2014 WTF Magazine Small Fin

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLD TAEKWONDO FEDERATION
2014
ISSUE NO.
101
Championships Results!
Athlete Interviews!
Regional Training Centers!
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLD TAEKWONDO FEDERATION
ISSUE NO.
101
Championships Results!
Athlete Interviews!
New Uniforms!
Our Next Big Mission
PARA TAEKWONDO:
The Future of Competition
Taekwondo Grand Prix:
Our Sports New Shangri-la
Taekwondowon:
Federation in 2013 and participated in the IPC General Assembly
with observer status.
The WTF will also put an equal emphasis on the successful stag-
ing of the 2014 WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix series and fi-
nal, whose venues will be finalized in March. A growing number
of countries are vying to host the Grand Prix events, which draw
the best athletes and great interest from both the public and
international media.
The WTF will continue to revise its Competition Rules and tae-
kwondo uniforms to show the world a new taekwondo, more
dynamic and more transparent and fairer, at the taekwondo
competition at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. The WTF
will also make the 5-on-5 team competitions more appealing to
the public and the international media.
The WTF has continued to be a loyal partner to the IOC. The
election of the new IOC President, Dr. Thomas Bach, at the 125th
IOC Session in Buenos Aires, marked the beginning of a new and
exciting era for the Olympic movement. But it also highlights the
need for constant change, renewal and recalibration of targets.
While taekwondo is in a good position currently, we must not
become complacent. We must strive to advance our global sport
and continue to maintain good relationships with President Bach
and the Olympic family to safeguard our position on the Olympic
program.
I wish all members of the WTF family a successful and prosperous
2014.
Dear global taekwondo family of the World Taekwon-
do Federation,
The year 2013 has been hugely successful for the WTF
in terms of achieving our goals and objectives.
The highlight was of course the decision taken by the
International Olympic Committee in September 2013
to name taekwondo one of the 25 core sports on the
2020 Olympic program. Taekwondos inclusion in the
Olympic Games in 2020 remains perhaps the WTFs
greatest achievement and our continued participa-
tion is a huge honor for all of the WTF family. We are
very proud of the IOC decision and we will all repay
their faith in our beloved sport by working tireless-
ly to ensure that taekwondo continues to develop
worldwide.
In 2013 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the
WTF and we took the opportunity to commemorate
the energy and devotion of all the athletes, volun-
teers, officials and member national associations that
have been involved in our sport over the past four de-
cades. Our federation has come a long way but we are
now entering an exciting new period in taekwondos
evolution as we look to realize the sports hugely un-
Dr. Chungwon Choue
President,
World Taekwondo Federation
tapped global potential over the coming years.
We have had the privilege of watching a number of excellent
taekwondo events in 2013.
The World Taekwondo Championships in Puebla, Mexico in July
were a huge success and credit must be given to the event orga-
nizers and all the athletes, officials and volunteers that contrib-
uted to making the championships such an excellent event. In
October 2013, Bali, Indonesia, hosted the 8th World Taekwondo
Poomsae Championships, while November 2013 saw the staging
of the 2nd Asia-Europe Intercontinental Taekwondo Champion-
ships in Shenzhen, China and the 2013 WTF World Cup Taekwon-
do Team Championships in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire. All of these
international competitions were brilliantly organized and helped
to reinforce taekwondos position on the world stage.
Finally, we completed the year with the inaugural World Tae-
kwondo Grand Prix final in Manchester, UK. The competition
marked the first step of our next exciting journey. The World
Taekwondo GP will not only give our best athletes the chance
to compete against one another on a regular basis, but will also
allow us to fulfil taekwondos huge commercial potential. On the
opening day of the competitions, we announced our partnership
with the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and
Peace, which will help us use taekwondo as a vehicle to promote
the common goals of sport for all and peace.
The year 2014 will be crucial in our continued evolution for the
betterment of taekwondo and the WTF.
In 2014 the WTF will do its utmost to put taekwondo on the of-
ficial program of the 2020 Paralympic Games. The International
Paralympic Committee (IPC) makes its final decision in October
2014.
In this regard, the WTF signed partnership agreements in 2013
with four of the international para-sports organisations, includ-
ing the International Committee of Sport for the Deaf. The WTF
was officially granted the status of IPC-Recognized International
Presidents
Message
The global membership of the
reached 206 as of March 2014,
one of the largest International
Sport Federations under the In-
ternational Olympic Committee.
The latest addition to the WTF
membership is Africas Maurita-
nia, which became a provisional
member of the WTF on Feb. 18,
2014.
Mauritania will become a full
member of the WTF pending
approval at the WTF Council
meeting and General Assembly
in Taipei City, Chinese Taipei in
March this year. Mauritania has
the right to participate in all WTF
events.
By continent, the African Tae-
kwondo Union has the largest
membership of 50 countries, to-
gether with the European Tae-
kwondo Union. The Pan Amer-
ican Taekwondo Union follows
with 44 countries, compared
with the Asian Taekwondo
Unions 43. The Oceania Tae-
kwondo Union has 19 countries
as regional members.
1.Antigua & Barbuda 2.Argentina
3.Aruba 4.Bahamas 5.Barbados 6.Belize
7.Bermuda 8.Bolivia 9.Brazil 10.British
Virgin Islands 11.Canada 12.Cayman Is-
lands 13.Chile 14.Colombia 15.Costa Rica
16.Dominican Republic 17.Cuba 18.Domi-
nica 19.Ecuador 20.El Salvador 21.Grena-
da 22.Guadeloupe 23.Guatemala 24.Guy-
ana 25.Haiti 26.Honduras 27.Jamaica
28.Martinique 29.Mexico 30.Netherlands
Antilles 31.Nicaragua 32.Panama 33.Par-
aguay 34.Peru 35.Puerto Rico 36.St. Lucia
37.St. Kitts & Nevis 38.Surinam 39.St. Vin-
cent & the Grenadines 40.Trinidad and
Tobago 41.Uruguay 42.U.S.A. 43.Virgin
Islands 44.Venezuela
AMERICA
44
WTF Global Membership
Expands to
1. Albania 2.Andorra 3.Armenia 4.Austria 5.Azerbaijan
6.Belarus 7.Belgium 8.Bosnia & Herzegovina 9.Bulgaria
10.Croatia 11.Cyprus 12.Czech Republic 13.Denmark
14.Estonia 15.Finland 16.France 17.Georgia 18.Germany
19.Great Britain 20.Greece 21.Hungary 22.Iceland
23.Ireland 24.Isle of Man 25.Israel 26.Italy 27.Kosovo
28.Latvia 29.Lithuania 30.Luxembourg 31.Macedonia
32.Malta 33.Moldova 34.Monaco 35.Montenegro
36.The Netherlands 37.Norway 38.Poland 39.Portugal
40.Romania 41.Russia 42.San Marino 43.Serbia 44.Slo-
vak Republic 45.Slovenia 46.Spain 47.Sweden 48.Swit-
zerland 49.Turkey 50.Ukraine
EUROPE
1.Algeria 2.Angola 3.Benin 4.Botswana 5.Burkina
Faso 6.Burundi 7.Cameroon 8.Cape Verde 9.Central
African Republic 10.Comoros 11.Cote dIvoire
12.Congo 13.D.R. of the Congo 14.Egypt 15.Equa-
torial Guinea 16.Ethiopia 17.Gabon 18.Gambia
19.Ghana 20.Guinea 21.Kenya 22.Lesotho 23.Li-
beria 24.Libya 25.Madagascar 26.Malawi 27.Mali
28.Mauritania 29.Mauritius 30.Morocco 31.Mo-
zambique 32.Niger 33.Nigeria
34.Ruanda 35.Sao Tome & Principe
36.Senegal 37.Seychelles 38.Sierra Leone 39.So-
malia 40.South Africa 41.Sudan 42.South Sudan
43.Swaziland 44.Chad 45.Tanzania 46.Togo 47.Tuni-
sia 48.Uganda 49.Zimbabwe 50.Zambia
AFRICA
1.American Samoa 2.Australia 3.Cook
Islands 4.Fiji 5.French Polynesia 6.Guam
7.Kiribati 8.Marshall Islands 9.Micronesia
10.Tuvalu 11.New Caledonia 12.New
Zealand 13.Palau 14.Papua New Guinea
15.Samoa 16.Solomon Islands 17.Tonga
18.Tuvalu 19.Vanuatu
OCEANIA
1.Afghanistan 2.Bahrain 3.Bangladesh 4.Bhutan
5.Brunei 6.Cambodia 7.China 8.Chinese Taipei
9.Hong Kong 10.India 11.Indonesia 12.Iran 13.Iraq
14.Japan 15.Jordan 16.Kazakhstan 17.Korea 18.Ku-
wait 19.Kyrgyzstan 20.Laos 21.Lebanon 22.Macao
23.Malaysia 24.Mongolia 25.Myanmar 26.Nepal
27.Oman 28.Pakistan 29.Palestine 30.Philippines
31.Qatar 32.Saudi Arabia 33.Singapore 34.Sri Lan-
ka 35.Syria 36.Tajikistan 37.Thailand 38.Timor-Leste
39.Turkmenistan 40.United Arab Emirates 41.Uz-
bekistan 42.Vietnam 43.Yemen
ASIA
43
19
50
50
More WTF members are expected in 2014
1973 1988 2005 2011 2014
7
85
179
200
206
200
150
100
50
10
CONTENTS
2014
The Next Big Mission:
All out for
Para-Taekwondo
The Decision:
Taekwondo in
2020 Olympics!
Here Come the Champions
(Grand Prix)
Paralympic Taekwondo:
The Way Ahead
18
GB Taekwondo: Scouting the Elite
30
Interviews with Athletes
40
Mahama Cho
Lutalo Muhammad
Carlo Molfetta
2013 WTF World
Para-Taekwondo
Championships
20
12
46
26
Part 1.
IN FOCUS
Part 2.
2013 REVIEW
WTF Head Calls for
Sport Peace Corps
WTF, U.N. Body to Promote Peace and Sport for All
Taekwondo Peace Corps:
A Report from the Front Line
56
Taste of Taekwondo Adds Spice to U.N. Youth Program
62
52
60
Going to School
with the WTF
2013 MAJOR
EVENTS
2013 World Taekwondo
Championships
96
2013 World Taekwondo Poomsae
Championships
106
2013 World Cup Taekwondo
Team Championships
112
2nd Asia-Europe Intercontinental
Taekwondo Championships
116
WTF 40
th
Anniver-
sary : Party Night
in Bali
110
5th World Youth
Taekwondo Camp
66
Taekwondos Future Gathers in Suwon
68
64
96
2013 World Combat Games
120
Part 3.
AROUND THE WTF
WTF Council Members (2013-2017)
126
Married to Taekwondo
166
Technical Committee
Convenes in New Tae-
kwondo Complex
158
International Referee
Interviews
152
Anthony Ferguson
Pimol Srivikorn
Sarah Stevenson
Julie Dib
Christopher Codling
Neydis Tavarez
Council Member Interviews
128
Election Time
Taekwondos
Latest Honorary
Black Belts
Taekwondo Evangelist
Steps Down
124
160
134
Country Reports
136
New Regional Training Centers
Coming On-Line
178
New Uniformity for Poomsae
Uniforms
180
Events Calendar
188
Continental
Unions
168
Welcome to Taekwondos
New Shangri-la
182
In Focus
The Next Big Mission: All out for Para-Taekwondo
TAEKWONDOOfcial Publication of the WTF 12 13
The
Next
Big
Mission:
All out for
Para-Taekwondo
The WTF is putting
all its resources into
getting taekwondo into the
2020 Paralympic Program
T
aekwondo has secured its 2020
Olympic berth, but as a sport for
all, more can be done - and nobody
knows this better than the head of the
WTF, who laid out the federations next
big mission in his New Years message.
In 2014 the WTF will do its utmost to put
taekwondo on the official program of the
2020 Paralympic Games, said WTF Presi-
dent Chungwon Choue.
In Focus
Steps are already underway. The WTF,
with its global membership of 206 mem-
ber national associations, signed a memo-
randum of understanding (MOU) in 2013
with three international para-sports or-
ganizations: INAS, the international sport
federation for para-athletes with an in-
tellectual disability; the Cerebral Palsy
International Sports and Recreation As-
sociation (CPISRA); and the International
Blind Sports Federation (IBSA). The WTF
also inked an MOU with the International
Committee of Sport for the Deaf (ICSD)
for the further development of taekwon-
do for deaf athletes.
Under these MOUs, taekwondo will be
included in almost all multi-sport games
for the disabled. Taekwondo has already
been confirmed as a demonstration sport
at the 2015 INAS Global Games and the
2015 CPISRA World Games. The WTF is
also working hard to fulfill the require-
ments for inclusion in the 2015 IBSA World
Championships and Games.
As taekwondo has been included in the
Deaflympics since 2009, the WTF plans to
create an annual World Deaf-Taekwondo
Championships. Since 2013, both kyorugi
and poomsae have been included in the
Deaflympic Games. The first WTF World
Deaf-Taekwondo Championships will be
held in 2014 with the recognition of the
ICSD. Taekwondo will also be included in
the 2016 World Deaf Martial Arts Cham-
pionships.
In October 2013, the International
Paralympic Committee (IPC) granted the
WTF IPC-recognized International Feder-
ation status. One month later, the WTF
participated in the IPC General Assembly
in Athens, Greece as an observer for the
first time.
The IPC, the global governing body of
the Paralympic movement, is scheduled
to make its final decision on the official
program of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic
Games in October this year, according to
an IPC press release.
The IPC was founded in 1989 as an inter-
national non-profit organization formed
and run by 174 National Paralympic Com-
mittees (NPCs) from five regions and four
disability specific international sports fed-
erations.
The IPC said that six sports and three dis-
ciplines are now competing to be on the
official program of the 2020 Paralympic
Games. They are para-taekwondo, pa-
ra-badminton, powerchair football, 3-on-
3 intellectually impaired basketball, elec-
tric wheelchair hockey, amputee football,
one-person multi-hull sailing, blind match
racing sailing, and 3-on-3 wheelchair bas-
ketball.
Currently there are 22 sports on the sum-
mer Paralympic Games program - ath-
letics, archery, boccia, canoe, cycling,
equestrian, football 5-a-side, football
7-a-side, rowing, sailing, shooting, sitting
volleyball, swimming, table tennis, triath-
lon, wheelchair basketball, wheelchair
fencing, wheelchair rugby and wheel-
chair tennis. The two latest additions are
para-canoe and para-triathlon, and both
will make their debut at the Rio 2016
Paralympics.
Since the first Games in Rome, Italy in
1960, the Paralympic Games have con-
tinued to grow in size and stature. The
first Games featured 400 athletes from 23
countries competing in eight sports - ar-
chery, athletics, dartchery, snooker, swim-
ming, table tennis, wheelchair fencing
and wheelchair basketball.
At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, a
record 4,237 athletes from 164 countries
took part in 503 medal events across 20
sports. A global audience of 3.8 billion
watched the Games, while 2.78 million
tickets were sold, making the Paralym-
pics the third-largest sporting event in
the world behind the Olympics and FIFA
World Cup.
In 2010, para-taekwondo, para-badmin-
ton, intellectually impaired basketball,
para-golf, and powerchair football all ap-
plied to be part of the Rio 2016 Paralym-
pic sports program, but were unsuccess-
ful, with the IPC Governing Board instead
choosing applications from para-canoe
and para-triathlon.
The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be
held from Aug. 25 to Sept. 6, 2020.
The IPC is constantly researching and
amending their classification system for
the fairest classification possible.
In line with the IPC Classification Code,
the WTF has, in recent months, conduct-
ed a series of research programs into ev-
idence-based, sport-specific classification
systems and competition rules. These are
the WTFs latest steps for taekwondos in-
clusion in the 2020 Paralympic Games.
The first stage of WTF research was con-
ducted on 18 able-bodied athletes on
Dec. 21-23, 2013 at Yong In University
in Korea. During the initial stage, elite
able-bodied athletes were tested to pro-
vide a baseline measure for comparison to
para-taekwondo athletes.
