. “When we were getting ready for Olympic quali cation, we were talking to [Irish international] Jack Woolley, and he said, ‘She is not the favorite in the draw - she is the

one the favorites do not want to ght.”

Clearly, however, the intense, tightly sprung Hungarian ghting machine has a fun side, too.

Having won gold, Marton got down and bust a series of dance moves on the FOP, blowing kisses into the crowd.

“It was an amazing feeling when I heard the nal buzzer,” she said. “A very good feeling.”

Those good vibes had been evident earlier on the big day.

“When I saw her come out with a smile on her face, I knew she was going to do something incredible,” said Mikkonen.

“One di erence between her and some others is she is able

“If they want to beat me – try!” she said. “It is normal that people want to compete with the best. I like this. It is the competitive life.”

That competitive life extends to her family. Her twin sister, Luana, is also a Taekwondo athlete: The two both started the sport at age seven.

“My sister and me are training together every day, we motivate each other to achieve our goals,” Marton said. It’s a competitive relationship. ght very hard together: One day one wins, the next day the other wins,” said Mikkonen. “Their biggest asset is that there are two of them.”

Fortunately, they do not play in the same category: ghts in the W-57kg, and is World Champion.

Asked about her relationship with her twin, Luana was unable to respond: She had been screaming her support for Viviana so loudly, she had lost her voice.

The Marton sisters have a wider family at Hankuk International School in Madrid, Spain, where they live and train under Mikkonen and Head Coach Jesus Ramal.

“Hankuk International School is one of the best clubs in the world,” Marton said. “I am good because

The “Golden Twins” have also been signed up as salaried professionals by Team Ute, a Hungarian sports brand that includes football and athletics in its portfolio.

“They decided to sign Luana and Viviana – Luana was already the World Champion – and the dream was the Olympics,” Mikkonen said. “When they signed the contract that did not know if they would make this Olympics, but said would support them to 2028 which is when they were supposed to win!”

Marton, however, had been thinking 2024, not 2028.

“I don’t want to lose time!” she said.

Even though she will soon be experiencing an entirely new combat environment - the elite Grand Prix series – she is already thinking four years ahead.

“I started thinking about LA 2028 this morning,” Marton admitted, one day after her win at the Grand Palais. “I was always thinking the rst was Paris. Now - Los

“Right now her Taekwondo journey is just starting,” Mikkonen added. “The sky’s the limit.”

GREAT BRITAIN

Caden Cunningham

‘Fighting is my Happy Place’

Caden Cunningham’s e orts in Paris 2024 earned him a silver Olympic medal – and a royal title. The former was granted by the IOC. The latter appeared out of thin air.

“After my ght, I said, ‘I might’ve lost [2-1], but those two rounds don’t de ne me. Going forward, I’ll be the king of Taekwondo,’” he recalled. The statement by the Team GB heavyweight silver medalist was made o -the-cu , but media and public latched onto it. Now, it’s his de facto nickname.

“Since then, I’ve seen it in places, and had a lot of comments on it,” he said. “I think I’m going to stick with it.”

If that sounds like arrogance, don’t be fooled: Cunningham is full of praise for Iran’s Arian Salimi, who beat him in the M+80kg nal at the Grand Palais.

“The athlete I was against was simply better,” he said. “I had to try and get my points, he fought very hard and came out the victor.”

The ght was notable for the clean techniques deployed, and its good nature: Both men touched knuckles at rounds’ end, and embraced brie y before embarking on the nal, deciding round.

Like many other Paris 2024 matches, it was also noticeable for the passing of the torch down to a new generation. Cunningham is 21; Salimi is 20.

Both men represent the sport’s new breed, as rule changes shift the game away from the tactical, frontleg focused play of yore to a more crowd-pleasing, rough-and-tumble form of Taekwondo.

That suits Cunningham.

“I like to do everything: spins, head shots, body shots,” he said. “I train the kicks lightweights do and the kicks heavyweights do.”

Unfamiliar with Salimi’s game, his pre- ght strategy in the nal was necessarily simple: “Kick him more than he kicks me! That does not change.”

The core of Cunningham’s Taekwondo is exuberance in performance. “If I enjoy it, I perform well,” he said. “I go in there excited to kick and have some fun.”

Fighting bubbles in the blood of the Hudderseld native: Dad was a kickboxer. He took up Taekwondo aged six, as an after-school activity, then began serious training under one of GB’s leading coaches.

“Where I really progressed was under Mike McKenzie of Quest Taekwondo,” he said. “That is where I really grew as an athlete.”

Peniston-based McKenzie trained Cunningham alongside a crop of promising young guns, including current GB Teammate, Aaliyah Powell.

“They were the full package – hard working, intelligent, coachable, dedicated,” McKenzie recalled. “They had the right physicality for Taekwondo athletes and had the total support of their families.”

Quest set Cunningham’s feet on the elite pathway. Five years ago, he was accepted by GB Taekwondo and joined the national squad.

He would win multiple medals across Europe, but su ered injury at the 2022 Worlds. Recovering, he grabbed gold and silver in the 2023 Grand Prix series – then it was Paris.

“I did not bring home the gold but went through four very tough ghts,” he said.

Indeed: His bout against veteran Rio Gold Medalist Cheick Sallah Cisse of Côte d’Ivoire had the Grand Palais roaring.

“I took out three World Champions and three Olympic medalists,” he said. ”It was an amazing day of competition, no matter what the medal was.”

McKenzie, who travelled from Peniston to Paris to watch his protege ght through the day, agreed.

“His draw was incredibly had, but winning GB’s rst heavyweight male Olympic medal is an amazing achievement,” McKenzie said. “I’d like it to have been gold, but that will wait for Los Angeles!” Looking ahead, the route to the 2028 Olympics - when Cunningham will be 25, his physical peakwill require serious planning between the athlete, his Coach Nelson Saenz Miller, and Team GB. Before that, a “relax and review” period will look back over the four-year, pre-Paris cycle. For now, Cunningham is enjoying the national good will –and some talent scouting.

His standout appearance - chiseled good looks, hair fashionably cropped into dreads and the Homeric physique you would expect of an Olympic heavyweight – has captured the gaze of fashionistas. He has a side gig modelling, and has featured in famed men’s style magazine GQ. Will he model more?

“Potentially,” he said. “When that stu comes along, I grab opportunities if they are right for me.” However, even if the menswear brands beckon him with bundles of bucks, they are not about to lure him away from his raison d’etre.

“My motivation is to train hard and kick people in the face,” he said. “I enjoy ghting. This my happy place.”

FRANCE

Althea Laurin

‘Iron Lady’ Makes History in the Grand Palais

It was late evening, Aug. 10, and as Althea Laurin marched from the elevated balcony, down the broad staircase and onto the eld of play for the nal of the W+67kg category, the atmosphere in the Grand Palais was sizzling.

Aug. 10 was the nal day of the Olympic Taekwondo competition. The closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Summer Games was just one day away.

Team France had headed into the Taekwondo compe tition with high hopes, but had earned just a single bronze. Everything now rested on the shoulders of 22-year-old Laurin, the current World Champion and Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist. The burden hung heavy.

“It’s the Olympics, it’s only coming every four years and you never know if you could participate again,” Laurin recalled.

“As a French athlete, the Games were in Paris - and we never had a Taekwondo gold medal before.”

During that long walk down to the stadium oor, the import of what she was doing played across her mind.

“I thought, ‘It’s time to make history,’” she said. “You can quickly feel crushed by the pressure…but it felt like a mission.”

It would be no easy ght. Laurin’s opponent, 2022 World Champion Svetlana Osipova of Uzbekistan, had been masterfully all day.

As she entered, Laurin fought against the distraction of the Parisian crowd’s roar.

“The crowd was shouting, jumping - I think we were all hungry for that nal,” she said. “I had to stay focused on what I had to do.”

She did it, masterfully: Laurin won with a score of 2-0.

“I exploded in joy: I was Olympic champion, the very rst in the history of French Taekwondo,” she said. “I’d been dreaming of this moment and it became reality. It’s the best thing ever!”

The entire stadium rose to its feet as the French ghter danced and pulled her coach onto the mats.

Long-time Taekwondo watchers recognized the historicity of Laurin’s victory.

“I have been in this sport for 24 years,” said former French World Champion and current TV commentator Gwladys Epangue. “Now, we can nally say, ‘We are the best!’”

The medal ceremony would be iconic, as the crowd burst into “La Marseillaise” - “Arise, children of the Motherland! The day of glory has arrived!”

The lyrics reverberated o the Grand Palais’ walls and roof. No Taekwondo venue has ever been so blessed with such an awesome combination of built-in acoustics and hometown crowd passion.

“Many had people told me: ‘Please, make us sing ‘La Marseillaise’ at home,” Laurin said. “Here it was! It made me feel proud that we could share that beautiful moment.”

Before Aug. 10, Laurin did not have a ghting nickname. After it, she said, “You can call me ‘The Dame de Fer’ (‘The Iron Lady’).”

That is a reference to Paris’ most famous landmark: the Ei el Tower, on which 2024’s Olympic rings have been welded.

Laurin’s journey to the Grand Palais began when her mother encouraged her to learn a sport.

When she was asked to choose one, she “purely by chance” ended up taking her rst Taekwondo lesson. She fell in love with it.

“I absolutely enjoyed my rst session,” she said. “I felt like I belonged there.”

Taekwondo would provide more than sportive joy: It also provided a calling.

“At rst, I enjoyed using my legs and ghting,” she said. “Then one day I saw the Olympics on TV and I knew deeply what I wanted to do.”

She made her international competition debut in 2016. In the years since then, has been forging herself into a master ghter.

Tall, fast and exible, Laurin deploys a deadly accurate front leg to the head. She also wears the right headset for a combat sport.

“I am aggressive, willing to learn and getting tougher mentally over the years,” she said.

Looking ahead, she hopes her gold medal victory will further elevate the popularity of Taekwondo across France.

“I think [Taekwondo] will gain much more attention than before because of this Olympic gold medal,’ she said. “We have to put in a lot of e ort for Taekwondo to gain more popularity in France, going forward, and strive to get even better.”

Unforge able: 4 Days in Paris

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games concluded on Aug. 11 with a spectacular closing ceremony which featured 23 Taekwondo agbearers from 21 National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

The Taekwondo had ended one day earlier. The Paris 2024 competition took place from Aug. 7-10 in the iconic Grand Palais, arguably the most stunning venue Taekwondo has ever fought in.

A total of 134 athletes from 60 NOCs, Olympic Refugee Team (EOR) and Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) competed across the eight Olympic weight categories (four men, four women).

The eight gold medals were shared between seven di erent counties, while 23 nations won at least one of the 32 medals available in a testament to the global diversity of Taekwondo.

On each of the four days, the temporary venue’s 8,000 seats were sold out, re ecting the huge demand from the public to get a look at the world’s best Taekwondo athletes in battle array.

Between sessions, the famed World Taekwondo Demonstration Team kept the crowds entertained with their gravity-defying performances.

Mixed Gender Team showcase matches were also held.

O ering a unique experience, fans at the venue were able to experience a risk-free, contact-less version of the sport at the Virtual Taekwondo booths set up in the spectator engagement area behind the stands.

Calling the Games “unforgettable,” World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue said: “The sold-out Grand Palais provided a spectacular backdrop for tense nishes, jaw-dropping techniques and incredible performances.”

He made speci c reference to one of most thrilling - and moving moments - of the competition:

The last gold medal nal, won by a French ghter.

“We can still hear ‘La Marseillaise’ reverberating around the Grand Palais’ walls following Althea Laurin’s historic gold,” he said. “But what made Paris 2024 so special was that this was not just a Games for French athletes but one in which the crowds embraced all athletes, creating a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere that our athletes will never forget.”

A four-day Para Taekwondo training camp was held for

Top 30 IRs selected for Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

As we approach 100 days to go for the much-anticipated Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, a four-day Para Taekwondo camp for Top 30 International Referees selected for the upcoming Games was held in Santorini, Greece from April 24-27.

The o cial commencement of the camp started with a grand opening ceremony commencing at 9 am on April 24th. WT President, Dr. Choue delivered an inspiring opening speech, setting the tone for the event. The Vice Mayor of Santorini warmly welcomed all participants, emphasizing the city’s support for the camp. The aim of the camp was to build the team of the Top 30 selected International Referees for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games and netune their skills.

A series of insightful lectures were given, beginning with Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Technical Delegate Chakir Chelbat’s presentation on the role of Technical Delegates, CSBs and ITOs for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. Mohammed Argoubi, Paralympic Games Technical Controller, provided a comprehensive overview of Para Taekwondo competition rules, while Usman Dildar, Paralympic Games Technical Controller, highlighted the International Referee Code of Conduct.

The camp also included various activities including comprehensive lectures to hands-on workshops and physical training, providing the referees with added invaluable skills and insights.

Usman Dildar, Para Taekwondo Committee Chairman, said: “The training camp in Santorini, Greece has set a new benchmark for future training events, particularly in the development of Para Taekwondo globally. The rigorous selection process for the top 30 referees involved meticulous scrutiny from thousands worldwide. Only 15 male and 15 female referees emerged, showcasing their exceptional skills and dedication.”

“This collaborative e ort promises a brighter future for the sport, fostering international cooperation and friendship. Gratitude to all partners, sponsors, and participants for their unwavering commitment, ensuring the success of this ground-breaking event. Together, we advance the standards of Taekwondo worldwide, paving the way for inclusivity and excellence”.

Appreciating the support of the local authorities and the European Taekwondo Union for the success of the event, Chelbat added: “We had an amazing four days where referees were trained, guided and prepared for the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. The camp helped to form a bond of friendship and cooperation between the referees that will be o ciating together in Paris. The camp was a great success.”

Idrissa Keita

A Tale of Resilience and Grit

From the streets of Dakar to qualifying for the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Idrissa Keita’s story is one of resilience, grit and unwavering determination.

A rise from destitution to the pinnacle of Para Taekwondo has been a fairy-tale story for the 20-year-old from Kaolack, Senegal.

“My biggest dream is to help my family, especially my mother, ful l all her needs and give her a comfortable life,” he said. “Thanks to Para Taekwondo, I am already making her feel proud and happy.”

Forced to leave school at 16, Keita, who su ers from a congenital arm disability, left his home to support his family after his father passed away. It was hard. There were days when Keita had to beg to eat. But fate had plans. He had watched videos of Taekwondo - then he met Abdoulaye Ndiaye, coach of Senegal’s Para Taekwondo team. His talent was immediately clear.

“I didn’t have to pay any registration fees as he took care of everything for me,” Keita said. “I started training right away,”

With just two and a half months of training, Keita participated in the African quali cation tournament - and won.

“My life has changed completely,” he said. “My sole focus is getting better in Para Taekwondo now.”

Any message for aspiring Para players? “Everything is possible if you be lieve in yourself,” he said. “You can start from noth ing and achieve your goals.”

DAKAR, Senegal (Apr. 2024)

SANTORINI, Greece (Apr 27, 2024)

13 Para Taekwondo Flagbearers at Paris 2024 Paralympics Opening Ceremony

At the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games this evening, 13 Para Taekwondoin had the honor of carrying their countries’ ags.

For the rst time in Paralympic history, the opening ceremony took place outside the stadium, with athletes from a record 168 delegations parading at the iconic Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysees, in front of thousands of cheering fans.

It included stunning music and dance performances, and reworks exploded over the Place de la Concorde.

Among the prominent VIPs who attended the opening ceremony were French President Emmanuel Macron, IOC President Thomas Bach and IPC President Andrew Parsons.

However, amid the festive atmosphere and despite

the presence of the high and the mighty, the spotlight was on the athletes. All displayed their excitement and readiness ahead of the starts of the competitionsmost of which kick o from Aug. 29.

Bozteke, Khalilov among agbearers

Paralympic Bronze Medalist Mahmut Bozteke was among the list of Para Taekwondo agbearers as he proudly did the honours for Türkiye. Bozteke is one of the players to watch in Men K44 -63kg, in Paris, after his golden shows in back-to-back Para Taekwondo Grand Prix in Taiyuan and Manchester . The Turk was joined by reigning World Champion Imamaddin Khalilov, the agbearer for Azerbaijan. His nation will be banking on Khalilov to deliver the

goods in Paris after his impressive performances at the Para Taekwondo’s Grand Prix series, and the Continental and World Para Taekwondo Championships.

For Cameroon and Niger, Marie Antoinnette Dassi and Ide Oumarou Jabirou, respectively, became the rst ever Para Taekwondoin to bear ag for their nations. Both countries are making their rst Para Taekwondo appearances in Paris.

Paris 2024 is the second appearance of Para Taekwondo at the Paralympics, after its smash debut at Tokyo 2020.

In the wake of the players’ heroics in Japan, the IPC expanded their quota of gold medals from six to 10, and Para Taekwondo’s eld of athletes from 72 to 120.

The Paris Paralympic Competition takes place over three days.

The full list of agbearers:

AFG Ebrahim DANISHI

ARU Elliott Andre LOONSTRA

AZE Imamaddin KHALILOV

CMR Marie Antoinnette DASSI

CRC Andres MOLINA

FIJ Irene MAR

NEP Palesha GOVERDHAN

NIG Ide Oumarou DJABIROU

PNG Herea LOI

PNG Manega TAPARI

SOL James Ingram GEGEU

SOL Junita TONOWANE

TUR Mahmut BOZTEKE

PARIS, France (Aug. 28, 2024)

Head of Team Meeting for Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

The Head of Team meeting for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games was held at the iconic venue, the Grand Palais, on Tuesday, one day before the Games kick o

The meeting was attended by World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue, World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo, Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Technical Delegate Chakir Chelbat and Technical Controllers Usman Dildar and Mohammed Argoubi among others.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Taekwondo Competition will run at the Grand Palais from Aug. 29-31. It features athletes from 52 nations plus a Refugee Team and Neutral Athletes competing across 10 weight categories ( ve men and ven women). This is the second time Para Taekwondo will play at the Games after its successful debut in Tokyo.

Opening the meeting, Choue highlighted the growth of Para Taekwondo over the years and spoke of the sport’s future.

“Three years ago, we have had a wonderful debut of Para Taekwondo at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. That time only 38 countries participated, but this time we have 52 countries plus refugees and AIN athletes - altogether making 121 athletes.”

“I believe that you all remember the rst edition of Para Taekwondo World Championships in 2009, in Baku, Azerbaijan - which was participated in by just 15 nations. We had to work very hard to bring more countries to participate and since then it has grown.

“After the sport’s successful debut in Tokyo, IPC decided

to include more medal events - so Paralympic Taekwondo is even bigger than Olympic Taekwondo!”

He stressed the hard work and e ort put in by World Taekwondo to raise the level of the sport in terms of participation and competition.

“Para Taekwondo is growing fast,” he said. “This wouldn’t have been possible without your devotion and contribution.” Games o cials are good to go.

“The referee seminar in Santorini, Greece was very successful,” Choue said. “I believe the international referees are ready to conduct the most fair and transparent competition in these Paralympic Games. So you must trust our referees.”

He concluded praising the venue and its beauty. “Grand Palais is special, it’s the best venues we ever had in the Olympic history. I don’t think we will have another Taekwondo venue like this. Just enjoy the competition and best wishes to all.”

Technical delegate Chelbat added: “We signed in the eld of play today and we took a tour of the venue, went through every detail; we are very satis ed and con dent of great success. The venue is magni cent, most beautifulit’s a piece of art and we are very blessed to have our sport competed at this venue.”

Choue also spoke of the future, including the possibility of the inclusion of Para Poomsae at the LA 2028 Games, FISU World University Games and European Games.

PARIS, France (Aug. 27, 2024)

Khudadadi Wins Refugee

Paralympic Team’s 1st-ever Medal

Israel, Mongolia and Peru grab golds on Day 1 of Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

PARIS, France (Aug.29, 2024)

Paris’ iconic Grand Palais echoed to the deafening roar of the crowd as three gold medals were awarded on the opening day of the Para Taekwondo competition at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Two nations - Israel and Mongolia - picked up their rst Paralympic gold medals while Peru retained its title from Tokyo 2020.

But the evening belonged to Zakia Khudadadi, representing the Refugee Paralympic Team. She took the bronze in Women K44 -47kg, making her the rst Refugee Paralympic Team athlete to win a medal at Paris.

“I am so, so happy, because this medal is my dream, and today I made the dream come true,” said an emotional Khudadadi, who won the Paralympic medal in the capital of her new home, France, where she lives and

Da y 1

trains. “I will continue for Los Angeles (the 2028 Paralympic Games), but right now I’m just so excited for this medal. I also have to thank my coach, who has been exceptional in helping me.”

Khudadadi, the 2023 European champion, lost her quarter nal against Uzbekistan’s eventual silver medalist Ziyodakhon Isakova, but came back strong with a 9-1 win against Türkiye’s Nurcihan Ekinci in the repechage.

Later, IPC President Andrew Parsons and Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees awarded her with Paralympic bronze.

This is the rst Paralympics in which Para Taekwondoin are competing before a crowd and they made the most of it with stellar performances at the antique, glass-roofed venue that was almost a full house.

Earlier, legendary action actor Jackie Chan had kicked o the Para Taekwondo competition session in the morning, tapping the Coup the Baton on the oor.

Three-time Olympic Medalist Maria del Rosario Espinoza of Mexico got the afternoon session underway with the same ceremony, which has become one of the unique experiences of Paris 2024.

WK44 -47kg

Leonor Angelica Espinoza Carranza (PER) vs Ziyodakhon Isakova (UZB)

Peru’s Espinoza Carranza didn’t look the favourite coming into a eld featuring the likes of Uzbekistan’s Isakova and Thailand’s Khwansuda Phuangkitcha in the line-up. But she rode on her Tokyo 2020 gold med al show to beat an on-form Isakova 10-4 in the “I feel very happy, very content. Today I was quite anxious at the beginning... I knew people were watching me. My goal was nothing less than winning gold again,” said the Peruvian who became the Taekwondoin to defend her Tokyo title in Paris.

The Refugee Paralympic Team’s Zakhia Khudadai and Thailand’s Phuangkitcha took the bronze medals.

WK44 -52kg

It was an emotional moment for Surenjav Ulambayar as she claimed Mongolia’s Paralympic gold in the sport, defeating a spir ited Zahra Rahimi from Iran, 5-2.

Having already defeating the reigning World Champion from Mexico, Jessica Garcia Qui jano, Ulambayar loooked con mined to clinch the title She did it in style.

“I trained really hard every day, looking for this medal and this podium,” said the 24-year old. “It was hard work, but I just came for this gold medal.” Bronzes went to Ana Japaridze of Geor gia and Meryem Betul Cavdar of Türkiye.

Asaf Yasur (ISR) vs Ali Can Ozcan (TUR)

Surenjav Ulambayar (MGL) vs Zahra Rahimi (IRI) K44 -58kg

nal of the day, Asaf Yasur lived up to his promise , claiming Paralympic gold, defeating Türkiye’s top player Ali Can Ozcan, 19-12. The Israeli player was the favourite nal after grabbing gold at the World Para Championships.

He leveraged his con dence and quick footwork to win crucial points as Ozcan earned gamjeoms that cost him dear. “It’s the best feeling, it was my biggest dream and I did it!” Yasur said. “I’ve worked hard for this, to be in this position. A big thank you to my family, my coach and all my team.”

Bronzes were won by Sabir Zeynalov of Azerbaijan and Xiang Wen Xiao of Chinese Taipei.

REFUGEE PARALYMPIC TEAM

Zakia Khudadadi

‘Paralympic

Grand Palais.

The refugee athlete, also the reigning European champion, dedicated her medal to “... all the women in Afghanistan and all the refugees.”

“We are not giving up on equality and freedom in my country,” she said. “This medal is for the women in my country. Together, we will win one day, I’m sure. I will continue competing for the women in my country.”

There was a gripping atmosphere at the glass-roofed venue as French fans cheered for Khudadadi. The Para Taekwondoin admitted that the roar motivated her towards the medal.

For all Women

TMedal is in Afghanistan, and all Refugees’

hree years after leaving her home and family, Zakia Khudadadi found solace claiming the rst ever Paralympic medal for the Refugee Paralympic Team at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Khudadadi couldn’t have won the historic medal in a ner venue: Paris is the city she has made her new home since she ed Afghanistan in 2021.

The 25-year-old medalist from Herat made a special mention of her coach, exTeam France Taekwondo star Haby Niare, with whom she has been training for the past three years.

“After three years of working hard every day with the French national team, we wished for this medal together,” she said.

“I am so, so happy, because this medal is my dream, and today I made the dream come true. The bronze medal means a lot. I will continue for Los Angeles (2028 Paralympic Games), but right now I’m just so excited for this medal.

“I did this for my family, for all the refugees in Paris and in the world. I will continue to do more for my country and Taekwondo,” said Khudadadi after winning the Women K44 -47kg bronze medal in the repechage round at the iconic

“All the French people were here to support me. They pushed me. For me, it’s amazing. It’s unbelievable. I’m super happy to be here, competing for the French people. I live in Paris and I’m so excited,” she concluded. Now, work resumes for her next medal.

After her stunning success at Paris 2024, where she became the Refugee Paralympic Team’s rst-ever medalist at a Paralympic Games, Para Taekwondo star Zakia Khudadadi received the 1st International Award at the 4th Alice Milliat Trophy Ceremony.

The ceremony at Paris City Hall honoured people and organisations who promote gender equality through initiatives that grow women’s sport.

Seven trophies were presented, with Khudadadi recognised with the International Award for her inspiring story leading up to her bronze medal in the Para Taekwondo Women’s K44 -47kg competition at Paris 2024.

Shortly before Tokyo 2020, Khudadadi ed to France following the Taliban’s takeover of her native Afghanistan.

Despite the huge challenges she has faced, Khudadadi’s career has gone from strength to strength.

She won a gold medal at the 2023 European Para Championships in Rotterdam as a refugee team athlete. Now she has a historic bronze from the Paris 2024 Paralympics, as well as the Alice Milliat trophy, in her medal cabinet.

She wants these wins to be seen as symbolic.

“My Paralympic medal is not just a personal achievement, it’s a collective medal, a symbol for the millions of Afghan women, and for the millions of refugees that are disabled,” she said. “It’s a symbol of freedom, equality and peace. We are together so that freedom comes back in my country.”

Paris Deputy Mayor in Charge of Sport, the Olympic and Paralympic Games Pierre Rabadan presented Khudadadi with her trophy. He expressed his pride at the chain of solidarity that enabled her to leave Afghanistan and nd a new home to practice Taekwondo.

“Zakia is a symbol of what women can do if they get support, even beyond what she can imagine,” he said.

The Alice Milliat Trophies were established by the Alice Milliat Foundation in 2021.

Alice Milliat was an early pioneer of gender equality and women’s sport.

PARIS, France (Oct. 16, 2024)

First Paralympic Gold Medals

for Türkiye, Azerbaijan and China, historic 1st medal for Nepal on Day 2

Day 2 of the Para

tions at the

was marked by highs and lows as new champions emerged, including national rsts, even as former stars stamped their dominance at the

Four gold medals were decided on Aug. 30, with Türkiye, Azerbaijan and China winning their rst ever gold medals in

For Azerbaijan it was the rst ever Para

Taekwondo competi-

Paris 2024 Paralympic Games

iconic Grand Palais.

Para Taekwondo.

Taekwondo medal at a Paralympic Games.

PARIS, France (Aug. 30, 2024)

Nepal won a historic rst-ever medal in any Olympic or Paralympic Games when Palesha Goverdhan won her W K44 -57kg bronze medal match. France, too, achieved a rst at home, winning their rst Para Taekwondo medal - silver - in front of a raucous crowd that lled the glass-roofed venue.

Among other highlights, Para Taekwondo legend Lisa Kjaer (formerly Gjessing) had her last dance at the Grand Palais on the day. Denmark’s Kjaer, who had an illustrious career with multiple World and European and Tokyo 2020 Paralympics gold, settled for a bronze in the Women K44 -65kg.

MK44 -63kg

WK44 -65kg

Mahmut Bozteke (TUR) vs Bolor-Erdene Ganbat (MGL)

The Men K44 -63kg is one of the most categories and the nal gripped the Grand Palais. With both players - Bozteke and Ganbat - making their debut the Paralympics, eagerness to win the gold was obvious. However, the Turk kept his focus intact to win the match in Golden Round over the Mongolian. It was Bozteke’s sec ond Paralympic medal after a Tokyo 2020 bronze.