The second stage of research was con-
ducted on 16 para-taekwondo athletes
from Russia, France and Turkey in Mos-
cow, Russia on Jan. 21-24, 2014. The sec-
ond research period marked the first
time that the WTF has conducted a sport
analysis on para-taekwondo athletes. The
research was supported by the Europe-
an Para-Taekwondo Union, the Russian
Paralympic Committee and the Russian
Taekwondo Union.
Athletes and coaches involved in the test-
ing were also invited to give their feed-
back on the classification and competi-
tion system. Among the suggestions put
forward to maximize the promotion of
the sport were the creation of more pa-
ra-taekwondo competitions, a ranking
system and an increased national quota.
Based on this research, the WTF has de-
veloped a para-taekwondo classification
rules and regulations, para-taekwondo
competition rules, and a standing pro-
cedure for the World Para-Taekwondo
Championships, all of which are subject to
approval by the WTF Council and General
Assembly this March in Chinese Taipei.
The WTFs ceaseless efforts for the
Paralympics date back to June 2006, when
WTF President Choue sent a letter to IPC
President Sir Philip Craven, expressing
the WTFs high interest in the Paralympic
Games.
In July 2006, the WTF General Assembly
unanimously approved the establishment
of the WTF Paralympic Committee. The
WTF Paralympic Committee was name-
changed to the WTF Para-Taekwondo
Committee in 2013 to better reflect the
tasks of the committee. The WTF Pa-
ra-Taekwondo Committee is chaired by
Mr. Jacobus Engelbrecht, president of the
CPISRA.
Just as this magazine was going to print, we learned
that para-taekwondo kyorugi had been shortlisted by
the International Paralympic Committee for the Tokyo
2020 Paralympic Games.
This means we have passed Phase 1. The final decision
will be made by the IPC on Oct. 6-7, 2014.
Fingers crossed for October!
Stop Press!
In Focus
The WTF organized a para-taekwondo
demonstration during the opening cer-
emony of the inaugural WTF World Tae-
kwondo Poomsae Championships in Sep-
tember 2006 in Seoul, Korea. Two months
later, the WTF held its first WTF Paralym-
pic Committee meeting in Seoul.
Another para-taekwondo demonstration
was held at the welcoming reception of
the Seoul IPC General Assembly in No-
vember 2007.
The WTF held its first WTF World Pa-
ra-Taekwondo Championships in Baku,
Azerbaijan on June 10, 2009, drawing a
total of 38 athletes from 19 countries. The
championships were only for limb-defi-
cient athletes.
The 2nd WTF World Para-Taekwondo
Championships were held in St. Peters-
burg, Russia on May 11, 2010, attracting
66 athletes from 21 countries.
In July 2010, the WTF sent its application
to the IPC for the 2016 Paralympic Games.
The 3rd WTF World Para-Taekwondo
Championships took place on Nov. 22,
2012 in Santa Cruz, Aruba, drawing 53
athletes from 14 countries. The 4th World
Para-Taekwondo Championships were
held on June 8, 2013 in Lausanne, Swit-
zerland, attracting 86 athletes from 25
countries.
On June 6, 2013, the WTF para-taekwon-
do development task force held a meet-
ing in Lausanne, in which they suggested
the development of world-class para-tae-
kwondo competitions of both kyorugi
and poomsae for athletes of all disabili-
ties.
The 5th WTF World Para-Taekwondo
Championships are likely to be held in
June this year in Russia.
The WTF is actively urging its continental
unions and member national associations
to hold regional and national para-tae-
kwondo championships.
We plan to further develop the WTF
World Para-Taekwondo Championships
into a genuinely world-class para-sport
event, WTF President Choue said. In
this regard, I strongly ask WTF Conti-
nental Unions and member national as-
sociations to initiate and expand their
para-taekwondo events and produce pa-
ra-taekwondo development programs.
I believe that our efforts will further
help promote the Paralympic movement,
Choue added. We are committed to cre-
ating a world stage for our para-taekwon-
do athletes to achieve sporting excellence
and to provide sporting opportunities for
those with a disability.
In line with the WTF policy, the Pan Amer-
ican Taekwondo Union held its first Pan
American Para-Taekwondo Champion-
ships on Dec. 9, 2010 in Monterrey, Mexico
on the occasion of the 2010 Pan American
Taekwondo Championships. The second
Pan American Taekwondo Championships
took place in Sucre, Bolivia on Sept. 26,
2011.
The European Taekwondo Union held its
inaugural Para-Taekwondo Champion-
ships on Sept. 26, 2011 in Moscow, Russia,
drawing 53 athletes from nine European
countries. The second European Para-Tae-
kwondo Championships were held in
Chisinau, Moldova in April 2013.
In Focus
The Way
Ahead
The WTF has appointed Jacobus
Adriaan Engelbrecht, president
of the Cerebral Palsy Internation-
al Sports and Recreation Associ-
ation (CPISRA), to head the WTF
Para-Taekwondo Committee. How
will the WTF Para-Taekwondo
Committee work and what will
the future cooperation between
CPISRA and the WTF look like?
Read on
How do you feel about being ap-
pointed as chairman of the WTF Pa-
ra-Taekwondo Committee?
I really feel honored, and at the same
time excited, because this appointment
will help, alongside other committee
members, to create opportunities for ath-
letes of all disabilities to compete in the
sport of taekwondo. Its an opportunity
that they would not have had in the past.
Your term of offce is over the next
two years. What is your plan?
I can tell you that there is a definite goal
and that is to work toward creating a sys-
tem where para-athletes can compete
in taekwondo. They have also a goal to
reach, and that is to compete at the high-
est level; for many of them, it is to com-
pete at the Paralympics and I hope that
we can create a system that is fair, and
Paralympic Taekwondo:
that all the member national associations
will support this aim. So this is part of the
plan.
So for this year of 2014, what can be
the main target?
I do believe that the main target this year
is definitely to get everything in place so
that the IPC approves 2020 as the first
Paralympics where para-taekwondo ath-
letes can compete. Along with that it
is competition - international or world
championships - and then to create a
platform where all member associations
will support developing para-taekwondo
from the lowest level to the highest.
What is your overall evaluation of the
WTFs para-taekwondo policies?
I am very impressed with all the policies
that are already in place. My experience
working with the WTF is that it is an or-
ganization that has got their policies in
place already, and it is easy to work along-
side individuals to ensure that we can con-
tinue in this way.
What do you think the WTF should fo-
cus on to make taekwondo an offcial
sport of the Paralympics?
Certainly, it is to build a relationship with
the IPC (International Paralympic Commit-
tee) and I hope through my involvement
we can just achieve that.
As president of the CPISRA what kind
of support can you offer the WTF for
taekwondo to be included in the of-
fcial program of the 2020 Paralympic
Games - whose decision is scheduled
for October this year?
I think as president of CPISRA, it is my
knowledge of the sports world and the
network that I have and the contacts to
bring all people and all relevant stake-
holders together, to work toward this
goal, so when the decision is made in Oc-
tober this year, it will have the support of
the IPC.
What is your prospect for taekwondo
to be included in the 2020 Paralym-
pics?
Well, there is only one goal and we will
work for 2020.
As head of CPISRA, you signed a
memorandum of understanding with
the WTF last year. What kind of coop-
eration do you expect from the WTF
this year?
At the moment we are already in a nego-
tiation about the CPISRA World Games
for next year. So I really appreciate the
support that CPISRA is getting and that
we can cooperate to make it possible to
present taekwondo in the CPISRA World
Games next year.
Finally, do you have anything else
you want to add?
I am very pleased to be involved. So thank
you for the opportunity!
Jacobus Adriaan Engelbrecht
In Focus
2013 WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships
Russia won four gold medals, four silver
medals and one bronze medal for a total
68 points for the overall mens title at the
4th WTF World Para-Taekwondo Champi-
onships in Lausanne, Switzerland on June
8, 2013.
According to the team ranking by points,
Azerbaijan came next with one gold,
five silvers and four bronze medals for
52 points, followed by Turkey with three
golds and one bronze for 38 points, and
Iran with three golds for 33 points. Spain
finished fifth with one gold, one silver
and one bronze for 33 points.
In the womens division, Turkey clinched
the overall womens title with one gold,
one silver and one bronze, followed by
Russia with three silvers and one bronze.
Azerbaijan came next with one gold and
one silver, followed by Denmark and Can-
ada with one gold each.
The Good Fighting Spirit Award went to
Nepal, while Mongolia took the Active
Participation Award.
Ukraines Viktoriia Marchuk was selected
as the female MVP of the championships,
while Azerbaijans Jahangir Bayramov as
the male MVP. Russias Alexander Efre-
mov was chosen as the male teams best
coach, and Turkeys Muammer Canbaz as
the female teams best coach.
A total of 82 athletes from 25 countries
participated in the one-day para-tae-
kwondo event, which was held at the Cen-
tre Sportiv de Grande-Vennes in north-
eastern Lausanne. Twenty-six countries
submitted their entries, but Iraq failed to
send its athletes at the last moment.
At the inaugural WTF World Para-Tae-
kwondo Championships in June 2009 in
Baku, Azerbaijan, 36 athletes from 16
countries competed, compared with 65
athletes from 21 countries at the 2nd
in St. Petersburg, Russia in May 2010. The
3rd World Para-Taekwondo Champion-
ships held in Santa Cruz, Aruba in Novem-
ber 2012 attracted 53 athletes from 14
countries.
Russia, Turkey take overall mens,
womens titles in Lausanne, Switzerland
2013 WTF
World
Para-Taekwondo
Championships
Lausanne, Switzerland June 8, 2013
In Focus
2013 WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships
Russia sent the largest contingent of 16
athletes, including 12 males, to the 4th
World Para-Taekwondo Championships,
followed by Azerbaijan with 15 athletes.
Turkey came next with 11 athletes. Spain
dispatched six para-athletes, while Mon-
golia sent five.
Iran, France, Ukraine and Brazil each sent
three athletes to the Lausanne event,
while Poland sent two. A total of 15 coun-
tries dispatched one athlete. They are Ne-
pal, Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland,
Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Sweden, Aus-
tralia, New Zealand, Argentina, Canada,
Guatemala and Mexico.
Prior to the final matches of the 4th World
Para-Taekwondo Championships, there
was an opening ceremony. At the cere-
mony, WTF President Chungwon Choue
said, It is with great pride and pleasure
that I welcome you all here to the Olympic
capital.
I would like to offer my heartfelt con-
gratulations and appreciation to the Swiss
Taekwondo Association for their hard
work and collaboration in hosting both of
these inspiring events, Choue said.
He continued, I am proud to announce
that yesterday the WTF signed MOUs
with the International Sport Federation
for Para-Athletes with Intellectual Disabil-
ity and the Cerebral Palsy International
Sport and Recreation Association to work
together to include new competitors and
disciplines into taekwondo.
In Focus
WTF Para-Taekwondo
Chronology
June 2006
WTF President sent letter to IPC
President expressing high interest
in Paralympic Games
July 2006
WTF GA approved establishment
of WTF Paralympic Committee
(renamed to WTF Para-Taekwondo
Committee)
September 2006
A para-taekwondo demonstration
was held at opening ceremony of
1st World Taekwondo Poomsae
Championship
November 2007
A para-taekwondo demonstration
was held at the welcoming reception
of Seoul IPC General Assembly
June 10, 2009
1st WTF World Para-Taekwondo
Championships were held in Baku,
Azerbaijan
May 11, 2010
2nd WTF World Para-Taekwondo
Championships were held
in St. Petersburg, Russia
July 2010
WTF applied for 2016 Paralympic
Program
Nov. 22, 2012
3rd WTF World Para-Taekwondo
Championships were held in Santa
Cruz, Aruba
June 6, 2013
WTF para-taekwondo development
task force met in Lausanne, Switzer-
land
June 7, 2013
WTF signed MOU with INAS
in Lausanne, Switzerland
June 7, 2013
WTF signed MOU with CPISRA
(the Cerebral Palsy International
Sports and Recreation Association)
June 8, 2013
4th WTF World Para-Taekwondo
Championships were held
Oct. 16, 2013
IPC granted WTF IPC-recognized IF
status
Oct. 25, 2013
WTF signed MOU with ICSD
(International Committee of Sports
for the Deaf) in St. Petersburg, Russia
November 2013
WTF signed MOU with IBSA
(International Blind Sports Federa-
tion) in Athens, Greece
Dec. 21-22, 2013
WTFs frst stage of research was
conducted in Yong In University
in Korea for the development of
sport-specifc classifcation systems
Jan. 21-24, 2014
WTFs second stage of research was
conducted in Moscow, Russia
June 2014
5th WTF World Para-Taekwondo
Championships are likely to be held
in Russia
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
27 TAEKWONDOOfcial Publication of the WTF 26
Here Come the
Seoul-based correspondent Andrew Salmon reports on how the 1st
WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in Manchester, GB, provid-
ed a winning benchmark for the sports spectacular new fixture
The first ever World Taekwondo
Grand Prix a series of interna-
tionally hosted events designed
to showcase the excitement
of top-level taekwondo in a
high-profile, media-friendly for-
mat, while filling in holes in the
sports competitive calendar
kicked off at the Manchester Cen-
tral Convention Complex in Great
Britain. Competitions ran over
three days, from Dec. 13-15, 2013.
Manchester, famed equally for
its football teams, pop groups
and nightlife, was an appropriate
venue. Great Britain wanted to
host the first Grand Prix event,
said event organizer Gary Hall,
performance director of GB Tae-
kwondo. With Great Britains
taekwondo bodies keen to fol-
low up the sports smash success
at the 2012 London Olympics,
the event was generously fund-
ed by the governmental bodies
UK Sport and Manchester City
Council.
London 2012 really opened
our eyes to taekwondos poten-
tial. We saw some of the best
and most exciting action that the
sport has ever seen, and we saw
huge enthusiasm from specta-
tors and TV audiences, said WTF
President Chungwon Choue.
We want to make sure we con-
tinue to build on this.
The Manchester Grand Prix was
just the first in this new series,
which is branded Here Come
the Champions. It is a non-man-
datory, invitational event. Invita-
tions are based on WTF rankings.
There will be at least two Grand
Prix series and one Grand Prix fi-
nal every year.
Manchester welcomed 231
athletes from 59 countries.
Among them were three London
2012 Olympic gold medalists,
and two Beijing 2008 Olympic
gold holders. Matches in eight
weight categories mens -58kg,
mens -68kg, mens -80kg, mens
Dec. 13-15, 2013
+80kg, womens -49kg, womens
-57kg, womens -67kg, and wom-
ens +67kg - were officiated by 56
international referees. The scor-
ing and judging systems used in
London protector and scoring
system (PSS) and an instant video
replay system were also used at
the Grand Prix.
CHAMPIONS
27
Grand Prix
Among the innovations seen in
Manchester was a black compe-
tition mat. Previously, matches
had taken place on blue and red
mats, but the WTF had discov-
ered, after testing various colors,
that black could be most telege-
nic. And so it proved. The spin-
ning, leaping, kicking athletes in
their white uniforms, contrasted
with a black field, provided TV
cameras with strikingly dramatic
footage. More innovations are
to come: At the next Grand Prix
in July, octagonal mats will be
showcased.
While taekwondo is one of
the worlds most popular partic-
ipation sports, it has never quite
captured the attention of main-
stream spectators. If the Grand
Prix is any indication, this state of
affairs may be changing, for me-
dia exposure in Manchester was
exceptional. Some 100 channels
from around the world broad-
cast the Grand Prix, including
the BBC, which ran live coverage
throughout the three-day event.
A strong incentive for the host-
ing city is the possibility of lever-
aging the commercial potential
of what is at last - being recog-
nized as a spectacular sport for
viewers.
We want to make sure we
continue to build on this
The World Grand Prix will
help realize taekwondos huge
untapped commercial poten-
tial and give sponsors a chance
to have a meaningful role in
the global development of the
sport, said WTF Secretary Gen-
eral Jean-Marie Ayer. The divi-
sion of television rights between
the WTF and the host cities will
ensure that the entire global tae-
kwondo community is connect-
ed to the event, whether they
are watching from the comfort
of their own homes on the TV or
the internet, or first-hand.
Indeed, tickets for the three-
day event in Manchester were
sold out, providing a solid mar-
keting benchmark for future
host cities to follow. The World
Taekwondo Grand Prix shows the
world the best of the best of
taekwondo, said WTF PR head
Seok-jae Kang. We are granting
the Grand Prix-hosting rights to
cities which are able to generate
maximum marketing and me-
dia exposure. Kang noted that
there has already been consid-
erable competition from coun-
tries around the world to host
upcoming Grand Prix series and
final events. Strong contenders
at time of writing include cities in
China, Great Britain, Kazakhstan
and Mexico.
There is another incentive for
hosting member national asso-
ciations. They can improve their
athletes seedings. The top 31
athletes in the eight Olympic
weight categories were invited
to this first Grand Prix final; one
extra spot in each weight cate-
gory was, and will be, reserved
for the home team. There is a
maximum quota of two athletes
per nation in any one category.
The first Grand Prix delivered a
widespread medal distribution.
Russia came first, followed by
host GB in second place, Spain
in third place, Chinese Taipei in
fourth and Sweden fifth.
One surprising arguably, his-
toric - result was Koreas showing;
the traditional taekwondo pow-
erhouse only managed a sixth
place, and did not take home a
single gold medal. This is the first
time the sports home team has
not won gold at a major WTF in-
ternational competition.
A Korean observer noted that
while this was not exactly cause
for celebration, it shows that the
sport in the form of its first-ev-
er Grand Prix had passed a
milestone: Taekwondo is now
truly global.
The events organizer was de-
lighted by it all.
We could give a unique event
that was different, Hall of GB
Taekwondo summed up. We
believe that the quality delivery
of the event was world class.
29
Grand Prix
H
aving won its first tae-
kwondo Olympic med-
al a bronze in Beijing
in 2008, Great Britain is now
putting its best foot forward. It
seized a gold and a bronze on
home turf in London 2012, and
took overall second place in the
landmark 1st Grand Prix final
held in Manchester in December
2013.
What is behind the high-kicking
sports sudden success in a king-
dom better known for football,
cricket, rugby and boxing?
The best person to answer
that question may be Gary Hall,
performance director of GB Tae-
kwondo. In the UK, we have
British Taekwondo, which is the
national governing body for WTF
taekwondo in the UK, Hall said
in a recent interview during a vis-
it to Korea. We are a separate,
limited company, which works
on behalf of British Taekwondo.
While British Taekwondo de-
velops and administers the sport
overall, GB Taekwondo, estab-
lished in 2001, is a company
closely affiliated with the nation-
al governing body. It has a spe-
cialized mission: Seeking out ath-
letes from all martial arts across
the UK including, of course,
taekwondo who have a chance
of medaling at European, world
and Olympic events.
After being scouted, the fight-
ers are put through a battery of
tests that check their personal,
physical and tactical characteris-
tics. The lucky few chosen GB
Taekwondo can handle up to 32
athletes, four for each Olympic
weight category are enrolled
in a full-time training program at
the companys academy in Man-
chester, a city with a solid sport-
ing pedigree. It is home to two
premier league sides, Manches-
ter City and Manchester United,
as well as being the epicenter of
UK cycling. At the academy, the
athletes undergo 20-28 hours of
training a week, under the eyes
of four British and two Korean
coaches; doctors, nutritionists
and physiotherapists are all close
at hand.
GB Taekwondo also incubates
the sports up-and-comers. We
have a development program for
the best junior and cadet ath-
letes, said Hall. They work on
a basis of weekend camps and
competitions, and work toward
being in the academy, full time.
He added, This creates a really
good athlete pathway from ca-
det to senior level.
GB Taekwondo kicked off in
2001 with a national lottery fund-
ing of GBP40,000 (US$66,500).
Today, it has a four-year budget
of GBP7.5 million (US$12.5 mil-
lion), provided largely by gov-
ernment body, UK Sport. Sport
England provides funding for the
youth programs.
Hall puts the sudden avalanche
of funding down to Olympic suc-
cess, which massively raised the
sports visibility nationwide, and
hopes that Team GB will take
home even more medals from
Rio in 2016.
GB Taekwondo was also a key
player in bringing the first Grand
Prix to Manchester and in operat-
ing the widely praised event. GB
is bidding to hold other events
in the series in 2014, 2015 and/or
2016. Where might it take place?
We want to establish it in
Manchester because it is getting
a big following here, we want
to keep it here as a central loca-
tion, Hall mused. But we might
host it in London.
Hall himself is not simply a
fund-raiser or administrator. He
holds a fifth-dan in taekwondo.
He started the sport 38 years ago
after being inspired by Bruce Lee
movies, and gave up a career
GB Taekwondo:
Scouting the Elite
British taekwondo has seen a
surge in success in recent years.
How did they achieve it?
working for global retailers like
Next and Marks and Spencer to
take on the position of perfor-
mance director.
I want to carry on building
GBs success and contribute to
the success of taekwondo in the
world, he said. That is what I
enjoy, and that is what I do for
a full-time living; I hope to keep
giving back to the sport and help
inspire the next generation of
future athletes.
Gary Hall (UK)
31
Grand Prix
Host Great Britain, Spain and
Russia took one gold medal each
on the opening day of the inau-
gural 2013 WTF World Taekwon-
do Grand Prix Final in Manchester
on Dec. 13, 2013.
Great Britains Mahama Cho
required a fourth golden-point
round to earn his country the
gold medal in the mens +80kg
division against Brazils Guil-
herme Cezario Felix.
After three rounds of competi-
tion, Cho and Felix were tied at
2-2 and his right-hand punch in
the fourth sudden-death round
gave him the victory, exciting the
home fans.
In the category, the bronze
went to Gabons Anthony My-
lann Obame and Koreas Dong-
min Cha.
I did my best and my biggest
dream has come true, said the
24-year-old Cho shortly after the
final match. My next dream is
the 2016 Rio Olympics and I am
confident that I will make it.
Cho, who started taekwondo
at the age of 8, said he previous-
ly won a final against Felix at the
2012 French Open.
In the womens -49kg final
match, Spains Brigida Yague En-
rique easily defeated Koreas So-
hui Kim9-1 to earn her country the
gold medal.
Yague Enrique, the silver med-
alist at the 2012 London Olym-
pic Games and four-time world
champion, needed a fourth gold-
en-point round to reach the final
match against Chinese Zhao Yi Li.
In the category, the bronze
went to Chinas Zhao and
Frances Yasmina Aziez.
In the womens +67kg catego-
ry, Russias Olga Ivanova beat Ko-
reas In-jong Lee 2-1 in the final
match to take the gold medal.
Mexicos Briseida Acosta Bala-
rezo and the Netherlands Resh-
mie Shari Oogink shared the
bronze medal in the division.
Russian Ivanova, the gold med-
alist in the womens +73kg di-
vision at the 2013 Puebla World
Taekwondo Championships,
advanced to the final match by
crushing the Netherlandss Oo-
gink 12-3. Koreas Lee reached
the final match as she outpointed
Mexican Maria del Espinoza 9-6.
A total of 231 athletes, includ-
ing 115 males, from 59 countries
were competing for top honors
at the Manchester Central Exhi-
bition Complex.
Day
Host Great Britain, Spain, Rus-
sia Clinch 1 Gold Medal each
on 1st Day of 2013 WTF Grand
Prix Final in Manchester
1
Dec. 13, 2013 For the first time ever in WTF
history, all semifinal and final
matches were conducted on
a black-mat court, and tele-
vised live in about 100 countries
around the world.
The Grand Prix final featured
four male and four female Olym-
pic weight categories. The max-
imum number of athletes per
Olympic weight division was 32.
33
Grand Prix
Host Great Britain, Sweden and
Chinese Taipei clinched one gold
medal each on the second day of
the inaugural 2013 WTF World
Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in
Manchester, Great Britain on
Dec. 14, 2013.
Great Britains Lutalo Mustafa
Muhammad, the bronze medal-
ist at the 2012 London Olympic
Games, needed a fourth gold-
en-point round to grab the gold
medal in the mens -80kg catego-
ry against Russias Albert Gaun.
After three rounds of compe-
tition at the Manchester Central
Convention Complex, Muham-
mad and Gaun were drawn to a
2-2 score and his left-foot attack
to the body of Gaun in the fourth
sudden-death round earned
him the top honors, thrilling the
home fans.
In the division, Turkeys Yunus
Sari and the Isle of Mans Aaron
Cook shared the bronze medal.
It was a really close match and
it was a fantastic fight. I am hap-
py to be the golden-point win-
ner at the 1st Grand Prix event,
Muhammad said after the victory
ceremony.
Muhammad, who started tae-
kwondo at the age of 3, said, I
wanted to come out today at the
home ground and I proved that
I can do it. The 22-year-old Mu-
hammad said he would compete
at the 2016 Rio and the 2020 To-
kyo Olympic Games and beyond.
In the mens -58kg final match,
Chinese Taipeis Chen-Yang Wei
brushed aside a stiff challenge
from Koreas Tae-hun Kim to
beat Kim 6-5 for the gold medal.
Wei, the bronze medalist in the
mens -58kg division at the 2013
Puebla World Championships
and the bronze medalist in the
mens -63kg at the 2011 Gyeongju
World Championships, advanced
to the final match by defeating
Mexicos Damian Alejandro Villa
Valadez 2-0 in a semifinal match.
In the division, the bronze
went to Mexicos Villa Valadez
and Irans Hadi Mostean Loron.
In the womens -67kg division,
Swedens Elin Maria Katarina
Johansson easily beat Chinese
Taipeis Chia Chia Chuang 9-2 to
earn her country the first gold
medal at the inaugural Grand
Prix event.
Johansson, the US Open cham-
pion, reached the final match
as she beat Russias Anastasiia
Baryshnikova 2-0 in a semifinal
Day
Great Britain, Sweden,
Chinese Taipei Grab 1 Gold
Medal each on 2nd Day of
2013 WTF Grand Prix Final in
Manchester
2
Dec. 14, 2013 match.
Frances Haby Niare and Rus-
sias Baryshnikova shared the
bronze medal in the same cate-
gory.
Besides final matches, the quar-
terfinal match between the Isle
of Mans Aaron Cook and Steven
Lopez of the United States drew
special interest from both the
public and international media.
Cook fought an exicting match
against Lopez to win the match
17-14 to advance to the semifinal
round.
35
Grand Prix
Spain and Russia grabbed one
gold medal each on the third and
final day of the 2013 WTF World
Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in
Manchester, the United Kingdom
on Dec. 15, 2013.
After three days of competi-
tions at the inaugural 2013 WTF
World Taekwondo Grand Prix
Final, Russia topped other coun-
tries in the overall medal tally as
it took home two gold medals,
one silver medal and one bronze
medal.
Host Great Britain came next
with two golds and one silver, fol-
lowed by Spain with two golds,
Chinese Taipei with one gold and
one silver, and Sweden with one
gold. Korea came next with three
silvers and one bronze, while Bra-
zil and Canada clinched one silver
each.
A total of 231 athletes from 59
countries competed for top hon-
ors at the 2013 World Taekwon-
do Grand Prix final, which took
place at the Manchester Central
Convention Complex.
In the womens -57kg category,
Jade Jones, the gold medalist at
the 2012 London Olympic Games
and the silver medalist at the
2011 Gyeongju World Champion-
ships, came from behind to beat
Chinas Yuzhuo Hou in a semifi-
nal match to advance to the fi-
nal match. But Spains Eva Calvo
Gomez brushed aside a stiff chal-
lenge from Jones to win the final
match 4-3 for the gold medal.
Calvo Gomez, the bronze med-
alist at the 2013 Puebla World
Championships and the 2010
Spanish Open gold medal win-
ner, reached the final match by
edging down Frances Floriane
Liborio in a fourth golden-point
round.
In the mens -68kg final match,
Russias Alexey Denisenko, the
bronze medal winner at the 2012
London Olympic Games and the
gold medalist at the 2013 Russia
Open, earned his country the
gold medal as he managed to de-
feat Canadas Maxime Potvin 1-0.
Denisenko made it to the final
match by beating Irans Behnam
Asbaghikhanghah 5-4, while
Potvin, the silver medalist at
the 2009 World Championships
and the gold medalist at the
2012 Pan American Champion-
ships, reached the final match
as he outpointed Irans Bagheri
Motamed 3-0.
Day
Spain, Russia Take Home 1
Gold Medal each on Final Day
of 2013 WTF Grand Prix Final
in Manchester
3
Dec. 15, 2013
37
Grand Prix
39
2
2
2
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
0
1
0
3
1
1
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
0
0
3
3
MEDAL
G S B
RANK COUNTRY
Russia
United Kingdom
Spain
Chinese Taipei
Sweden
Korea
Canada
Brazil
Iran
France
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
7
9
9
Medal Standings
Grand Prix
Grand Prix 41 TAEKWONDOOfcial Publication of the WTF 40
What is your impression of
winning the gold medal at
the 2013 WTF World Taekwon-
do Grand Prix fnal?
I was satisfied with my perfor-
mance and happy to end the
season with my first major title.
I know I made a couple of mis-
takes but that is what I have
been working on since the Grand
Prix. Hopefully this year I can be
even better as a result of being a
Grand Prix champion.
What is your overall evalua-
tion of the inaugural Grand
Prix event in Manchester, UK?
The event organization in Man-
chester was fantastic and it was
a really good show, both live at
the event and on TV. As an ath-
lete it was a great stage on which
to perform and Manchester re-
ally set the standard for what
top-class taekwondo events can
be like in future. The athletes
couldnt ask for anything more
and it was a really great experi-
ence.
Mahama Cho
Discipline,
Respect and
Honor
Taekwondo kept Mahama Cho off the
streets; now the frst Grand Prix has
granted him his frst major title
What is your opinion of us-
ing a protector and scoring
system at the WTFs major
events?
The scoring system is good, it has
changed the way taekwondo is
and it is fairer. People are now
coming into taekwondo with
different styles so there are now
the original taekwondo fight-
ers and more unorthodox ones
which makes the sport really in-
teresting.
The WTF celebrated its 40th
anniversary of founding in
2013. What is your overall
evaluation of the WTFs activ-
ities?
Taekwondo has come a long way
and the WTF always tries to de-
velop the sport; the introduction
of the scoring system and the
way taekwondo is showcased are
two examples. The WTF has put
a lot of energy and support into
how to be fair but also unique
and to allow athletes to fight to
the best of their abilities. With
the improvement to scoring, the
new ranking system and the abil-
ity to qualify through the rank-
ings for the Olympics, it shows
the progress that the WTF is
making. Hopefully, they can con-
tinue to develop taekwondo in
this way.
Do you have any suggestions
for the further development
of taekwondo and the World
Taekwondo Federation?
With the systems changing and
the sport constantly evolving we
need to remember the tradition
of the sport and its sacred histo-
ry. We mustnt forget the core
of taekwondo and the respect
everyone has for one another. I
hope that athletes will continue
to perform the way they have
done in the last Olympic cycle.
Taekwondo was voted to be
on the 25 core sports of the
2020 Olympic Games. How do
you feel about that?
It is fantastic news. Thanks to
London and the way the sport
was showcased it has left a great
impression on many people.
Great Britain as a nation know
how to put on a good show and
to promote the sport in a really
positive light. Having the BBC
broadcast the Grand Prix live
on TV and online provided tae-
kwondo with great exposure
and this is important as the sport
secures its Olympic future. Hope-
fully this can continue and the
legacy of taekwondo will only
grow.
What are the strong points of
taekwondo, compared with
other sports?
I think the majority of people
who watch taekwondo fall in
love with it because it is such
a dynamic, fast, technical and
acrobatic sport. Trying to de-
scribe the sport to people is not
enough, it has something spe-
cial which needs to be seen and
more publicity can only help this.
How popular is taekwondo in
your country?
Taekwondo is becoming quite
popular in this country thanks
to our Olympic medalists; Luta-
lo Muhammad, Jade Jones and
Sarah Stevenson. Sarah has been
an ambassador for taekwondo in
Britain and her historic achieve-
ments in the sport really built a
foundation for taekwondo in
the UK. All the youngsters will
look up to both her, and now our
2012 Olympians, and the positive
exposure they provide.
When did you start practicing
taekwondo?
I started taekwondo when I was
eight and my father taught me.