Ayoub Adouichi of Morocco and reigning World Para Taekwondo Champion Antonino Bossolo of Italy claimed bronzes.

Ana Carolina Silva de Moura (BRA) vs Diallo Djelika (FRA)

This was one of the most awaited matches, with France playing in its rst nals and a packed crowd inspiring Djelika to go for gold. However, the promising French Para Taekwondoin settled for silver in her debut Games - still, something to be very proud of.

It was Brazilian Silva de Moura who showed why she is the best in the catgeory as she added Paralympic gold to her World title.

Danish Para Taekwondo star Lisa Kjaer (formerly, Gjessing) and wildcard entrant Christina Gkentzou of Greece settled for the bronzes.

K44 -70kg

Imamaddin Khalilov (AZE) vs Fatih Celik (TUR)

Khalilov, the current World Para Champion, entered the nal as the title favourite and lived up to the billing, win ning it with a comfortable 15-2 score against Celik. Both the players were playing their rst nals in Paris.

Meanwhile, Tokyo 2020 Champion Juan Diego Gar cia Lopez settled for the bronze, as did Juan Eduardo Samorano of Argentina.

K44 -57kg

Li Yujie (CHN) vs Gamze Gurdal (TUR)

Making their debuts in the Paralympic nals, this ght was expected to be close. However, it surprised. China’s Li probably played one of the best matches of the competition, winning 11-0 against Gurdal of Türkiye. The Chinese improved on her Tokyo bronze with her gold in Paris while Gurdal achieved her rst Paralympic medal after her fth-place showing in Tokyo 2020. The bronze medals went to Nepalese Palesha

and Brazilian World Champion Silvana

the title favourite coming into the Games.

Goverdhan

Mayara Cardoso Fernandes

Great Britain Takes 1st Paralympic Golds

Uzbekistan, too, achieves success on nal day

There was ecstacy and a few heartbreaks on the nal day of the Para Taekwondo competition at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. While several nations won their rst medals, Great Britain led the evening’s proceedings, winning two out of the three gold medals on o er. They were also the country’s rst ever Paralympic gold medals in the sport.

PARIS, France (Aug. 31, 2024)

Uzbekistan achieved their rst success in a men’s event, following a silver in the women’s event. Morocco became the rst African nation to win a medal at a women’s Para Taekwondo event.

In a moving spectacle, Senegal’s Idrissa Keita - a young man who has led a very hard life - lost his bronze medal match in the Men K44 +80kg but stole the hearts of the crowd at the Grand Palais.

Among the VIPs who graced the Paralympics day 3’s action was Her Majesty Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, Queen of Spain, and Duane Kale, Vice President of the International Paralympic Committee.

MK44 -80kg

Asadbek Toshtemirov (UZB) vs Luis Mario Najera (MEX)

Mexican Najera had looked con dent of grabbing his country gold in Paris, but reigning World Para Champion Asadbek Toshtemirov was ready for everything. The Uzbek’s strong technique and footwork helped him put on a dominant show in the Men K44 -80kg nal: He eventually won by a convincing 38-17.

That was Uzbekistan’s rst gold in men’s Para Taekwondo and Toshtemirov’s tears indicated the hard work and emotion invested.

The bronze medals were claimed by Alireza Bakht of Iran and Jeonghun Joo of Korea - a second consecutive Paralympic bronze for the latter.

WK44 +65kg

Amy Truesdale (GBR) vs Guljonoy Naimova (UZB)

In one of the most awaited nals of the evening, Great Britain’s Amy Truesdale won her rst Paralympic gold, surprising defending Para Champion Guljonoy Naimova of Uzbekistan, 8-2.

The Brit, who was a bronze medalist at Tokyo 2020, was dominant right from the start of the match - gaining the advantage through her footwork and speed. She celebrated victory with a somersault on the mat

“Today was probably one of the most challenging day of my life,” she said. “This de nitely hasn’t sunk in yet, but it’s been amazing. I’ve been mentally and physically on it. (I) executed the best version of Amy!”

Her exultation continued. “I’m Paralympic champion. I’ve made history!” she nished.

Eleni Papastamatopoulou of Greece and Rajae Akermach of Morocco claimed the bronzes in the category.

MK44 +80kg

Matt Bush (GBR) vs Aliaskhab Ramazanov (NPA)

Briton Bush has waited for his moment for a long time and when opportunity arrived, he was ready. Bush had missed Tokyo 2020 due to injuries. The reigning World Para Champion overcame a strong challenge from Iranian Hamed Haghshenas in the semis, then defeated Neutral Para Athlete Aliaskhab Ramazanov in the Men’s K44 +80kg nal.

“I’ve been through a lot of injuries, a lot of bad times, but I just stuck it out. It worked. I got there in the end,” the 35-year-old said.

“The stu that I’ve learned... the good things improve you, but the bad things do as well. There’s been moments where I’ve doubted (myself), but I’m here with the gold now. It’s very special.”

Haghshenas and Team USA’s Evan Medell claimed bronzes. This was Medell’s second Paralympic bronze after Tokyo 2020.

Overall the three-day Para Taekwondo competition in Paris proved a hit in our sport’s rst Paralympic campaign in a venue with an audience.

And what a venue! To their immense credit, the performances the Para players delivered on on the mats matched the grandeur and beauty of Paris’ Grand Palais.

Paris 2024: A Huge Hit

1 refugee Para athlete, 10 NPCs score historic rsts

It is over now, but the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games has been etched into the memories of fans, athletes and the Para Taekwondo family worldwide.

The audience were left spellbound by the intensity of the action taking place under the glass roof of the Grand Palais. Champions fought with grit and skill, determination and passion. A di erent kind of passion - among the crowd - motivated the Para Taekwondoin to perform to the max. Multiple nations would emerge as rsttime winners.

Paris was the rst time that Para Taekwondo stars showcased their dynamism on the world’s most prestigious para stage in front of a crowd, after the audience-less Tokyo 2020.

Even before the action started, records were being broken, with 19 new nations making the Games through ranking, qualication and bipartite slots. The eld included two Refugee Paralympic Team athletes and two Neutral Paralympic Athletes.

Altogether 121 Para Taekwondoin (61 men, 60 women) from 52 countries, plus 2

RPT and 2 NPA athletes, fought in 10 medal events, divided into 10 weight categories ( ve for each gender).

By contrast: In Tokyo 2020, 69 players (35 men, 34 women) from 37 nations had taken part in six medal events; 17 nations won medals. (Their number would have been higher, if not for COVID.)

Paris de nitely exceeded Tokyo: 23+2 (NPA+RPT) nations won at least one medal. Of them, 10 NPCs + 1 won medals for the rst time: Azerbaijan, Chinese Taipei, France, Georgia, Greece, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Mongolia, Nepal, and the Refugee Team.

Six nations claimed historic rst gold medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

In short, Paris delivered a huge success for Para Taekwondo in all metrics: competition, explosivity, medals, interest, crowd, venue, viewership and media coverage. And it is only going to get better as Para Taekwondo looks ahead to the new Paralympic cycle. Los Angeles 2028 is just four years away.

Iran Defends Male Title at World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series

Iran completed a successful defence of the male title on the rst day of the World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series in Chuncheon, Korea.

The Iranian squad clinched the gold medal and USD10,000 in prize money with victory against the hosts Korea in the nal at the Air Dome at Song-Am Sports Town.

It marked a fth consecutive triumph in the male event at the World Cup Team Championships Series for Iran, who dominated the competition and won their semi- nal against Côte d’Ivoire in three rounds and the nal against Korea in two.

Korea had beaten both India and Morocco in two rounds to reach the nal, and collected USD7,000 in prize money for their silver medal.

Bronze went to Morocco, who beat Côte d’Ivoire over three rounds to earn USD5,000 in prize money. It was a successful opening day of competition in Chuncheon, which is hosting three premier World Taekwondo events this week.

A total of 69 athletes from the six countries are competing in the World Cup Team Championships Series. The female competition at the World Cup Team Championships Series is due to take place tomorrow, featuring Côte d’Ivoire, India, Iran, Korea and Morocco. Those ve teams will be joined by China for the mixed gender event on Wednesday (July 3), when there will also be an opening ceremony for this week’s events in Chuncheon.

Iran Doubles Down at World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series

Iran added the gold medal in the female event to the male title on day two of the World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series in Chuncheon, Korea.

While yesterday’s success marked Iran’s fth consecutive male World Cup, this was the rst time they have triumphed in the female competition.

The Iranian team edged out Morocco in thenal over three rounds at the Air Dome at Song-Am Sports Town in Chuncheon, to clinch a historic World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series double and USD10,000 in prize money.

They had earlier beaten hosts and defending champions Korea over two rounds.

Morocco overcame Côte d’Ivoire and India in two rounds, but were forced to settle for silver for the second year running at the World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series, collecting USD7,000 in prize money.

Korea won the bronze medal match in two rounds against India, and earned USD5,000 in prize money.

The Mixed Gender Team competitions at the World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series will take place tomorrow, featuring India, Morocco, Iran, Korea, Côte d’Ivoire and China.

DAY 2

CHUNCHEON, Korea (Jul. 2, 2024)

China Earns Mixed Gender gold at World

Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series

CHUNCHEON, Korea (Jul. 3, 2024)

China claimed the mixed gender honors on day three of the World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Series in Chuncheon, Korea.

Mixed Gender Teams comprise two male athletes with a combined weight up to 160kg and two female athletes with a combined weight up to 135kg. Thanks to subsitutions, males and females do not ght each other.

The six competing nations delivered a closely-fought competition at the Air Dome.

China edged out Iran in the nal, earning USD10,000 in prize money and denying their opponents a World Cup Team Championships Series treble after their successes in the male and female events.

China had beaten Morocco and India earlier in the day, while Iran – who took USD7,000 in prize money – won their semi- nal against the hosts Korea.

Korea had won their rst match against Côte d’Ivoire, and defeated India to earn the bronze medal and USD5,000 in prize money.

A total of 69 athletes from the six countries competed across the three days of the World Cup Team Championships Series.

TAEKWONDO WORLD JUNIOR

Chuncheon 2024 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Event Kicks o with Spectacular Opening Ceremony

CHUNCHEON, Korea (Sep. 30, 2024)

The World Taekwondo Junior Championships got underway with a spectacular opening ceremony at the Chuncheon Air Dome, where the world’s best 16-18 yearold Taekwondo athletes are gathered for six days of competition.

At the ceremony, World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue was joined by IOC Member Ser Miang Ng, Mayor of Chuncheon Donghan Yook, President of the Korea Taekwondo Association Jinbang Yang and World Taekwondo Council members.

It featured vibrant displays of local music and dancing by performers from Gangwon Province, and a killer show by the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team.

With the World Juniors being Taekwondo’s biggest talent pipeline, Choue underlined the event’s import for the young guns massed in Chuncheon.

“All of you participating in this event could become stars of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games ,” he said.

Next was a declaration ceremony for the relocation of World Taekwondo’s headquarters, from Seoul to Chuncheon. Choue presented plaques of appreciation to Yook and Yang, followed by a included a commemorative performance and a welcome banquet for participants.

The World Taekwondo Junior Championships runs from Oct. 1-6 in Chuncheon.

There were 963 athletes competing, representing 127 countries, Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) and the World Taekwondo Refugee Team. Competition takes place over 20 weight categories: 10 male, 10 female. The event is held every two years, after being inauguarated in Barcelona in 1996.

Head of Team Meeting

Held ahead of Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships

The Head of Team meeting for the Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships was held at the Chuncheon Bears Hotel, ahead of the competition, which runs from Oct 1-6. This year’s Junior Championships were the largest to date in terms of athletes participating.

World Taekwondo President Choue welcomed the team heads to the city of Chuncheon. He also underlined the proven pathway provided by the World Taekwondo Junior Championships to the top-tier senior events, including the World Championships and Olympic Games.

“Many of the medallsts at the Olympic Games in Paris were medalists at previous World Taekwondo Junior Championships,” he said.

“I hope the athletes at this year’s Junior World Championships will have a similar pathway to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, and the LA28 Olympic Games,” he continued.

CHUNCHEON, Korea (Sept 29, 2024)

Double Joy for Iran and Gold for Hosts Korea on

Day 1 of World Taekwondo

Junior Championships

CHUNCHEON, Korea (Oct. 1, 2024)

There was double joy for Iran on the rst day of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, Korea, courtesy of Parnian Noori and Aynaz Nasiri, while Jaebin Jung gave the host nation a gold medal to celebrate.

Noori overcame China’s Yinuo Xu in an intriguing W-52kg nal to become the rst Junior World Champion crowned in Chuncheon. Her feat was later matched by her compatriot Nasiri, who staved o the challenge of Kazakhstan’s Nuray Kaznabek in the W-59kg. Bronze medals went to Sila Irmak Uzunçavdar of Türkiye and Spain’s Noa Romero Fernandez in W-52kg weight category, and to Ella Brewster of Canada and Croatia’s Marija Uglešić in the W-59kg.

Team Korea’s Jung delivered an outstanding display to defeat Bulgaria’s Stanislav Mitkov in the M-63kg nal. Jung had scored highly in his semi- nal against David Valdés Vázquez of Mexico, who claimed a bronze medal along with Azerbaijan’s Vasif Salimov.

The rst nal of the Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships saw Noori contesting Xu. The early stages were tense. Indeed, it took until just over 10 seconds remaining of the rst round for Noori to nd a breakthrough with her push kick which yielded two two-point scores, and she went on to close it out 4-1.

The Iranian delivered an impres sive display throughout the second round to seal the gold medal, aided by a head kick awarded after an IVR. Xu put up a strong ght despite falling 11-1 behind, but it was Noori who prevailed 15-8 to win the rst gold medal in Chuncheon.

The Iranian only dropped one round on her way from the round of 64 to victory - that coming against Thailand’s Panbua Moramat in the round of 16. Her semi- nal against Romero Fernandez was settled in two closely fought rounds, as was Xu’s victory over Uzunçavdar.

The 17-year-old home favourite Jung had an age advantage over his 16-year-old opponent Mitkov in the second nal of the evening, but that is to take nothing away from a sublime performance which enabled him to take both rounds 13-1.

Jung’s power and technical ability were on show in both rounds of the nal, as they had been in the semi- nal against Valdés Vázquez in which he also scored highly to triumph 19-17 and 22-9 in the two rounds. Those matches completed a run to the gold medal in which he did not lose a single round.

Mitkov had also impressed throughout the competition, not least in the semi- nal when he took the two rounds 8-0 and 13-1 against Salimov.

nal of the rst day of competition, Nasiri and Kaznabek delivered a gripping match until the end of both rounds, but it was the Iranian who emerged victorious. Nasiri enjoyed a 17cm height advantage over her opponent, but for much of the rst round only a gamjeom from Kaznabek separated the pair. However, Nasiri nished strongly with a push kick to the body and a resulting gamjeom for Kaznabek gave her a 4-0 win. Nasiri looked to have control of the second round as she led 3-0, but a stunning head kick by Kaznabek brought them level. However, it was to be Nasiri’s day in Chuncheon, and she took the second round 5-4, netting Iran’s second gold medal of the day.

It was a remarkable journey to victory for Nasiri, who had to come from one round behind to win her quarter- nal against Serbia’s Vanja Rankov and her semi- nal against Ugleš ć On the other side of the draw, Kaznabek also needed a comeback to beat Brewster in the

Four Nations Grab Golds on Day 2

of Chuncheon 2024 World

Taekwondo Junior Championships

Ashra delivered an accomplished display against Australia’s Aiden Stilley to take the gold of the evening. He used his height and leg length to maximum e ect in both rounds, winning the and the second by point gap as his 15-point lead gave him for a richly deserved triumph.

That completed a day in which Ashra his matches without dropping a round, including his semi- nal against Italy’s Matteo De Angelis, courtesy of a powerful spinning head kick just over 30 seconds into the contest.

De Angelis earned a bronze medal along with Spain’s Iván Lysenko Serrano, who was beaten by Stilley in the semi- nals.

DAY 2 W M

There were gold medallsts from four di erent nations on the second day of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, Korea as the world’s most talented young athletes lit up the arena.

Amirmohammad Ashra earned Iran’s third gold medal of the championships in the rst nal of the day in the M+78kg division. Yumin Lee secured Korea’s second with her triumph in the W-46kg.

There were also golds for Magdalena Matic of Croatia in the W+68kg and Dilmurodjon Marufjonov of Uzbekistan in the W-45kg.

Underlining the global skill spread of Taekwondo, the eight nalists on Day 2 came from eight di erent

Croatian Matic overcame the challenge of Team USA’s Naomi Alade in two rounds. She edged the rst, 7-5, through a strong shot to the body with just 10 seconds remaining, and managed the second superbly to win it 5-1 and take the gold.

Matic had earlier won both rounds 7-0 against Kimi Laurene Ossin of Côte d’Ivoire in her semi- nal, and triumphed in two rounds in each of her matches.

Alade also progressed to the nal without losing a round, including a victory against Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Palina nals. Ossin and Mikhalchuk completed the podium with their bronze medals.

Marufjonov and Mexico’s Jorge Armando Rodríguez Cordero delivered a thrilling matchup in the nal. A high-scoring rst round went 18-15 in Marufjonov’s favour, and he secured a 14-6 victory in the second to earn Uzbekistan’s rst gold of the championships.

Marufjonov had been a stand-out performer throughout the competition, including in the semi- nal when he won both rounds against Canada’s Zach Gillis by point gap.

Rodríguez Cordero’s semi- nal was also gripping as he staged a terri c comeback to recover from losing the rst round 10-3 to Korea’s Sangwon Jang. Gillis and Jang both took bronze medals.

Lee ensured host nation Korea nished with a gold medal on Day 2 as she overcame Costa Rica’s Jaycee Bassett. Lee made a fast start and took the rst round on point gap. Although Bassett put up a strong showing in the second round and led 2-1 with less than 40 seconds remaining, procient head kicking in the closing stages from Lee took the match away from her opponent and she prevailed 11-2.

It was an impressive day for Lee, who did not drop a round throughout the competition. Bronze medals went to France’s Oumaïma Allassak, who was beaten by Lee in the semi- nals, and Spain’s Violeta Díaz Arribas who was edged out by Bassett.

Greece, Tunisia and Iran Win golds

as

World Taekwondo

Junior Championships Reaches Halfway Stage

CHUNCHEON, Korea (Oct. 3, 2024)

The World Taekwondo Junior Championships reached its halfway stage today in Chuncheon, Korea, where Masghouni Wafa earned Tunisia’s rst gold medal and Aristeidis Nikolaos Psarros did likewise for Greece. Sina Mohtarami clinched Iran’s fourth triumph.

Mohtarami won the rst gold medal of Day 3, edging a high-scoring M-55kg nal which went to three rounds against Kazakhstan’s Nurali Makhmut.

In the W-63kg, Wafa produced an accomplished display in the nal to prevent Saghar Moradi Sheikhlar from making it an Iranian double, and the impressive Psarros rounded o the evening with an outstanding performance against Moldova’s Artiom Rosca in the M-51kg.

Mnal was the rst of this year’s World Taekwondo Junior Championships to go to three rounds. It was a captivating contest as both athletes were fully committed and scored highly.

After a close start to the rst round, Mohtarami pulled clear of his opponent to ultimately take it 18-7. However, Makhmut showed great resilience in the second, and a late body kick to make it 11-9 was enough to force a decider.

nal round swung both ways, but it was Mohtarami who prevailed, 14-12. Mohtarami had earlier delivered one of the performances of the day in the nals, winning both rounds by point gap against Haoran Tang of China. Makhmut was also dominant against Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Azat Besaev, with the two beaten semi- nalists earning bronze medals.

Wafa delivered a masterful gameplan in the nal to overcome Moradi Sheikhlar, who had scored highly in her semi- nal victory against China’s Chengyi Wang. The Tunisian took a 3-0 lead in the opening minute of the rst round, then largely shut out the threat of her opponent, conceding two gamjeom in the closing stages to cop a 3-2 win.

The second round featured a similarly disciplined display by Wafa, which ensured a 7-3 victory and joyous celebrations as she claimed Tunisia’s rst gold medal in Chuncheon.

-63kg

She had earlier beaten Hsin-tung Lin in the semi- nals by the same scorelines in both rounds. Lin, from Chinese Taipei, joined Wang in taking a bronze medal from the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

Chuncheon 2024

WCHAMPIONSHIPS

MThe last nal of the day featured a typically powerful performance from Psarros - a type which he had produced throughout the competition. He dominated the rst round against Rosca, winning it 12-6.

The second round was Psarros at his best, as he racked up 12 points without reply to earn a victory by point gap after just one minute.

The Greek athlete had been involved in a thrilling semi- nal against Amirmohammad Nasirahmadi of Iran, winning the two rounds 15-13 and 23-17. On the other side of the draw, Rosca took the rst round against India’s Shukla Ayush by point gap, but his opponent hit back to win the second 15-14. That forced a decider which Rosca was able to edge 10-9, with Ayush joining Nasirahmadi as a bronze medalist.

Day 4 of World Taekwondo Junior Championships Brings Golds

for Philippines, Iran

and Chinese Taipei

DAY 4

The Philippines, through Tachiana Kezhia Mangin, and Chinese Taipei, through Chieh-ling Wang earned their rst gold medals of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships on Day 4 in Chuncheon, while Mehdi Razmian became the latest Iranian winner.

Mangin played out one of the most thrilling nals seen so far in the W-49kg weight division, sealing victory in the closing stages of a thirdround decider against Korea’s Hyanggi Kim. Another Korean athlete was beaten in the last nal of the day, as Wang overcame the challenge of Suin Shin.

In the M-48kg, Razmian delivered a dominant display against Spain’s Jairo Agenjo Trigos for Iran’s fth gold of the championships.

Today’s results mean eight di erent nations have now had junior world champions crowned in Chuncheon, as the event continues to showcase

-48kg

Iran extended its lead at the top of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships medal table through an accomplished performance from Razmian against Agenjo Trigos.

Razmian had required three rounds in three of his matches earlier in the day – against Thailand’s Sorachat Sawasri in the round of 64, Abdullah Essa A Almushraf of Saudi Arabia in the quarter- nals and

However, there were no signs of tiredness with his display in the rst round well and won it 6-1 to take the lead in the match. The Iranian athlete was 15cm taller than Agenjo Trigos, and in the second round he made full advantage of that, triumphing 12-2.

Agenjo Trigos in contrast had not dropped a round on his way from nal, including a second-round victory by point gap against Uzbekistan’s Bekhruz Salimov in the semi- nals.

Taskyn and Salimov won the bronze medals following their runs to

Mangin produced four head kicks in the rst round for a 14-8 win which appeared to place her in control of the nal against Kim. However, her opponent, competing on home turf, hit back in the second round, taking a 4-3 lead with around 15 seconds remaining and holding onto her advantage to force a decider. The nal round produced a dramatic nale with a urry of points for both athletes which had the spectators at the Songam Sports Town Air Dome on the edge of their seats. Ultimately, it was Mangin who edged it 7-6 to earn the Philippines’ rst gold in Chuncheon.

In the semi- nals, Mangin had received a walkover because her Greek opponent Lamprini Anna Asimaki withdrew through injury. In contrast, Kim had to ght back from losing the rst round to Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Aiuna Menkenova to seal her place in the nal. Asimaki and Menkenova both took bronze medals.

Chuncheon 2024

W-49kg

Wang was outstanding in all elements of her game in the nal against Shin to take Chinese Taipei’s rst gold of this year’s World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

In the rst round, she successfully blocked and shut out her opponent, and a 6-0 victory had her half way to the gold medal. The second round required even more resilience as Shin took a 6-2 lead, but Wang nished very strongly and prevailed 17-6 to ensure a place on top of the podium.

Wang had to recover from losing the to Rüveyda Nur Evin of Türkiye in the semishe had done against Iran’s Parnian Saki in the round of 64 earlier in the day. On the other side of the draw, Shin was impressive in her semiSiyong Li, who had to settle for bronze along with Evin.

2 Golds for Iran, 1 Each for Croatia and Korea on World

Taekwondo Junior Championships’ Day 5

On the penultimate day of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships, Hana Zarrinkamar Roudbari and Ghazal Houshmand became the latest Iranian gold medalists, and there were triumphs for Croatia’s Oscar Kovačić and Korea’s Jaewon Park.

Zarrinkamar Roudbari and Houshmand both won the second rounds of their respective nals by point gap to seal their victories – the former overcame Korea’s Lim Yerim in the W-68kg category and the latter defeated China’s Xiruo Yang in the W-42kg.

In the M-78kg, Kovačić came out on top in an entertaining nal against Poland’s Michał Szadkowski, while in the M-73kg, Park came from behind to beat Aliakbar Ebrahimi and prevent an Iranian triple on Day 5.

Szadkowski made a promising start in the nal which saw him lead 2-0, then 4-3, but Kovačić grew into the rst round and made the pressure on his opponent count by taking it 13-4. In the second round, Szadkowski pushed Kovačić all the way and forced his opponent to concede four gamjeom. However, the powerful kicking from the Croatian athlete proved decisive, helping him to triumph 10-8 and win gold.

Kovačić won bronze at the 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, but his gold in Chuncheon was especially well deserved; he had displayed quality and resilience throughout the day. In his semi- nal against Iran’s Amin Mohammad Ahmadvand, Kovačić su ered a rst-round defeat by point gap, but a superb response allowed him to in ict the same fate on his opponent in the following two rounds to seal his place in the nal. In the corresponding semi- nal, Szadkowski was dominant against Spain’s Jesus Pacheco Jimenez. Ahmadvand and Pacheco Jimenez earned bronze medals in the M-78kg division.

MZarrinkamar Roudbari started the nal against Lim in ne fashion, scoring six points from two head kicks, awarded on video review. She played out an 11-6 win to take the rst round, and nished the nal with a ourish in the second round as her power and force proved too much for Lim, resulting in a victory by point gap for the Iranian athlete.

-68kg

Zarrinkamar Roudbari had a di cult route to the nal, needing to come from one round behind against Poland’s Julia Nowak in the semi- nals and requiring three rounds to overcome Croatia’s Maja Srhoj in her round of 32 opener. Lim in contrast had not dropped a round before the nal, including a strong showing in her semi- nal against Chinese Taipei’s Wei-chia Wang.

MThe M-73kg nal featured an excellent turnaround by Park against Ebrahimi. In a captivating rst round, Ebrahimi led for most of it, then hit back in the closing seconds to take it 14-11 after Park had edged his way into a late lead. However, the momentum swung Park’s way in the second round, when a superb performance was capped o with a reverse turning kick to the head to seal a 13-3 win. Park was increasingly looking in control of the contest, and completed the comeback with a 10-6 victory in the deciding third round. Park had earlier prevailed in a closely fought semi- nal against Italy’s Angelo Mangione. Azerbaijan’s Huseyn Khudiyev joined Mangione in winning bronze after losing to Ebrahimi in the semi- nals

Iran’s second gold medal of the day came courtesy of Houshmand. A high-scoring rst round went 17-9 in her favour, and she dominated Yang in the second round to force her way into a 15-3 lead which gave her victory by point gap and crowned her junior world champion.

Houshmand was equally impressive in the earlier stages of the competition, and did not drop a round on her way to gold. That included a high-scoring victory against Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Elina Tkhamokova in the semi- nals. On the other side of the draw, Yang prevailed in three rounds against Uzbekistan’s Valeriya Khegay in the quarter- nals and India’s Saksham Yadav in the semi- nals. Bronze medals in the W-42kg went to Tkhamokova and Yadav. CHUNCHEON,

Korea, Morocco and AIN Get Golds on Last Day

of World Taekwondo Junior Championships

The World Taekwondo Junior Championships concluded with gold medals for Korea’s Junho Sim, Morocco’s Amina Dehhaoui and Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Amir Vykov. It has been an outstanding six days in Chuncheon, where Taekwondo’s young stars from around the world have delivered a magni cent competition and demonstrated the game’s bright future. Iran nished top and hosts Korea were second in both the women’s and men’s team standings.

DAY 6

Sim took the matic fashion as he triumphed in the closing seconds against Türkiye’s Yusuf Badem in M-59kg. The Ko rean athlete had the edge in the for most of it and eventually winning 14-7. However, Badem started the second round brightly with an early head kick which set the tone for a comfortable 10-1 victory. That forced a deciding round, in which the momentum appeared to have shifted in Badem’s favour. He led until last few seconds, but two body shots helped Sim to move into a 10-7 lead and seal a remarkable victory.