I joined the national team when
I was 17 and now, at 24, Im a
Grand Prix winner. It is the only
major I have won so I hope to
take a European title in 2014,
and eventually qualify for Rio
2016.
What were the reasons for
practicing taekwondo?
Discipline, respect and honor are
three of the core reasons. Also
I like to rely on myself, rather
than as a team. If I dont give 110
percent it is my fault, and know-
ing that you can fail by yourself
pushes me.
How important is taekwondo
to you and your career?
Taekwondo is massively valuable
to me, in fact it saved me. It kept
me off the streets as a child and
stopped me hanging around
with the wrong people. It taught
me to have respect for my par-
ents and elders and is part of
the reason I left football for tae-
kwondo. The respect you learn
in taekwondo is something you
will have for life and a legacy to
future generations as it proved
with my father to me.
What is your taekwondo phi-
losophy?
My philosophy is on my twitter
account @chotimetkd Come In
Peace But Not In the Ring - The
Ring Is My Kingdom and I Am
Not Going In For Second Best
What are your plans for 2014?
The 2014 European Champion-
ships is my main goal. I hope I can
perform well there, qualify for
the future Grand Prixs and be in
the top six by the end of the year.
Then I will continue to push on
into 2015 and Rio qualification.
UK
A
t
h
l
e
t
e

I
n
t
e
r
v
i
e
w
41
Grand Prix
What is your impression of
winning the gold medal at
the 2013 WTF World Taekwon-
do Grand Prix fnal?
It was a great honor to win the
gold medal at the Grand Prix and
I was really happy. It being the
inaugural event made the victory
all the more special.
tion of the inaugural Grand
Prix event in Manchester, UK?
I thought it was very profession-
ally run. Even though the UK has
a great reputation for taekwon-
do events, I was really surprised
at just how good it was. The
crowd, the presentation, the re-
plays and the BBC coverage was
fantastic for the sport. If that can
continue and is the future of tae-
kwondo, then Im really looking
forward to being a part of it.
What is your opinion of us-
ing a protector and scoring
system at the WTFs major
events?
Personally Im a massive fan of
the electronic scoring system in
place. It makes the sport more
transparent, fairer and easier for
the viewing audience. Its also
great for athletes, because if it
scores, it scores; if not, then it
doesnt. Theres no human error
involved. Sometimes there can
be inconsistencies but with tech-
nology improving all the time it
can only get better and better.
anniversary of founding in
2013. What is your overall
evaluation of the WTFs activ-
ities?
I think the WTF is a really profes-
sionally run organization and has
overseen a lot of changes in the
last two years. Since the Olym-
pics, the sport has now got a big-
ger profile and they are continu-
ing to maintain the rich history
while allowing it to progress. I
think its great for our sport and
Im privileged to be an athlete in
modern taekwondo. And happy
40th birthday!
Do you have any suggestions
for the further development
of taekwondo and the World
Taekwondo Federation?
Im very interested to see how the
trials of electronic head guards
progress, and from an athletes
perspective, how the octagon
rings will make an impact in the
run up to the Rio Olympics.
Taekwondo was voted to be
on the 25 core sports of the
2020 Olympic Games. How do
you feel about that?
I was absolutely over the moon
when I heard it would be includ-
ed. We had such a great Olym-
pics in London and the sport was
really showcased to the best of
its abilities, with packed crowds
and exciting matches. Im sure
that contributed to the decision
and while I may no longer be in
the sport by then it will be great
for its legacy and the continued
growth of the sport.
What are the strong points of
taekwondo, compared with
other sports?
Taekwondo is a growing sport,
one which is a very exciting with
the new rules. The flashy high
kicks are what were famous for
and now that were rewarded for
it, it comes through more. It is
now very viewer friendly as was
demonstrated by the Grand Prix
and Im often told by people that
they were surprised how much
they enjoyed watching it on the
BBC. We do kicks no other sport
can do which really sets us apart
and its generally a very exciting
sport.
How popular is taekwondo in
your country?
Following the home Olympics
where we took home gold and
bronze medals, it has really
grown. So many people are look-
ing to participate in the sport
and are now watching it. I feel
really privileged to be fighting
now and hopefully by the time
I leave the sport, it will be even
bigger.
When did you start practicing
taekwondo?
I started when I was three years
old under my dads tuition. He is
responsible for teaching me ev-
erything I know and has been a
big inspiration. I owe him every-
thing.
What were the reasons for
practicing taekwondo?
My dad started teaching me so
I didnt have much choice! He
wanted to teach me discipline
and teach all his sons about mar-
tial arts.
How important is taekwondo
to you and your career?
Taekwondo is extremely import-
ant to me as I stated previously.
Its been a part of my life for as
long as I can remember. I love
the spirit of martial arts and it
has given me a great focus in my
life. Now being a professional
athlete, training, competing and
representing my country means
a great deal.
What is your taekwondo phi-
losophy?
My philosophy is to be respect-
ful, be good to others and enjoy
the sport as much as you can.
What are your plans for 2014?
In 2014 I am aiming to defend my
European title in Azerbaijan and
emulate my success at Decem-
bers Grand Prix later this year.
Lutalo Muhammad
Gold on
Home Turf
Briton Lutalo Muhammad
took the second Grand Prix
gold on home turf in Man-
chester. Here is how he sees
the sport
UK
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Grand Prix
Belatedly,congratulations
on winning the gold medal
in the mens +80kg weight
category at the 2012 London
Olympic Games! How do you
feel now?
Thank you very much. How do I
feel? Good question, so differ-
ent and totally equal. It is the re-
sult that I pursued for a lifetime,
what I was missing and now I fi-
nally managed to get there, so I
would say that I feel elated and
proud of me!
What is your evaluation of
the 2012 London Olympic
Games?
When you get the best possible
result, you see things in a differ-
ent way, Im definitely biased, so
for me it was the London Olym-
pics the most beautiful of all.
What is the current status of
taekwondo in your country?
Do you think your gold med-
al has affected taekwondos
popularity somehow in your
country?
Taekwondo in Italy is definitely
on the rise, until a few years ago
not all people knew taekwondo
but now it is very famous! Every-
one knows this sport. My final
was the most watched of all in
my country so it definitely served
for the growth and reputation of
this wonderful sport.
You went to Manchester, UK
for the 2013 World Taekwon-
do Grand Prix fnal, but failed
to compete because of your
injury. Are you fully recov-
ered?
Absolutely, I train without prob-
lems from early January now I
am ready to face this 2014 in full
strength.
tion of the Grand Prix fnal
event?
It was a great idea, and this
Grand Prix final will be more and
more important, really compli-
ments to the WTF staff for this
choice and idea. In Manchester I
saw nice fights and the best ath-
letes in each weight category.
What is your plan as an ath-
lete this year?
Win more championships to feel
comfortable with the ranking.
But I think its everyones goal.
Hahahaha!
Tell us about your personal
taekwondo story. When did
you start taekwondo and on
what motivation?
I started taekwondo at 5 years
because I always wanted to be
with my father and he did it also.
So I started for him. Then, I grew
more and more and I realized
how much I love this sport even
trying in the meantime almost all
sports.
Do you have any recommen-
dations for the betterment
of taekwondo as an Olympic
sport?
The WTF is doing what I think
is enough for this sport, with
the entry of electronic helmets
will be much better. Perhaps the
only matter that we should think
about is changing the dobok,
not because I do not like it, but
simply to try to have a uniform
more marketable from a spon-
sors point of view.
What is your view on the in-
troduction of the protector
and scoring system (PSS) and
the instant video replay sys-
tem?
Of course there is always some-
thing to improve in everything,
but we are definitely on the right
track, regarding the PSS and the
replay system I am very proud of
both items.
anniversary of founding last
year. What is your overall
evaluation of the WTF and
taekwondo?
I am proud of this World Tae-
kwondo Federation and its rep-
resentatives. I think theyre do-
ing so much for the growth of
taekwondo in the world.
The IOC voted to include
taekwondo on the offcial
program of the 2020 Olym-
pic Games at its Session last
September. Do you think
taekwondo will maintain its
Olympic status after the 2024
Olympic Games? If you think
so, on what grounds?
The basics are the same ones
that made us come into Olym-
pic sports: clean, anti-doping,
respect for opponents and the
spectacular kicks. I think all this
is a perfect mix to remain in the
Olympic program. Taekwondo
is a wonderful sport and I could
not imagine the Olympics with-
out.
Do you have anything else to
mention?
Good luck to all the athletes
for a 2014 full of good results!
Thank you.
Carlo Molfetta
Living
the Dream
Italys Olympic golden boy Car-
lo Molfetta was sidelined by
injury at the Grand Prix, but
is looking forward to coming
back strong
Italy
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Grand Prix
In Focus TAEKWONDOOfcial Publication of the WTF 46 47
The Decision:
Taekwondo in
2020 Olympics!
WTF president hails IOC decision, but
urges taekwondo family not to be
complacent at good news
The International Olympic Committee
(IOC) voted to put taekwondo on the of-
ficial program of the 2020 Olympic Games
as one of the 25 core sports during its
125th Session in Buenos Aires, Argentina
on Sept. 8, 2013.
I was delighted that the IOC decided to
keep 25 core sports, including taekwon-
do, in the 2020 Olympic program, said
WTF President Chungwon Choue. We
at the WTF are very grateful for the con-
tinued guidance and support we receive
from the Olympic family.
Choue also thanked former IOC President
Jacques Rogge and all the members for
the decision, and his colleagues for all
their continued collective efforts to main-
tain our Olympic standards.
In my fourth term as WTF president, I will
ensure that we are always doing our best
to ensure the sport of taekwondo contin-
ues to engage sports fans of all genera-
tions, and continues to add value to the
Olympic movement, Choue continued.
The WTFs main objective is to grow au-
diences at every competition, while keep-
ing taekwondo a universal sport with
extensive and diverse participation. It
offers universal opportunities, regardless
of race, gender and social status and the
sport is evolving technologically to be-
come more dynamic.
The WTF president noted that taekwon-
dos inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games
remains perhaps the WTFs greatest
achievement. Our continued participa-
tion is a huge honor for all of the WTF
family, he said. We are very proud of
the IOC decision and we will all repay
their faith in our beloved sport by work-
ing tirelessly to ensure that taekwondo
continues to develop worldwide.
Over the last 10 years, the WTF, which cel-
ebrated the 40
th
anniversary of its found-
ing last year and boasts a global mem-
bership of 206 countries and territories
around the world, has ceaselessly strived
to maintain its Olympic status.
That status was never assured, though.
Shortly after taking helm of the WTF in
2004, WTF President Choue launched a
Reform Committee, which produced a
200-page Reform Report after months
of hard work. The WTF unanimously ap-
proved the WTF Reform Report at its ex-
traordinary Council meeting at the IOC
headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland in
March 2005.
Since then, the WTF has carried out its
recommendations, focusing on making
refereeing and judging as fair as possible;
making competitions more dynamic and
action-packed; and making taekwondo
media friendly, especially for television.
These efforts resulted in huge success at
the 2012 London Olympic Games, which
proved to be the best Olympics yet for
taekwondo, and a golden moment for
this young, but hugely popular sport.
International media, surprised by the
sports new look, new rules, new gear
and new heroes at the London Olympics,
were full of praise.
In Focus TAEKWONDOOfcial Publication of the WTF 48 49
The WTF could wish for no better way
of promoting its sport for generations to
come, said Rogge in a congratulatory
message after the London Games. Tae-
kwondo has shown that it is a sport which
can, and does, contribute to the values
and ideals of Olympism, pursuing excel-
lence, ensuring fair play and promoting
friendship.
From medal distribution to technology
to rules to safety, the WTF was delighted
by how everything came together. Eight
gold medals at the London Olympic tae-
kwondo competitions were given to eight
different countries. Out of 32 medals up
for grabs at the taekwondo competition
in the London Olympic Games, a total
of 21 countries took at least one medal,
showing a good medal distribution.
The WTF will, WTF President Choue said,
continue to revise its competition rules
and uniforms to show the world a new
taekwondo - more dynamic, more trans-
parent and fairer than ever at the 2016
Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
The WTF will also make 5-on-5 team
competitions more appealing to the pub-
lic and the international media, Choue
stated.
We are very proud of the IOC
decision and we will all repay
their faith in our beloved sport
by working tirelessly to ensure
that taekwondo continues to
develop worldwide
He added that the WTF continues to be a
loyal partner to the IOC. The election of
the new IOC President, Dr. Thomas Bach,
marks the beginning of a new and exciting
era for the Olympic movement, but also
highlights the need for constant change,
renewal and recalibration of targets.
While taekwondo is in a good position
currently, we must not become compla-
cent. Choue warned. We must strive to
advance our global sport and continue
to maintain good relationships with the
Olympic family to safeguard our position
on the Olympic program.
TAEKWONDOOfcial Publication of the WTF 52 53 2013 Review
WTF Head Calls for Sport Peace Corps
W
TF President Chungwon Choue
has urged international sports
leaders attending the 2013
SportAccord World Combat Games to join
his envisioned Sport Peace Corps project.
Encouraged by the popularity of the
Taekwondo Peace Corps program, the
WTF, in cooperation with the United
Nations and the International Olympic
Committee, plans to launch a Sport Peace
Corps, WTF President Choue said.
To this end, the WTF is in close dis-
cussions with the United Nations and we
expect to see tangible results in the near
future, he added.
Dr. Choue said he wants to start the
Sport Peace Corps program with the
world governing bodies of the 15 mar-
tial art and combat sports which attend-
ed the 2013 SportAcord World Combat
Games.
Under the session topic Using Combat
Sport to Create Social Change: Moving
from Vision to Action, Dr. Choue made
the remarks in his speech as a panelist at
the international forum Martial Arts and
Combat Sports in Society at the Constan-
tine Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia on
Oct. 23, 2013.
The forum, which drew about 300
governmental, academic and sports rep-
resentatives as well as athletes, was a
prestigious event organized within the
framework of the cultural program of the
2013 SportAccord World Combat Games,
which kicked off on Oct. 18 for a nine-day
run.
Mr. Joel Bouzou, founder and president
of Peace and Sport, moderated the session.
We launched the Taekwondo Peace
Corps to instill positive values and disci-
pline in youth - two factors that are key
to living a life of virtue and honor, Dr.
Choue said in his speech.
The Corps also creates a platform
where young athletes can not only im-
prove their taekwondo skills, but open
their minds through cultural exchange,
and in the process broaden and deepen
their knowledge of the world so that they
can be a force to promote peaceful coex-
istence among the worlds nations and
peoples.
We launched the Taekwondo
Peace Corps to instill positive
values and discipline in youth -
two factors that are key to liv-
ing a life of virtue and honor
WTF president makes strong case at
2013 SportAccord in St. Petersburg
Oct. 23, 2013
Dr. Choue unveiled the Taekwondo Peace
Corps at an international workshop in Bel-
gium in 2007 and again, later that year, at
a Peace and Sport forum in Monaco.
On May 22, 2010, he proposed the
Sport Peace Corps at the 1st UN-IOC Fo-
rum at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne,
Switzerland, suggesting it should involve
all Olympic sports on a global scale.
Each Taekwondo Peace Corps team is
made up of four competent taekwondo
teachers: three taekwondo masters, each
of whom is a qualified taekwondo educa-
tor, and one person with language skills,
who serves as an interpreter.
Since its first dispatch of Taekwondo
Peace Corps members in the summer of
2008, the WTF has sent a total of 1,046
members to 99 different countries on 12
occasions.
Prior to WTF President Choues speech,
Mr. Wilfried Lemke, special advisor to UN
Secretary General Ki-Moon Ban on sport
for development and peace, made a key-
note speech, in which he spoke well of the
WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps activities.
In another session on Investing in So-
cial Programs: Strategies and Modus Ope-
randi, Prof. Jin-bang Yang of Yong In
University in Korea made a presentation
on taekwondo and the WTF.
Ms. Sarah Stevenson of the United
Kingdom, who serves as the taekwon-
do ambassador of the 2013 SportAccord
World Combat Games, also made a pre-
sentation as a panelist in a third session
on Activating the Athlete as a Role Mod-
el, an Educator and an Influencer.
Taekwondo Peace Corps:
A Report from the Front Line
At the age of seven, I started practicing
taekwondo in my hometown Bremen,
Germany and since July 2013, have had an
instructors license.
After graduating from high school in
May 2013, I got the opportunity to take
part in a voluntary service, organized by
the Taekwondo Peace Corps, as well as an
internship with the WTF in Seoul. Things
started on July 7 in Papua New Guinea
with a seven-week mission for the TPC.
Love, Purity and Diligence is the mot-
to of the Caritas Technical Secondary
School (CTSS) in Port Moresby, the capital
of Papua New Guinea. Even though it is
very dangerous, incredibly poor and one
of the worlds least explored countries,
you feel safe and extremely welcome
when entering the girls school because
those values are taken very seriously
among students and teachers.
Nele Lemke reports on her recent
mission to Papua New Guinea
The team consisted of five members:
four Korean volunteers (two girls, two
boys) and me. We were taken care of and
the sisters of Caritas always made sure we
were healthy and well.
The TPC has been sending Korean
coaches for two years and there is a Kore-
an coach working permanently with the
students on taekwondo. A demonstration
team has been created among the best
students. We trained them every day, al-
ways trying to keep the training interest-
ing and varied. Taekwon dance, kyorugi
and kyokpa were the most frequent.
The first difficulty was communication
between the Koreans and me. Their En-
glish skills were rather poor and I was al-
ways afraid of missing out on important
information. All the heads of the school
and sisters were Koreans as well. As the
program went on, the communication
got a little better as their English im-
proved due to their English classes. My
Korean did, too.
On the first weekend in Papua New
Guinea the sisters and some teachers pre-
pared a trip to a resort on the beach. We
made friends with a lot of people during
the PNG-style barbecue and swimming.
They tried everything to let us experience
their country and make us feel welcome.
After a week of resting and experienc-
ing the new culture, we were facing our
first week of taekwondo. Tuesday to Fri-
day we would teach all the students of
grades 9 to 11; about 16 classes per week.
On Mondays all the coaches went to the
learning center to teach basic motions to
the kids of elementary school age. Be-
cause of their young age and limited con-
centration span, the class lasted just 20
minutes.
The periods at Caritas went on for ei-
ther 40 or 80 minutes. Unfortunately a lot
of students were not so fond of taekwon-
do so sometimes up to one third would sit
down telling us they were sick. I am pos-
itive that this occurs due to the fact that
the CTSS only offers taekwondo classes as
sport. Nevertheless, some students were
extremely motivated.
Due to the fact that the Koreans all
majored in kyorugi and I have always
practiced poomsae we decided to teach
poomsae for the first two weeks and car-
ry on with kyorugi afterwards. I discov-
ered that the students as well as the Ko-
reans really enjoyed my way of warming
up. Using fun running and coordination
games to get ready for taekwondo was a
new experience for all.
While the Koreans learned new ways
of practicing taekwondo from me, I ex-
perienced many new forms of training
from them. During the following weeks
Countries for Winter 2013 Taekwondo Peace Corps Taekowndo Peace Corps Short-TermProjects
8th
Jan.-Feb.
2012
102 members, 26 teams in 22 countries
9th
11th
July-Aug.
2012
July-Aug.
2013
(Nepal, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, China, Cambodia, Uzbekistan,
Turkey, Senegal , Sudan, South Sudan, South Afri ca,
Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania, Russia, Poland,
Brazil, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea, Fiji)
10th
12th
Jan.-Feb.
2013
Jan.-Feb.
2014
(Nepal, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Brunei, Sri
Lanka, Singapore, India, China, Cambodia, Turkmenistan,
Gabon, Lesotho, South Africa, Senegal, Sudan, Zambia,
Cameroon, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Sweden, Poland, Papua
New Guinea, Tonga, Fiji)
Total 1,046 members, 269 teams in 99 diferent countries
Term
Period of
Dispatch
No. of
Dispatched Members, Teams & Countries
1st
July-Aug.
2008
(China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Paraguay)
2nd
Jan.-Feb.
2009
(Greece, Russia, Morocco, Bolivia, Uzbekistan, Egypt, China,
Kyrgyzstan)
3rd
July-Aug.
2009
(El Salvador, India, Isle of Man, Bhutan, Samoa, Mexico,
Mongolia, Nigeria, Poland, Angola, Philippines, Azerbaijan)
4th
Jan.-Feb.
2010
(Angol a, D. R. Congo, Egypt, Cambodi a, I ran, Laos,
Mongolia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Timor-Leste,
Greece, Poland, Russia, New Zealand, Samoa, Brazil, Chile,
Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Surinam)
5th
July-Aug.
2010
6th
Jan.-Feb.
2011
7th
July-Aug.
2011
106 members, 27 teams, 19 countries
Continent
Asia
(12)
Africa
(7)
Oceania
(3)
Total 26 122
Europe
(2)
Pan
America
(2)
Countries
Period of
Dispatch
No. of
Members
Nepal
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Bangladesh
Brunei
Sri Lanka
Singapore-1
Singapore-1
India 1
India 2
China
Turkmenistan
Gabon
South Africa
Lesotho
Senegal
Sudan
Zambia
Tonga
Fiji
Cameroon
Sweden
Poland
Nicaragua
Venezuela
Cambodia
Papua New
Guinea
2014.1.5 - 2.24
2014.1.6 - 2.21
2014.1.6 - 2.15
2014.1.6 - 2.6
2014.1.7 - 2.23
2014.1.21 - 3.27
2014.1.7 - 2.7
2014.1.11 - 2.21
2014.1.6 - 2.15
2014.1.20 - 2.21
2014.1.16 - 2.26
2014.1.8 - 2.16
2014.1.14- 2.24
2014.1.6 - 2.16
2014.1.8 - 2.26
2014.1.29- 2.21
2014.1.25 - 2.27
2014.1.15 - 2.23
4
4
4
4
4
4
8
4
2
5
9
5
8
4
4
1
4
4
4
4
4
6
4
4
2
4
4
4
2014.1.6 - 2.14
2014.1.6 - 2.14
2014.1.14 - 2.25
2014.1.6 - 2.15
2014.1.15 - 2.24
2014.1.6 - 2.25
2014.1.10 - 2.18
2014.1.6 - 2.21
2014.1.6 - 2.21
2014.2.4 - 2.26
World Taekwondo Peace Corps
the students improved their taekwondo
skills, and we also learned how to deal
with space, attitudes and motivation.
Everyone really appreciated our work
so on weekends they would always take
us somewhere to learn more about PNG.
On the second weekend, we went trek-
king down the Kokoda Trail, a path
down which, during World War II, PNG
helpers used to carry wounded Austra-
lian or American soldiers. They would
also take us to crafts markets and resorts
where we could go snorkeling and kayak-
ing, and even to very poor villages where
the demonstration team performed. We
also attended a great traditional show.
I felt the program was very well orga-
nized by the TPC. However, I have some
suggestions. The WTF has 206 member
nations, and I think it would be great to
work with them all. Until now, only Kore-
an volunteers have been given this oppor-
tunity. My suggestion would be to send
two Koreans with either one or two inter-
nationals to each country. I would be glad
to use my contacts in Germany to try this.
I would also suggest that the volunteers
offer a crash course for future instructors
to make sure that students progress in
taekwondo continues after the volun-
teers leave. Another possibility is to quali-
fy locals to be able to instruct a group and
offer them a visit to Korea each year.
I also suggest working with internation-
al sports federations apart from taekwon-
do. In PNG, taekwondo was the only sport
on the program. I think it would be great
to urge different sports federations to es-
tablish their own Peace Corps and work
together with the TPC. Another alterna-
tive would be offering different sports
in the afternoons to balance taekwondo.
Sports like soccer, basketball and volley-
ball do not require a lot of materials.
Going to Papua New Guinea has in-
spired me. I was very lucky to have this
opportunity to work with such amazing,
loving people. I will stay in contact with
all the friends I made and am proud and
thankful for my WTF internship.
WTF, U.N. Body to Promote
Peace and Sport for All
In another landmark, the WTF and
UNOSDP agree to cooperate
T
he World Taekwondo Federation
(WTF) and the United Nations Of-
fice on Sport for Development and
Peace (UNOSDP) on Dec. 13, 2013 signed
a partnership agreement which aims to
use taekwondo as a vehicle to promote
the organizations common objectives of
promoting sport for all and peace.
The agreement was signed by Mr. Wil-
fried Lemke, the U.N. Secretary Generals
Special Adviser on Sport for Develop-
ment and Peace, and WTF President Dr.
Chungwon Choue on the opening day of
the inaugural World Taekwondo Grand
Prix in Manchester, United Kingdom.
Speaking after the signing, WTF Presi-
dent Choue said:
The WTF has a very special relation-
ship with the UNOSDP. We share many of
the same values and we fully support the
UNOSDP in their mission to support peo-
ple around the world by providing them
with opportunities to engage in sport.
Taekwondo is more than a sport its
a philosophy. Taekwondo teaches young
people discipline, fair play and sportsman-
ship. Young athletes learn the importance
of respecting one another whatever their
nationality, race or gender. These values
will not only help them to be a success in
taekwondo but help them to contribute
to society outside of the sport.
The partnership aims to use taekwon-
do as a tool to promote peace-building
objectives, social inclusion and the rights
of persons with disabilities. The WTF
Peace Corps for Para-Taekwondo will be
largely responsible for carrying out the
work of the partnership but will also be
supported through the WTFs involve-
ment in the UNOSDPs Youth Leadership
Programme (YLP).
Wilfried Lemke added:
Taekwondo is an excellent partner
for the UNOSDP. We look forward to col-
laborating with them in the future as we
look to achieve the UNs Millennium De-
velopment Goals.
The partnership between the WTF
and UNOSDP is the latest joint effort in
a history of valued cooperation between
the two organizations. The WTF previous-
ly worked with the UNOSDP to contribute
to the successes of the YLP in Gwangju,
Korea, in August 2013. The WTF sent their
facilitators to instruct youth leaders on
how to teach taekwondo in a way that
is socially inclusive and replicable in their
community. In addition, Special Adviser
Lemke and the UNOSDP have agreed to
offer the WTF the opportunity to send
participants to the next YLP, while also of-
fering to assist the WTF Taekwondo Peace
Corps with promoting para-taekwondo.
Taekwondo is an excellent partner
for the UNOSDP. We look forward to
collaborating with them in the fu-
ture as we look to achieve the UNs
Millennium Development Goals
The taekwondo session of the 7th UNOS-
DP Youth Leadership Program, which was
held on Sept. 1, 2013 at Honam Universi-
ty in Gwangju, Korea, was a resounding
success.
The taekwondo event was part of the
13-day United Nations Office on Sport for
Development and Peace (UNOSDP) Youth
Leadership Program (YLP), which started
on Aug. 22 and lasted until Sept. 3.
The Gwangju Youth Leadership Pro-
gram, which was co-hosted by the 2015
Gwangju Universiade Organizing Com-
mittee and the UNOSDP, drew a total of
34 people, aged between 18 and 25, from
19 countries.
Among the participants in the program
were four North Koreans - two boys and
two girls. There were also two people
with disabilities: one male participant
from Tonga in a wheelchair and one fe-
male participant from Vanuatu with
slight cerebral palsy.
Taste of Taekwondo Adds
Spice to U.N. Youth Program
The taekwondo element of the 7th UNOSDP
Youth Leadership Program in Gwangju, Korea
concluded successfully
Under the theme Taekwondo as a
Sport for All: Taste of Taekwondo, the
participants in the taekwondo program
received both theoretical and practical
training.
The taekwondo program was a great
success as it drew a special interest from
the participants., said Prof. Jung-heon
Kim of Yong In University in Korea, who
facilitated the program. The highlight
was a board-breaking event, in which
the participants wrote their bad habits or
their wishes on their respective board and
broke it after explaining them to the oth-
er participants.
The concept of the UNOSDP Youth
Leadership Program was to provide
youths from around the world with op-
portunities to become acquainted with
and use various sports to develop society.
The 2015 Gwangju Universiade Orga-
nizing Committee plans to host the same
program in 2014 and 2015.
Participation in UNOSDP Youth Leadership Camp
A taekwondo session was first included in the Youth Leadership Camp promoted by
the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace held in Gwangju, Korea in coop-
eration with the 2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee in the
summer of 2013. The purpose of the camp is to bring youth who have the potential
to be community leaders in the field of sport for personal development. The camp is
both theoretical and practical in nature and provides participants with a tool-kit on
how sport can be best used to improve social conditions in the participants home
communities. The UNOSDP selects about 30 participants aged between 18 and 25,
with a 50 percent female participation. In 2013, the UNOSDP and the WTF signed a
memorandum of understanding for cooperation on the Youth Leadership Camps held
under the UNOSDP Youth Leadership Program. The camps, which will be held in Ger-
many, the United States and Korea in 2014, will also include taekwondo sessions. The
WTF cooperates with the UNOSDP on dispatching instructors, and on the program of
taekwondo sessions.
International Referee Seminars and Refresher Courses & International Coach
Training Courses.
Since 1974, the WTF has conducted international referee seminars to foster internation-
al referees for kyorugi (sparring) and poomsae (forms) to officiate at WTF-promoted
international taekwondo championships. It has also conducted International Referee
Refresher Courses.
Going to School
with the
Since its foundation in 1973, the WTF has been vigorously
conducting various educational programs and activities
WTF-Kyung Hee University Partnership Taekwondo Training Program
In 2005, the WTF partnered with Koreas Kyung Hee University to undertake tae-
kwondo training programs for athletes and coaches. Under this program, athletes and
coaches from underdeveloped countries train taekwondo kyorugi and poomsae and
are educated on related subjects at the International Taekwondo Academy of Kyung
Hee University. In 2013, a para-taekwondo athlete from Ukraine participated in the
program, opening the program to athletes with disabilities.
World Youth Taekwondo Camp
Besides seminars and courses in relation to taekwondo competitions, the WTF has been
conducting the World Youth Taekwondo Camp jointly with the Taekwondo Promotion
Foundation (TPF) in Korea. The World Youth Taekwondo Camp was inaugurated in
2009 and has been held annually with the participation of taekwondo athletes aged 14
to 20 around the world. At this camp, participants practice kyorugi and poomsae under
instruction of world and Olympic champions and are also educated in the importance
of friendship, leadership, the tenets of taekwondo and Olympic values. Reports on the
World Youth Taekwondo Camp have been sent to the IOC.
Asian Youth Taekwondo Camp in Joint Organization with the OCA
The WTF jointly organized the Asian Youth Taekwondo Camp with the Olympic Coun-
cil of Asia (OCA) in cooperation with the National Olympic Committee of Thailand
and the Thailand Taekwondo Association in 2013, with participation of athletes aged
15 to 17 years old and accompanying coaches from Asian NOCs. The WTF dispatched
instructors and Olympic medalists as champion ambassadors and role models for par-
ticipants. The OCA has conducted this camp jointly with International Sports Federa-
tions every year.
WTF Taekwondo Demonstration Team
The WTF Taekwondo Demonstration Team has undertaken performances in many
cities around the world as well as on the occasions of various international taekwondo
competitions, including WTF-promoted championships and multi-sport games. Since
its creation in 2008, the demonstration team has not only shown various components
of taekwondo to spectators at international events, but has conducted city tours and
given presentations to specific target groups such as children as part of its cultural and
educational programs.
Taekwondo Peace Corps
The WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps (TPC) was created in 2008 and has dispatched
Taekwondo Peace Corps members to less-developed countries to help people in those
countries develop and serve their community through sports. Since its inauguration,
the TPC has sent members to many countries twice a year, for a period of about one
to two months per country, per dispatch. WTF President Chungwon Choue proposed
the creation of a so-called Sport Peace Corps together with the United Nations,
the International Olympic Committee and the International Sports Federations at the
U.N.-IOC Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland on May 22, 2010. The Sport Peace Corps en-
tails provision of comprehensive sport-related assistance to not only underdeveloped
countries, but any U.N.-assigned areas, WTF President Choue said in his presentation
at the forum at the Olympic Museum of the IOC headquarters.
The forum participants adopted 10 resolutions, in which they especially commended
the achievements of the WTF in its successful outreach to young people and its aims
of building a better and more peaceful world; and to advocate the consideration of
its global expansion, in close cooperation with key stakeholders, including the IOC,
the UN, national and international sports federations and NOCs, firmly believing that
together, we have the ability to promote global peace and harmony through sport.