In the semiMahmoud Bassam Yousif in two close rounds, while Badem prevailed in two tight rounds against Ukraine’s Samir Mirzoiev.

MTAEKWONDO WORLD JUNIOR

Chuncheon 2024 CHAMPIONSHIPS

Dehhaoui and AIN Aminat Ramazanova cancelled each other out for most of the rst round of the nal of the W-55kg, but two body kicks in the nal 30 seconds proved decisive for the Moroccan athlete as she took it 5-1. It was similarly cagey in the rst minute of the second round, but Dehhaoui seized control and a urry of points helped her to triumph 12-3.

In the semi- nals, Dehhaoui lost the rst round to Croatia’s Ema Bugarinović, but then did not concede a point in the two rounds that followed to ensure her progress. Ramazanova edged a close rst round against Mümüne Nur Göz of Türkiye, then powered to a victory by point gap in the second.

Vykov took the nal gold medal of the championships in style as he triumphed in each of the rounds at the quarter- nal, semi- nal and nal stages by point gap.

In the gold medal match against Korea’s Junhyuk Lee, Vykov started o strongly and rounded o a 12-0 victory by point gap with a reverse turning kick to the head. Lee was able to stem Vykov’s ow for much of the second round, but Vykov was still able to create a 12-point gap at 14-2 in the closing stages to seal gold.

Vykov had earlier dominated Thailand’s Krittayot Phrompatju in the semi- nal and Montenegro’s Ognjen Komatina in the quarter- nal. On the other side of the draw, Lee’s semi- nal against Egypt’s Omar Muhammad Fathy was one of the most dramatic of the championships. All three rounds nished level on the scores, but it was Lee who went through with a last-second head kick in the decider. CHUNCHEON, Korea (Oct. 6, 2024)

After the conclusion of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships, the following awards were presented:

Most Valuable Player Men Amirmohammad Ashra (Iran) M+78kg

Most Valuable Player Women Yumin Lee (Korea) W-46kg

Men Team Standing Iran, Korea, Uzbekistan, Croatia, Greece

Women Team Standing Iran, Korea, Croatia, Chinese Taipei, China

Best Men Team Coach Feizoallah Nafjam (Iran)

Best Women Team Coach Fatemeh Safarpoor (Iran)

Best Male Referee Mickael Cruz (Puerto Rico)

Best Female Referee Mijung Lee (Korea)

Noori and Nasiri Aim to Capitalize on Junior Championships Triumphs

It was a golden opening night of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Chuncheon, Korea, for Parnian Noori and Aynaz Nasiri, the latest athletes hoping to make the most of the pathway to senior success provided by this event.

The two Iranians triumphed in the W-52kg and W-59kg categories, respectively, on the rst day of competition.

Both impressed throughout their competitions, and for Nasiri her emotions standing on top of the podium were clear.

“I had a very good feeling because I had very hard exercise in our national team, so I got a very good result. I was very happy and had a wonderful feeling,” she said.

That was especially the case having followed on from her compatriot Noori.

“We had a very wonderful feeling

nal and semi- nal. She explained how she masterminded her turnaround in the two matches as her determination to win shone through.

“In the rst round I had some problems, but I xed it for the second round. So when I got to the second round I had more energy, and all that mattered was I won - it doesn’t matter how you win,” she said.

For Noori, her attention immediately turned to the future and her ambitions for when she steps up to the Seniors.

“We have to focus more on the future because we go to the Senior teams. From now, we are going to make a plan and prepare the training to go to the Senior national team,” she insisted.

Eight of the medalists at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games had previously medalled at the World Juniors. That proves the competition’s importance

TAEKWONDO WORLD JUNIOR Chuncheon 2024 CHAMPIONSHIPS

in providing experience of high-quality competition for top young athletes against equally young and hungry opponents from around the world.

Nasiri highlighted the bene ts.

“This has been a very nice experience because we had di erent opponents from many countries. The organisation was di erent from other competitions, with more than 900 athletes,” she said.

Noori underlined her ambitions to compete at the Olympics, and hopes the World Juniors can be the start in accumulating the ranking points she needs to bounce up to the most elite level of Taekwondo competition.

“Yes of course we have goals for the Olympic Games, that is very important for us. We start from now to get ranking points to qualify for the Olympics,” she said.

On the rst day of the rst World Junior Championships held in Korea for 20 years, Jaebin Jung made it an evening to remember for the host nation.

He overcame the challenge of Bulgaria’s Stanislav Mitkov in the M-63kg nal to add to Korea’s rich history in Taekwondo. It was a most impressive performance throughout the day as he did not drop a round throughout the competition, and won both rounds in the nal by point gap.

Jung handled the pressure with maturity, and explained how he used his preparation to maximum e ect and treated each match as a normal occasion.

Jung Vows to Add Muscle to Technique

with vital lessons and an experience he will use for the remainder of his career.

“I saw some kicks that you never get to see in Korea, and I saw that there are a lot of very tall athletes, so that was very stunning for me,” Jung re ected.

“I want to do something about my strength with weight training, and get more physical resistance.

“This time I experienced - when I fought athletes from other countries - that I am lacking in strength, so I need to reinforce that. If I want to continue competing and participating in competitions, I really need to be physically in a good state, so I am going to develop that further.

He is close to making the step up to senior competition, and is targeting becoming an important part of the Korean team in the years leading up to the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

“First of all I want to become a senior Korean national team athlete, and further on I would really like to compete in the Olympics,” Jung shared.

“If everything goes well, I can compete in the [2025] senior World Championships.”

“I think I liked it overall because it came out as I had practised. It was a competition that I am satis ed about,” he said.

“I just did as I usually do, but it seemed that the points were scoring very well.

“Only in the last moments, I saw there was a big points gap, so I started to do some spinning kicks.”

Jung has no shortage of illustrious Korean greats to take inspiration from.

The one who has had the biggest inuence on him is Changha Jang, a junior world champion in 2000 and silver medalist at the 2007 World Championships.

In Chuncheon, he followed in his footsteps and was crowned junior world champion. Jang is today his coach.

“My biggest role model is my master, Changha Jang. When I entered high school, he was my head coach, so that is when I met him,” Jung said.

“It was very overwhelming for me, especially when the Korean national anthem was played. I got so emotional.”

Jung has taken more than pride and a gold medal from this World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

Taekwondo’s increasing strength around the world has exposed him to more techniques and di erent styles of opponent. The event has provided him

“That was the biggest thing I learned. I noticed I need to get better in that sense.”

Coming up next for Jung will be the Korean National Sports Festival from Oct. 11-17.

Matić Continues

Croatia’s Emergence as a Global Force

It has been a remarkable period of success for Croatian Taekwondo, which has now become accustomed to winning Olympic and World Championships medals. With her victory in the W+68kg at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships, 17-year-old Magdalena Matić could be the latest star to emerge from the country.

Matić enjoyed a run to gold without dropping a round in Chuncheon. Yet perhaps what was most impressive about her performance was her maturity in the second round of the nal against the USA’s Naomi Alade. After edging the rst round 7-5, Matić was able to maintain control of the second and limit scoring opportunities for her opponent, eventually prevailing 5-1.

“We have been training very hard for that. I just listened to my coach, and we prepared for that match,” Matić re ected.

“It was very stressful with some hard matches, but I enjoyed it. All my training paid o .”

While Matić has enjoyed success at continental level in jun-

ior and cadet competitions, this trip to Chuncheon, Korea provided an opportunity for her to showcase her talent on the global stage.

She has relished the environment provided by the championships. Over an intense week in Chuncheon, she was able to feed o the passion of the crowd and leverage her team mates’ support.

“It’s amazing. It’s a very good atmosphere here. There is a lot of people and the public, so it felt amazing yesterday,” Matić said.

Matić discovered Taekwondo through her kindergarten teacher, and represents the latest success story from the Marjan Taekwondo Club in Split.

Others have included Croatia’s rst Olympic Taekwondo Champion Matea Jelić reigning World Champion Lena Stojković along with Ivan Šapina, Bruna Duvančić and Paško Bož ć - all medalists at last year’s World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The club provides an ideal training environment

TAEKWONDO

for talented young athletes such as Matić to learn and progress in the sport.

“It helps me a lot because they are my big motivation. I have many sparring partners in my club,” Matić said.

Matić added there was a very good team spirit among the Croatian squad in Chuncheon.

She has identi ed the mental side of her game as an area to work on, but is clear on the next steps for her to achieve her dream of competing and medaling at the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

“My biggest aim is the Los Angeles Olympics, so I hope will go there and win a medal,” she said.

“I need to just work hard, train, improve my skills, go to some Grand Prix tournaments and World Championships.”

It was another history-making day in Taekwondo for Uzbekistan, as Dilmurodjon Marufjonov was crowned M-45kg Junior World Champion in Chuncheon, Korea.

At the age of 16 and competing against many older opponents, Marufjonov showed star quality throughout the competition. He won both rounds by point gap in his semi- nal against Canada’s Zach Gillis and scored highly in thenal against Mexico’s Jorge Armando Rodríguez Cordero, taking a win by two rounds: 18-15 and 14-6.

In doing so, he became Uzbekistan’s rst-ever gold medalist at the World Taekwondo Juniors, an achievement which brings a sense of pride for Marufjonov.

He re ected on a successful day in Chuncheon.

Marufjonov

Seeks to Emulate Uzbek Hero Rashitov

Marufjonov previously won a silver medal at the 2022 World Cadet Championships in So a, Bulgaria. He is an athlete big ambitions - justi ably so on the evidence of his performances in Chuncheon.

The 2025 Asian Youth Games in Tashkent provides an opportunity for him to star on home soil at a multi-sport event. Beyond that, he is hoping to reach the summit: The Olympic Games.

“I would like to use this result and competition as a rst step,” he said.

“My future goal is to win at the Asian Youth Games next year, and my dream is to become an Olympic champion.”

even better.

While Marufjonov does not yet train with Rashitov at the current junior stage of his career, it is clear the two-time Olympic champion is having a positive in uence on him.

“I always talk to him, get some advice from him, and try and copy his style,” Marufjonov said.

Marufjonov is clear on what he needs to do to ful l his ambitions too. A winning mentality is evident as he speaks. More major event experience after Chuncheon will stand him in good stead, he knows.

“First I would like to gain experience at big events as much as I can. Secondly, I would like to win all of these matches!,” he said.

After the impressive performances of Croatian athletes at major Taekwondo competitions in recent years, there is no sign of that letting up.

Matić has proven that the future isbright for the European nation of less than four million people that is punching well above its weight in Taekwondo.

“First of all, thanks to the organisers for such a wonderful tournament. I really liked how everything was done here,” Marufjonov said.

“I am very happy because I got gold, but it was not easy to get this medal. Thanks to my parents for sending me to Taekwondo.”

The achievements of Ulugbek Rashitov have helped to elevate Taekwondo in Uzbekistan. At the Olympic Games in Paris earlier this year, he achieved the rare feat of winning his second consecutive Olympic gold medal in the M-68kg category.

Rashitov is what he describes as a “hero” to look up to and try to match - or

Chuncheon marks the emergence of future stars - and the Uzbek is clearly going to be a player the pundits will have their eyes on in the years ahead.

INTERVIEW

Wafa Adds Sheen to Golden Year for Tunisian Taekwondo

What a year 2024 has been for

After Firas Katoussi won the country’s rst Olympic gold medal in the sport at Paris 2024, success has continued with Masghouni Wafa’s triumph at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

Wafa clinched victory in two rounds against Saghar Moradi Sheikhlar of Iran in the W-63kg nal. Her winning mentality was evident in her performance - and how she re ected on her competition.

“I played with so much focus, and I really wanted to win – it’s the most important thing. When you enter the ring, you just focus and do everything to win,” Wafa said.

That was displayed to perfection against Moradi Sheikhlar, when she limited opportunities for an opponent who had scored highly in the semi- nals.

“I played a simple game. I watched them and I knew their techniques, so I just played simple blocks and covers. I just played simple, and when I found points I scored. I didn’t do too much show, just

stayed simple and focused,” she re ected.

After winning, Wafa’s thoughts turned to those who supported her.

“I was very happy. I remembered my family, what they did for me and how they supported me so much - my sister, my team-mates, my coaches, my federation, everyone. I was very happy because it is the start for me and opens a door to the senior competition,” Wafa said.

Family was central.

“If I needed anything they were there for me - if I needed clothes they would buy them for me, if I needed luggage they would buy it for me. They didn’t let me think about anything else but the competition and the sparring. In the morning, they sent me a lot of messages, they called me. Then they let me focus,” Wafa said.

Wafa’s sporting career began in gymnastics in 2017. She initially found the transition to Taekwondo di cult.

“I was training gymnastics, and my coach was the owner of the gym. When I started gymnastics, he told me he had a Taekwondo gym and a Tunisian champion there. He o ered me the chance, but I was loving gymnastics,” Wafa explained.

“I did four months of gymnastics and then the coach

stopped. They were doing Poomsae, then one month after I started they changed to sparring.

“At rst I wanted to stop playing because it was very hard, very tiring. But my coach and my family supported me, and said to me I have the quality and the heart of a champion, so I continued and year after year I achieved my goals.”

Chuncheon 2024 was Wafa’s second World Taekwondo Junior Championships, after she was beaten in the rst round in Soa, Bulgaria, two years ago. The experience was vital : She redoubled her focus.

Earlier this year in senior competition at the All African Games in Accra, Ghana, Wafa won gold in the W-62kg category. She prepared extensively for the Juniors this year, joining the Tunisian camp in preparation for the Olympic Games in Paris, before going to a junior camp to train for Chuncheon.

She received support from Tunisian history maker Katoussi. His guidance and achievement in Paris provided further encouragement for Wafa.

“He showed that he is Tunisian and when he can do it, I can also,” Wafa said. “I said, ‘You will win in the Olympics,’ and he said, ‘You will win the World Championships.’”

Wafa has joined training camps with athletes from countries including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

“It is so helpful. When I train with senior athletes, we don’t have the same style and I correct so many things by playing with them, by re-watching my ghts with them. I can see which blocks are not good and where I gave points away,” she said.

“So many coaches also helped me – I really want to thank them. They gave me the solutions to my faults to correct them. They helped me a lot. Yesterday, the coach of the senior team called me. My friends are really helpful too.”

Wafa is planning to rest on her return to Tunisia. However, she remains focused on pursuing her ultimate goal in LA 2028.

“I have more con dence and I am looking for senior World Championships. I already made a step in the Seniors when I played at the All African Games and won a gold this year, and I will look for a gold medal next year,.” she said.

She knows how to improve ahead of LA 2028.

“I know my faults and my coach knows them. We will work on it. I will participate in competitions and camps with a lot of different countries,” she said. “I think I will be better and I will achieve my dream.”

TAEKWONDO

WORLD JUNIOR

Chuncheon 2024 CHAMPIONSHIPS

The World Taekwondo Junior Championships is where many of the sport’s future stars have burst onto the global scene, and on the basis of his performances on his way to M-51kg gold, Aristeidis Nikolaos Psarros could be another.

The Greek athlete was a standout performer on Day 3 in Chuncheon. Sealing the gold with a second-round victory by point gap underlined how dominant he had been on the scoring front throughout most of his matches.

Yet it was a stroke of good fortune which led Psarros to discover the sport he loves and in which has been crowned a junior world champion.

A Taekwondo club opened on the oor beneath his home in Athens. It proved an immediate match - and a perfect one.

“When I was younger, I was very annoying!” Psarros confessed.

“I couldn’t stop moving, and just one random day a Taekwondo club opened underneath my home. I started there, and I loved it from the rst training. I am lucky!”

During the competition in Chuncheon, Psarros faced a di cult opening match in the round of 32 against Korea’s Eunsu Seo, but came through it in three rounds. After that, he produced a host of high-scoring displays. He won four of his remaining eight rounds across his next four matches by a 12-point margin or more.

The early victory against Seo gave Psarros the belief he could go all the way.

“I think I had a good performance. My draw sheet was really tough, I had the rst match against the Korean champion, so after that match I was so con dent and I gave my 100% in every ght,” he re ected.

Psarros’ closely fought semi- nal against Amirmohammad Nasirahmadi of Iran and his nal against Moldova’s Artiom Rosca were marked by the vocal support of his team mates. The tight-knit nature of the Greek team helped to drive the M-51kg star forward.

“The support of my team mates always makes me ght better. They motivate me, so it was an extra boost for me,” he said.

Greece have not won an Olympic gold in Taekwondo since Michail Mouroutsos’s

Bright Days for Greece Thanks to Psarros’ Chance Encounter with Taekwondo

M-58kg victory when it debuted as a full medal sport at Sydney 2000.

Psarros’ eyes are rmly set on his ultimate goal of the LA 2028 Olympic Games, and he believes that his talented younger generation of Greek athletes o ers prosperous signs for the future.

“This year we had a national camp for two weeks after many years, so it was helpful. We helped each other a lot, and we built the team spirit,” he said.

“I think this generation has so much potential. We have a great national team this year and in the previous years, so I think we are the future of Greece!”

While Psarros enjoys being on the front foot against his opponents, he insisted he also places importance of the defensive element of his game.

To achieve his ambition of medalling at Los Angeles 2028, he has identi ed building his stamina and match management skills against particular opponents as areas to work on.

“I like to attack. However, when I need to defend I have to defend as well. Mostly I am an attacking player,” he said.

“I think I have to work on my stamina, because I got really tired in the rst ght. I

have to improve my stamina and learn how to better control the distance between certain players, because I am a tall player and I have a problem with shorter players.”

On the road to Los Angeles 2028 are multiple major Taekwondo events.

Psarros has the European Grand Prix at the junior level in Bucharest, Romania in December. Next year he is targeting a medal at the World Championships in Wuxi, China.

His success at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships has fuelled him with an added sense of belief.

When asked what he has learned from the event, he replied: “That I have to believe in myself and that I never have to think that someone is better than me, because I thought that, but nally I am world champion.”

Tunisian Taekwondo!

Mangin

Wants to Inspire more Wins for Philippines

With her victory in the W-49kg category, Tachiana Kezhia Mangin ended a 28-year wait for the Philippines to win a gold medal at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

The last Philippine player to stand on top of the podium at the event was Alex Borromeo at the inaugural junior edition in Barcelona in 1996.

The signi cance of her achievement was not lost on Mangin as the Philippine national anthem resounded around the Songam Sports Town Air Dome during the medal ceremony.

“I was very emotional, because it has been a long time since the Philippines have won a gold medal or even a medal at the World Junior Championships,” she said.

“I am very honoured to hear the Philippine national anthem play at the podium once again.”

And the possibility of writing her name into Taekwondo history in the Philippines helps to drive Mangin.

“It motivates me to become a better player and show on the world stage that the Philippines is a strong team when it comes Taekwondo. I also want to inspire my fellow Filipinos that we can do it on the world stage,” she said.

“I hope inspire young Filipino Taekwondo players in the Philippines, and I hope to inspire more from around the world – not just Filipinos.”

It is clear how much Mangin loves the sport - and how much Taekwondo means to her.

“I was a hyper kid when I was ve years old. My parents took me to the doctor, who advised me to go into sports,” she explained.

“The rst sport that my parents thought of was tennis, but we have no tennis court in my hometown in the Philippines, so they decided to enrol me in Taekwondo, and I just fell in love with the sport. I love the coaches, the community

TAEKWONDO WORLD JUNIOR

Mayan Girls of Tipulcan Pioneer Visits World Junior Championships

in my club, so I think that makes me inspired.”

The W-49kg nal was one of the most thrilling to grace the Chuncheon eld of play.

Mangin produced four head kicks to help her win the rst round, but her opponent Hyanggi Kim of Korea hit back in the second. The deciding third round went all the way to the closing stages, but Mangin came out on top 7-6 after a late urry of points by both athletes.

She explained how she kept her cool when the pressure was on.

“I tried to calm myself and not think too much, because for me every time I overthink inside the court I always stay out of focus. I tried to maintain my focus, and just let my body move and kick,” Mangin commented.

The World Taekwondo Junior Championships was Mangin’s nal planned competition of the year, but she has vowed to continue training hard and working towards the future.

to defend themselves, but he quickly gained positive feedback when they saw the results.

“We have seen the impactful, meaningful changes in the society,” he said.

“It has now impacted the entire department and everyone is supporting me.”

Coy has planned a trip to the World Taekwondo Junior Championships since February of this year.

Despite the considerable expense of travel from Guatemala, he ful lled a dream he has had for more than 30 years to visit the birthplace of Taekwondo.

“First I will work on my mistakes. I still have a lot to improve. I will train for that, keep that discipline and stay focused,” she said.

“My goal is the LA 2028 Olympics. I will do my best to train harder to get that goal.”

Her experience from the World Juniors stands her in good stead, and has fuelled her self belief, moving forward.

“I think I did pretty well throughout the competition. I know that I did my best, and for me that is enough,” Mangin re ected.

“I have learned to trust myself because in the past week, me and my team su ered a lot of di culties. I am very proud that we overcame it, and in the last two weeks I was also having a problem on my hamstring and doubting that I could perform at my best, but I thank for everything because I have performed well.”

Dany Coy understands the power of Taekwondo to catalyse positive changes in indigenous communities as well as anyone at the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

The 46-year-old 3rd Dan from Guatemala discovered Taekwondo in 1991, and has served as a coach in the mountainous department of Alta Verapaz in northern Guatemala since 1997 after receiving support from World Taekwondo Vice-President Maria Rosario Borello Castillo.

Coy travelled to Chuncheon for the World Taekwondo Junior Championships with his wife Wendy Chen de Coy and son Dany Coy Junior, who has previously been part of his country’s national Poomsae team and nished fth in the individual competition at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima.

He also has three daughters - Leidy Daniela, Hiromi and Ariadna - who practise Taekwondo.

In Chuncheon, he was greeted by WT President Chungwon Choue.

Coy launched the pioneering “Girls of Tipulcan” project in the remote village of Tipulcan in 2014. Often travelling many miles on foot due to the lack of transport infrastructure, through his teaching Coy aimed to empower young girls and ena-

ble them to defend themselves from gender-based violence.

Training is designed to allow his students to continue wearing traditional hand-made costumes, which are a local custom. Girls of Tipulcan has empowered more than 60 young girls.

“The idea of the Tipulcan programme started because I found out about young kids and girls being violated, abused, sexually abused even by family members.

I wanted to avoid that and teach young girls how to defend themselves and empower themselves,” he explained.

“Through Taekwondo, those young girls have empowered themselves to believe they can achieve more, to grow and to help their families through Taekwondo and sport.”

Many of Coy’s students have competed in national Poomsae and Kyorugi tournaments in Guatemala.

He explained how initially there were some reservations at a local level towards a male coach leading a project teaching young girls how

“The idea and opportunity started through Maria Rosario Borello Castillo, and thanks to Ms. Borello Castillo, we got to meet with Dr. Choue today. It was a dream come true for me and for the family to be here and take advantage of the opportunity of Maria and Dr. Choue being here,” he said.

He added, “It is a dream come true for us to get to know the country and city where Taekwondo was born.”

After an exchange of gifts, Choue commended Coy and expressed his appreciation for his work on the Girls of Tipulcan project.

Coy’s project embodies the values of Taekwondo, underlines its impact in even the most remote parts of the world, and promises to change even more lives for the better in the years ahead.

World Taekwondo Launches 1st Mental Health Awareness Action at World Junior Championships

Leading up to World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, World Taekwondo launched its rst mental health awareness action aimed at more than 1,500 athletes and o cials at the Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships taking place from Oct. 1-6 in Korea.

The move followed a World Taekwondo global mental health survey launched on Oct. 10, 2023, which revealed the challenges that elite athletes were facing. Issues included psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. In response to these ndings, WT has committed to addressing mental health concerns among its athletes and o cials.

In Chuncheon, World Taekwondo partnered with Mindaz, a centre that specialises in mental health analysis and sport counselling.

Athletes and o cials who participated underwent a stress assessment using the Omni t Mindcare system, followed by a consultation with certi ed psychologists. The system analyses stress levels, cognitive performance, and brain function through advanced electroencephalogram (EEG) and photoplethysmogram (PPG) measurements. Based on these results, participants received personalised guidance from mental health professionals onsite on how to manage stress and improve their overall mental wellness.

“Health and well-being are two of the focus areas of the World Taekwondo Sustainability Strategy,” said World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue. “The launch of our mental health action, following our in-depth research, signi es the continuation of an important journey to safeguard the best interests of our athletes and o cials.”

More than 200 athletes and o cials participated over three days, with notably higher stress levels evident in athletes aged between 16 and 17, and coaches. Based on the data analysis, WT will explore new ways to support all levels in the sport.

Looking forward, the federation is committed to incorporating new mental health actions at future WT-promoted events to support those in need and leave a legacy in regions where those events take place.

World Taekwondo also encourages Member National Associations to pursue their own mental health programmes to support the well-being of their athletes and o cials.

World Taekwondo Marks World Health Day with Report

on Mental Health of Elite Athletes

SEOUL, Korea (Apr. 7, 2024)

In the pursuit of comprehensive athlete care, World Taekwondo has delved into an essential aspect of athlete well-being: mental health. The recent survey titled “Mental Health in Elite Level Taekwondo Athletes” has provided invaluable insights into the mental landscape of elite Taekwondo practitioners. This survey, conducted as part of WT’s Sustainability Strategy, aimed to grasp the nuanced challenges faced by athletes. With World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, 2023, serving as a signi cant context, WT embarked on this journey to prioritize the holistic well-being of its athletes. As the world marked World Health Day on April 7, 2024, the completed results and overall report were published, underscoring WT’s commitment to the well-being of its athletes.

The survey targeted athletes aged 21 or older actively involved in Taekwondo events. Through an adaptation of the Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool 1 (SMHAT-1), endorsed by the International Olympic Committee, athletes were asked questions covering psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. The subsequent statistical analyses, including multiple regression analyses, unveiled signi cant correlations between various demographic factors and mental health indicators.

The ndings present a compelling narrative, shedding light on the prevalent mental health challenges encountered by elite Taekwondo athletes. The survey revealed that males scored signi cantly lower than females in anxiety and depression. Additionally, athletes aged 26-31 had signi cantly higher scores in psychological distress, anxiety, and depression compared to other age groups, emphasizing the impact of age on mental well-being. Furthermore, Kyorugi athletes had signi cantly higher scores in psychological distress and disordered eating compared to other disciplines, while Poomsae athletes exhibited lower scores in disordered eating.

Amidst the ows of competition, athletes in the pre-competition phase experienced signi cantly higher levels of anxiety. For those grappling with injuries, the burden extended beyond physical limitations, as they reported signi cantly higher levels of psychological distress, anxiety, and depression.

The survey also revealed critical insights, painting a vivid portrait of the mental health landscape within elite Taekwondo. Among athletes involved in the study, 60% surpassed the threshold for psychological distress, with 20% exceeding the threshold for anxiety and 23% for depression. Notably, 6% of the cohort indicated severe anxiety, while an equal proportion exhibited moderately severe depression. Additionally, 4% presented with severe depression. Alarmingly, 9% of athletes admitted to considering the use of harmful substances for weight loss. By addressing mental health challenges and advocating for tangible solutions, WT has rea rmed its commitment to prioritizing athletes’ well-being and fostering a culture of care within the Taekwondo community. Together, the aim is to cultivate a supportive environment where athletes ourish, not only on the mat but as individuals with holistic health at the forefront.

CHUNCHEON, Korea (Oct. 4, 2024)

PHOTO GALLERY

PHOTO GALLERY

the Program of

DAKAR 2026 YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES

Taekwondo has been o cially included as one of 25 sports on the competition programme of the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), set for Dakar, Senegal, in 2026.

The good news was conveyed to World Taekwondo in a letter from IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper. The letter referenced the IOC Executive Board’s decision made on June 13.

“Sports included in the competition program have been assessed with their respective IFs, in collaboration with local authorities, their NFs in Senegal and more broadly across Africa, to ensure the sports and their chosen disciplines align well with the elite pathways of each sport,” the letter stated.

Dakar 2026 will mark Taekwondo’s fourth consecutive appearance at the YOG, following the most recent edition in Buenos Aires in 2018. World Taekwondo is expected to engage with the IOC regarding a detailed event programme, including competition format, competition schedule and athlete quota.