Under the topic Sports Diplomacy: The WTF Experience, WTF President Choue told
forum participants, Assistance includes providing equipment and skills and training
for local athletes and coaches for any Olympic sport in countries in need. This gives
hopes and dreams to young people who are deprived of the opportunity to learn,
while promoting friendship, peace and understanding through sport and interperson-
al interactions.
The WTF has continuously expanded its mission from the promotion of taekwondo to
contributions to world peace and development through taekwondo. Though not an
educational activity per se, the inauguration of the World Para-Taekwondo Champi-
onships in 2009 and the WTFs effort to expand taekwondo competition to people
with disabilities of different kinds, in cooperation with international sports organiza-
tions for the disabled, can also serve the cause of world peace and development.
Some 174 participants from 30 nations at-
tended the 5th World Youth Taekwondo
Camp held from July 22-28, 2013 in Korea.
The Olympic Value Education Program
(OVEP) and the spirit of Olympism, sports
and taekwondo were promoted. The par-
ticipants got to understand and commu-
nicate with people from diverse cultures,
and were given training in leading a
healthy life, both physically and spiritual-
ly. And needless to say, participants also
got plenty of high-kicking taekwondo
action.
The participants arrived at the Tae-
kwondowon in Muju, south-central Ko-
rea, after a three-hour bus ride from
Incheon International Airport. They were
the first international taekwondo group
to train at this superb new location. Af-
ter a welcoming orientation, the camp
attendees were divided into six groups,
with four-six countries represented in
each one. The groups were also assigned
local volunteers to assist them with any
difficulties they might face over the week.
The first official session was kyorugi,
which took place at Taekwondowons
sparkling new T1 Arena. Among the
coaches for this session were two Olym-
pic gold medalists. In addition to various
combative drills, warm-ups and warm-
downs were conducted. The second ses-
sion, poomsae, featured three world
champions in the discipline; in addition
World YOUTH Taekwondo Camp
The ice was broken on the brand-new super-complex of our sport
when the 5th World Youth Taekwondo Camp was held at the Tae-
kwondowon in Muju, in addition to events in Jeonju and Seoul
July. 30, 2013
5
th
to martial movements, terminology and
even meditation were covered. Taekwon-
do sessions for the rest of the course con-
tinued in a similar fashion.
Other activities included watching tae-
kwondo movie The Kick, touring Tae-
kwondowons varied and extensive fa-
cilities, and taking part in a talent show.
Special lectures for, on the one hand, ath-
letes, and on the other, coaches and mas-
ters, were delivered on such issues as tae-
kwondo as a lifetime endeavor, becoming
a champion, and OVEP.
Course participants also visited the
town of Jeonju, which is noted for its dis-
trict of hanok, or traditional Korean cot-
tages. In Jeonju, course members were
welcomed by the mayor and instructed
on the preparation of the towns most fa-
mous dish, bibimbap (mixed rice), which
is one of the most popular and accessible
Korean dishes worldwide. Lunch was part
of the lesson! The camp goers then took
part in activities reflecting various aspects
of Korean culture.
The last two nights of the camp were
held in Seoul, finishing with a demonstra-
tion, board breaking and photo session at
Olympic Park.
By the time of the camps conclusion,
new skills had been honed, global friend-
ships had been made and everyones spirit
had been refreshed.
D
AY ONE
July 5
The camp started on the 5th of July with
an orientation in the College of Physical
Education by Master Yung, who took par-
ticipants through the history of taekwon-
do and various taekwondo programs over
the years. That was followed by mid-day
training and general exercise from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. then a sumptuous Korean lunch.
The 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. training was divided
into two categories: Forms or sparring,
according to individuals chosen interest.
Dinner was Korean-style, and the kids
were thrilled.
D
AY TWO
July 6
Full training commenced at 7:30 a.m. and
ran until 8:30 a.m. Between 10 a.m. and
midday, special training was offered. This
included counseling on potential academ-
ic and career prospects for the kids and
first aid training with the introduction
of several methods newly developed by
Korean scientists. After dinner, partici-
pants were taken through a vigorous tae-
kwondo aerobics class. This is a potential
money-spinner in a world obsessed with
health and fitness.
The WTFs World Cadet Taekwondo Camp
took place on Aug. 5-11, 2013 at Koreas
Kyung Hee University, one of the premier
taekwondo training institutions in the
world. The camp attracted some 55 chil-
dren aged five and upwards from nations
as distant as Egypt, Hungary, Lebanon,
Monaco, Nigeria and, of course, Korea.
After arriving, Nigerians Mallam Ab-
dulmumin Yusuf, Dynaam Depoert (11
years old), Mohammed Kabir Zayyan (11)
and Awesome Ocha Godwin Abbah (8),
instantly fell in love with the serene en-
vironment of the university, which over-
looks the city of Suwon, south of Seoul.
Taekwondos Future Gathers in Suwon:
WTF World Cadet Taekwondo Camp
Nigerian participant and coach Abdulmumin Yusuf reports from
the World Cadet Taekwondo Camp at Kyung Hee University in Suwon,
Korea, which covered everything from first aid to counseling
D
AY SIX
July 10
It was up with the lark for jogging and
fitness followed by breakfast, then on
to extreme martial arts. This is a new
and advanced form of taekwondo that
increases both self-defense abilities and
discipline. That afternoon was the final
class in poomsae and kyorugi, followed
by class pictures and networking. That
evening, all participants, the entire facul-
ty of Kyung Hee University and officials of
the WTF treated us to a dinner buffet of
Asian food in the biggest open restaurant
I have ever seen.
D
AY SEVEN
July 11
The closing ceremony and graduation was
an emotional parting, with the award of
certificates and fantastic souvenirs from
Kyung Hee and the WTF. On and/or by the
following day, all delegates had returned
home.
D
AY THREE
July 7
After a vigorous morning cross-country
run and breakfast, participants headed
off-campus for a field trip to Seoul.
The cadets were taken to Gyeonggok-
gung, a traditional palace of the Joseon
Dynasty (1392-1910). It had been invaded
and sacked by foreign invaders, but still
contained many historic edifices which
fascinated the children. A lecture on Ko-
rean and taekwondo etiquette was deliv-
ered by the erudite Prof. J. K. Sung,
From here, buses conveyed the partic-
ipants to the National War Memorial, a
huge museum and memorial complex
which honors the memory of Korean
war heroes, as well as the UN forces who
fought during the Korean War. The ex-
hibitions include historic collections of
Korean military history over more than a
thousand years.
The field trip culminated with a visit to
the Kukiwon, the home of taekwondo,
which includes a museum where figures
from taekwondos past are displayed.
D
AY FOUR
July 8
Morning training took the form of
stretching, meditation and relaxation ex-
ercises. This was followed by a Korean and
English language class. At the same time,
nutrition training took place for coaches
to help in prepping athletes for champi-
onships.
The main training was again poomse or
sparring, taught by experienced profes-
sors and former champions. This training
helped to expose the kids and partici-
pants to Olympic-standard competitions.
Later, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m., a special
class in advanced taekwondo demonstra-
tion training took place.
D
AY FIVE
July 9
After breakfast, the participants went on
another field trip to the Ocean World,
where artificial sea waves were created
for fun with an ancient Egyptian setting
as background. This theme park is anoth-
er display of Korean technological ad-
vancement and management ability. The
kids had fun all day.
Back at Kyung Hee after dinner, a live
Gangnam Dance Class was held which
thrilled the kids with dancing rhythms.
Recommendations
The questionnaires administered by organizers on the last day were too technical
and advanced for the kids
The camp was rather too short. It should be increased from seven to 12 days for
more networking and assimilation
As only a few athletes make a living solely through taekwondo, it is pertinent to
help the children prepare for a future in working life, hence a need to invite speak-
ers from different fields rather than solely taekwondo backgrounds
Interaction with other participants should be encouraged where kids should pres-
ent their career aspirations
Participants should be exposed to creative subjects such as Korean calligraphy
A cross-cultural gala night or exhibition where participating kids can showcase
cultural displays or clothing would be a good idea
Olympic values should also be taught along with the etiquette class for kids
The first aid classes should be increased for the coaches
Appreciation of Korean cooking should be introduced optionally for kids who
love cooking.
During field trips to historic sites, volunteers should explain the various monu-
ments to the kids
The organizers and especially the volunteers should be giving special commen-
dations for their incredibly brother and sisterly patience
The Nigerian team was solely sponsored by parents and individuals who love taekwon-
do and are interested in investing into the best of Nigerian future.
We wish to thank: Tycoon Taekwondo Tours Academy, which supports Sunnydale
Homes Taekwondo Club and Inspire Academy Taekwondo Club; Saudi Properties; KAB
Development Ltd.; NESRO DG; The Korean Cultural Center, Abuja; Vale FMC Abuja; NET
Construct; the Hon Gbenga; the Nigerian Taekwondo Federation; and Etisalat Nigeria.
WTF World Cadet Taekwondo Camp
Dr. Chungwon Choue
President,
2013 WTF-Kyung Hee University
Partnership Taekwondo Training Program
I welcome you to Korea for the WTF-Kyung Hee University Partnership Taekwondo
Training Program. I wish to thank you coaches for your precious time off to participate
in this coach program.
I also extend my heart-felt appreciation to the Kyung Hee University organizers of this
partnership program for bringing together about 80 coaches from around the world.
The partnership program, which dates back to 2005, has attracted about 600 athletes
and coaches so far, showing a great popularity among our 205 member national asso-
ciations.Your presence here shows not only how much we care for each other, but also
the deep passion that we all have for the sport of taekwondo.
Since becoming president of the WTF in 2004, I have focused on bringing taekwondo
to a level beyond an Olympic sport, thus helping contribute to world peace and the
education of youth. One of our goals is to make taekwondo as beloved and widely
practiced as possible by any person who chooses to regardless of age, gender, religion
and physical condition.
In this regard, I plan to launch a new course for the disabled in this partnership
training program, as early as 2014. The WTF is striving hard to include taekwondo on
the official program of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. We have recently received
good news from the International Paralympic Committee as its governing body recog-
nized the WTF as an IPC-recognized IF.
The future of taekwondo depends on you coaches. You are the leaders of the beloved
sport of taekwondo and we expect much from you.
We have to continue to evolve to maintain our Olympic status as a core sport after the
2020 Olympic Games. Together we will make it better. I wish to conclude my speech
by quoting Marcus Buckingham:
Leaders are fascinated by the future. You are a leader if, and only if, you are restless
for change, impatient for progress, and deeply dissatisfied with the status quo.
As a leader, you are never satisfied with the present, because in your head you can
see a better future, and the friction between what is and what could be burns you,
stirs you up, propels you forward. This is leadership.
One more quote from Oprah Winfrey :
Follow your passion. Do what you love.
Thank you.
Dear Kyung Hee University faculty members,
coaches, ladies and gentlemen.
WTF
Taekwondo
Demonstration
Team
2013 Review TAEKWONDOOfcial Publication of the WTF 96 97
Korea showed its supremacy in
taekwondo as it took home both
the mens and the womens over-
all titles at the 2013 WTF World
Taekwondo Championships in
Puebla, Mexico on July 21, 2013.
The biennial championships
took place at the jam-packed
6,000-seat Exhibition Center
Puebla, drawing 950 athletes
from 134 countries.
The seven-day event attracted
great interest from both the in-
ternational media and the home
fans. Tickets for the second and
third sessions of the champion-
ships were sold out every day
during the championships, show-
ing the high popularity of tae-
kwondo in Mexico.
At the previous 2011 World
Gyeongju, Korea, Iran grabbed
the mens overall title. It marked
the first time that Korea failed to
retain the mens overall title in
the history of the biennial World
Championships. China won the
womens overall title at the 2009
World Championships in Copen-
hagen, Denmark - the first time
in WTF World Championships his-
tory that Korea had not won it.
2013 WTF
World Taekwondo
Championships
Korea takes mens, womens
overall titles in Puebla, Mexico
Puebla, Mexico July 15-21, 2013
In Puebla in the mens division,
Korea garnered three gold med-
als, one silver medal and one
bronze medal for a total of 60
points, followed by Iran with one
gold and two silvers for 48 points.
Host Mexico came next with one
gold, two silvers and one bronze
for 47 points, followed by Russia
with one silver and one bronze
for 31 points, and China with one
silver for 30 points.
In the womens category, Ko-
rea clinched three gold medals
and two silver medals for a total
of 61 points, followed by Rus-
sia with one gold and one silver
for 32 points and France with
one gold and two bronzes for
29 points. Cuba came next with
one gold and two bronzes for
27 points and Australia with one
gold for 22 points.
Koreas Dae-hoon Lee, the
gold medalist in the mens -63kg,
2013 WTF
World Taekwondo Championships
was selected as the male Most
Valuable Player (MVP) of the
championships, while Russias
Olga Ivanova, the gold medalist
in the womens +73kg category,
became the female MVP.
The Good Fighting Spirit
Award went to Cote dIvoire,
while the Active Participation
Prize went to Colombia.
The Best Referee Awards went
to Irans Shahram Arbadi, the Phil-
ippines Roland Gayo Campos,
Mexicos Nubia E. Segundo, Bel-
giums Abdelhak Chbibi and Great
Britains Christopher Codling.
Mexicos Young-in Bang was
chosen as the best male team
coach, while Frances Myriam
Baverel was selected as the best
female team coach.
The newly created female Fair
Play Award went to Italys Leon-
ardo Basile and the male Fair Play
Award went to Croatias Ana Za-
ninovic.
On the seventh and final day
of the World Taekwondo Cham-
pionships on July 21, Austra-
lias Carmen Marton earned her
country the gold medal in the
womens -62kg division.
With two seconds to go to the
final whistle, Marton successfully
made a turning kick to the head
of Koreas Hwi-lang Kim to make
the score 7-3 for the gold medal.
Marton advanced to the final
round as she defeated Germa-
nys Rabia Guelec 7-2 in a semi-
final match.
Korean Kim made her way to
the final round as she beat Swit-
zerlands Nina Klaey, the bronze
medal winner at the 2013 Ger-
man Open, 8-4 in a semifinal
match.
In the mens -80kg weight di-
vision, Germanys Tahir Guelec
brushed aside a stiff challenge
from host Mexicos Rene Lizarra-
ga to win the final match 8-7 for
the gold medal.
The German reached the final
round by edging down Russias
Anton Kotkov in a fourth sud-
den-death round, while the Mex-
ican made it to the final round as
he defeated Spains Nicolas Gar-
cia, the silver medal winner at
the 2012 London Olympic Games,
in a fourth sudden-death round.
Steven Lopez, the gold med-
alist at the 2005, 2007 and 2009
World Taekwondo Champion-
ships, failed to advance to the
semifinal round as he lost to
Mexicos Rene Lizarraga 8-5 in a
quarterfinal match.
Aaron Cook of the Isle of Man
lost to Polands Piotr Pazinski 13-
11 in the round of 32.
2013 WTF
2013 WTF
RANK COUNTRY
KOR - Korea
CUB - Cuba
MEX - Mexico
RUS - Russia
IRI - Iran
FRA - France
GER - Germany
THA - Thailand
AUS - Australia
GAB - Gabon
TPE - Chinese Taipei
CHN - China
CRO - Croatia
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
9
11
12
12
Tot Tot Tot
3
1
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
1
1
1
6
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
3
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
1
1
1
3
1
1
3
2
1
1
1
1
5
2
4
2
3
1
1
1
1
2
1
5
3
1
2
3
2
1
1
1
1
2
10
5
5
4
3
4
3
2
1
1
3
2
2
MEN WOMEN TOTAL
Medal Standings
G G G S S S B B B
The 4th International Symposium
for Taekwondo Studies opened
at the Exhibition Center in Pueb-
la, Mexico on July 16, 2013 for a
two-day run on the occasion of
the 2013 WTF World Taekwondo
Championships.
Under the theme Strength-
ening Youth Education through
Taekwondo, the symposium
attracted about 100 academics
and dignitaries from around the
world. A total of 40 papers were
presented in the symposium.