The 2026 event will mark the YOG’s rst appearance in Africa. It runs from Oct. 31 to Nov. 13.

The 2026 YOG were originally scheduled for 2022.

However, the IOC and the Senegalese government agreed to postpone the event to 2026 due to the operational and other consequences of the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo to July 2021 – itself a result of the global COVID pandemic.

Taekwondo Set For Prominent Place At Dakar 2026

Youth Olympic Games

Taekwondo will feature prominently at the Youth Olympic Games (YOG) Dakar 2026, after the IOC Executive Board con rmed there will be 11 medal events in the sport, the third highest of any sport at the Games. It is further demonstration of Taekwondo’s growing global popularity, including among young people. Only athletics and aquatics will have more medal events of the 25 sports on the Dakar 2026 competition programme. There will be ve weight categories for male and for female athletes, and the Taekwondo medal events will be completed by a Mixed Team competition.

Taekwondo’s 11 medal events are part of the 151 medal events across all sports, which include 72 each for men and women, as well as seven mixed-gender events.

Male athletes will compete in the M-48kg, M-55kg, M-63kg, M-73kg and M+73kg categories, and female athletes in the W-44kg, W-49kg, W-55kg, W-63kg and W+63kg.

The IOC Executive Board approved events and athlete quotas at its meeting in December 2024, and also con rmed Taekwondo’s quota at 100 athletes at the YOG Dakar 2026.

This followed on from Taekwondo’s place on the competition programme being con rmed by the IOC Executive Board in June 2024.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue expressed his gratitude for Taekwondo’s signi cant inclusion at Dakar 2026.

“We are grateful to the IOC and the Organising Committee for including 11 Taekwondo medal events on the competition programme of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games,” he said.

“This is testament to the great progress we have made in developing a modern, inclusive and accessible sport which is enjoyed by young people around the world.

“Dakar 2026 will be a wonderful celebration of the world’s best young athletes and a signi cant milestone as the rst Olympic sports event held on the African continent.

Taekwondo has a very strong presence in Africa and the YOG will strengthen this even further. We are very excited to see Taekwondo thrive once again on this stage.”

Taekwondo has featured at each YOG since the inaugural edition in Singapore in 2010.

Dakar 2026 will see 2,700 athletes taking part.

Singapore 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Championships

1st-ever World Taekwondo Virtual Championships held in Singapore

Esports is a new frontier on which World Taekwondo must make its mark. Eight months ahead of the event, World Taekwondo announced the countdown to its inaugural Virtual Championships.

Virtual Taekwondo bulldozes a key barrier to participation: It is non-contact, so largely risk-free.

The federation announced that the World Taekwondo Virtual Championships was to be held in Singapore from Nov. 16-17, 2024. This marks a swift return to the city state for World Taekwondo: Virtual Taekwondo made its debut at the Olympic Esports Week in June 2023. This was followed by the WT Council’s decision to award the first-ever World Taekwondo Virtual Championships to Singapore.

At the IOC Session in Mumbai, India, in November 2023, IOC President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Olympic Esports Games and the establishment of a new IOC Esports Commission, in which World Taekwondo is a representative.

The Singapore 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Championships could potentially serve as a quali pathway for aspiring athletes and teams to enter the Olympic Esports Games.

The World Taekwondo Virtual Championships is planned to include the following Mixed (13-15 years old); Young Adult Individual Male and Female (16-35 years old) who can also compete in the Mixed event; and Adult Mixed (36 years old and above). These events showcase the key attractions of Virtual Taekwondo as a barrier-free, innovative and fun sport.

WT President Chungwon Choue said, “Last year, continue to participate in Taekwondo in a new way.”

Day 1

Philippines, Singapore Triumph on Day 1 of Singapore 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Championships

The rst day of the Singapore 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Championships concluded with Singapore and the Philippines winning the two gold medals on o er.

On the opening day of the inaugural Championships at the Singapore Sports Hub OCBC Arena, athletes competed in the Junior Mixed (13-15 years old) category and the Young Adult Individual Mixed (1635 years old) category,

In the Junior category, hometown athlete Javis Yap won 2:0 in the final against compatriot Zhi Kai Alexander Khor to claim gold. India’s Tejas Yadav won the bronze. Meanwhile, in the Young Adult category Zyka Angelica Santiago of the Philippines prevented a Singaporean clean sweep of gold medals as she won 2:0 against Justin Peh in the nal. Korea’s Sohyun Eom won bronze.

The event offers prize money of USD3,000 for gold, USD2,000 for silver, and USD1,000 for bronze.

Over the course of the two-day championships, 120 athletes from 23 countries, plus AIN and Refugee Teams will take part. Virtual Taekwondo uses

the unique motion-tracking AXIS system developed by Refract Technologies and a virtual reality headset. Athletes compete in non-contact sparring in a four-metre square arena, with blue and red zones.

Ahead of the competition an opening ceremony was held. VIP attendees included IOC Member Ser Miang Ng; World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue; World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo; World Taekwondo Council Members Pimol Srivikorn, Jinbang Yang and Anatoly Terekhov; and President of the Singapore Taekwondo Federation Cheng Han Tan.

In his opening remarks Choue said:

“Exactly two years ago, the International Olympic Committee announced the creation of the Olympic Esports Series and Singapore as the host city of the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in 2023. The fact that the IOC decided on Singapore as the first host city symbolizes the immense confidence in your organizational capabilities and attractiveness as a host.

I wish to thank the Singapore authorities and the Organizing Committee for your dedication and support. I also know that

it is testament of the leadership of Ser Miang, who has always worked hard behind the scenes for the betterment of sport globally, and to fly the Singapore flag high. To all athletes, there is no better moment to be part of history than now. You lay the foundations for a better future. Seize your moments, but always remember that harmony brings glory.”

In his congratulatory speech, Ng said:

“The next days will be a time to make history. The first-ever World Taekwondo Virtual Championships will celebrate your sport at its best. By showcasing innovation, diversity and inclusion, you are also putting the spotlight on the values that define the global Taekwondo community. These inaugural Virtual

Championships are only the latest demonstration of how World Taekwondo and President Chungwon Choue are taking your sport to ever-new heights. You have made Taekwondo into one of the world’s fastest growing sports – and now Taekwondo is promoting sport and its values in the world of virtual sports as well.”

Taekwondo

Day 2

Singapore Sweeps Golds as New and Futuristic World Taekwondo Virtual Championships Concludes

Koh won bronze to make it a podium sweep for Singapore in this event.

The championship followed on from Virtual Taekwondo’s inclusion at the inaugural Olympic Esports Series in 2023, in which it was the only combat sport.

The IOC will hold its first Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia in 2025, for which the programme is still to be con rmed.

The World Taekwondo Virtual Championships has marked a new era for the sport, o ering participants new challenges, excitement and opportunities, delivering entertainment to the fans, and aligning Taekwondo with the advancements of the digital age.

Host Singapore secured three gold medals on the final day of the inaugural World Taekwondo Virtual Championships, which served as a spectacular showcase of the innovative and inclusive discipline.

The second day of competition at the Singapore Sports Hub OCBC Arena featured the male and female individual Young Adult (16-35 years old) event categories, as well as the Adult Mixed (36 years old and above).

The Young Adult Individual Female category was decided in a thrilling final between two Singaporean athletes, with Jia Wei Tan edging

out Sherri Yap 2:1 to take the gold. Bronze went to the Philippines’ Zyka Angelica Santiago, who was crowned the Young Adult Individual Mixed Category champion yesterday.

In the Young Adult Individual Male event, Justin Peh upgraded his silver from the Young Adult Individual Mixed category to gold with an impressive 2:0 win against Korea’s Seongbin Park. Gyumin Lee of Korea earned bronze. Brian Peh took the remaining gold medal at the Singapore 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Championships, overcoming compatriot Lee Fong Tan 2:1 in the Adult Mixed final. Poh Ling

Muju Taekwondowon

2024 International Open Virtual Taekwondo Championships

Singapore Dominates on Opening Day

The Muju Taekwondowon 2024 International Open Virtual Taekwondo Championships got underway on Taekwondo Day with athletes from Singapore taking both the male and female individual golds on o er.

Justin Peh won the Individual Male category while Jia Wei Tan took gold in the Individual Female. Tan was joined by her compatriots Zi Wei Lim and Xin Jie Janelle who won silver and bronze, respectively. In the Male category Rwanda’s Mucyo Iradukunda and Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Batradz Khubaev won silver and bronze, respec -

Around 50 athletes from Korea; Singapore; Hong Kong, China; Rwanda; and AIN; are participating in the two day competition which showcases Virtual Taekwondo – a non-contact sport which replicates the movements of Taekwondo. Athletes wear a headset and AXIS system to compete in a virtual space, regardless of age or gender.

The championships features matches across Individual Male, Individual Female and Individual Mixed. Special event matches, include Junior Mixed Team, Senior Mixed Team and a showdown between a Olympic Kyorugi Medalist and a Poomsae Legend.

In the special showdown, bronze medalist in the W+67kg category at Paris 2024, Dabin Lee, won against Youngae Seo, a nine-time champion at the Poomsae World Championships. Both are from Korea.

Ahead of today’s competition a ceremony to commemorate Taekwondo Day was held at the Taekwondowon in

This year is particularly signi cant as it marks the 30th anniversary of Taekwondo being adopted as an o cial Olympic sport.

MUJU, Korea (Sep. 4, 2024)

Muju Taekwondowon 2024 International Open Virtual Taekwondo Championships Wraps up in Style

The second day of the Muju Taekwondowon 2024 International Open Virtual Taekwondo Championships concluded today with Singapore winning all three medals on o er in the Individual Mixed event.

Jia Wei Tan who yesterday won gold in the Individual Female category added the Individual Mixed title to her collection. Zi Wei Lim won her second silver of the competition and the Individual Male winner, Justin Peh won bronze in the

With two female athletes and one male athlete on the podium, the Mixed category reinforced that Virtual Taekwondo is a sport which is accessible to all irrespective of gender.

Jia Wei Tan who yesterday won gold in the individual female category added the individual mixed title to her collection. Zi Wei Lim won her second silver of the competition and the Individual Male winner, Justin Peh, won bronze in the Mixed category.

MUJU, Korea (Sep. 4, 2024)

Muju Taekwondowon 2024 World Taekwondo

Octagon Diamond Game

Korea Win Mixed Team Gold Medal at Muju

MUJU, Korea (Sep. 6, 2024)

Korea took the top honors on the opening day of the Muju Taekwondowon 2024 World Taekwondo Octagon Diamond Game in the Mixed Team event.

The Korean team comprising Yumin Kim, Hyorim Hong, Sangryeol Lee and Kukhwan Lyu beat France 2:0 in a thrilling nal. The Koreans had overcome Kazakhstan 2:0 to reach the nal, while France beat Australia in the second of the sem-i nals.

Kazakhstan claimed the bronze medal beating Australia in the third place match.

The 2024 World Taekwondo Octagon Diamond Game is being held from Sep. 6-8 at the T1 Arena in Muju. Over 110 athletes are competing from seven countries — Australia, France, Kazakhstan, Korea, Mexico, Mongolia and Rwanda.

The innovative format’s matches take place in an octagonal arena with 45-degree sloped surfaces that provide a springboard for athletes to utilise for additional power and acrobatic techniques.

The event features seamless athlete entrances, substitutions, and cutting-edge displays integrated into the arena’s design, delivering excitement and visual spectacle for the audience.

Australia, France, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and Rwanda

Shine

in Individual Events

Rwanda, Mexico, France, Kazakhstan, and Australia secured victories in Individual events on the second day of the Muju Taekwondowon 2024 World Taekwondo Octagon Diamond Game.

Unlike classic Kyorugi, where the aim is to score points, in the new format, each individual starts with 150 points per round. The the goal is to reduce the opponent’s power bar to claim victory.

Over 110 athletes are competing.

Octagon Diamond Game Sees Mexico, Korea

and

France Take Last Golds

The action-packed Muju Taekwondowon 2024 World Taekwondo Octagon Diamond Game concluded today with the Pair events, as Mexico, Korea and France clinched the nal gold medals on o er.

The event, held from Sep. 6-8 at the T1 Arena in Muju, Korea, saw over 110 athletes from seven countries competing at the innovative event.

Mexico’s duo of Carlos Cortes and Leonardo Gomez Cruz came out on top in the Pairs M-130kg category. They overcame Mongolia’s Purevdash Yondonjamts and Enkhjin Tumenjargal 2:0 in a thrillingnal. The bronze medals were shared by Rwanda and Kazakhstan.

In the M-160kg Pairs, Korea’s Jihoon Jung and Inho Park clinched gold after defeating France’s Oswin Agbogbe Salanon and Bassem Amri 2:0. Kazakhstan and Australia shared the bronze medal spots on the podium.

The Pairs F-135kg nal saw France’s Estelle Causse and Bintou Diakite claim gold in a closely contested 2:1 victory over Australia’s So a Typou and Hannah Kiefer. Kazakhstan and Mongolia shared the bronze medals.

The competition is a best-of-three format, with each round lasting two minutes for Individual and Pair events and three minutes for Mixed Gender Team events.

MUJU, Korea (Sep. 8, 2024)

MUJU, Korea (Sep. 7, 2024)

Daegu 2024 World University Taekwondo Festival

Daegu 2024 World University Taekwondo Festival Fires up

The FISU-endorsed Daegu 2024 World University Taekwondo Festival kicked o today with an opening ceremony and the rst day of combat.

The three-day event, which is endorsed by the Fedération Internationale du Sport Universitaire, or FISU, features Kyorugi on July 5 and 6, and Poomsae on July 7.

Fifty six countries are represented in Daegu, with 737 student athletes vying for medals in the southeast Korean city.

The opening ceremony, which took place at the Seongseo Campus of Keimyung University in Daegu, was attended by a number of VIPs. They included WT President Chungwon Choue, FISU President Leonz Eder, President for the Chungcheong 2027 FISU World University Games Changhee Kang, WT Secretary General Jeongkang Seo and FISU Secretary General Eric

Taekwondo Mixed Team event added to 2025 FISU World University Games

Continuing its legacy as the third-largest sport on the programme with 24 medal events

A Kyorugi Mixed Team competition has been added to Taekwondo’s medal events at the 2025 FISU Summer World University Games, being held in RhineRuhr, Germany in July this year.

The inclusion of the Mixed Team event in Kyorugi reinforces Taekwondo’s position as the third-largest sport on the programme for Rhine-Ruhr 2025, with a total of 24 medal events.

The latest addition will take place using the Tag Team format, and joins the Men’s and Women’s Team events in Kyorugi which were already part of the programme.

In addition, Individual Kyorugi competitions will be held across eight weight categories for Men and Women at the FISU Summer World University Games, and there will be ve Poomsae events –Individual and Team competitions for Men and Women, and a Mixed Pair event.

The Messe Essen Halle 6 in Essen will be the Taekwondo venue during Rhine-Ruhr 2025, with competitions to be held from 17 to 23 July.

World Taekwondo President Chung won Choue expressed his gratitude for Taekwondo’s signi cant presence at the FISU Summer World University Games.

“It is a great honor for Taekwondo to have the Mixed Team event added to the programme at the FISU Summer World University Games, and this is a testament to World Taekwondo’s strong and deep relationship with FISU,” President Choue said.

“World Taekwondo shares FISU’s belief in the value of sport and its commitment to providing opportunities for people from around the world. The FISU

World University Games serves as a powerful showcase of student athletes’ talents.

“We are excited for another outstanding Taekwondo competition in Rhine-Ruhr later this year.”

President Choue presented a Commendation from the Korean Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to FISU President Leonz Eder. The commendation was recommended by World Taekwondo in recognition of FISU’s immense support for the global development of Taekwondo.

Taekwondo debuted at the FISU World University Games at Daegu 2003, and has been a compulsory sport on the programme since Taipei 2017.

DAEGU, Korea (Jul. 5, 2024)

Para Taekwondo

Included in Chungcheong 2027 FISU World University Games

Taekwondo Medal count reaches 38 at the 2027 Games

TORINO, Italy (Jan. 12, 2025)

Para Taekwondo has been o cially con rmed as a medal event for the Chungcheong 2027 FISU World University Games, scheduled to take place in Chungcheong, Korea, in August 2027.

The decision was nalized on January 12 during the FISU Executive Committee meeting held in Torino, Italy.

This historic milestone signi es a major step forward for Para Taekwondo, as the sport makes its debut as part of the Games’ programme highlighting the event’s emphasis on inclusivity and diversity.

Para Taekwondo athletes will compete to win 14 gold medals, across 4 Poomsae divisions and 10 Kyorugi divisions.

With the addition of Para Taekwondo, the total number of Taekwondo medal events at the 2027 Games will increase from 24 to 38, including the recently added Mixed Team Event. This solidi es Taekwondo’s standing as the third-largest sport in the Games’ programme.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue expressed his gratitude to FISU, stating: “We are thrilled that Para Taekwondo has been included as a medal event for the 2027 World University Games. This is a signi cant milestone that will be celebrated by the global Taekwondo community.”

The recognition of Taekwondo’s growing presence in university sports was further solidi ed last September when the World Taekwondo Council elevated the sport’s ranking status at the FISU World University Games from G2 to G4. This follows decades of collaboration between World Taekwondo and FISU to develop and expand the sport’s footprint.

Taekwondo rst appeared in the FISU World University Games in Daegu in 2003 and has been a compulsory sport since Taipei 2017. The inclusion of Para Taekwondo in Chungcheong 2027 is another signi cant achievement in the sport’s evolution and global recognition.

Bahrain 2024 World Para Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

DAY 1

Bahrain 2024: Croatia, Morocco

Clinch 2 Gold Medals Each on Day 1

MANAMA, Bahrain (Nov. 27, 2024)

Para Taekwondo’s Poomsae stars exuded pride and skill as they began their campaign at the rst-ever standalone World Para Taekwondo Poomsae Championships (G-14) in Manama on Nov. 26.

The historic event marked a groundbreaking moment in the journey towards Para Taekwondo Poomsae’s aim for inclusion in the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.

On the opening day, winners in 11 categories - Women P22 Senior, Men P22 Senior, Women P33 Senior, Men P33 Senior, Women P32 Senior, Men P32 Senior, Women P51 Senior, Men P51 Senior, Women P52 Senior, Men P52 Senior and Men P53 Senior were awarded.

Nations from various regions won medals with Croatia and Morocco taking two gold medals each. Colombia, Greece, Singapore, Iraq and India claimed one gold each.

Stipe Baric and Leon Bozo Skravan displayed incredible skills and move ments to claim the rst gold medals for Croatia at the championships. They emerged winners in the P22 Senior Male and P33 Senior Male events respec tively - both being keenly contested categories.

For Morocco, Khandoouch Ayoub won the P32 Senior Male nal while Aya Baali matched her compatriot triumphing in the P33 Senior Female event.

Colombia, Greece, Iraq, Singapore take golds too

Colombia’s Luisa Fernanda Restrepo Gallego demonstrated amazing tech nique to clinch the P22 Senior Female world title.

Madsen Marius of Singapore nished as the best in the P52 Senior Male nal, Greece’s Dimitra Korokida won the P51 Senior Female event and Iraq’s Qusran Mohammed Oleiwi came out top in P52 Senior Female nal.

India’s Krishma Rawat took the gold for India in the P32 Senior Female nal.

The host nation witnessed several players from their 16-member team in action, with many making their international debuts in Para Taekwondo. Noora Zainal claimed the silver medal in the P22 Senior Female event while Mohamed Jasim bagged the bronze in the P33 Senior Male event.

In the evening, an opening ceremony featured a teams parade and speeches from various prominent names, including a message from World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue and a speech from Bahrain Paralympic Committee President His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Duaij Al Khalifa.

A record 140 athletes from 23 countries, in addition to Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs), are participating in the two-day event.

Head of Team Meeting

Bahrain 2024 World Para Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

Bahrain 2024: Great Britain

Steals the Show, Hosts Grab 1st Gold on Last Day

MANAMA, Bahrain (Nov. 27, 2024)

The curtains came down on the 1st World Para Taekwondo Poomsae Championships with nine gold medalists awarded.

Great Britain clinched two gold medals while Mexico, Morocco, Germany, Croatia, Australia, India and Bahrain topped the podium once each on the second day of competition.

Team GB’s Bradley Brockies lived up to expectations demonstrating amazing skills to win the P21 Senior Male gold medal, while Summer Waheed matched her compatriot to bag the top spot in the P21 Senior Female event.

Bilal El Khattabi clinched a third gold for Morocco, triumphing in the P31 Senior Male nal even as Gabriel Josafat Solano Castillo topped the podium for Mexico in the P23 Senior Male event.

Arndt Mallepree fetched Germany its rst championships gold medal on thenal day, winning the P34 Senior Male nal, while Australia’s Janine Watson topped the podium in the female category.

The hosts Bahrain won their rst gold medal at the championships thanks to the e orts of Zaina Albalooshi who showed a

lot of con dence to emerge top in the P72 Senior Female event.

Meanwhile, Moorthy Thirupathi claimed the gold for India in P72 Senior Male nal.

Morocco Tops Medal Standings

At the end of the competition, Moroc co topped the medal standings with three golds, followed by Croatia and Great Britain with two each.

Hosts Bahrain nished in fth place with one gold and two silver medals.

Hong Kong 2024

World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

Opening Ceremony Raises the Roof of the Hong Kong Coliseum as Poomsae Worlds Get Underway

The Hong Kong 2024 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships got o at a spectaular start today at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

With 1,727 athletes representing 77 MNAs, plus Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs), it is the largest edition of the event, ever. The competition runs through Dec. 4.

Non-contact Poomsae represents the “art” side of Taekwondo, while Kyorugi, or sparring, represents its “martial” side.

The event’s opening ceremony featured a parade of the participating Member Na-

tional Associations and a stunning demonstration by the high-

World

do Demonstration Team.

VIPs watching the theatrics included World Taekwondo Vice-President Kyuseok Lee, WT Secretary General Jeongkang Seo, WT Council Member Mohamed Shaaban, Hong Kong, China Taekwondo Association President Louis Ching, Kukkiwon President Dongsup Lee and Asian Taekwondo Union Secretary General Jungheon Kim.

The ceremony took place afer the rst day of competition.

ying

Taekwon-

HONG KONG, China (Nov. 29, 2024)

WATCH VIDEOS

Hong Kong

World

Head of Team Meeting

One day prior to the start of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong, China, representatives from World Taekwondo and the event Organising Committee joined coaches at the head of team meeting.

World Taekwondo Vice-President and Asian Taekwondo Union President Kyuseok Lee welcomed the team heads to the competition, which is featuring a record number of participating athletes and countries.

The meeting was held at the Regal Kowloon Hotel, and provided those in attendance with information on the spectacular Hong Kong Coliseum venue, logistics, and rules for competition in Recognised Poomsae and Freestyle Poomsae.

Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

Hong Kong 2024

World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

World Taekwondo

The World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong, China began in spectacular fashion today, with seven gold medals awarded.

This is a record-breaking World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships with the most athletes and most participating countries in the event’s history, and it began with outstanding performances from the start of competition at the atmospheric Hong Kong Coliseum.

Yu Hsuan Lin of Chinese Taipei and Jihye Park of Korea won the rst gold medals of the Championships, triumphing in the Recognised

Poomsae Female Junior and Female Cadet categories, respectively.

There was further joy for Korea in the Recognised Poomsae Pair Male Team Junior event, although despite their double success, it was the United States of America which nished top of the medal table on day one as they won three golds.

Elva Adams was the winner in the Female Under 60 category, and that was followed by victories for the USA in the Male Team Over 60 and Pair Under 60 events.

The rst day of competition concluded with a

captivating Freestyle Poomsae Mixed Team Over 17 Final, in which Vietnam narrowly beat Mexico to the gold medal. It was a successful rst day of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, underlining the sport’s inclusiv ity and showcasing the best athletes from around the world.

DAY 1

HONG KONG, China (Nov. 30, 2024)

Team Korea Proves to Be a Poomse Powerhouse on Day 2

The second day of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Champi onships in Hong Kong, China saw a further eight gold medals decided - ve of which went to Korea.

There was once again a fervent atmosphere at the Hong Kong Coliseum, as the world’s best Poomsae Taekwondo ath letes sought glory on the highest stage.

China were the rst winners of the day, as Sitong Lin deliver ing a stunning performance in the Freestyle Poomsae Female Under 17 nal to claim her country’s rst gold of the champi onships. Her compatriot Yuxiang Zhu delivered a second with his victory in the Recognised Poomsae Male Under 40.

That completed a full set of individual medals at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships for Zhu, who was bronze medalist in the Junior category at Cairo 2009 and a sil ver medalist at the Under 30 level at Lima 2016.

Korea followed up their two gold medals on day one with a further ve today. Sunghoi Kim triumphed in the Male Under 60 category, while Hana Lee triumphed in the Female Under 40 and Sangwoo Kim in the Male Under 30.

Team Korea also emerged victorious in the Female Team Under 30 event. A fruitful day was rounded o with a sublime display from Jaeyoung Byeon in the Freestyle Poomsae Male Under 17 nal.

Byeon rose to the challenge of competing last as the top performer from the semi- nals, dazzling the crowd with his ips and kicks to seal the nal gold medal of day two.

The day’s other gold medalist was Kathy Do of the United States of America, who was the winner of the Female Under 50 event.

5 Countries Share Gold Medal Haul

DAY 3

An action-packed third day of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships brought more exhilarating performances, and gold medals for ve Member National Associations (MNAs).

Having stormed to the top of the medal table yesterday, Korea earned a further ve gold medals today at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

Korean success began with Jeongjae Kim in the Recognised Poomsae Male Cadet. Jin Yong Lee nished on top of the podium in the Male Junior category, and Hak Dong Kim upgraded his silver from Goyang 2022 to gold in Hong Kong, China, in the Male Under 50 event.

Korea were also triumphant in the Female Team Junior category, and Yeeun Cha completed Day 3 by successfully defending her Freestyle Female Over 17 title from Goyang 2022.

However, success was not limited to Korea and a further four MNAs had gold medalists to underline the growing global strength and popularity of Poomsae.

Germany’s Manfred Stadtmüller and Sylvia Höhfeld delivered a masterful display in the Pair Over 60 to take gold, and Eduarda Ferraz of Por-

tugal was similarly impressive to be crowned world champion for the second time in the Female Over 65 category, following on from her success at Taipei 2018.

USA took their gold medal tally at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships up to six. They clinched victory in the Female Team Cadet event, before Sung Hyun Eric Gun triumphed in the Freestyle Male Over 17.

HONG KONG, China (Dec. 2, 2024)

First Golds Grabbed by Iran and Spain as Kick Fest Continues

Day 4 at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong, China was another in which success was widely shared, as ve Member National Associations (MNAs) won gold medals. including rsts for Iran and Spain.

Iran came in roaring, winning three gold medals on the fourth day of competition at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

After four silvers and a bronze throughout his career, veteran Hadi

Spain’s rst gold medal of this year’s World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships came in the Male Team Under 60 event.

Team Korea maintained their place at the top of the medal table, adding a further three golds to their tally. They won the Male Team Cadet event and Jooyeong Lee, the Female Individual Junior world champion from Goyang 2022, triumphed again having stepped up to the Under 30 age bracket in Hong Kong, China.

The day was completed by a stunning performance that clinched victory for Korea in the Freestyle Poomsae Pair Under 17.

The other winners on day four were USA in the Recognised Poomsae Female Team Under 60 and Male Team Under 30 categories, and Vietnam in the Pair Under 50.

The Pair Under 50 event also featured a moment of history, as Myanmar’s bronze earned them the nation its rst-ever medal at a World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

Biggest Ever World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships Wraps up in Hong Kong, China

The record-breaking World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong, China, concluded today with a further seven gold medals awarded, followed by a powerful closing ceremony.

Korea topped the medal table for the 13th consecutive World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, winning 17 golds, six silvers and two bronzes to earn the Best Team award.

There were also impressive results for Team USA with eight golds, Chinese Taipei with four, and Vietnam and Iran with three apiece.

In total, 30 MNAs will leave Hong Kong, China having struck precious metal at the World Championships.

On the nal day of competition, the rst gold medals went to USA in the Recognised Poomsae Female Team Over 60 and Korea in the Male Team Under 50. Freestyle Poomsae events nished with golds for Chinese Taipei in the Mixed Team Under 17 and Korea in the Pair Over 17.

A successful nal day for Chinese Taipei concluded with golds in the Recognised Poomsae Pair Under 30 and Pair Cadet events, and the day’s other winner provided Austria’s rst gold medal of the Championships as Leni Niedermayr triumphed in the Female Under 65 category.

HONG KONG, China (Dec. 4, 2024)

Awards, Closing Ceremony End 2024 World Poomsae

Individual MVP and team honours were presented after the Hong Kong 2024 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships drew to a close.

Among teams, India received the Active Participation Prize, while Myanmar were winners of the Good Fighting Spirit Prize, having clinched their rst-ever World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships medal in the Recognised Poomsae Pair Under 50.

World Taekwondo expressed its gratitude to all the referees and o cials who contributed to the success of the event. China’s Tai Yu and Finland’s Tatu Livanainen receiving the Best Referee honors.

Indivdual athletes and coaches were also rewarded.

In Recognised Poomsae, China’s Under 40 World Champion Yuxiang Zhu was named the Male MVP, and Korea’s Under 30 Gold Medalist Jooyeong Lee the Female MVP.

There was a Korean double in the Freestyle Poomsae MVP awards, with Individual Under 17 World Champion Jaeyoung Byeon claiming the male accolade and Individual Over 17 gold medalist Yeeun Cha the female prize. Korea’s Hyunchang Shin and Jaeyoung Eum received the Best Coach award for Male Team and Female Team, respectively.

The awards ceremony was followed by the closing ceremony.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue thanked the Hong Kong, China Taekwondo Association as well as local authorities for organising the event to the highest standard.

“What an exceptional past ve days of the largest ever World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships it has been," Choue said. "I wish to congratulate the MNAs who have achieved a medal: Your athletes have proven themselves as the best in the world."

He had a word of encouragement for those who did not emerge with precioius metal.

“To the many others who did not medal, you now have a goal to aim for, so continue with your dream and turn it into reality," he advised. “Just as importantly, I hope that you have reunited with old friends, made new ones, and will bring home with you wonderful memories of our host city.”

The next World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships is set for 2026, with the host to be allocated during the World Taekwondo Council meeting at the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in Fujairah, UAE, in May 2025.

Vietnam Ends Gold Drought, Returns to Top Spot on Global Poomsae Podium

The biggest-ever World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships has seen successes for Member National Associations from around the globe - a display of diversity highlighted on Day 1 when Vietnam ended their long wait for a gold medal at the event.

Eight years had passed since Vietnamese athletes last mounted the highest podium at a World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, but that changed in Hong Kong, China, as they triumphed in the Freestyle Poomsae Mixed Team Over 17 nal.

Vietnam got top scores in the semi- nal but in thenalm were faced with strong competition, most notably from Mexico, who notched 8.660. However, Vietnam produced a breathtaking display of kicking and spinning which stunned the crowd at the Hong Kong Coliseum, and scored 8.680 for gold.

The signi cance of this achievement was not lost on the team, as articulated by Thanh Hien Linh Nguyen, who had previously won a Female Team Cadet bronze at the Taipei 2018 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.

“To achieve the gold medal is an honor, and we were surprised about this,” she said. “The last time we got a gold medal was 2016, so this one really changed our history. It was also the rst day of competition, so the team are really proud and we have a stepping stone for them to try their best to get another one.

She added, “This is really a long time for us... when we received this we were really surprised.”

Her team-mate Ngoc Minh Hy Nguyen was part of Vietnam’s gold medal-winning Freestyle Poomsae Mixed Team in the under-17 age bracket at the Lima 2016 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships. He expressed his belief that the team’s success at the over-17 level in Hong Kong, China, will have a real impact and inspire younger generations at home in Vietnam.

“First of all the sport is really important, it contributes to our health. After Vietnam got the gold medal, more children will practise Taekwondo and look at us as role models they can follow,” Nguyen said.

The six athletes who combined to end Vietnam’s wait for a World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships gold medal had only been working together as a team for the last three months, but for each of them it has delivered a ful lling and enriching experience.

For Thanh An Ho, it completed a full set of medals at this event, having previously won Freestyle Mixed Team silver and Freestyle Individual bronze in the under-17 age divison at Goyang 2022.

“I like the environment here. It is so cool, and in this competition, I need to improve my skill and learn from the other athletes,” he re ected.

Ngoc Minh Hy Nguyen added that the atmosphere in the Hong Kong Coliseum had helped the Vietnamese team to thrive during the competition, but acknowledged there is still more for them to work on.

“I like the atmosphere. Everyone cheers when the athletes come to the stage, and also my team when we came to the stage really cheered us and that helped re us up,” he said.

“Although we have the gold medal, there are still some mistakes and we have some problems in our team – rst of all on the kicking, we missed one, and secondly we have to develop our skills in spinning kicks, upgrading from 900 to 1080.”

Phuong Nhung Tran and Thi Y Binh Nguyen were making their debuts at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, while Dang Khoa Tran returned, having competed at the last four editions.

For Phuong Nhung Tran, it has proved an important milestone in her career and a memorable visit to Hong Kong, China.

and especially to have a gold medal. It is another step in my life. I had many feelings, and about the competition, I am really happy with the concept and the professionalism – the music, the sound and the perfor mance,” she said.

marised what she has taken from an extremely positive World Taek wondo Poomsae Championships.

perience from other athletes too, because they are really good and I have learned a lot from them. I have made more friends, I ex changed shirts and pins with them, I improved my English skills too, and the scenery of Hong Kong is really good – I really like it!” she exclaimed.

KOREA Jaeyoung Byeon

‘Greatest Showman’ Powers through Poomsae Performance

2024

Jaeyoung Byeon parades around the court at the Hong Kong Coliseum draped in the Korean ag. Spurred on by the crowd, he takes ight and unleashes a 1080° spinning kick, to the delight of those who have just watched him crowned Freestyle Poomsae Male Under 17 world champion.

“In the auditorium, someone shouted ‘1080’, and I successfully did the 1080! It was sudden, it was not planned!” he revealed of the post-competition celebrations.

Pulling o a hyper-advanced kick was a banging way to mark one of the most incredible performances seen at this year’s World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships. Following on from a strong showing by Canada’s Kai-Hsin Chang, Byeon was the last athlete to compete in the nal as the top scorer from the semi- nal earlier in the day.

The eyes of the arena were rmly on the court as Byeon exploded. He spun, ipped, cartwheeled and kicked his way through an adaptation of “The Greatest Showman” from the musical lm of the same name.

A striking display and a unique accompanying soundtrack - but Byeon explained there is a deeper meaning behind his choice.

“In the movie ‘The Greatest Showman,’ the opening and closing scene has the same music, so I edited that music to show everyone my show! I chose the music rst and there is a story, so it is very di erent from the other athletes,” he said.

“During the national team quali cation, I also used music from ‘The Greatest Showman,’ but a di erent song, ‘This Is Me.’ Only for this championships did I use this music.

“I want to use this music continuously for the next two years, but I want to improve my techniques as well.”

Byeon said he was “very honored” to add his name to Korea’s rich Taekwondo history. He admitted he was driven on by the support of his team mates in the Hong Kong Coliseum, who could not contain their excitement throughout his astonishing display .

“All my coaches and athletes told me to not focus on the atmosphere, just to focus on myself and enjoy the stage. But after my rst techniques were successful, the auditorium made a big cheer, and after that I enjoyed the stage and got more energy,” Byeon said.

His dedication to and passion for Taekwondo is evident.

He discovered the sport after seeing a Taekwondo Demonstration Team performance on social media when he was in elementary school.

From then on, he was inspired to achieve his dream of competing for the Korean national team.

“When I went to middle school at rst grade, the elite coach recommended me to become an elite athlete, so I have now been an elite athlete for the last two years. After that, I had a dream to join the national team. After two years, I am now in third grade of middle school and nally my dreams came true,” Byeon shared.

“When I started as an elite athlete, I just hoped to be in the national team. It is very hard to be in the national team, but in domestic competition I won medals and improved step-by-step, and after that I thought I could be in the national team.” Byeon trains six times a week: Three hours after school on weekdays, and top-tier coaching at weekends.

His ultimate career goal is to win a gold medal at the Asian Games. Given Byeon’s age, his rst opportunity will likely come in 2030, but being crowned world champion at Under-17 level is a ne way to begin that journey.

“I want to be the gold medalist in the Asian Games. There is Recognised and Freestyle Poomsae, so when I go back to Korea I will train for Recognised Poomsae as well,” he said.

Stadtmüller and Höhfeld

Soar to Career Highs

The impact Taekwondo has had on both of their lives is clear to see as they share their respective stories. So, too, is the pride they have at being crowned world champions.

“For me it is very important. I go to work, and then it is Taekwondo, Taekwondo, Taekwondo, then sleep! In my club, I am a trainer in Taekwondo, and I have a Poomsae team. It is very interesting to train them,” Höhfeld shared.

She rediscovered Taekwondo relatively late in her life, having been discouraged from practising it when she was younger. It is a late-life journey that has taken her to the pinnacle of Poomsae.

“The rst time I practised Taekwondo was 39, so very late. And then I became a black belt and went to the World Championships,” she said.

Stadtmüller’s experience goes back further, before he turned from Kyorugi to Poomsae later in his life.

“I started at age 19, so I have had 45 years,” he said. “I started to ght, and I have now done Poomsae for 20 years.”

Part of the beauty of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships is its ability to bring together athletes of all ages from all around the world. In one of the most ercely contested categories in Hong Kong, China, Manfred Stadtmüller and Sylvia Höhfeld of Germany emerged victorious in the Pair Over 60 event.

Both athletes view their moment of glory at the Hong Kong Coliseum as a career highlight. It was Höhfeld’s rst medal at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, while for Stadtmüller it completed a full set, having previously won an individual silver and bronze.

“Facebook and WhatsApp have exploded! All my friends and my family are happy, so I am honoured,” Stadtmüller exclaimed as he re ected on the pair’s success.

He is coached by his wife Tanya Stadtmüller, herself is a former team world champion in Poomsae. Stadtmüller is especially optimistic that success can run in the family, and his youngest son can thrive in Freestyle Poomsae.

Stadtmüller and Höhfeld only began preparing as a pair in the over 60 division for the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships earlier this year, but they have already brought the best out of each other in competition.

That is despite the obstacles of living around 700 kilometres apart – Stadtmüller is from Bavaria in southern Germany, while Höhfeld is from the Düsseldorf area in western Germany.

“We are both the individual German champion in our age categories, so the question was would we be a pair for the over 60 category and it was a yes!”

Stadtmüller explained of how their pairing came about.

“We had two or three weekends training, and online training once a month. We have the same style, and this is from the trainer – he saw it.”

Following their achievements in Hong Kong, China, Stadtmüller believes the pair can serve as an inspiration for younger generations competing in Poomsae.

“When I was younger, my idol was older, and this was for 45 years from my beginning in Taekwondo, so step by step. And [now], the younger generation look to us!” he said.

USA

Sophia Liu, Evelyn Cheung and Emma Navarro

Compatibility, Communication Key for US Female Team Cadet Success

Sophia Liu, Evelyn Cheung and Emma Navarro are new stars lighting up Taekwondo Poomsae.

The trio comprise the USA Female Team in the Cadet (12-14) age bracket, and they soared to gold at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong, China.

They produced a mature performance in their nal against Chinese Taipei at the Hong Kong Coliseum - a maturity that is evident as they re ect on their journeys to becoming world champions.

The three athletes are all from di erent states – Liu lives in New York, Cheung in Nevada and Navarro in California – yet their togetherness is clear.

Rewind a couple of years and Liu and Cheung, who share the same coach, were looking for another team mate to compete with them. They encountered Navarro participating as an individual in a competition, and she became a natural t.

“I feel like Taekwondo plays a big role in our relationship and how we connect, because we have di erent personalities. I have totally di erent hobbies, I like to draw, sit and watch TV, Emma is really active, and Evie is kind of in-between,” Liu explained.

“We have di erent hobbies and extra-curriculars, but Taekwondo really brings us together. Taekwondo is a big part of each of our lives, and we can connect with each other using

Taekwondo which helps a lot.

“I am very grateful for these two girls, because from my experience with other teams, I feel like I am more compatible with these girls and we work really well. I never had an easier time communicating with these two girls, and they’re really understanding. I’m really grateful to have this opportunity to even be here.”

Having a strong connection o from the eld of play has been just as important as the trio’s synchronisation on it, as Cheung outlined.

“Having a good relationship is very important. Of course we’re human too, we’re not perfect, but I feel like because we’ve known each other for so long that plays a part in it,” she said.

“We have some arguments from time to time but we learn from it and we make up afterwards, and I feel like having a good strong consistent relationship is helpful.”

Navarro concurs that the trio complement each other extremely well.

“I feel like we were pretty synchronised in our rst training. We had some hardships, we had some rough times because the nervousness was getting to us, but I think we’re compatible for each other and I feel like because of our past competitions that just makes us better for each other,” she added.

Liu also travelled to Hong Kong, China, to compete in individual competition, earning a bronze medal. While doubling up has provided an additional challenge for the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, she insisted this was easily overcome because of how closely she works with her team mates.

“I think communication played a really big part in our team. We do get irritated with each other, but we always nd a way to work it out. We always text each other about when we are going to train when it comes tournaments. We only get to see each other two or three times each tournament, so communication played a really big role,” Liu said.

“My two team mates travelled all the way here for team, but

I do individual and team so I had to nd time to practise my individual and also practise my team. Even though for individual I had to work really hard, I also wanted to be with my team so we can get a better result.

“Trying to nd the best time for them and the best time for me was hard, but I am really glad that because of our good communication skills we were able to pull through that struggle and it wasn’t that hard for us, so I felt that really worked.”

Cheung added: “I think as a team, our communication is pretty good. We’re good at planning where to meet, when to meet, when training starts, and we balance each other out.”

The three athletes each had di erent routes to becoming World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships gold medalists.

Liu is from a family with a strong Taekwondo background, as her dad teaches at his own dojang in New York. For her, the COVID-19 pandemic presented an opportunity to practise at home together, and she began to see improvements in her techniques and performances.

When living in California, Cheung saw a yer advertising Taekwondo and began practising at the recreational level. She later discovered the Dowongyuleui Worldwide Poomsae Team, which helped to set her on the road to glory.

Navarro has an especially remarkable tale of where her passion for Taekwondo began.

“When I was younger, I was really active, I liked to play around, so I tried to jump o the couch and do the kicks,” she said. “My dad saw that I have the potential to do sparring, and that’s when I started.”

At her rst dojang, Navarro learned Kyorugi, but it was after moving to Team Elite USA that she began developing and excelling in Poomsae.

Navarro also practises ag football, volleyball, basketball, track running and cross country, but it is in Taekwondo that she has triumphed on the global stage.

“We were the number one in the nation before now, but now we’re number one in the world, that’s a huge accom-

plishment for all of us. It’s crazy, I still can’t believe it!” she exclaimed.

Liu, Cheung and Navarro felt the warmth of the support from their fellow athletes at the Hong Kong Coliseum, and have been moved by the volume of good luck and congratulatory messages they received from home in the USA.

“I want to thank all my supporters because I know when I was competing with the time di erence, it was around 3 or 4am back in the US,” Liu said.

“My mum texted me straight after the competition and said she was proud of me, and I was like, ‘What time is it?’”

“Two minutes later, I get texts from so many friends – they were also up even though they had school tomorrow, and just wanted to support me, which is crazy!”

Navarro added: “I am grateful for my friends, school friends, Taekwondo friends. I am so grateful that they took their time to support and watch me.”

Cheung is especially grateful to her family who travelled to Hong Kong, China, to support her: “I am just very grateful and blessed to have a family who will stick by my side no matter what.”

The three athletes hope their success can inspire more young people in the USA and beyond to practise Poomsae.

“I hope we can inspire others. I have some older girls who I look up to, not just in the US but other countries, and it would be really cool if our team was one that somebody else looked up to,” Cheung said.

Navarro added: “We have little kids looking up to us already, and we’re barely 12! I bet when we are older, we are going to have even people who are older than us looking up to us. I think this really helped others to build up their courage that they can do anything in the world, as long as they put work into it. You can become a world champion, a national champion, anything you want as long as you put 110% into it.”

Choue Praises Poomsae Players for Making World Championships a Stunning Success

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue greeted athletes at this year’s World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Hong Kong, China, o ering his congratulations on their outstanding achievements in the sport.

Korea’s Freestyle Poomsae Male Under 17 World Champion Jaeyoung Byeon, Singapore’s Sister Linda Sim, and Sophia Liu, Evelyn Cheung and Emma Navarro of the United States of America’s gold medal-winning Recognised Poomsae Female Cadet Team all met Choue at the Hong Kong Coliseum.

Byeon delivered one of the most stunning performances at the World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships to win gold in his event, while the trio from the USA soared to an impressive victory in their category.

Sim rst began practising Taekwondo in 1971, and reached the high point of her competitive career at the Goyang 2022 World Taekwondo Poomsae Cham-

pionships when she was won gold in the Recognised Poomsae Female Over 65 division.

She competed again in Hong Kong, China, reaching the quarter- nals.

The athletes each shared their journeys and the importance of Taekwondo in their lives when they met Choue, who o ered his congratulations for their successes.

Choue presented each of the athletes with a gift, and praised their contributions to the championships.

“These remarkable athletes have taught us all the value of hard work and determination, and I was humbled to hear their stories which are a testament to the power of Taekwondo to transform people’s lives,” President Choue said.

“This has been a record-breaking World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, and I am grateful to all the participants who have shown us that harmony brings glory.”

HONG KONG, China (Dec. 4, 2024)

World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

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World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

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World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

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World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

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World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

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Grand Slam Challenge

China, AIN Grab

1st Set of Golds

Day 1

The Wuxi 2024 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Challenge got underway today with thrilling contests which saw China and Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) claim the four gold medals on o er.

The opening day featured competitions in the M-68kg and M+80kg, and W-49kg and W-67kg categories.

Athletes battled it out in a single-elimination, best-of-three rounds format as they looked to win gold or silver to secure their places in the 2026 WT Grand Slam Champions Series.

In the M-68kg, AIN Ilia Danilov won gold, defeating Jordan’s Zaid Alhalawani in the nal. Woohyeok Jung of Korea won bronze.

AIN Rafail Aiukaev won gold in the M+80kg, as Uzbekistan’s Shukhrat Salaev settled for silver. Spain’s Sergio Troitino Amoedo won bronze.

On the women’s side of the event, China took gold in the W-49kg as Jingyue Ma beat her compatriot Shiyi Wang in the nal. It was a clean sweep of medals for China in the category as Sai Yang won bronze.

In the W-67kg, AIN Liliia Khuzina defeated Korea’s Minju Kwak to win gold while Minseo Nam of Korea won bronze.

All gold medalists received USD6,000 in prize money with silver medalists receiving USD3,000 and bronze winners taking home USD1,000.

China, Korea, Uzbekistan

Seize Last Golds in Wuxi

The four remaining medal events were played out on Day 2 of the Wuxi 2024 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Challenge, with Korea clinching two golds and one each going to Uzbekistan and host nation China.

Huichan Yang was the star performer in the M-58kg category, winning gold for Korea at the expense of Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Georgii Gurtsiev in the nal. Bronze went to Kai Cheng of China.

Gahyeon Kim provided the second gold medal of the day to Team Korea, beating China’s Chuling Zhang in the nal of the W-57kg category.

Maria Clara Pacheco of Brazil earned bronze.

Hosts China followed up on yesterday’s gold for Jingyue Ma in the W-49kg with another success for Wenzhe Mu in the W+67kg. Mu overcame compatriot Lei Xu in the nal, with reigning W+73kg world champion Na a Kuş Aydın of Türkiye completing the podium.

The other gold medal on day two went to Uzbekistan’s Jasurbek Jaysunov, who triumphed over China’s Junbo Zhao in the M-80kg nal. Taewook Kim of Korea placed third in the category.

There was much at stake in the end-of-season event.

In addition to prize money for all medal winners, there was the added bonus of securing berths to the prestigious 2026 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Champions Series.

Day 2

WUXI, China (Dec. 7, 2024)

WUXI, China (Dec. 8, 2024)

2024 World Taekwondo

World Cup Team Championships Final

Brazil Triumphant In Mixed Gender Team

Brazil’s Mixed Gender Team today clinched gold in the Wuxi 2024 World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Final.

Seven national teams competed in the Mixed Gender event, with host nation and defending champions China taking the silver medal and Uzbekistan earning bronze.

Matches were played under the best-of-three rounds system, with each round carried out using the tag-match format.

The Brazilian squad was comprised of Maria Clara Pacheco, Milena Titoneli, Luiz Aquino, Edival Pontes and Henrique Marques Rodrigues Fernandes, and excelled throughout the day at the World Taekwondo Center Stadium.

They overcame China in the nal, with Jiani Xing, Mengyu Zhang, Shunan Xiao, Chenming Xiao, Qizhang Xiang and Mingkuan Meng making up the host nation’s team.

Brazil had beaten Australia and Korea earlier in the day to reach the nal, while on the other side of the draw, China won

their semi- nal against Uzbekistan.

Feruza Sadikova, Gulsanam Alijonova, Diyorbek Tukhliboev, Jasurbek Jaysunov and Shukhrat Salaev claimed bronze for Uzbekistan, with victory over Korea.

Uzbekistan and Korea won their opening matches against India and Türkiye, respectively.

Prior to the start of competition, all participating athletes and o cials held an impeccably observed moment of silence to honour the recently passed Honorary President of the Italian Taekwondo Federation, Grandmaster Youngghil Park. Park served as Chair of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Committee from 2014 to 2017, playing a pivotal role in the early development of that discipline.

His unwavering dedication not only shaped the history of Taekwondo in Italy but also left a profound impact on the lives of his students, athletes, and leaders, who continue to uphold his enduring legacy.

For the rst time in the sport’s history, World Taekwondo has announced its World Team Rankings.

According to the July results, Brazil ranked rst in Male Team, Korea ranked rst in Female Team, and China ranked rst in Mixed Gender Team. The rankings for July include points from eight events.

WUXI, China (Dec. 10, 2024)

Accra 2023 All African Games

Mar. 18-20 • Accra, Ghana

Medalists by Weight Category

MON 18 MAR M -68kg GOLD MANSOUR Mouhamadou SEN

SILVER AARON Kobenan CIV

BRONZE IBRAHIM Maiga BUR

BRONZE WAEL Ahmed EGY

F -57kg GOLD TOUMI Chaima TUN

SILVER MARIAMA Cisse CIV

BRONZE KONATE Maimouna MLI

BRONZE DIAW Yacine SEN

M 87kg GOLD ISSOUFOU Abdoul-razak NIG

SILVER ESSAM Abdallah EGY

BRONZE MYLANN Antony GAB

BRONZE AYOUB Bassel MAR

F -73kg GOLD OMAYMA Boumh MAR

SILVER MOUEGA Urgence GAB

BRONZE ABENAN Dangnide CIV

BRONZE MUSANGI Jully Alungata KEN

19 MAR M -74kg GOLD MANGUE Aboubacar NIG

SILVER HUSSEIN Rami EGY

BRONZE HANI Tebib ALG

BRONZE JEAN KouamÉ CIV

F -49kg GOLD DHAHRI Ikram TUN

SILVER MOHAMED Janna EGY

BRONZE NABINTOU Kone CIV

BRONZE KULA Karabo BOT

2024

IFAOUI Moataz TUN

SOUFIANE Elasbi MAR

ANICET Kassi CIV

-67kg GOLD ELIZABETH Anyianacho NGR

SILVER MOHAMED Aya EGY

BRONZE TRAORE Fanta MLI BRONZE SALIH Sa a MAR

ISSAKA Nouridine NIG

SILVER ISSA Diakite CIV

BRONZE SIMPARA Youssouf MLI

BRONZE CASIMIR Betel CHA F -46kg GOLD ABDOU Zaraou NIG

SILVER SOUKAINA Sahib MAR

BRONZE TAU Michelle LES

BRONZE NGONé Ndèye SEN M -80kg GOLD KATTOUSSSI Firas TUN

SILVER HUSSEIN Seif EGY

BRONZE COULIBALY Ismael MLI

BRONZE FAYSAL Sawadogo BUR

-62kg GOLD MASGHOUNI Wafa TUN

SILVER KOUMBA Ibo CIV

BRONZE AMR Nadine EGY

BRONZE KHOULAL Merieme MAR

BRONZE

BRONZE

BRONZE UZB KHUDAYBERDIEV Jakhongir

Code Name

Day1 Men -63kg GOLD KOR JANG Jun

SILVER THA SRITIMONGKOL Napat

BRONZE CHN ZHANG Hao

BRONZE IRI REZAEI Matin

CHN WANG Xiaolu

-49kg

Women -62kg

SILVER THA WONGPATTANAKIT Panipak

BRONZE KOR KANG Bora

BRONZE VIE TRUONG Thi Kim Tuyen

THA TONGCHAN Sasikarn

SILVER UZB SADIKOVA Feruza

BRONZE TPE CHANG Jui-En

BRONZE VIE PHAM Ngoc Cham

Women -73kg GOLD KOR MYEONG Mi-Na

SILVER IRI MIRHOSSEINI VAKILI Melika

BRONZE UZB ALIJONOVA Gulsanam

BRONZE CHN XIAO Shunan

Men -58kg GOLD IRI HAJIMOUSAEI Mahdi

SILVER KOR PARK Tae-Joon

BRONZE IRI ZANDI Abolfazl

BRONZE KOR BAE Jun-Seo

Men -74kg GOLD KOR LEE Sang Ryeol

SILVER KOR KIM Taewook

BRONZE UZB KOSIMKHOJIEV Najmiddin

BRONZE CHN CAI Zhaoxun

Men -87kg GOLD IRI YAZDANI Mohammad Hossein

SILVER IRI BARKHORDARI Mehran

BRONZE JOR SBEIHI Fahed

BRONZE CHN MENG Mingkuan

-57kg GOLD KOR KIM Yu-Jin

SILVER KAZ SEVOSTYANOVA Mariya

BRONZE LBN AOUN Laetitia

BRONZE TPE LIN Wei-Chun

Women -67kg GOLD VIE BAC Thi Khiem

SILVER CHN SONG Jie

BRONZE KOR KWAK Min-Ju

BRONZE TPE CHIU Shao Hsuan

Women +73kg GOLD CHN XU Lei

SILVER KOR SONG Da Bin

BRONZE IND BARUA Rodali

BRONZE UZB OSIPOVA Svetlana

Men -68kg GOLD KOR JIN Ho-Jun

SILVER THA TUBTIMDANG Banlung

BRONZE UZB TUKHLIBOEV Diyorbek

BRONZE TPE CHIU Yi-Jui

Men -80kg GOLD UZB JAYSUNOV Jasurbek

SILVER IRI KHOSHRAVESH Ali

BRONZE KOR SEO Geon-Woo

BRONZE JOR ELSHARABATY Saleh

2024 European Taekwondo Championships

May 9-12 • Belgrade, Serbia

Medalists by Weight Category

THU 09 MAY

FRI 10 MAY

Seniors / Men -54kg

Seniors / Women -49kg

GOLD CAMOGLU Furkan ubeyde TUR

SILVER DIMITROPOULOS Konstantinos GRE

BRONZE TESKERA Josip CRO

BRONZE MANENKOV Maksym UKR

GOLD CEREZO IGLESIAS Adriana ESP

SILVER DINCEL KAVURAT Merve TUR

BRONZE KISSKALT Supharada GER

BRONZE DUVANCIC Bruna CRO

Seniors / Men -63kg

Seniors / Women -73kg

GOLD SALIM Omar gergely HUN

SILVER RECBER Hakan TUR

BRONZE BYSTROV Volodymyr UKR

BRONZE HYTTEL Tobias DEN

GOLD LAURIN Althea FRA

SILVER UZUNCAVDAR Sude yaren TUR

BRONZE JELIC Matea CRO

BRONZE SCHNEIDER Yanna GER

Seniors / Men -58kg

Seniors / Women -53kg

GOLD DELL’AQUILA Vito ITA

SILVER KORNEEV Lev SRB

BRONZE MAGOMEDOV Gashim AZE

BRONZE VICENTE YUNTA Adrian ESP

GOLD MININA Tatiana AIN

SILVER TASKIN Zeynep TUR

BRONZE BOKAN Andrea SRB

BRONZE AVDAGIC Ada BIH

Seniors / Men -87kg

GOLD BICER Enbiya taha TUR

SILVER ORDEMANN Richard andre NOR

BRONZE THOLIOTIS Vasileios GRE

BRONZE HARBAR Artem UKR

2024

SINDEN Bradly GBR

-68kg

DANILOV Ilia AIN

BRONZE MIRZOIEV Simur UKR

BRONZE JOZSA Levente mark HUN

Seniors / Women +73kg

GOLD BRANDL Lorena GER

SILVER KUS AYDIN Na a TUR

BRONZE ADEBAIO Kristina AIN

BRONZE MCGOWAN Rebecca GBR

Seniors / Women -46kg GOLD STOJKOVIC Lena CRO

SILVER MAKAS Dzejla BIH

BRONZE NAHURNA Viktoriia UKR

BRONZE GOODMAN Phoenix GBR

Seniors / Men -80kg GOLD KANAET Toni CRO

Seniors / Women -67kg

SILVER KOSTENEVYCH Kostiantyn UKR

BRONZE HUSIC Nedzad BIH

BRONZE KHRAMTSOV Maksim AIN

CHAARI Sarah BEL

WIET HENIN Magda FRA

BRONZE PERISIC Aleksandra

TARVIDA Jolanta

FLOUSKOUNIS Charalampos

MARTON Luana

TZELI Fani

GARCIA MARTINEZ Ivan

BRONZE HAREMZA Krystian

ATESLI Emre kutalmis TUR

ZENOZI Kimia alizadeh BUL

POWELL Aaliyah GBR

ARELIC Ivana CRO

STOLBOVA Petra CZE

2024 Pan American Taekwondo Championships

Aurelie CAN

BRONZE OCEGUERA Sophia USA

M -68kg GOLD SOUZA Joao Victor BRA

SILVER PIE Bernardo DOM

BRONZE PAZ David Felipe COL BRONZE HARRIS Khalfani USA

F -57kg GOLD DILLON Faith USA

SILVER VILLEGAS Fabiola Guadalupe MEX

BRONZE DE Isadora BRA

BRONZE PARK Skylar CAN

M -74kg GOLD PARK Tae Ku CAN

SILVER GONZALEZ Federico URU

BRONZE TAVAREZ Jann Dennis PUR

BRONZE NAVA Ruben MEX

F -62kg GOLD GREENWOOD Makayla USA

SILVER ANDRIC Leonarda CAN

BRONZE MINA Mell ECU

BRONZE VELAZQUEZ Itzel MEX

M -80kg GOLD NICKOLAS Cj USA

SILVER OSTAPIV Lucas BRA

BRONZE TREJOS Miguel COL

BRONZE CHURCHILL Joaquin CHI

F -67kg GOLD ZOLOTIC Anastasija USA

SILVER GALLARDO Claudia CHI

BRONZE MACEDO Sandy BRA

BRONZE TITONELI Milena BRA

M -87kg GOLD STEWART Jordan CAN

SILVER SOUZA Allif BRA

BRONZE MARTINS Icaro Miguel BRA

BRONZE RODRIGUEZ Michael C. USA

F -73kg GOLD ACOSTA Arlettys De La Caridad CUB

SILVER LEE Ava

ECU

Pair Freestyle Over 17 Mixed Pair 3 Favio MANCILLA SEPERAK,Karla MARTINEZ MONTOYA PER