The first international tae-
Taekwondo Goes Academic:
Study Seminar in Puebla
Puebla, Mexico July 16-17, 2013
kwondo symposium was held in
Beijing, China on the occasion
of the 2007 World Taekwondo
Championships, with the second
and third held in Copenhagen,
Denmark and Gyeongju, Korea.
During the opening ceremony,
WTF President Dr. Chungwon
Choue made an opening ad-
dress, followed by a congratula-
tory address by Dr. Charlie Steb-
bins, chairperson of the Scientific
Committee for the 4th Interna-
tional Symposium for Taekwon-
do Studies.
As the worlds best taekwon-
do athletes test their skill and
training this week, we are here
to expand the worlds academ-
ic knowledge of our sport. This
symposiums theme is Strength-
ening Youth Education through
Taekwondo, which aims to ad-
vance education practices and,
through these practices, the lives
of all taekwondo practitioners,
Dr. Choue said.
He continued, The science of
taekwondo is still new. Precious
little research has been conduct-
ed, but as a burgeoning field
of study, your contributions are
highly valuable. The research
and ideas presented today are
laying an important foundation
for taekwondos future.
The 2013 WTF World Taekwon-
do Championships, which kicked
off on July 15, lasted until July 21
at the Exhibition Center Puebla.
This symposium has the po-
tential to foster interest in the
health benefits of taekwondo in
a global adolescent population
that has seen a progressive de-
cline in physical activity and an
increase in obesity over several
decades, said Dr. Stebbins in his
congratulatory speech.
There is some evidence that
martial arts training can improve
essential elements of overall
physical fitness, such as muscu-
lar-skeletal and cardiovascular fit-
ness, and reduce body adiposity,
he said. However, these effects
are not well established, particu-
larly with regard to taekwondo,
and more research into this area
needs to be encouraged.
Overall these ongoing bienni-
al symposiums provide a conduit
for a broad exchange of ideas
that can lead to intra-disciplinary
collaboration and a more inte-
grated approach to the study of
taekwondo as a research field,
which is a major goal of the Inter-
national Association of Taekwon-
do Research, he concluded.
Two keynote speeches were
made at the symposium. Under
the topic Biomechanics, Train-
ing & Injury Prevention: Con-
siderations for the Taekwondo
Athlete, Dr. David Hawkins of
the United States, a professor
at the Department of Neurobi-
ology, Physiology & Behavior of
the College of Biological Sciences
University of California, gave the
first keynote.
The second keynote speech was
delivered by Mexican Prof. Raul
Carrillo under the title Joint In-
jury Prevalence due to Structural
Instability in Elite Athletes.
The research
and ideas pre-
sented today are
laying an import-
ant foundation
for taekwondos
future
The 4th International Symposium on Taekwondo
covered a range of topics
Korea took the first place with
seven golds and four silvers in
the overall medal tally at the
2013 WTF World Taekwondo
Poomsae Championships, which
wrapped up on Nov. 3, 2013 in
Bali, Indonesia.
At the four-day event, Vietnam
followed, clinching three golds,
three silvers and five bronzes for
the second place, followed by
the Philippines with three golds,
two silvers and one bronze.
Iran came next as it took home
two golds, four silvers and five
bronzes, while the United States
earned two golds, one silver and
four bronzes for the fifth place.
A total of 21 countries took
home at least one medal at the
four-day Bali championships.
A total of 439 athletes from
49 countries competed for 25
gold medals up for grabs at the
championships. Fifty poomsae
international referees officiated
at the championships.
Thailand won two golds and-
four bronzes, while Spain clinched
Korea grabs the overall title
in Bali, Indonesia
2013 WTF
World Taekwondo
Poomsae Championships
Bali, Indonesia Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2013
2013 WTF World Taekwondo
two golds and two bronzes. Can-
ada and Germany came next with
one gold, two silvers and one
bronze each.
Host Indonesia and Chinese
Taipei took one gold, one silver
and five bronzes each.
The championships male MVP
went to Vietnams Nguyen Dinh
Toan, while Koreas Su-ji Kang
was named the female MVP.
The Good Fighting Spirit
Award went to Malaysia, while
New Zealand earned the Active
Participation Award.
Vietnams Le Minh Khuong and
Koreas Jae-ro Ahn were named
best coaches of the championships.
Five international referees were
named best referees of the cham-
pionships. They were Indonesias
Acen Tanuwijaya, Vietnams Huy
Thanh Nguyen, Germanys Noor
Muhammad Shirali, Egypts Ah-
mad Saied Ahmed, and Arubas
Ms. Maria de Lourdes de Veer.
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MEDAL
G S B
RANK COUNTRY
Korea
Vietnam
Philippines
Iran
USA
Thailand
Spain
Canada
Germany
Indonesia
Chinese Taipei
China
Turkey
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
8
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13
Medal Standings
WTF 40
th
Anniversary :
Party Night in Bali
A welcoming dinner to mark the WTFs 40th anniversary of founding
was held at the Westin Nusa Dua Resort Hotel in Bali, Indonesia on
Oct. 30, 2013.
The dinner took place on the eve of the opening of the 8th WTF
World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
The event, which featured a traditional Indonesian dance, drew WTF
President Chungwon Choue and Marciano Norman, president of the
Indonesian Taekwondo Federation; both delivered speeches during
the dinner.
The WTF was established on May 28, 1973 and now has a global
membership of 206 member national associations.
Mexico and Korea took the gold
in their respective mens and
womens divisions at the 2013
WTF World Cup Taekwondo
Team Championships, which con-
cluded in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire
on Nov. 30, 2013.
In the mens division, host Cote
dIvoire won the silver, while
Korea and Russia shared the
bronze. In the womens catego-
ry, China clinched the silver and
Cote dIvoire and France grabbed
the bronze.
The three-day event, which
was officiated by 82 internation-
al referees, drew a total of 150
athletes from 15 countries.
The championships, which
took place at the Palais des
Sports in Abidjan, featured oc-
tagonal mats for the first time
at a WTF-promoted event. There
were also taekwondo perfor-
mances by the Kukkiwon Tae-
kwondo Demonstration Team.
Home fans and those watching
online were treated to an excel-
lent standard of taekwondo on
an enthralling and tense climatic
third and final day.
In the first of the days mens
quarterfinals, Mexico overcame
a spirited display from Brazil,
winning the match 24-21. Korea
booked their place in the semifi
nals shortly after, defeating the
United States 17-11.
In the other two quarterfinals,
Russia beat Senegal 39-9 to con-
tinue their unbeaten record at
the championships and host na-
tion, Cote dIvoire, managed to
overcome China 17-15, in an ex-
tremely tense match.
Up next were the womens
semifinal matches between Ko-
rea and France, and Cote dIvo-
ire and China. Korea maintained
their 100 percent record and de-
2013 WTF
World Cup Taekwondo
Team Championships
Mexico takes mens gold,
Korea wins womens gold
in Abidjan, Cote dIvoire
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire Nov. 28-30, 2013
winning 9-8. Russia took on Cote
dIvoire in the second semifinal,
but with the crowd spurring
them on, Cote dIvoire won the
match 17-16, much to the delight
of the home fans.
The womens final was up first
with an unbeaten Korean team
taking on China. The atmosphere
was electric but despite a valiant
effort from China the Korean
side was too strong and won the
match 12-9 to take the gold med-
al, leaving China with silver. Cote
dIvore and France claimed joint
bronze.
2013 WTF
World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships
COUNTRY (FEMALE)
G
S
B
B
MEDAL COUNTRY (MALE)
Mexico
Cote dIvoire
Korea
Russia
Korea
China
Cote dIvoire
France
Medal Standings
feated France 17-13. China then
took on Cote dIvoire and after
an excellently contested match,
came away with the win and a
place in the final thanks to a 17-9
victory.
Fans had to wait until the af-
ternoon to find out which teams
would be awarded the gold
medals as athletes were given a
break ahead of the mens semifi-
nals and final and womens final.
After the break, Mexico took
to the mat against Korea for
the first mens semifinal. There
was very little between the two
sides, but Mexico just edged it,
Asia beat Europe 7-5 on aggre-
gated points at the 2nd Asia-Eu-
rope Intercontinental Taekwon-
do Championships in Shenzhen,
China on Nov. 17, 2013 to defend
its overall title.
Asia went into the one-day
intercontinental championships,
which took place at the Shen
Zhen Sports School, as reign-
ing champions having defeat-
ed Europe 13-3 at the inaugural
Europe-Asia Intercontinental
Moscow, Russia last year.
This years championships fea-
tured eight individual and six
team competitions.
The eight individual Olym-
pic-weight matches, consisting
of four male and four female
matches, were held in the morn-
ing with one point awarded to
the continent for each individual
victory.
In the womens -49kg catego-
ry, Chinas Song Yaoye defeated
Greeces Ioanna Koutsou 4-0 to
earn the Asia Taekwondo Union
one point. In the mens -58kg
2nd
Asia-Europe
Intercontinental
Taekwondo
Championships
Asia beats Europe, 7-5
in Shenzhen, China
Shenzhen, China Nov. 17, 2013
2nd Asia-Europe Intercontinental
division, Chinese Taipeis Wang
Ping Shun edged Italys Gemma
Domenico to a 4-2 victory to give
Asia another point.
In the womens -57kg category,
Chinese Taipeis Tseng Li Cheng
beat Thailands Autayananon
Montawan 5-0 to win the divi-
sion and in the mens -68kg di-
vision Russias Viacheslav Minin
secured one point for the Euro-
pean Taekwondo Union (ETU) by
defeating Jordans Mohammad
Zunier Abulibdeh 10-0.
Chinese Taipeis Chia Chia Ch-
uang beat Chinas Zhang Jing
4-0 to take the victory in the
womens -67kg category while
Russias Sergey Dozortsev came
through a stiff challenge from
Jordans Talal Hassan Nabil to
win the match 3-2 and take the
mens -80kg division.
In the womens +67kg cate-
gory, Chinese Taipeis Chia Hwi
Peng won the match as Europes
Gwladys Epangue failed to ap-
pear and in the mens +80kg divi-
sion, Italys Basile Leonardo beat
Chinas Ji Shengping 7-2 to earn
the ETU another point.
In the afternoon, six team
competitions took place. The
team competition was conduct-
ed in a 5-on-5 tag-team match
format with each of the mens
and womens teams limited to a
combined weight of 360kg and
305kg, respectively.
The team competition was
composed of two five-minute
rounds with a one-minute break.
In the first five-minute round,
each of the five athletes fought
for one minute while the second
round was a tag-team match in
which athletes could be replaced
at any time after making three
attacks.
In the opening team match be-
tween the European mens team
and the Asian mens Team B, the
five-member Asian squad won
the match 26-16.
In the following match be-
tween the European-Asian mens
team and the Asian mens Team
A, the two teams were tied at 8-8.
The Asian mens Team A se-
cured two points for their con-
tinent as they beat the Europe-
an-Asian mens team 7-6 and the
European mens team 11-10.
The match between the Euro-
pean-Asian womens team and
the Asian womens team failed
to find a winner as the two teams
were even with 20 points each
after two rounds of competition.
In the mens final team match,
the Asian squad defeated the
European team 25-22 to earn
Asia their fourth point of the
tag team competition and win
the championships 7-5 after the
European team only managed to
win two points in the team com-
petitions.
Around 250 young Chinese
taekwondo students watched
the championships, demonstrat-
ing the popularity of the sport in
China.
Iran and China took home their
respective mens and womens ti-
tle in the taekwondo team com-
petition of the 2013 SportAccord
World Combat Games in St. Pe-
tersburg, Russia on Oct. 24, 2013.
Host Russia earned bronze
medals in both the mens and
womens team competitions.
In the mens tag team final
match, the Iranian team beat the
United States 17-12 to grab the
gold medal.
The two-day taekwondo com-
petition, which took place at the
Spartak Arena Sport Complex,
drew a total of 72 athletes, 48
females and 24 females, from 11
countries.
Iran advanced to the final
round as it edged down Spain 6-5
in a semifinal match. Iran, which
fielded a total of six athletes, in-
cluding a substitute, for the five-
on-five tag-team matches, won
three preliminary round-robin
team matches on Oct. 23.
In the mens team bronze-med-
al contest, host Russia overcame
a stern challenge from Spain to
edge down Spain 13-12 for the
bronze medal.
A total of eight countries, host
Russia, Korea, Iran, Spain, the
Dominican Republic, the United
States, Uzbekistan and Venezu-
ela, sent their respective male
taekwondo teams to the 2013
SportAccord World Combat
Games, the second of its kind af-
ter the inaugural edition in 2010
in Beijing, China.
In the womens team final
match, the Chinese team was
ahead 2-1 at the end of the first
round and maintained its lead
in the second round to defeat
France 12-8 for the top honors.
The Chinese squad, which
grabbed three victories in the
preliminary round, was com-
posed of six athletes, including
Jingyu Wu, the gold medal win-
ner in the womens -49kg cate-
gory at the 2012 London Olympic
Games. The other athletes were
Yunfei Guo, Yushuo Hou, Chen
Li, Yun Wang and Hua Zhang.
In the womens team
bronze-medal contest, host
Russia required a golden-point
round to clinch the bronze medal
against Croatia. The two teams
tied at 4-4 after two rounds of
competition.
A total of four countries, host
Russia, China, France and Croa-
tia, competed for top honors in
the womens division.
An electronic protector and
scoring system was used at the
taekwondo competition.
The tag team match consisted
of two five-minute rounds with
a one-minute break. The first
round was conducted in a tradi-
tional team format, under which
each of the five athletes has to
compete in order from the light-
er to heavier weight. The second
five-minute round is conducted
in a tag-team match, in which
athletes can be replaced any
time after a minimum of three
attacks.
2013
World Combat
Games
Iran, China clinch mens, womens
titles in taekwondo team
competition in St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg, Russia Oct. 23-24, 2013
Around the WTF TAEKWONDOOfcial Publication of the WTF 124 125
Chungwon Choue takes on
fourth term at helm of WTF
July 14, 2013
Dr. Chungwon Choue was reelected by the
WTF to serve his fourth term at the feder-
ations helm in Puebla, Mexico on July 14,
2013.
At the federations General Assembly,
which took place on the sidelines of the
World Taekwondo Championships in Mexi-
co, the WTF retained Choue as president for
another four-year term.
Election
Time
Choue first took on the WTF headship as
interim president in 2004, when then-pres-
ident Un-yong Kim stepped down with one
year left of his term. Choue was reelected in
2005 and again in 2009.
No balloting was necessary in Puebla as
Choue was the sole runner, but Choue nev-
ertheless asked delegates to cast votes. I
ask you to confirm me to remain in this po-
sition, Choue said. Our organization has
grown too great to expect anything less.
The only other candidate dropped out of
the running days previously.
In addition to the president, 14 Council
members were also elected from five con-
tinents. Eleven were reconfirmed to serve
their four-year terms, while three new mem-
bers joined: one each from Korea, Jordan
and Mexico.
During his tenure, Choue, who was an ac-
ademic leader at Kyung Hee University in
Korea before coming to the WTF, has been
credited with bringing positive changes that
helped shed taekwondos image as a dull
viewer sport.
Ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, the
WTF adopted the use of electronic protec-
tive armor and socks for scoring, along with
instant video replays. These moves drew
favorable reviews and eliminated judging
disputes, thus helping taekwondo remain
as one of the 25 core sports of the 2020
Olympics.
Members
Ali Sagirkaya
(Turkey)
Dalibor Krpan
(Croatia)
ETU
Athanasios
Pragalos (Greece) /
Ex-Offcio Member

Sarah Stevenson
(UK)
Michel Madar
(Israel)
Metin Sahin
(Turkey)
Anatloy K. Terek-
hov (Russia)
Roger Piarullli
(France)
Jesus Castellanos
Pueblas (Spain)
OTU
Tae-Kyung Kim
(New Zealand)
PATU
Juan Manuel Lopez
Delgado (Mexico)
Dai-Won Moon
(Mexico)
Maria Rosario
Borello Castillo
(Guatemala)
Anthony Ferguson
(Trinidad & Tobago)
AFTU
Issaka Ide
(Niger)
Driss El-Hilali
(Morocco)
Aicha Garard Ali
(Djibouti)
ATU
Pimol Srivikorn
(Thailand)
Kyu-Seok Lee
(Korea)
Hazem Ahmad
Awwad Naimat
(Jordan)
Kook-Hyun Jung
(Korea)
Dae-Sung Moon
(Korea)
Milan Kwee
(Singapore)
WTF Council Members (2013-2017)
Chungwon Choue
(Korea)
President
Jean-Marie Ayer
(Switzerland)
Secretary General
Honorary Vice Presidents
Phillip Walter Coles
(Australia)
Dai-Soon Lee
(Korea)
Vice Presidents
Ivan Dibos
(Peru)
Sun-Jae Park
(Italy)
Kamaladdin Hey-
darov (Azerbaijan)
Ahmed Mohammed
Fouly (Egypt)
Auditors
Mohamed A.K.