Pair Freestyle Over 17 Mixed Pair 3 Hailey RA,Matthew RA USA

Team Over 30 Men Team 1 Raimundo RENATO,Caio Lucas DOS SANTOS SOUZA,Luan Carlos DIAS DE FREITAS BRA Team Over 30 Men Team 2 Justin WANG,Kevin LU,Sean JUNG USA Team Over 30 Men Team 3 Cleiton OLIVEIRA,Diego ARAUJO DE LIMA,Rafael RODRIGUEZ SANTANA BRA Team Over 30 Men Team 3 Jaime Andres NICOLALDE DE LA TORRE,Paul ORELLANA,Jimmy Eduardo BOLANOS RUIZ ECU

Team Over 30 Women Team 1 Kathy DO,Young-A KIM,Thoa NGUYEN USA Team Over 30 Women Team 2 Carolina Branco DALE COUTINHO,Mayara DE SOUZA BAPTISTA,Mariela DE ABREU BRA Team Over 30 Women Team 3 Karen ZARATE,Madalit PORTAL,Marina GARCIA BELAUNDE VELARDE PER Team Over 30 Women Team 3 Michell GE,Lui Lois FONG,Belinda CO CAN Team Under 30 Men Team 1 Yan Cleuber BARBOSA DA SILVA,Alex ARRUDA,Willian Rafael DE MORAIS

A Night to Remember at

World Taekwondo 2024 Gala Awards

It was party time as the global Taekwondo family marked a classic year with the World Taekwondo 2024 Gala Awards in a cruise setting on the waters o Hong Kong, China.

Departing from Hung Hom Pier, the cruise vessel glided alongside Hong Kong’s jaw-dropping skyline - an incredible backdrop for the celebration of this year’s outstanding achievements by athletes, coaches, referees and Member National Associations (MNAs).

From World Taekwondo, WT President Chungwon Choue was joined by Secretary General Jeongkang Seo, Council Members Kookhyun Jung, Mohamed Shaaban, Ahmed Hamdan Alzeyoudi, Maher Magableh and Shaddad Al Amri. Taekwondo Promotion Foundation Chairman Jungheon Kim and Hong Kong, China Taekwondo Association Chief Honorary Life President Dato Sri Dr. Carl Men Ky Ching and President Louis Man Chun Ching were also among the distinguished guests.

HONG KONG, China (Dec. 4, 2024)

President Choue began the evening with his reflections on the last year, which had among its highlights the gripping Taekwondo competitions staged at the magnificent Grand Palais during the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Paris 2024.

World Taekwondo first launched its Gala Awards in Querétaro, Mexico in December 2014, Since then, it has become a landmark event honouring the best in the sport on and o the field of play.

This year’s awardees were selected based on their spectacular performances and results at Paris 2024, as recommended by the World Taekwondo Technical Commission.

FemaleAthleteoftheYear

Viviana Márton Hungary

FemaleParaAthleteoftheYear

Leonor Angélica Espinoza Carranza Peru

MaleAthleteoftheYear

Ulugbek Rashitov Uzbekistan

MaleParaAthleteoftheYear

Imamaddin Khalilov Azerbaijan

The Female Athlete of the Year award was won by Hungary’s Viviana Marton, who won the W-67kg gold medal on her Olympic debut in Paris aged just 18.

Uzbekistan’s Ulugbek Rashitov took the Male Athlete of the Year award, having joined an elite group of competitors to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals with his M-68kg victory in Paris.

Female Para Taekwondo Athlete of the Year Leonor Angélica Espinoza Carranza of Peru also won her second Paralympic gold medal with her triumph in the K44 -47kg category.

Imamaddin Khalilov of Azerbaijan capped o a successful 2024 by being crowned Paralympic champion in the K44 -70kg in Paris, and earned the Male Para Taekwondo Athlete of the Year award.

CoachoftheYear

Yesbul Sultanov Tunisia

KickoftheYear

Taejoon Park Korea

M-58kg Olympic champion Taejoon Park of Korea was the other athlete honoured at the Gala Awards, winning the Kick of the Year.

Tunisian Head Coach Yesbul Sultanov was presented with the Coach of the Year award, while Great Britain’s Andrew Deer was named Para Taekwondo Coach of the Year.

This year featured a restructuring of the referee awards, as recommended by the World Taekwondo Technical Commission. An Olympic Referee and Paralympic Referee of the Year award will now be granted exclusively in Olympic and Paralympic years, instead of the Male and Female Referee of the Year awards.

Egypt’s May Mohamed Aly El Sayed was named the first winner of the Olympic Referee of the Year award, and Spain’s Paula Remirez Ruiz as the inaugural Paralympic Referee of the Year.

The MNA of the Year award was presented to USA Taekwondo, based on the rankings of the latest MNA Survey.

OlympicRefereeoftheYear

May Mohamed Aly El Sayed Egypt

Two awards will be presented at a later date. The Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 will receive the Outstanding Contributions Award, while the 2nd Taekwondo Humanitarian Trophy will be presented to TaiShan Sports Group founder Bian Zhiliang for its generous donation of artificial turf to the Azraq Refugee Camp and the transformation of the artificial turf at the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan.

It has been an incredible year for our sport, and the World Taekwondo 2024 Gala Awards provided a fitting night of celebrations..

ParaTaekwondoCoachoftheYear

Andrew Deer Great Britain

ParalympicRefereeoftheYear

Paula Remirez Ruiz Spain

2

AROUND WT

WT Extraordinary Council Meeting Prioritizes Excellence in Governance

The World Taekwondo Council today held an Extraordinary Meeting in which the federation’s commitment to excellence in governance across the organisation, especially with regard to athletes, was strongly reinforced.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue opened the meeting with a review of the activites in 2023 – World Taekwondo’s 50th anniversary – and looked forward to a successful Olympic and Paralympic year in 2024.

The Council discussed the importance of athletes’ rights and responsibilities with the adoption of the IOC Athletes Declaration, which was unanimously approved by the WT Athletes Committee in November 2023.

The declaration will be central to WT’s ongoing focus onprioritizing athletes.

The Council was briefed on World Taekwondo’s global mental health survey on active athletes. Launched in October 2023, it was one of the key initiatives of the health and well-being focus area of the Sustainability Strategy. Results and recommendations are to be published this year.

The Council approved the World Taekwondo Risk Man-

agement Policy and the creation of a Global Integrity Unit tasked with conducting risk assessments as well as building out an integrity framework across World Taekwondo’s Continental Unions. It aims at awareness building and monitoring and enforcement of integrity practices that are aligned with the IOC’s approach to integrity in sport.

The Council received reports about the fth edition of the ASOIF Governance Review and World Taekwondo’s ambition to elevate its governance practices. This governance review has 12 new and 17 revised questions.

World Taekwondo is committed to achieving the highest possible standards of governance.

“The purpose of today’s meeting was to enhance our governance especially in relation to the ASOIF Governance Review,” Choue said. “We are proud that we have improved our governance level signi cantly but we are committed to doing more. The decisions the Council took today we are con dent will have a positive impact as we strive for sustained excellence in our governance and integrity.”

WT Extraordinary Council Awards 2025

GP Challenges to Host Cities, Briefed on Paris 2024 and Upcoming Championships

A World Taekwondo Extraordinary Council Meeting was held today on the occasion of the WT Coach-Referee Joint Training Camp for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It featured a full agenda including the election of the host cities of the 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenges.

The Council awarded the 2025 Grand Prix Challenge events to Charlotte, USA; Bangkok, Thailand; and Muju, Korea. Re-

sults came after three rounds of bidding.

During the meeting, the Council approved amendments to the MNA Ranking Bylaws, GMS Bylaws and Competition Rules and the enactment of the Virtual Taekwondo rules and regulations.

The Council were updated on WT’s risk assessment project, including the expansion of safeguarding to each Continental Union. The Council approved the appointment of a WT Integrity O cer who will also head the WT Global Integrity Unit.

“We are very happy to host the Extraordinary Council meeting in Muju at the Coach-Referee joint training camp for Paris 2024,” said World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue. “Today marks 88 days until the rst Taekwondo competitions at the Olympic Games in Paris on Aug. 7.”

He noted that 133 quali ed athletes, including ve refugees in the IOC Refugee Olympic Team, will compete.

In total, 59 National Olympic Committees will join, including seven which will be participating in Olympic Taekwondo for the rst time.”

Reports were provided on the quali cation results and preparations for Paris 2024 by the sport manager of the Paris Organising Committee.

Proposals were also put forth for the Taekwondo programme for LA28, and for World Taekwondo’s Sustainability initiatives, including two projects on gender equality and mental health.

The organising committees of the Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, Singapore 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Championships, Hong Kong 2024 World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships and Wuxi 2025 World Taekwondo Championships delivered progress reports on their respective events .

SEOUL, Korea (Jan. 10, 2024)

MUJU, Korea (May 12, 2024)

World Taekwondo Council

Re ects on Smashing Success of Paris 2024

The World Taekwondo Council today held its rst meeting since Paris 2024, and reected on the huge successes for the sport at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Taekwondo competitions at Paris 2024 were staged at the magni cent Grand Palais, providing a unique ambience and a tting backdrop for heroic e orts on the eld of play.

The Council heard a full report. In particular, medal spread re ected the strength of Taekwondo globally.

“Our medal distribution at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games once again demonstrates the value of our sport in terms of global appeal and technical standards,” said World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue.

The 32 Olympic medals were shared by athletes representing 23 National Olympic Committees. The 40 Paralympic medals went to 23 National Paralympic Committees plus one Neutral Paralympic Athlete and one Refugee Paralympic Team member.

“As we all witnessed, Paris 2024 was a magni cent Olympic and Paralympic Games for Taekwondo,” Choue contined. “Paris was a great endorsement of our 30th anniversary as an Olympic sport.”

He thanked the Paris 2024 Organising Committee and all technical o cials and sta for an exceptional Games.

Getting down to business, the Council approved amendments to the World Taekwondo Statutes aimed at strengthening World Taekwondo’s governance and improving the sport. These were to be presented to the General Assembly in Chuncheon.

Members approved an Integrity Pledge and Integrity Policy for International Referees and a Member National Association (MNA) Election Report and Integrity and Compliance Pledge.

An updated policy regarding the participation of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) and AIN support personnel at upcoming events was also approved by the Council. Previously, to compete in World Taekwondo recognised events, AIN athletes and support personnel were required to have been veri ed as eligible and to have participated at World Taekwondo-promoted competitions.

Under the revised policy, the Review Committee has delegated background checks of any new AIN athletes to the European Taekwondo Union, working with an independent agency to con rm their eligibilities. The cost of backgrounds checks will be borne by the requesting MNA.

The Council additionally heard about the rst review of MNA Governance and a report from the World Taekwondo Global Integrity Unit.

The World Taekwondo General Assembly was set for Chuncheon later on the same day, ahead of the opening ceremony of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships.

Historic Governance Changes

World Taekwondo General Assembly

The World Taekwondo General Assembly gathered today in Chuncheon, Korea, and approved amendments to statutes which will strengthen the governance of the organisation and enhance the sustainability of the sport.

The changes were approved by the World Taekwondo Council when it met earlier today, and received the unanimous support of the Member National Associations (MNAs) gathered at the General Assembly.

They are aimed at creating a more streamlined and ecient World Taekwondo Council; at providing more support to the most active MNAs; and at increasing autonomy for Continental Unions.

Among the changes, the World Taekwondo Council will be reduced in size by approximately one-third - from 37 to 25 members. A larger percentage of members will be elected by the General Assembly to make the organisation more democratic, with the number appointed by the president reduced from 10 to two. Pathways for strong-performing elected members are expanded.

Five vice-presidential roles will be lled by three elected members, one appointed member, and the female Council member with the highest proportion of the electoral vote. This marks a shift from the current eight vice-presidents, of whom ve are Continental Union presidents holding the role on an ex-o cio basis; two are appointed; and one is the highest voted female Council member.

The changes will see 14 Council members elected by the General Assembly, with a minimum of one male and one female per continent, and one member appointed by the president. This represents a reduction from 17 elected members and six appointed by the president.

The Athletes’ Committee Co-chairs remain as Council members. The secretary general and treasurer will maintain their positions on the Council but in a non-voting capacity to

re ect their operational roles. The auditor will no longer sit on the Council, to increase his/her independence and oversight, but will be invited to meetings.

A new Level III category has additionally been created for MNAs who have remained at Level II for at least four consecutive years. This provides a faster pathway to replace

dormant MNAs with more active organisations, where necessary.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue hailed the changes.

“The statutes’ amendment represent our, and my personal, determination to be more sustainable as a sport and as

an Olympic and Paralympic International Federation. The amendments were discussed extensively not just within the Taekwondo family, but also with Olympic IFs that were ranked A1 in the most recent ASOIF Governance Review,” Choue explained.

“The amendments represent my determination to change rather than be changed. As you may have noticed, I am giving up some of the appointment powers vested in the president to help to make the organisation more democratic and streamlined for e ciency.

“The changes approved today demonstrate World Taekwondo’s commitment to good governance and to making our sport more sustainable across all areas, and I am con dent they will bene t the global Taekwondo family in the years ahead.”

Choue also announced he intends to run for a nal term as World Taekwondo president at next year’s elective General Assembly in Wuxi, China.

The General Assembly paid tribute to former World Taekwondo Vice-President Grandmaster Soo-nam Park and for-

mer World Taekwondo Council Member Grandmaster

Bundeli with a moment of silence, following their passings earlier this year.

MNAs approved the 2023-2024 Operation and Finance reports. They also heard reports on: The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games; the Ad-Hoc Competition Rule Review Committee for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games; the rst review of MNA Governance and Performance; and the World Taekwondo Global Integrity Unit.

In the rst review of MNA Governance and Performance, MNAs were assessed based on criteria of governance, participation, performance, events and sustainability to compile a full report. The top ve ranking MNAs were USA, Korea, Italy, France and Great Britain.

World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo also had his term extended by a further two years, e ective from Oct. 6.

Subsequently, the opening ceremony of the Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships took place at the Songam Sports Town Air Dome.

René

1st World Taekwondo Olympism and Peace Forum Creates Educational Legacy at World Taekwondo Junior Championships

The rst-ever Olympism and Peace Forum was held in Chuncheon, Korea, on the sidelines of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships, providing an educational opportunity for the next generation of sport management leaders.

It was held at Kangwon National University, and was promoted and organised by World Taekwondo to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Taekwondo becoming an Olympic sport at the Centennial Olympic Congress in Paris in 1994. The event was organised in partnership with the Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo Junior Championships Organising Committee and the Kangwon Na-

tional University Olympic Studies Centre.

Guests included university students of sport management from institutions in Chuncheon and Seoul. They were welcomed by Mayor of Chuncheon Donghan Yook and President of Kangwon National University Jaeyeon Jeong.

In attendance were World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue, IOC Member Ser Miang Ng, World Taekwondo Council members and o cials from international and domestic sports organisations, who shared their insights and experiences.

Choue highlighted the recognition received by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation for promoting the ideals of the Olympic Movement and using the power of sport for the greater good. He thanked all in attendance who made the rst Olympism and Peace Forum a huge success.

“When I became the president of World Taekwondo, I thought to myself that sport could truly be a medium of peace. Through Taekwondo, we promote human values of inclusiveness, respect, tolerance, courtesy and integrity,” he said.

“Thank you to Kangwon National University and our esteemed moderators and panellists, and I hope we can all be inspired by this forum in our own way.”

Panel discussions were held with speakers from a variety of sporting and academic backgrounds, and there were opportunities for interaction with the audience through question-and-answer sessions.

World Taekwondo Athletes’ Committee Co-Chair and Rio 2016 Olympic Champion Cheick Sallah Cissé was among the panellists for the rst session on ‘What is Olympism to Me?’ He was joined by IOC Culture and Heritage Commission Member Justin Hou and Political Science Professor Luc Reychler.

The session on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and Peace through sport featured contributions from World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo, Executive Director of Médecins Sans Frontières Korea Dr. Emma Campbell and Global Esports Federation Chief Development O cer Mark Chay.

The forum concluded with a panel on sustainability and legacy, which had as its speakers World Taekwondo’s Taekwondo for All Committee Hadwah Moawad, Kenya Taekwondo Federation President Major Suleiman Kanyanya Sumba and the Head of Education and Youth Engagement at the Pyeongchang 2018 Legacy Foundation Arram Kim.

IPC President Awarded Honorary 9th Dan

International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons was today awarded an honorary 9th Dan Taekwondo black belt by World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue at the federation’s headquarters in Seoul.

A black belt and related plaque was presented to Parsons in recognition of his support in the development of Para Taekwondo. In attendance at the ceremony were Mrs. Marcela Parsons, Vice President of World Taekwondo Kyuseok Lee, World Taekwondo Council Members Kookhyun Jung and Jinbang Yang, World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo, and members of the Korean Paralympic Committee.

Parsons attended multiple Para Taekwondo events last

year, including the Manchester 2023 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix Final and the Paris 2023 World Para Taekwondo Grand Prix where he discussed the future development of the sport and the exciting preparations for this year’s The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

“We welcome President Andrew Parsons to the World Taekwondo headquarters for the rst time,” Choue said.

“Through close cooperation between World Taekwondo and the IPC over the past years, Taekwondo was able to make a successful debut at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. We are very happy to present President Parsons with this honorary black belt.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Parsons, who visited the World Taekwondo headquarters while in Korea for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games, said:

“It is such an honor to receive this honorary 9th Dan black belt; I know how important it is for the Taekwondo community. One thing that really touched me was that you mentioned this is not given to people who excelled in Taekwondo activities, but people who have Taekwondo in their heart, or they live through the Taekwondo values. And I believe in the Taekwondo values.

“World Taekwondo is an International Federation that does a lot of incredible humanitarian work,” he continued.

“You are not just an incredible sport as I have seen in Manchester and Paris at the Grand Prix. You are also a sport which includes people and spreads good around the world.”

Para Taekwondo rst featured at the Paralympic Games at Tokyo 2020. Its smash success at its debut saw the IPC increase the sport’s medal events at the Games from six to 10 with an athlete quota increase from 72 to 120. In January 2023, the IPC also con rmed Para Taekwondo’s place at LA28, marking the third consecutive Games the sport will feature in.

Among individuals who have received this prestigious honour in the past are His Holiness Pope Francis, ex-UN Secretary General Kimoon Ban, IOC Presidents Juan Antonio Samaranch, Jacques Rogge, and Thomas Bach, and former IPC President Sir Philip Craven.

Choue Awards FISU President

Leonz Eder an Honorary 8th Dan

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue today awarded International University Sports Federation (FISU) President Leonz Eder an honorary 8th Dan black belt and plaque in recognition of his unwavering support for Taekwondo in university sports.

The presentation took place during Eder’s visit to the World Taekwondo HQ in Seoul, Korea.

World Taekwondo and FISU have long enjoyed a fruitful relationship. Taekwondo debuted at the FISU World University Games as an optional sport at Daegu 2003, following a decision of the FISU Executive Committee at its meeting in Beijing in July 2000. It also appeared in the following four editions as an optional sport.

Ties between World Taekwondo and FISU were further

strengthened in Nov. 2009, when the FISU Executive Committee voted at a meeting in Erzurum, Türkiye, for Taekwondo to become a compulsory sport at the FISU World University Games, e ective from Taipei 2017. Taekwondo has remained part of the o cial programme ever since thanks to ongoing close collaboration between both organisations.

Choue hailed the strength of World Taekwondo’s relationship with FISU.

“I am very happy to present an honorary black belt to President Eder in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Taekwondo,” he said. “World Taekwondo and FISU have enjoyed a strong relationship for many decades. We look forward to building on this relationship in the years ahead.”

“It is an honor to receive an honorary Taekwondo black

belt; Taekwondo is a very important sport for FISU,” Eder said. “FISU will continue to cooperate closely with World Taekwondo and ensure as many students as possible bene t from this great sport.”

He added that Para Taekwondo would be included in the 2027 Chungcheong Summer World University Games.

In attendance at the ceremony were FISU Secretary General Eric Saintrond, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Hanyang University Chongyang Kim, President of Myongji University Byungjin You, Executive Committee Member of FISU and Chairman of the Board of Dankook University Hosung Chang, FISU Taekwondo Technical Committee Chair Russell Ahn, World Taekwondo Council Member Kookhyun Jung and World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo.

Taekwondo Events at FISU World University Games Elevated to G4 Ranking

CHUNCHEON, Korea (Sep. 30, 2024)

The World Taekwondo Council has unanimously approved granting G4 ranking event status to the Taekwondo competitions at the FISU World University Games.

The upgraded World Taekwondo ranking status applies to Poomsae, Individual Kyorugi and Team Kyorugi events at the FISU World University Games. The decision was taken during the World Taekwondo Council’s meeting in Chuncheon, Korea and recognises the huge expansion and growth of Taekwondo in university sport. This follows nearly 40 years of development and collaboration between World Taekwondo and FISU.

Elevating Taekwondo’s ranking status from G2 to G4 at the FISU World University Games promises to ensure more of the world’s top athletes and Olympic hopefuls in the sport will participate at future editions.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue said: “This decision is another milestone for Taekwondo in university sport.”

World Taekwondo’s relationship with FISU continues to go from strength-to-strength, and we recognise the signi cant value of FISU’s events including the World University Games in providing opportunities for student athletes.”

FISU President Leonz Eder said: “We are glad to see the elevation of University Taekwondo to a G4 event. This recognition by World Taekwondo re ects the incredible growth and dedication within the university Taekwondo community over the past 40 years. By raising the level of competition, we are creating more opportunities for student athletes to thrive on the world stage. This achievement is a testament to the strong partnership between FISU and World Taekwondo, and our shared commitment to fostering excellence in university sports.”

SEOUL, Korea (Jul. 4, 2024)

WT President Awards Croatian Premier, Recognizes Hospital for Excellence in Sport Medicine

In Zagreb Croatia, World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue presented an award to the country’s premier and recognized a major hospital for its excellence in sport medicine.

Choue presented Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković with an honorary 8th Dan black belt for his contribution to Taekwondo. Three Croatian Taekwondo athletes and coaches participating in the Paris Olympics attended the ceremony held at the prime minister’s o ce.

Separately, Choue hailed the work of St. Catherine Specialty Hospital.

The institution was recognised by World Taekwondo as an International Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre of Excellence at an event attended by Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac, Croatian Taekwondo Federation President Anto Nobilo and St. Catherine Specialty Hospital President of the Board of Trustees Dragan Primorac. Opened in 2011, St. Catherine is the o cial hospi-

tal of the Croatian Olympic Committee and various national bodies including the Croatian Taekwondo Federation, Croatian Football Federation, Croatian Tennis Association, Croatian Table Tennis Association and Croatian Ski Association. It treats athletes from major sports clubs in Croatia, and its physicians serve on the medical teams of the Croatian Olympic Committee and several other National Federations.

It is the largest private hospital in Croatia, and has already beem recognised as a European Centre of Excellence.

Choue recognised St. Catherine on behalf of World Taekwondo as an International Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre of Excellence, acknowledging its treatment of elite athletes from all continents and provision of outstanding healthcare tailored to individual needs.

Croatia has enjoyed impressive results at recent major competitions, including two gold, one silver and three bronze medals at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, and one gold and one bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Choue expressed his gratitude to Plenković for his continued support for Taekwondo in Croatia, and praised the work of St. Catherine

“It was an honour to meet with Prime Minister Plenković and Minister of Tourism and Sports Brnjac in Zagreb,” Choue said. “Croatia has developed into one of our strongest nations in Taekwondo.”

“World Taekwondo was also delighted to recognise the work of St. Catherine Specialty Hospital with the status of International Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Centre of Excellence,” the WT head continued.

“It is a rst-rate medical facility, and many Taekwondo athletes have bene ted from its services.”

ZAGREB, Croatia (Jun. 5, 2024)

Prince Albert II Graces

Monaco Taekwondo Event

MONACO (Jun. 8, 2024)

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue met His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, who today visited the tournament named in his honor.

The Prince Albert II Cup Taekwondo Tournament was held on Jun. 8 on the occasion of the Olympic Referee Training Camp, which took place between Jun. 7-9.

Participating countries in the tourney were France. Italy, Morocco and Spain.

The Olympic Referee Training Camp welcomed 13 female and 13 male referees, and included the last revisions to the game ahead of the Paris Olympics.

“It is wonderful to see the ever-evolving nature of Taekwondo,” the royal and IOC member, said.

World Taekwondo Makes Appointments to Key Commissions and Committees

SEOUL, Korea (Oct. 28, 2024)

World Taekwondo has a made a series of appointments to leadership positions to its Committees and Technical Commission, ensuring the sport continues to thrive across all areas.

Newly appointed chairs and vice-chairs began their two-year terms in November 2024.

Philippe Bouedo of France has been appointed chair of the Technical Commission. He brings vast experience as an athlete and coach for his native France and has previously served as the World Taekwondo Games chair and as the Technical Delegate for three Olympic Games: London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.

The Technical Commission includes as members the chairs of the Athletes, Coaches, Games, Medical and Anti-Doping, Para Taekwondo, and Referee Committees, with its own chair appointed separately. Among its roles, it studies the organisation and management of Taekwondo competitions and recommends amendments to rules.

Mohamed Shaaban of Egypt had been acting chair of the Technical Commission and served as the World Taekwondo Technical Delegate for the 2024 Olympic

Games. After contributing to the success of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, he has been re-appointed chair of the Games Committee, with Vusala Clifton of USA as vice-chair.

The Referee Committee has a new chair in Linfang Zhu of China, who steps up from her role as vice-chair. The 42-year-old served as an international referee at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Andrey Khegay of Russia has been appointed as vice-chair.

Vice-Chair of the Medical & Anti-Doping Committee, Frank Duren of Germany has been promoted to its chair. Hassan Kamal of Egypt, previously a member of the committee, is the new vice-chair.

Usman Dildar of Great Britain has been re-appointed chair of the Para Taekwondo Committee, with Paula Remirez of Spain becoming the new vice-chair. World Taekwondo’s Commissions and Committees perform a vital role in helping the organisation to achieve its overall objectives for the sport. They ensure a strong organisational structure, underlining the federation’s commitment to the highest standards of governance.

WT Maintains A2 Ranking in Fifth ASOIF Governance Review, Aims Eyes at A1

World Taekwondo maintained its position in the Fifth ASOIF Governance Review, earning an A2 ranking for the third consecutive review, meaning it ranks 12th out of 32 International Sports Federations in the Olympic Programme.

World Taekwondo scored a total of 198 from the 60 indicators in the 20232024 review, with overall improvements higher than the mean. Its improved score, by 45 points over the last review, was one of the highest among IFs. In terms of IFs of similar sta ng size, World Taekwondo secured the second highest total. World Taekwondo also scored the highest among IFs in the same annual revenue category.

“I am proud that World Taekwondo has once again scored A2 in the ASOIF Governance Review,” said Chungwon Choue, president of World Taekwondo. “In fact, we performed much better than the last review, which gives me con dence that we can break through

to the highest possible level of A1 in the next review.”

World Taekwondo was among the Top 10 IFs in 12 out of 40 indicators, particularly in the Transparency, Democracy, and Development sections. The Fifth ASOIF Governance Review highlighted World Taekwondo’s strength in decision-making authority at di erent levels and nancial transparency, according to the International Financial Reporting Standards.

The review also noted World Taekwondo is a role model in sustainability-focused topics such as gender equality strategy and diversity monitoring, equal participation opportunities, athlete rights, development programs, and social responsibility.

The president thanked the World Taekwondo family for the showing in the Fifth ASOIF Governance Review, which was made possible through the unity and dedication of everyone involved.

World Taekwondo, MBN, MBN Media Rep., and Chuncheon City Sign Agreement to Produce Taekwondo Audition Program

World Taekwondo, together with media rms MBN and MBN Media Rep., as well as Chuncheon City, have jointly agreed to produce at Taekwondo audition show.

The program is set to broadcast in the rst half of 2025.

Borrowing the format of popular TV talent contests, it will involve Taekwondoin from around the world competing to secure spots on an o cial performance team.

The program will uncover new Taekwondo stars and give Taekwondo fans insights into what it takes to make it to the very top of the game.

World Taekwondo Partners with K-DOC to Supply Medical Services to Global Taekwondo Family

World Taekwondo today signed a memorandum of understanding with K-DOC Co. Ltd, a Korean medical services company, that will see the two organisations work together on the global expansion of medical services in Taekwondo.

The MOU was signed by World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue and Seungkook Cho, chairman of K-DOC. It covers a three-year period.

It will see K-DOC become the o cial medical cooperation institute for World Taekwondo. K-DOC will provide overseas medical services requested by World Taekwondo, and the two parties will cooperate on the supply of telemedicine and medical volunteers.

This agreement will be particularly useful in supporting the work of World Taekwondo and its charitable arm the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation in its projects with refugees

and orphans around the world.

Launched in 2015 to empower refugees through Taekwondo, the THF is now established in seven countries and has received signi cant acclaim for its work in helping to improve displaced persons’ quality of life. Some of its projects operate in remote locations, which makes the MOU valuable for provision of medical services.

Choue welcomed the partnership with K-DOC.

“Today’s memorandum of understanding with K-DOC Co. Ltd will bene t the global Taekwondo family. In particular, the work of the THF is extremely important in providing opportunities through Taekwondo to refugees, and we are grateful for the support of K-DOC which will strengthen the provision of the necessary medical services to all of its projects,” he said.

SEOUL, Korea (May 21, 2024)

SEOUL, Korea (Jul. 18, 2024)

Commonwealth Taekwondo Union Elects New Council

On Oct. 1, at the Bears Hotel in Chuncheon, Korea, the Commonwealth Taekwondo Union (CTU) held its General Assembly with representatives from Commonwealth nations who are members of World Taekwondo. At the event, the CTU elected its new Council, signaling the o cial start of its operations.

Elected as the president of the CTU was Kee Ha, president of Taekwondo Canada. “This organization was founded with the primary goal of having Taekwondo adopted as an o cial sport at the Commonwealth Games,” Ha said. “Taekwondo is already the o cial sport in numerous multi-sport events, but it has yet to be included in the Commonwealth Games.

“Our goal is to have Taekwondo ofcially recognized as a sport for the Commonwealth Games, which will take place in Canada in 2030, and the CTU Council and I are fully committed to achieving this.”

The Commonwealth Games, held every four years, is a multi-sport event featuring 74 Commonwealth nations.

President of World Taekwondo Chungwon Choue expressed his support for the CTU and its new leadership.

“I welcome the election of the CTU Council,” he said. “We look forward to ef-

forts toward having Taekwondo included as an o cial sport in the Commonwealth Games.”

The CTU also elected ve vice presidents: Namdev Shirgaonkar (India), Jean Kfoury (Australia), Sulieman Sumba (Kenya), Henderson Turton (Barbados), and Anna Vassallo (Malta). Four elected Council members are Ahmed Wasim (Pakistan), Jin Keun Oh (New Zealand), Frederick Lartey Otu (Ghana), and Said Khelwatty (United Kingdom). Per CTU statutes, Ha appointed Wayne Mitchell (Canada) as Secretary General.

CHUNCHEON, Korea (Oct. 2, 2024)

WT Continental Union

Presidents’ Messages

AFRICAN TAEKWONDO UNION

Dear Taekwondo family,

2024 was truly remarkable for the African Taekwondo Union (AFTU), dened by outstanding achievements, strengthened collaborations, and an unwavering commitment to promoting Taekwondo across the continent. Some highlights include:

1. Continental Championships and Competitions: The African Taekwondo Championships held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, as well as the All-African Games in Accra, Ghana, not only crowned champions but also reinforced Africa’s growing in uence on the global Taekwondo stage.

2. Youth Development and Grassroots Programs: The AFTU Youth Training Camp in Dakar, Senegal, demonstrated our commitment to nurturing future champions. With young athletes and coaches gathering from across the continent, this initiative laid a strong foundation for the next generation of African Taekwondo.

3. Partnerships and Innovation: The signing of a cooperation agreement with KPNP in Seoul, South Korea, strengthened our technical and technological resources, raising the standard of Taekwondo events and training across Africa.

4. Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games:

At the Olympics, African athletes from countries like Egypt, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia achieved remarkable results. Their performances served as a testament to their hard work and preparation, making Africa shine on the world stage.

At the Paralympics: The participation of African countries was a source of inspiration. Morocco won two bronze medals and an athlete from Senegal inspired the world with his story; even his president sent him a message of congratulations. Niger had its rst-ever Paralympic representation, with an athlete achieving an inspiring quarter nal nish.Cameroon impressed with a semi- nalist and the Central African Republic participated or the rst time, while Lesotho demonstrated the unyielding spirit of its athletes on the global stage. Many Paralympic athletes came from humble or dire circumstances but Taekwondo became a life-changing force, giving them purpose, discipline, and a path to success.

5. Capacity Building: Through programs like the AFTU Online Free Seminar in Poomsae & Freestyle and the joint training camp for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Korea, we prioritized technical expertise and excellence.

6. Promoting Women in Taekwondo: Under the leadership of Gladys Njoroge, Chairwoman of the AFTU Women’s Commission, several initiatives reinforced our commitment to inclusivity and diversity.

Key priorities in 2025 include:

▶ Expanding grassroots programs to reach more youth.

▶ Strengthening partnerships to enhance technical and organizational capacity.

▶ Increasing representation of African athletes at international competitions.

I also take this opportunity to call on all member federations to intensify e orts toward unity, cooperation, and excellence. Together, we can achieve extraordinary milestones and make Africa a powerhouse in global Taekwondo.

Let us embrace 2025 with enthusiasm, determination, and unity!

Dear Taekwondo family,

As 2024 draws to a close, a new year is dawning upon us.

This past year, we witnessed numerous Taekwondo events held across the globe, showcasing creative and inspiring performances in freestyle Poomsae, demonstrations, and other activities that captured the hearts of audiences worldwide.

Moreover, during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Taekwondo demonstrated its dynamic appeal as an exciting and popular sport, with athletes from all across the world standing on the podium. This served as a testament to the universal reach and vitality of Taekwondo.

As we step into 2025, I look forward to seeing even more vibrant and inspiring activities from the global Taekwondo family.

Taekwondo, as a martial art, has historically contributed to human survival and served as a means of strengthening national defense. However, as weaponry evolved, Taekwondo took on deeper and broader meanings beyond its original purpose.

Today, it stands proudly as a beloved Olympic sport, earning the admiration and respect of people worldwide.

ButTaekwondo is not only about physical practice. It is a martial art that harmoniously integrates personal discipline and the pursuit of academic knowledge. Let us remember this core essence and strive to better ourselves, so that we may also contribute positively to the world around us.

Since 1984, I have had the privilege of serving the Asian Taekwondo Union. For over 40 years, I have been re-elected three times to serve as president, and my term will conclude in July 2025.

These decades of working with and for the Taekwondo family have been immensely ful lling and joyful, thanks to the support and love of our global community.

As we welcome 2025, I sincerely wish for your health, happiness, and continued success in the year ahead.

Happy new year!

Thank you.

Dear friends,

EUROPEAN TAEKWONDO UNION

Sakis Pragalos

Warm greetings from the European Taekwondo Union! I am very excited to look back at 2024 and forward to the plans of the ETU for 2025!

What an amazing year 2024 was! The Paris Olympics showed again that our beloved Taekwondo is a true universal sport! With only the best athletes in Paris, the competition was tough and winning a medal was no easy job. France and Hungary delivered historic results with gold medals for Althea Laurin and Viviana Marton. The Grand Palais was Taekwondo’s most iconic venue at any Olympics and the atmosphere was thrilling!

Next to the Olympics, the ETU 2024 calendar was full of events hosted by more than 30 Member National Associations. Athletes visited many European countries and next to event participation, tasted the hospitality of the host countries while enjoying their time abroad. The European Rankings for Cadets and Juniors were fully implemented in the calendar and website of the ETU and the feedback from coaches and athletes has been overwhelmingly positive. Also, the announcement of the Grand Prix Finals and the plan of ETU to start with a full Grand Prix Series in 2025 was positively welcomed by the community.

In 2025, ETU has policy objectives to realize. First, events within Europe will continue as before and a new cycle of Grand Prix events for Cadets and Juniors as well as for a number of Poomsae medal events will be implemented in 2025. Already Estonia, Albania, Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina have agreed to host these events in 2025. The year will be wrapped up with the rst ETU Gala dinner at which we will award the best athletes for Poomsae, Para and Kyorugi.

In addition, the ETU will start to organize coach seminars for the further development of our coaches in Europe. Also, for international referees, several workshops will be planned. Our aim is to have only the best referees at ETU-promoted and sanctioned events. Our club certi cation program will continue in 2025 and also we are preparing to organize an educational program for black belt promotion examiners. The aim of this program is to guarantee a level of standard within our members and to support the members in their Dan promotion testing.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends, I wish all of you a happy, healthy and prosperous new year and I hope that each and every one of you will accomplish the dreams you have!

OCEANIA TAEKWONDO UNION

John Kotsifas

I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to our Oceania member nations .

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games represented an important milestone in the development of the Oceania region. I extend the OTU’s congratulations to Australia, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands that all quali ed athletes for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

I know that the remarkable performances of our athletes during the 2024 Games will provide inspiration and motivation for many more athletes to achieve their dream of representing their country and Oceania at the 2028 Olympic Games. Our region faces many di cult economic and geographical challenges; however 2025 provides yet another opportunity for greater development and improved performances which I am con dent will occur given the strong spirit and immense determination that characterises our athletes and the entire Taekwondo community in the Oceania region.

The 2032 Olympic and Para Games to be held in Oceania - in Brisbane, Australia - will bring immense opportunities for our young and emerging athletes. The challenge for the OTU will be to assist our member nations and athletes with the implementation of the OTU’s 2032 Step Up Strategic Plan which aims to develop athletes over the next eight years to achieve medal results in 2032. I am very con dent we can achieve this goal for our region.

We have worked hard to deliver new governance, development and strategic programs in 2024 and I wish to thank all the o cials, leaders and volunteers in our region for their hard work and dedication which I know will continue in 2025.

Our sport continues to excite and develop globally as does our strong and powerful message for peace, love, respect and friendship.

I extend my best wishes to Oceania and to Taekwondo communities throughout the world and wish everyone a happy, safe, healthy and prosperous new year.

Dear members of the Taekwondo

In this special time and on behalf of PATU, I want to send my best wishes to all the esteemed members of our community. It has been a year full of challenges and victories, in which we have shown that with dedication and discipline great results are obtained and that unity is the key to overcoming daily diculties.

Thanks to everyone who is part of this great family. We close another cycle in which our athletes have lled us with pride, raising the names of our countries and transmitting passion and dedication in each competition moment, encouraging all of us who love Taekwondo.

We have a promising future ahead of us, full of challenges and opportunities, but with the conviction that we will be more united than ever and that we can become even stronger. Our commitment is to continue supporting our athletes, coaches, referees and MNAs with projects and programs that contribute to the development of Taekwondo, as well as the new talents that are making their way and wish to be part of this history of which we are all so proud. I would also like to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the volunteers and sta whose tireless work makes every event and program possible. You are the heart and soul of our community.

I invite you to continue collaborating and actively participate in our future projects. Together, we will face the challenges and seize the opportunities that 2025 holds for us. May this holiday season be lled with joy and unity in your homes, and may the new year be lled with success and moments of happiness that will remain in the memory of each of you as the best of your lives.

A wonderful 2025!

Issaka Ide ASIAN TAEKWONDO UNION

Kyuseok Lee

PAN AMERICAN TAEKWONDO UNION

Juan Manuel López Delgado

community,

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Crown Prince of Fujairah Presented with 1st-ever ‘Taekwondo Humanitarian Trophy’

The Crown Prince of Fujairah, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, was today presented with the rst ever Taekwondo Humanitarian Trophy.

The prince was o cially named as the awardee at the World Taekwondo Gala Awards in December 2023. The trophy itself was presented in person by WT President Chungwon Choue, who was visiting the ongoing Fujairah Open.

The handover ceremony, held at Al Rumailah Palace in Fujairah, was attended by WT Council members and MNA presidents.

The crown prince is among the biggest contributors to the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) having so far generously contributed a total of USD300,000 in three

separate tranches, in 2017, 2020 and 2022.

Explaining the reasons behind his donations to the THF, he said, “The growth of refugee numbers globally is one of the greatest crises facing humanity today. I make this donation because Taekwondo is an economical, easy-to-deploy tool that delivers self-discipline, self-defense and self-condence to refugees, so e ectively upgrading their lifestyles.”

The THF relies on donations from a wide range of donors to fund its critical work in empowering refugees through Taekwondo.

In the last few years, the THF has received donations across di erent industries and sectors, from royalty and business to academia - and, of course, from within the Taekwondo family itself.

WT President, THF Chair Choue Attends ORF Board Meeting in Doha

World Taekwondo President and Chair of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Chungwon Choue attended the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF) Board meeting in Doha, Qatar.

The meeting was hosted by the Qatar Olympic Committee, and ORF Board members were welcomed by HE Lolwah Rashid Al-Khater, Qatar’s Minister of State for International Cooperation, and HE Joaan Bin Hamad Al-Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee and ORF Board member.

World Taekwondo shares the ORF’s commitment to supporting refugees and displaced people through sport. Through the THF, World Taekwondo uses the power of sport to help improve refugees’ quality of life, develop their skills, teach them the Olympic values and allow them to pursue their dreams.

During the meeting, the ORF Board discussed the organisation’s successes from the previous year. The ORF’s work helped nearly 400,000 young people to access safe sport and trained more than 1,600 coaches in delivering safe sport sessions.

New ORF programmes were launched in Burkina Faso, Uganda and Jordan, and a record number of athletes were supported through the Refugee Athlete Scholarship programme.

In addition, ORF Board members discussed preparations for the Refugee Olympic Team at Paris 2024 and plans to continue support for displaced people through sport during the next quadrennial period.

After the meeting, ORF Board members visited a sport and education center for refugees from con ict zones. The center provides medical care and a range of rehabilitation services for the injured and their families.

FUJAIRAH, UAE (Feb. 4, 2024)

DOHA, Qatar (Apr. 29, 2024)

Photo from IOC website

A Story of Success and Change

at the THF Center in Azraq Refugee Camp

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation’s agship project continues to advance onward and upward.

That project, a Taekwondo and sport training center in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan got underway in 2016. Its physical structure, the Humanitarian Taekwondo Center opened in 2018. It provides a safe space where refugee children from war-torn Syria can practice Taekwondo and other activities in ideal conditions.

A gender balance of one hundred boys and girls practice the combat sport on a daily basis. So far, 500 refugees have experienced Taekwondo at the camp. Among them, 80 have earned 1st Dan black belts and 20 have been awarded 2nd Dans.

The camp now boasts a dedicated competition squad, the THF Azraq Refugee Team. It has competed at the national level in Jordan, participating in two tournaments - the Al Fares Taekwondo Championships and the Brave Championships - in Amman.

The team of 20 athletes, has won 13 medals and been awarded the rst-place cup in the men’s category, after THF icons Wael Al-Farraj and Yahya Al Ghotany won gold medals at the Brave Championships.

Moreover, the two have bene tted from IOC scholarships to prepare for Paris 2024. None of this had been expected when the program started.

Young THF students are motivated by Al-Farraj and Al Ghotany: Both are exemplars of overcoming the most di cult challenges.

Al-Farraj, who starred in the documentary “We Dare to Dream,” which screened last year at the Tribecca Film Festival in New York, said: “Taekwondo has changed my life. It has given me more strength and con dence. My goal now is to become an Olympian and to help other refugees just as I received help.”

His early trainer and coach, Asif Sabah, explains that Wael had not planned to be a Taekwondo athlete, but his enthusiasm for the sport was ignited in 2016, when Wael was 13.

Despite their di cult realities, Azraq’s young refugee athletes continue to hone their kicks, train their bodies and minds every day - and nd joy from it.

And Taekwondo is not just for youth.

Take the six members of the Al-Ayoub family, who ed from a rural village in their homeland Syria to neighboring Jordan at the outbreak of the civil war. While taking shelter at the Azraq Refugee Camp, established and managed by the Jordanian government and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees 100 kilometers east of Amman, the family found

Taekwondo to be an “outlet in which we feel comfortable,” Muhammad Al-Ayoub, 45, told media during the 1st Hope and Dreams Sport Festival held in Azraq Refugee Camp.

Working as an assistant coach the father, who recently passed his 3rd Dan black belt test together with Al Ghotany, accessed a referee training course o ered by the Jordan Taekwondo Federation.

Taekwondo has become a family custom for the Al-Ayoub household. “We are a sports family par excellence,” he said. The rst family member to learn Taekwondo was the eldest daughter, Shaima, who is now 18 years old and hopes to study medicine. Since she started training at the camp in 2016, the family witnessed how she improved her physical and psychological well-being and learned patience, discipline and positivity through training.

His 16-year-old son, Othman, also said Taekwondo fostered his older sister’s physical and psychological well-being and taught her sportsmanship. Othman’s younger brother Rema is an ambitious 12-year-old with a 2nd Dan black belt, who is in the process of completing his studies. Rema aims to become a Taekwondo Olympian and an international coach and referee one day.

His younger sister Doaa, 8, is a child prodigy who became the youngest refugee Taekwondo practitioner to earn her black belt at the age of six in 2021. She acquired her second Dan at the age of eight

Although the matriarch does not practice martial arts, she is the “unknown soldier who stands behind every member of our family,” the father said. She fully supports the family’s sports engagements by organizing the children’s study and training schedules and encouraging them to discipline their minds and bodies.

The Al-Ayoub family trains daily at the Humanitarian Taekwondo Center, which aims to spread the Olympian values of peace and courage and empower refugees and displaced people through sports.

The THF o ers Taekwondo as a physical gift to refugees and displaced persons who often own little. Economical and easy to deploy, it is a sport that requries minimal equipment, beyond the human body. An all-round exercise regimen, it teaches self defense, while building self con dence and delivering self belief.

AMMAN, Jordan (Jan. 2024)

2nd THF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in Jordan

The rst day of the three-day Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in Jordan began with VIPs visting the Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps.

AMMAN, Jordan (May 1, 2024)

This is the second edition of the festival, following on from last year’s successful debut as a multi-sport event. It aims to promote health and wellbeing among refugees, with a particular focus on young people.

World Taekwondo President and THF Chair Chungwon Choue was joined by World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) President Riccardo Fraccari and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Head of Field O ce for the Azraq Camp Sondos El Nour among other VIP guests.

Representatives from the Badminton World Federation (BWF), THF Board, Jordan Taekwondo Federation, TaiShan Sports and the Korean embassy in Jordan were also in attendance. All received a warm welcome at Azraq Camp. They witnessed a spectacular Taekwondo demonstration put on by children in the THF’s agship project at the Taekwondo Humanitarian Center in the camp, followed by demonstrations of Baseball5, Badminton and Basketball.

The center aims to use sport and education to deliver quality of life and teach Olympic values. It has graduated over 100 black belts to date.

Baseball5 joined the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival

This expansion of activities aligns with the THF’s goal to work with International Federations in empowering refugees through sport.

Choue said:

“It is a very touching day for me today. The growth of the second Hope and Dreams Sports Festival, with the participation of Baseball5, Badminton, and Basketball, is testimony to how much we can achieve together for Olympism and peace.”

Fraccari commented:

“I am very happy to be back in Azraq Refugee Camp again for the second Hope and Dreams Sports Festival, this time to see more children playing Baseball5. It is amazing to see what our sport can do to help children enjoy their lives in di cult circumstances. I am also proud to be a family of this meaningful program together with my good friend, Dr. Chungwon Choue.”

Guests gathered for lunch in small groups with the children participating. A highlight of the day was the generous donation of an acre of arti cial grass and mats that can be used on an everyday basis by TaiShan Sports.

TaiShan Sports has also committed to matching this donation at the Zaatari Camp, where representatives from the participating organisations travelled for the afternoon’s activities and watched a stunning Taekwondo demonstration.

Choue added:

“At the Olympic Refuge Foundation Board Meeting a few days ago, I heard that the global population of refugees and displaced persons could reach 130 million by the end of this year. It is a shocking and sad gure. I hope that projects such as the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival help alleviate the su ering of the children and youth, and o er them a pathway to lead ful lling lives.”

The THF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival is being held across three days, with a Hope and Dreams Refugee Taekwondo Championships taking place in Jordan’s capital Amman on May 3.

THF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival Ends with Inspirational Championships

An inspiring evening in Jordan’s capital Amman featuring competition in Taekwondo, Baseball5 and Badminton brought a tting end to the 2nd Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Hope and Dreams Sports Festival.

There were high levels of youth participation across the three-day event, which aimed to empower refugees and displaced people through sport.

Today’s Hope and Dreams Taekwondo Championships featured more than 300 participants in Taekwondo, while around 250 Baseball5 players competed, and Badminton joined the programme for the rst time.

World Taekwondo President and THF Chairman Dr. Chungwon Choue and World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo were in attendance, joined by Jordan Taekwondo Federation (JTF) President HRH Prince Rashid bin El Hassan, HRH Princess Zeina Rashid, JTF Vice President Hazem Naimat, WT Council Members Maher Magableh, Ahmed Alzeyoudi and Shaddad Al Amri and THF Board Members HH Prince Fahad Bin Jalawi Al Saud and Richard Barnor.

Also among the VIPs were World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) President Riccardo Fraccari, Badminton World Federation (BWF) Vice-President Jassem Kanso and Korean Ambassador to Jordan Donggi Kim.

AMMAN, Jordan (May 3, 2024)

Choue said:

“Today, we saw the passion and determination of children and youths who fought hard for every point. You, the athletes, have shown us how valuable every point means to you. You have taught us how valuable every moment in life means to us. Thank you for showing us this.”

The Hope and Dreams Taekwondo Championships today welcomed 187 athletes from the Azraq Refugee Camp and 114 from the Zaatari Refugee Camp. They competed in events across 48 di erent categories, ensuring an inclusive championships in which young athletes of all ages could experience the festival. Several of the participants may also be invited to compete at the 2025 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

Approximately 250 athletes who competed in Baseball5 at the Festival, with tournaments being staged in the Under-12, Under-14 and Under-16 categories. This included

participants from the Azraq Refugee Camp and the Souf Camp, as well as the Jordanian villages of Balila, Maqbeleh and Summa.

The inclusion of Badminton in the THF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival for the rst time provided an inclusive session for young participants. It saw the participation of 10 athletes from the Azraq Refugee Camp and 10 from the Jordan Badminton Federation’s Youth Talent Program.

Basketball activities were also included across the three days of the festival.

World Taekwondo Council Member Maher Magableh commented: “We had over 600 refugee children from the Azraq Camp, Zaatari Camp and Souf Camp participating in four di erent sports. We doubled the number of sports, and it was a much bigger festival than last year. It was special because for some of the children it was their rst time leaving the Refugee Camp. They were so happy, and seeing the progress made it a very emotional occasion.”

The Hope and Dreams Sports Festival was organised by the THF and World Taekwondo in collaboration with the WBSC, BWF and FIBA Foundation. The THF aims to work with an increasing number of International Federations to use sport to promote health and well-being among refugees and displaced people.

Choue additionally expressed his gratitude to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for the staging of the event.

“This is a country that puts sport at the heart of the nation. This is also a country that o ers hope and dreams to tens of thousands of refugees and displaced persons,” he said.

Para Taekwondo Refugee Athletes Emerge Victorious in

Hope and Dreams Sports Festival

Inspired to take up Taekwondo when he saw its dramatic kicks, he says the secret to his success is condence. Regarding ghting athletes who have the advantage of an extra working limb, he said, “I don’t care – I beat them all!”

His dream is to rise up through the competitive ranks and ght on the international circuit.

Kerman, who has been in training for a year and a half, was inspired by the beauty of the sport. He took it up after seeing other boys training. Like his team mate, the sport has given him ambitions for the future. Asked how it felt to win over able-bodied athletes, he simply said, “Proud.”

The Taekwondo competition, part of the THF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival, has just concluded its second year.

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation offers refugees and displaced persons the self-con dence, self-belief and self-defence bene ts of Taekwondo – a sport that can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, without any special equipment.

Jordan Welcomes

THF Board

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Board of Trustees met today, on the occasion of the 2nd Hope and Dreams Sports Festival.

THF Chairman Chungwon Choue, welcomed two new Board Members – HH Prince Fahad Bin Jalawi Al Saud, Vice President of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, who attended in person; and Treasurer of World Taekwondo (WT) and President of the Taekwondo Association of Thailand Pimol Srivikorn.

The board meeting was an opportunity to highlight the successes of cadet and junior THF athletes living in camps in Eswatini, Rwanda and Jordan, who recently achieved signi cant results in various local championships. The

board also heard from the THF’s involvement in the Global Refugee Forum held in December 2023.

The THF Board were briefed on the rst day of activities of the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival 2024, and watched a highlights video of the visit to the Azraq and Zaatari refugee camps held on the previous day. Choue also met with

Yahya Al Ghotany, who became the rst Taekwondo athlete from a refugee camp to be selected for the Olympic Refugee Team today.

“This is great recognition of the program that we have set up here in Jordan,” said Choue. “Credit must be given to the Jordanian government for their generous support towards refugees and displaced persons.”

Choue also expressed his gratitude to the TaiShan Group for donating new Taekwondo mats and more than 4,000 square meters worth of arti cial grass to the camps.

Following the board meeting, a delegation comprising

to Amman

o cials from WT, THF, World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) and Badminton World Federation (BWF) paid a visit to the Jordan Olympic Preparation Centre (OPC), where they were welcomed by Jordan Olympic Committee President and International Olympic Committee Executive Board member HRH Prince Feisal Al Hussein. They were given a tour of the OPC facilities, as the building and program were created after the success of Jordan’s rst-ever Olympic gold medalist, Ahmad Abugaush, at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The delegation met with athletes Zaid Kareem, Saleh Elsharabaty, Julyana Al-Sadeq and Rama Abo-Alrub who have all quali ed to represent Jordan in Taekwondo at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, a well as with Refugee Athlete Al Ghotany.

Amman, Jordan (May 2, 2024)

At WBSC HQ, THF Board Hears Report on Triumphs of 2024

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Board of Trustees gathered in Lausanne for its last meeting of 2024, on the occasion of the IF Forum.

The meeting took place at the headquarters of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), an avid partner of the THF missions. World Taekwondo President and THF Chairman Chungwon Choue, expressed his gratitude to WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari, for WBSC’s passionate support of the program, including its participation in two editions of the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in Jordan by o ering Baseball5.

At the meeting, Choue reported on what has been achieved in 2024. Besides the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival, he highlighted the achievements of refugee athletes at the Paris

2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Yahya Al Ghotany was the rst refugee from the Azraq Camp to participate in the Olympic Games.

Zakia Khudadadi, who is part of the Terrains d’Avenir program jointly promoted by the Olympic Refuge Foundation, the city of Paris, and the THF, delivered the rst-ever medal for the Paralympic Refugee Team at the Paralympic Games.

“We are able to achieve all these results because of the unity in the Taekwondo family, the leadership of the THF Board, and having partners who believe in the cause,” Choue said.

The board also rea rmed the THF and WT’s commitment to inclusion, and support from WT Solidarity Funds.

Choue also thanked Bian Zhiliang, founder of the TaiShan Sports Industry Group, for the generous donation of new arti cial turf.

Entering the new LA 28 Olympic and Paralympic cycles, budgets and new projects for 2025 were approved. These include THF programs in refugee camps in Jordan, Rwanda, Eswatini, and Türkiye.

In addition, the THF will provide opportunities for outstanding refugees to participate in major championships, such as the World Taekwondo Cadet Championships, in Fujairah, UAE, in May 2025.

The board also renewed the term of THF Trustee Angelo Cito, a World Taekwondo Council member and president of THF Italia for another 3-year term. The board also elected China’s Hou Kun, also known as Justin, who is a member of the IOC Culture and Heritage Commission, as a new member for his outstanding contributions to the THF over the years.

The board concluded its meeting with a commitment to elevating the quality of THF activities in 2025. In conclusion, Choue shared World Taekwondo’s motto for 2025: “Harmony Brings Glory.”

World Taekwondo Rea rms Commitments to Refugees

World Taekwondo marked this year’s World Refugee Day by reafrming its commitment to empowering refugees and displaced people through sport.

WT President Chungwon Choue made clear the organization’s determination to continue related e orts via the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF).

World Refugee Day is organised annually by the United Nations to raise awareness of those who have been forced to ee con icts and persecution around the globe, and help advocate for their rights. Through the (THF), World Taekwondo uses the power of sport to help improve refugees’ quality of life, develop their skills, teach them the Olympic values and allow them to pursue their dreams.

The THF develops Taekwondo grassroots projects for refugees and is established in seven countries. It has been recognised as a pioneer in humanitarian activities within sport and the Olympic Movement.

The THF was awarded the International Olympic Committee’s prestigious Olympic Cup in November 2023. That recognised the THF’s long-term commitment to supporting refugees around the world through Taekwondo.

The THF is committed to building on the success of the 2nd Hope and Dreams Sports Festival, which took place in Jordan from May 1-3.

Through the inclusion of Taekwondo, Baseball5, Badminton and Basketball activities across the three days, the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival showcased the THF’s collaboration with International Federations to promote health and wellbeing among refugees.

The festival engaged more than 600 children at the Azraq, Zaatari and Souf Refugee Camps and the Hope and Dreams Taekwondo Championships in Amman featured more than 300 participants. World Taekwondo President and THF Chair Chungwon Choue underlined the importance of empowering refugees through Taekwondo.

“At the last Olympic Refuge Foundation Board meeting in April, I heard that the global population of refugees and displaced persons could reach 130 million by the end of this year. It is a shocking and sad gure,” Choue said

“At the 2nd Hope and Dreams Sport Festival in Jordan, we saw the passion and determination of the children and youths who fought hard for every point. This showed us how valuable every moment in life is.

“Working in collaboration with our partners, World Taekwondo and the THF are will continue to play our part in supporting refugees and displaced people through sport.”

World Taekwondo is also a long-term supporter of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. Three athletes represented the Refugee Olympic Team at Tokyo 2020, and this increased to ve at Paris 2024, making Taekwondo the third most represented sport on the team.

(Jun. 20, 2024)

Pully, Switzerland (Oct. 21, 2024)

engagement in sports, TaiShan’s contribution to the Azraq and Zaatari camps exempli es its commitment to making a meaningful impact in under-served communities.

THF and TaiShan Group Enhance Sports Infrastructure at Refugee Camps in Jordan Azraq Promotes 123 Refugee Black Belts

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) continues to strengthen its commitment to providing opportunities for children and youth in refugee camps through the development of sports infrastructure.

In Jordan, the camps of Azraq and Zaatari have witnessed transformative changes, enabling greater participation in sports and fostering community well-being.

TaiShan Group, a world leader in sports equipment and infrastructure innovation, has been instrumental in supporting sports development globally. Known for its dedication to empowering grassroots initiatives and championing youth

During the 2nd Hope and Dreams Festival held from May 1-3, 2024, a representative of TaiShan Group announced a donation of one acre of arti cial turf and specialized Taekwondo mats to the Azraq Refugee Camp, plus further support for the Zaatari Refugee Camp.

The impact of these initiatives is already evident. In Azraq, children and youth now enjoy a modern 3,500 sqm space equipped for activities such as Baseball5, Taekwondo, and other recreational pursuits.

Through TaiShan’s support, the Zaatari Camp has also received an important upgrade to its training environment. An indoor facility has received repurposed arti cial turf, enhancing the safe and effective space provided for sports and recreation.

These developments are more than just infrastructure upgrades; they represent a renewed sense of hope and opportunity for young refugees. The expanded facilities will soon host additional sports programs, allowing even more children and youth to thrive through physical activity and nd joy and wellness where it is needed most.

The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation project in the refugee camp of Azraq has graduated a total of 123 Taekwondo black belts.

That number is a tribute to the center’s sustainability.

The Humanitarian Taekwondo Center was activated in 2018 as a place where children can safely enjoy sports activities and education.

So far, 500 refugee children, and many adults, have experienced Taekwondo at the camp.

The project o es refugees and displaced persons the self-con dence, self-belief and self-defense bene ts of Taekwondo – a sport that can be practiced by anyone, anywhere, without any special equipment.

AMMAN, Jordan (Nov. 15, 2024)

AMMAN, Jordan (Nov. 7, 2024)

THF Receives Almost USD 455,000 in Donations in 2024

· USD100,000 from Crown Prince of Fujairah H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Sharqi. Previously, the prince had contributed USD300,000 in three separate tranches - in 2017, 2020 and 2022.

· USD50,000 from Wuxi Waychamp Sports Event Management.

· EUR83,577 from the Olympic Refuge Foundation to support the Taekwondo elements of Paris’ Terrains d’Avenir Program.

· USD6,000 from WT Treasurer and THF Board of Trustees Member Pimol Srivikorn, who previously donated USD20,000 in 2022.

· EUR10,000 from Hassan Sadeghi, a World Taekwondo International Referee.

Generosity Enables More Hopes, More Dreams

When it came to helping those in need, reaching out and empowering the powerless, the global Taekwondo family remained active in 2024.

In a year in which con icts seared across the world and generated population displacement, the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation’s work was more critical than ever. World Taekwondo’s vehicle for delivering social bene ts for refugees and displaced persons is the THF. The charity is extraordinarily fortunate in that a wide range of persons and organizations have donated to its cause. The standout donations and donors of 2024 were:

· USD205,000 donated annually by World Taekwondo for THF projects.

In addition, World Taekwondo President and THF Chair Chungwon Choue and World Taekwondo senior executives have donated regularly throughout the year. Donations were also made in formats other than cash.

One acre of new arti cial turf, related materials for installation, and mats were donated by TaiShan Sports Group to the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan. TaiShan, one of the world’s leaders in sports equipment and infrastructure innovation, empowers grassroots initiatives and champions youth engagement in sports. The donation of the new turf to Azraq Camp had another bene t, as it allowed the previously installed turf to be re-used at the Zaatari Refugee Camp.

Jordan, and the two refugee camps, are central to the

THF’s e orts. Many of the donations to the THF are used to hold the annual Hope and Dreams Sports Festival and upgrade existing facilities.

The rst ever THF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival was held in the country in 2022. The 2023 event expanded to o er Baseball5 as well as Taekwondo competitions, and featured some 300 refugees and displaced persons.

In 2024, the event expanded again, to a three-day multi-sports event organized by the THF and World Taekwondo in collaboration with the World Baseball Softball Confederation, Badminton World Federation and International Basketball Federation.

There were exercises and demonstrations of each sport at the Azraq and Zaatari Refugee Camps, followed by competitions across two elds of play in Amman. Competitors came from the Jordanian villages of Balila, Maqbeleh and Summa as well as the camps.

The THF aims to work with an increasing number of International Federations to use sport to promote health and well-being among refugees and displaced people,

The 2025 edition of the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival is expected to be held from April 29 - May 3.

WT and UNHCR Korea Agree to Support Refugees through Taekwondo

World Taekwondo and UNHCR Korea, the UN Refugee Agency, o cially inked a memorandum of understanding to fortify refugee empowerment and self-reliance through the practice of Taekwondo.

The collaboration between UNHCR Korea and World Taekwondo focuses on utilizing Taekwondo to enhance the mental and physical well being of refugees. The objective is to contribute to positive and sustainable social integration, and to foster self-reliance.

The MOU outlines key initiatives, including the establishment of after-school Taekwondo programs tailored for refugee children. Additionally, joint campaigns will be launched to promote a more balanced perception of refugees, coupled with collaborative e orts to strengthen cooperation through comprehensive monitoring and evaluation frameworks.

“Taekwondo stands as a powerful symbol of unwavering determination and hope, capable of instilling courage and strength in refugees,” said Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo. “This agreement is poised to bring about positive transformations in the lives of refugees, emphasizing our commitment to sharing Korean culture and values, particularly through the practice of Taekwondo.”

Haikyung Jun, Representative of UNHCR Korea, conveyed appreciation for the ongoing e orts of World Taekwondo and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation in supporting the social integration and growth of refugee children and youth. She highlighted the signi cance of this agreement aligning with the UN’s Global Compact on Refugees, which underscores “Whole of Society” approaches. Jun stated, “We hope this collaboration will provide an opportunity to widely acknowledge the role of Korea’s unique sport, Taekwondo, in refugee protection.”

Collaboration between UNHCR Korea and the World Taekwondo has been in e ect since a global partnership agreement in 2016. World Taekwondo, through the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, has established Taekwondo academies within refugee camps to support the physical and mental healing of refugees, assisting them in leading healthy and positive lives.

Through this latest MOU, UNHCR Korea and World Taekwondo aspire to o er new hope and opportunities to refugees, fostering positive integration and collaboration with local communities.

SEOUL, Korea (Jan. 29, 2024)

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Dec. 19, 2024)

WT President Visits Qatar

NOC, Discusses Social Impact through Sport

Chungwon Choue, president of World Taekwondo, visited the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) to discuss initiatives for promoting Taekwondo in Qatar and to explore opportunities for collaborative social impact projects through sport.

He met with the Sport Director of the QOC Sheikh Khalifa Bin Khalid Al-Thani. Discussions centered on enhancing Taekwondo’s role in the lead-up to the 2030 Asian Games in Doha. They exchanged ideas on initiatives that leverage sport for social impact, particularly in support of underserved communities. WT Council Member Maher Magableh, and Chair of the WT Para Taekwondo Committee Usman Dildar also attended the meeting.

Choue further demonstrated WT’s commitment to community support by visiting a refugee camp in Doha, where he met with residents to encourage and motivate them.

The popularity of Taekwondo continues to rise across the Middle East, with Qatar witnessing increasing participation and interest in the sport. This will be showcased at the Qatar Open Taekwondo Championships, scheduled from Oct. 31 - Nov. 2. Over 1,000 athletes from around the world are expected to compete.

Opening Ceremony Held for 2024 Nepal WT-ADF Cares Program

KATHMANDU, Nepal (Nov. 7, 2024)

An opening ceremony was held for the 2024 Nepal WT-ADF Care Program at Prithvi Secondary School in the Tarakeshwar Municipality in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The location is the 16th school built by the Um Hong-Gil Human Foundation.

The event drew World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue, Um Hong-gil, executive director of the Um Hong-Gil Human Foundation, Tarakeshwar Municipality Mayor Krishna Hari Maharjan, Prithvi School Principal Narayan Sharma, and around 500 students and local dignitaries.

Other distinguished attendees were Prakash Rana, president of the Nepal Taekwondo Association; and Namdev Shir Guonker, president of India Taekwondo .

The ceremony featured a performance by the Nepal Taek-

wondo Demonstration Team, along with traditional Nepali folk dance.

Supported nancially by the Asia Development Foundation (ADF), the 2024 Nepal WT-ADF Cares Program will provide Taekwondo training for students at Prithvi Um Hong-Gil Human School.

An instructor from the Nepal Taekwondo Association will lead the sessions, promoting physical tness and discipline among the youth through the practice of the martial art.

WT and the Um Hong Gil Human Foundation launched the WT-ADF Cares Program in 2022.

WT has implemented Cares Programs to support disadvantaged youth, including orphans, in Bhutan, Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Timor-Leste and Sri Lanka.

DOHA, Qatar (Oct. 28, 2024)

World Taekwondo Runs 2024 Joint Training Camp in Solomon Islands

HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Feb. 5, 2024)

A 2024 Joint Training Camp organized by World Taekwondo and operated in cooperation with the IOC Olympic Solidarity Program took place in Honiara, the Solomon Islands, from Jan. 22 - Feb. 3, 2024.

The camp bought together ve South Paci c nations: Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Tonga. This collaborative project aimed to support the training of athletes preparing for the prestigious Oceania Taekwondo Quali cation Tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Along with athletes, ve coaches, four administrators and four PSS operators joined to learn know-how and techniques to assist these smaller nations gain a better understanding of training, technique and strategy at the high-performance level.

It took place at Honiara’s Aquatic Center – the venue for Taekwondo competition venue during the Solomon Is-

It was a groundbreaking event. By joining forces, the ve participating nations demonstrated a collective e ort to enhance the region’s chances of Olympic success. As such, the camp represented an important step towards nurturing and cultivating Taekwondo talent in the Oceania region.

It is hoped that the lessons learned and skills acquired will ultimately raise the overall standards of the sport. The focus is not simply on Paris 2024, but on a more distant horizon: The region is beginning longterm preparations to host Brisbane 2032.

“We are delighted that the joint Training Camp was held in Solomon Islands with the support of the IOC,” said WT President Chungwon Choue. “This is a perfect example of legacy. We hope this camp will nurture young athletes’ participation in the upcoming Olympic Games in the lead up to Brisbane 2032.”

lands 2023 Paci c Games. Twenty four athletes were put through their paces at the center.

Its organization bene tted from the cooperation of each of the respective National Olympic Committees and the ve participating Member National Associations of World Taekwondo.

The world-class coaching and rich training environment gave the players the chance to ne-tune skills and gain valuable experiences. Training covered physical exercises, technical and strategic training, and individual training.

The coaches were taught advanced training methods, and were trained in how to use their precious IVR cards to maximum e ect. PSS operators were trained to sustainably manage Taekwondo competitions in their respective. countries

PanAm Region Athletes Upskill at WT Olympic Solidarity Camp 2024 in Santo Domingo

The World Taekwondo Olympic Solidarity Camp 2024 for the PanAm region kicked o in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, at the Albergue Olímpico on Apr. 2, 2024.

The camp, organised by WT in collaboration with the IOC Olympic Solidarity Team and the Pan American Taekwondo Union, aimed to provide high-level training and strategic insights to athletes and coaches gearing up for the Pan American Quali cation Tournament for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games over Apr. 9-10 and the Dominican Open 2024 on Apr. 12.

A total of 73 participants, including 56 athletes, and 17 national team coaches, representing 16 countries in the region, gathered. Additionally, three local technicians and two referees participated to enhance their skills in managing competitions e ectively.

The camp was made possible through the cooperation of each participating country’s National Olympic Committee and Member National Association.

At the training facility, the participants underwent intensive training sessions covering individual techniques, match understanding, tactical strategies for diverse scenarios.

The roles and rights of coaches, referees, and administrators in managing competitions were also laid out.

The hands-on experience of using the PSS (Protector and Scoring System) during training provided valuable insights for the participants..

Overall, the World Taekwondo Olympic Solidarity Camp 2024 in Santo Domingo marked a signi cant milestone in nurturing Taekwondo talent across the PanAm region, setting the stage for enhanced performance and competitiveness in future international competitions, including the Paris Olympic Games and beyond.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Rep. (Apr. 2, 2024)

Olympic Solidarity Camp 2024 Takes Taekwondo to Y outh

in

Dakar, Senegal

The World Taekwondo Olympic Solidarity Camp 2024 for Youth, aimed at the African region, commenced on May 20, 2024, at the Senegal National Arena, or Arène Nationale du Sénégal.

This camp, organized by World Taekwondo in partnership with the IOC Olympic Solidarity Team and the African Taekwondo Union (AFTU), seeks to provide top-tier training and strategic guidance to young athletes and coaches in preparation for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The camp brought together 42 participants, including 32 athletes and 10 national team coaches, from 10 countries within the region. Additionally, 12 local o cials joined the camp to re ne their competition management skills.

The success of this event was ensured through the collaboration of each participating country’s National Olympic

Committee and National Taekwondo Associations. The training covered individual techniques, match analysis, tactical strategies for various scenarios, and the responsibilities and rights of coaches, referees, and administrators in overseeing competitions as well as practical experience with the Protector and Scoring System (PSS).

The World Taekwondo Olympic Solidarity Camp 2024 is paving the way for increased Taekwondo competitiveness, excellence, and recognition in Africa in the years to come.

DAKAR, Senegal (May 20, 2024)

WT Sustainability Awards 2024: Winners Announced

World Taekwondo was delighted to announce the winners of the Sustainability Awards 2024, celebrating the contributions of Member National Associations in advancing sustainability and creating a positive impact in their communities through Taekwondo.

The Sustainability Awards were rst launched in 2023 to inspire and recognize exceptional e orts toward sustainable practices within the Taekwondo community. This year, 26 applications were received — an increase of ve from last year. A distinguished panel of external judges was invited to help evaluate the most impactful initiatives of our MNAs and ensure a fair and thorough evaluation process.

This year’s awards recognize excellence in three categories, re ecting World Taekwondo’s strategic Focus Areas:

- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Community

- Health & Well-being

- Environmental Sustainability

Each category’s 1st place received a trophy and USD 5,000 in value-in-kind support through the Development Program for 2025. Furthermore, all eligible applicants will have their initiatives featured on the World Taekwondo website, highlighting their impactful e orts.

Award Winners:

[Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Community]

1st Place: Guatemala – “Taekwondo for Me” addresses gender-based violence and human tra cking, offering victims self-defense training and empowerment while promoting cultural change and awareness.

2nd Place: Mongolia – “Together for a Shared Future” provides free Taekwondo training for individuals with disabilities, fostering inclusivity and societal change.

3rd Place: Italy – “One World, One Taekwondo, All Together” creates inclusive sports opportunities for underrepresented groups, impacting over 9,780 participants through collaboration and community outreach.

[Health & Well-being]

1st Place: Puerto Rico – A Psychological Counseling Department provides free mental health services to over 100 athletes and stakeholders, raising awareness and conducting over 1,000 interventions.

2nd Place: Tonga – “Taekwondo for Youth: Building Healthy Futures” introduces Taekwondo to children, promoting tness, discipline, and personal growth, bene ting over 300 young participants.

3rd Place: Jordan – National Team Preparation Center o ers stateof-the-art facilities and a holistic sports environment to enhance health, well-being, and skill development for national athletes.

[Environmental Sustainability]

1st Place: Italy – “SusTAEnible – FITA Practical Sustainable Projects” integrates sustainability into Taekwondo through initiatives like the “FITA Forest” and recyclable materials at events, fostering environmental responsibility.

2nd Place: Mongolia – “Trees for Tomorrow, Strength for Today” tackles deserti cation by planting over 150,000 trees as part of a national reforestation campaign.

3rd Place: Kenya – “Kenya Taekwondo Federation Turns Green” combines tree planting and community engagement, training 145,000 volunteers to support reforestation and sustainable development across 47 counties.

A notable mention goes to South Africa’s project, “Championing Socio-cohesion” which was highlighted by jury members for its proposed next steps, which focused on enhancing Taekwondo through improved facilities, communication, and self-sustaining e orts. The winners of each category have demonstrated a remarkable commitment to promoting sustainable practices and fostering a positive impact on the global Taekwondo community. World Taekwondo congratulates all the winners and participants for their dedication to sustainability and for setting a powerful example of how sports can drive meaningful change.

For a Better Tomorrow, WT Unveils 2022-2024 Sustainability Report

World Taekwondo proudly an nounced the publication of its 2022-2024 Sustainability Report. It provides a detailed overview of the organization’s progress and ongoing initiatives within its Sustainability Strategy launched in 2022. The report highlights signi cant achievements, particularly in areas aligning with the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Agenda 2020 and the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue remarked, “This report stands as a testament to our dedication to creating a more inclusive and environmentally responsible sport. With each step forward, we aim to leave a legacy of positive impact that goes beyond the sport of Taekwondo.” Since implementing its Sustainability Strategy, World Taekwondo has achieved numerous milestones, including reaching carbon neutrality for internal operations in both 2022 and 2023, and making progress toward key DEI goals. World Taekwondo has also introduced the Sustainability Awards, recognizing the contributions of Member National Associations (MNAs) toward environmental and community well-being.

Secretary General Jeongkang Seo shared, “We are deeply committed to embedding sustainability into the heart of Taekwondo. This report not only re ects our achievements but also sets the groundwork for the years to come. With the continued dedication of our Taekwondo family worldwide, we are poised to create a sustainable and resilient future for the sport.”

Key highlights from the report include:

Achievements in DEI & Community: World Taekwondo has strengthened its focus on inclusivity and representation, implementing policies to promote gender balance at senior levels and developing community-based Taekwondo programs.

Environmental Sustainability Milestones: By achieving carbon neutrality in recent years, World Taekwondo continues to demonstrate leadership in climate action, further aligning with frameworks like the UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action. Health & Well-being Initiatives: The report underscores World Taekwondo’s commitment to athlete mental health and well-being, with the introduction of surveys and targeted support for elite athletes.

This report not only celebrates the progress made but also invites the global Taekwondo community to join World Taekwondo on its journey toward a more sustainable and inclusive future.

For more details, scan the QR code to read the full report.

SEOUL, Korea (Dec. 23, 2024)

World Taekwondo Pays Tribute to Grandmasters Who Left Us in 2024

World Taekwondo Bids

Sad Farewell to Grandmaster

Soo-Nam Park

World Taekwondo honored the memory of former Vice President Soo-nam Park, who passed away on June 14, with a memorial at the federation’s headquarters in Seoul. e memorial altar stood for three days.

Grandmaster Park was a dedicated Taekwondo practitioner who devoted his life to the martial art he loved. For decades, he promoted Taekwondo worldwide especially through his magazine, Taekwondo Aktuell, which was one of the earliest publications that helped enhance awareness of the sport.

In his nal years, Grandmaster Park dedicated his life to bringing happiness to children and youths through his beloved Taekwondo.

World Taekwondo’s thoughts are with his family during this di cult time.

World

Taekwondo Mourns

Passing of Grandmaster

René Bundeli

It is with deep regret and profound sadness that we announce the passing of former World Taekwondo Council Member and Swiss Taekwondo Honorary President, Grandmaster Bundeli who passed away on March 29, 2024.

Gransmaster Bundeli was a pioneer in introducing Taekwondo to Switzerland, founding Swiss Taekwondo, and serving as its president for over two decades. He was the sole holder of a 9th Dan black belt in Switzerland and held prominent positions such as chairman of the Games Committee at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, and chairman of the Referee Committee of World Taekwondo. Bundeli passionately taught and promoted Taekwondo in various places around the world. World Taekwondo’s thoughts are with his family at this dicult time.

World Taekwondo Pays Tribute to Grandmaster

Young Ghil Park

World Taekwondo honored the memory of Grandmaster Young Ghil Park, Honorary President of the Italian Taekwondo Federation and former Chair of the World Taekwondo Poomsae Committee, who passed away on Dec. 7, 2024.

A memorial ceremony was held at the federation’s headquarters in Seoul to commemorate his remarkable life and legacy.

Grandmaster Park’s unwavering dedication not only shaped the development of Taekwondo in Italy but also profoundly impacted the lives of students, athletes, and fellow leaders. His enduring legacy continues to inspire all who had the privilege to learn from and work alongside him.

His spirit remains a guiding light for the global Taekwondo family.

As we mourn his loss, we nd solace in knowing that his legacy lives on through the dojangs he inspired, the principles he instilled, and the countless lives he touched.

Event Calendar

Date Place Event

Apr. 29-May 3 Jordan, Amman 3rd Hope and Dreams Sports Festival

May 10-14 Fujairah, UAE Fujairah 2025 World Taekwondo Cadet Championships

Jun. 13-15 Charlotte, USA Charlotte 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge

Jul. 11-13 Muju, Korea Muju Taekwondowon 2025 World Taekwondo Diamond Game

Jul. 17-23 TKD (Jul. 16-27) Rhine-Ruhr, Germany Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games

Aug. 29-31 Muju, Korea Muju Taekwondowon 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge

Sept/Oct TBC 2nd World Para Taekwondo Poomsae Championships

Oct. 24-30 Wuxi, China Wuxi 2025 World Taekwondo Championships

Oct/Nov TBC 11th World Para Taekwondo Championships

Nov. TBC Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Olympic Esports Games

Nov. 21-23 Bangkok, Thailand Bangkok 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge

Dec. TBC Wuxi, China Wuxi 2025 World Taekwondo Grand Slam Challenge

Dec. TBC Wuxi 2025 World Taekwondo World Cup Team Championships Final

TBC TBC 2025 World Taekwondo Team Championships Series

TBC TBC 2025 World Taekwondo Women’s Open Championships

TBC TBC 2025 World Taekwondo Under 21 Championships

TBC Daegu, Korea Daegu 2025 World Taekwondo University Festival

TBC Chuncheon, Korea Gangwon-Chuncheon 2025 World Taekwondo Demonstration & Breaking Championships

TAEKWONDO

1599-3779 O cial Publication of World Taekwondo

Publisher / Chungwon Choue

Editor-in Chief / Magazine Director / Heesoo Noh

Editors / Andrew Salmon, Yeni Lee

Contributing Photographers / Pyunggil Lee, Denis Sekretev

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

World Taekwondo is delighted to bring you the o cial publication of the federation.

Taekwondo magazine epitomizes our enthusiasm and progressive mindset in leading Taekwondo and the World Taekwondo. Taekwondo magazine is published annually.

It is a summary of the previous year’s events, competition results and happenings throughout the world of Taekwondo. It provides the events of the year, interviews with Taekwondo stars and useful information on Taekwondo.

© 2025 World Taekwondo

This publication and its contents may not be reproduced, even in part, in any form, without the written permission of the World Taekwondo.

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