Al-Sulaiti (Qatar)
Carine Lahoud
(Lebanon)
Ji-Ho Choi
(USA) / Ex-Offcio
Member
vice president of PATU. Currently I serve
as president of the TTTA; vice president of
the Commonwealth Taekwondo Union and
member of the WTF Council.
How popular is Taekwondo in your
country?
Taekwondo has become very popular in
Trinidad and Tobago, particularly among
youth. Countries like ours find difficulty in
fielding athletes outside of track and field in
multi-sport games, including the Olympics.
Since taekwondos introduction by Mas-
ter Jin-young Jung in 1983 (the same year I
started the art), we have fielded and consis-
tently won medals at Central American and
Caribbean Games; Pan-American Games;
and have twice fielded athletes at the Olym-
pics. The biggest challenge, as it is for many,
remains one of funding.
Do you have any recommendations?
Recommendations of a specific nature I re-
serve for the sanctity of our Council. I first
have to convince my colleagues there that
a proposal is a good (or bad) policy. Under-
standing that I do not have the monopoly
on knowledge, I appreciate that they may
see angles that I do not. So my first respon-
sibility is to float it with them. However I
will say this. The WTF, through its various
programs, has started to build intellectu-
al capacity with the various programs we
run with Kyung Hee University. Also, the
studied attention to referee development,
along with the introduction of technology
through the PSS and video replay system,
are going a long way toward meeting the
goal of athlete satisfaction.
The WTF celebrated its 40th anniversa-
ry in 2013. What is your overall evalua-
tion of the WTF activities so far?
When one considers that the WTF was
founded only in 1973well! The only word
to describe the phenomenal achievements is
spectacular. That we continue to revolution-
ize the sport with technology even as we
search for new opportunities is remarkable.
I believe we are providing a template which
others are certain to follow.
Do you have anything to add?
Well briefly, three points.
First: Funding at all levels: national, re-
gional and international. A simple look at
our achievements, our possibilities, will tell
funding and business organizations that
there is real value for money when they
invest in the building stage of the sports
development, rather than only at the
post-medal stage. Simply put: More help is
needed.
Second: One aspect of our achievements
that does not find enough exposure is the
spread of medals among countries at
multi-sport games. We have one of the best
distributions in the world. The motherland
of taekwondo is Korea. They birthed it.
But the medal spread, while being import-
ant for Olympic retention, also proves that
their gift to the world has been humbly and
graciously received. Of this, Korea can be
proud.
Third: I look forward to the Kukkiwon set-
tling down, because their constant changes
cannot be good for taekwondo.
How did you feel when you frst be-
came a WTF council member?
When it was first suggested, I was shocked.
The point is, this was not something I pur-
sued. In fact, anytime I am asked to fulfil a
role within the WTF, I am surprised but hap-
py. So when this came, it was pure elation
and joy. Then those feelings quickly transi-
tioned to a sense of deep responsibility for
the art/sport.
What is your main goal and priority for
2014 as a WTF council member?
As it is, I am still on a learning curve. My
wish is to contribute toward the harmoni-
zation of efforts between the world body,
the regional bodies and the MNAs. My plan
is also to work with Council members so
that we may convince the organizers of the
Commonwealth Games of the wisdom of in-
cluding taekwondo in the upcoming games
schedule.
Would you tell us your taekwondo story?
Growing up in Trinidad and Tobago, I loved
football, cricket and anything that had to
do with the sea. With the latter, I had most
of the experiences you could imagine from
answering its daily call: I almost drowned
several times, then when I learned to swim, I
saved others (including a cousin twice) from
drowning. I drifted away with a friend and
neighbor on a raft and was found at sea by
the local rescue squad. Then, one day while
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From Tragedy to
Taekwondo
Anthony Ferguson (Trinidad & Tobago)
Anthony Ferguson has
saved lives and swum with
sharks, but it was the death
of a friend that led him to
the dojang
swimming about a half mile out at sea, I
encountered a shark. Panicking and about
to meet a fate too ghastly to contemplate,
the shark demonstrated kindness, making it
possible for me to re-tell the events.
Then a life altering tragedy took place.
A very close friend of mine was murdered
in the Caribbean. It left me devastated. At
the time, I was teaching at Howard Univer-
sity in Washington D.C. I could not function.
Then I shared my emotions with an office
colleague, Jesse Tippett. I told him I needed
to do something to get out of this state. He
suggested that I join taekwondo. I told him
that I was not interested. He was a second
dan at the time at the Howard University
Club, set up by Dr. Dong-ja Yang. Tippett
kept insisting, and simply out of courtesy, I
relented and went.
The only good thing about that expe-
rience was that I went on a Friday. On the
Saturday, I simply could not get out of bed! I
discovered that I had muscles in places I nev-
er knew. On the Sunday, same thing, but,
slightly better. On the Monday, a little bet-
ter, but with the same pain. I went to my
classes, then back to the dojang for more
punishment. I had found my calling and the
rest, as they say, is history. I do not usual-
ly share this tragedy. I do so now only be-
cause of my position on the Council. It forms
part of my complete story and I believe that
some aspiring taekwondo people in some
part of the world may find in it some value
to help them conquer their own difficulties.
I have since served in a variety of capac-
ities: athlete; president of the Taekwondo
Association of Washington, D.C.; special ad-
visor to PATU President, Dr. Dong-ja Yang;
national coach of Trinidad and Tobago; sec-
retary and vice president of the TTTA and
How popular is taekwondo in your
country?
Prior to my participation in the Taekwondo
Association of Thailand, it was not popular
at all. Two years after I took the helm of our
association, we won a bronze medal in the
Athens Olympic Games. Then the popular-
ity increased significantly. Now it is one of
the five most popular sports in Thailand, I
believe. There are more or less 1 million tae-
kwondo practitioners in Thailand.
Do you have recommendations for the
development of taekwondo and the
WTF?
We need to focus more on the audience. We
need to have more people understand tae-
kwondo and watch taekwondo around the
world. This means we need to get on chan-
nels like Star Sports and ESPN.
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Tell us your taekwondo story
My taekwondo story is an unusual one, be-
cause I am not a taekwondo man, unlike
all others who at some point in their lives
were! My background is politics and busi-
ness. I was a member of parliament of Thai-
land and I own hotels and other businesses.
I never practiced taekwondo! I was invited
to become secretary general by a friend
who was president of the Taekwondo As-
sociation of Thailand at the time. I accept-
ed. Over time, I came to love the sport, the
beauty, the excitement as well as the phi-
losophy of it. Also, I came to love people in
the sport the executives of the WTF and
continental unions. So, after I was elected
president, I never left! After each of my
terms ended, I ran again and got re-elected
again and again. Now, it has been 12 years.
How did you feel when you became a
WTF Council Member?
This is my second term as a WTF Council
member. I felt very privileged when the
President, Dr. Chungwon Choue, appointed
me.
What are your main goals and priorities
for 2014?
As a member of the WTF Council, I pledge
myself to serve the WTF in my best capacity.
I leave it to the president to designate what-
ever task he wants me to fulfill.
Thailands Pimol Srivikorn
started his second term as
a WTF Council member. We
asked him his thoughts on
his appointment
Term
Two
Pimol Srivikorn (Thailand)
The WTF recently celebrated the 40th
anniversary of its founding. What is
your evaluation of its activities?
Great. Under the leadership of President
Choue, the organization is developing the
sport in a positive way, in the right direc-
tion. More people around the world are
now practicing taekwondo. The WTF is a
strong international body supporting and
promoting taekwondo.
Taekwondo was voted one of the
25 core sports for the 2020 Olympic
Games. What did you think of that?
Relieved! There were many rumors and con-
cerns that it might have been voted out. I
was worried even though I did not think it
was likely. When I heard that it was voted in,
I felt relieved - and happy, of course. It was
a collective effort of all people involved,
however, much credit must be given to the
leadership of President Chungwon Choue
who worked very hard on this issue. Now,
people around the globe will be able to
enjoy taekwondo as an Olympic event for
many years to come.
Taekwondo was voted one of the 25
core sports of the 2020 Olympic Games.
What was your opinion on this?
For us, the taekwondo family, the Olym-
pics are the principal arena for our sport
and only a handful of us are privileged to
be there. The WTF have obviously proven
by their initiatives and activities so far, and
obviously delivered, every time, a successful
and well-run Olympic Games. We well and
truly deserve to be in the 2020 Olympics -
and beyond. Personally it makes me proud
to be in such an exclusive family and such
a highly exciting sport. I have competed in
every Olympics since taekwondo became
recognized and I intend to be present in
some capacity at all future games.
Do you have anything else to say?
I would like to say to everyone out there
that has a dream and a goal to be successful
in taekwondo: Train hard. Live hard. Enjoy
the ride. And smile!
How did you feel when you became a
new WTF Council member?
I was extremely shocked and overwhelmed
at first. Being a Council member is some-
thing that is so different to what Im used
to. I was a top-level athlete and now a coach
and to be a Council member I suppose you
could say its a hat trick. Overall, a huge
opportunity and honor.
What are your main goals and priorities
for 2014 as a WTF Council member?
First and foremost, I would like to familiar-
ize myself with my fellow Council members
and our president Dr Chungwon Choue, in
order to form strong working relationships.
The WTF has achieved great success in recent
years and I want to show my support for all
the initiatives that we are currently work-
ing on. Lastly, as the athlete member of the
Council, I feel I have got great experience
and knowledge from both an athletic and
coaching perspective and I am keen to use
this to continually raise our sports profile,
and the future development of the WTF.
I
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British international Sarah
Stevenson has been athlete
and coach. Her latest chal-
lenge? Entering the WTFs
administrative ranks
Howpopularistaekwondoinyourcountry?
As I guess is the case in most countries, tae-
kwondo has grown in popularity since it
became an Olympic sport in Sydney 2000.
Currently in British taekwondo, we have a
record number of participants practicing
and competing and I believe the success
Great Britain has had in the last two Olym-
pic Games has impacted this hugely. Myself,
Jade Jones and Lutalo Muhammed are now
role models and inspirations to the younger
generation of taekwondo athletes in Great
Britain. Children can see and believe it is
possible to achieve if others have achieved
success before them.
Do you have any recommendations for
the further development of taekwondo
and the WTF?
I would like to see the expansion of the mar-
keting and publicity of our sport, this could
have a real impact on attracting media
and sponsors to our beautiful game, but it
would also enhance the growth of our sport
globally.
The WTF celebrated the 40th anniversa-
ry of its founding in 2013. What is your
overall evaluation of WTF activities so
far?
The WTF has done a fantastic job in achiev-
ing Olympic status and has done an excep-
tional job in cementing the sports position
in the Olympic program. The impressive
progress the WTF has made demonstrates
that they are clearly focused on a proactive
development program which will take the
sport to even greater popularity in the fu-
ture and I am proud to have contributed to
the sports success.
Sarah Stevenson (Great Britain)
Training Hard, Living
Hard, Enjoying the Ride -
and Still Smiling
Taekwondo Evangelist
Steps Down
Legendary taekwondo figure Dai-soon Lee
pledges to stay involved after a lifetime
teaching and promoting the sport
Dai-soon Lee, 83, one of the most respected
figures in taekwondos history, has stepped
down from his official positions in the WTF,
but will continue to serve the federation in
an honorary capacity.
Known as the Taekwondo Evangelist for
his continuous efforts on the sports behalf,
Lee was president of the Asian Taekwondo
Union from 1999 to 2013, when he handed
over that role to Prof. Kyu-seok Lee.
He also served as the first president of the
Taekwondo Promotion Foundation, which
oversees the construction and operation of
the sports stunning new complex, the Tae-
kwondowon in Muju, Korea, which officially
opens in April of this year. He has been a
vice president of the WTF since 2000 and,
Though I step back from
active service, I will continue
to make taekwondo my life
until my last moment
in recognition of his huge experience in the
sport and long service to it, he was named
honorary vice president in 2013.
Lee also served as Koreas minister of com-
munication.
While he may be stepping down from of-
ficial duties, his voice will continue to be
heard in taekwondo, he says, until he draws
his last breath.
What has made me serve the taekwondo
community for such a long time is my fami-
ly and Gods will, said Lee. Though I step
back from active service, I will continue to
make taekwondo my life until my last mo-
ment.
Dai-soon Lee
During the championships, the players with the most potential are
recognized and called for national team selection, which is held in
Thimphu every year.
Taekwondo is a well-rounded exercise program that encompasses
muscle toning, stretching and flexibility. It increases strength and
stamina through aerobic sparring, and presents a mental challenge
through becoming proficient at patterns or forms.
Most classes start with warm-ups. These exercises are calisthenics
such as push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, trunk rotations, squat kicks
and various leg stretches. For certain, you will tighten your abs and
strengthen your arms just from performing the warm-up exercises.
Before you know it, youll be doing 50 knuckle or triangle push-ups
at rapid-fire pace and will be able to lean up against a wall and have
someone lift your leg up so that your toes touch the wall behind your
ear. Taekwondo definitely helps people become healthy and fit.
Taekwondo is also an Olympic sport. Many people enjoy taekwon-
do, because it is an all-inclusive exercise program. Its fun, its chal-
lenging, and its an excellent way of life to get into, or to stay in
shape. Everyone starts out as a white belt. Have fun and get moving!
By Master Phurba Dorji
Sixth Dan Black Belt (Bhutan Taekwondo Federation)
2nd Class International Referee (WTF)
High-altitude
Taekwondo
Country Report
Master Phurba Dorji briefs us on
the spread of taekwondo in the
Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan
I started taekwondo in 1985 under the guidance of Master Y. Tharch-
en, founder of taekwondo in Bhutan and the present secretary
general of the Bhutan Taekwondo Federation. After I gained my
first dan, I was sent to Chhukha in southern Bhutan, by the Bhutan
Taekwondo Federation, to open a new dojang. At that time, there
were no taekwondo practitioners there; the sport was very new to
the public. I introduced taekwondo to students and to the gener-
al public, and conducted demonstrations during Bhutans National
Day on Dec 17. Within a few years, the numbers of taekwondo prac-
titioners in my dojang increased tremendously and I started con-
ducting inter-school taekwondo competitions among five schools in
the southern province.
Today, under my supervision, I have more than 850 young learners
of taekwondo from different schools. Some of the members have
graduated with dan and poom certificates awarded by the Kukki-
won.
Taekwondo has spread among schools, universities and colleges in
the southern province The annual Inter-School Taekwondo Compe-
tition, National Level Championships and Inter Dzongkhag (District)
Level Championships are also held once every year. Some of the
championships are sponsored and supported by the BTF and some
championships are organized through sponsorships and donations.
BHUTAN
Kazakh
Heroes
Country Report
Two men have been behind the
development of taekwondo in the
Republic of Kazakhstan.
This is their story...
Taekwondo officially came to Kazakhstan in 1991, during a period
in which the young country was just starting to walk its own path.
The two great people who were behind the sports introduction
were famous far beyond Kazakhstans borders: Mustafa Ozturk and
Bekseit Tulkiev.
There is much to say about Mustafa Ozturk. He was born in Istan-
bul, Turkey in 1954 to a family of Kazakh immigrants. In 1975 he en-
tered the International University of Politics in Taipei City, Chinese
Taipei, and graduated in 1980 with the qualification of journalist/
expert on international affairs.
But his main legacy is in the taekwondo field. Mustafa Ozturk
won six World C hampionships and a seventh dan black belt. Thanks
to his effective fighting skills, Mustafa was offered film roles in mar-
tial arts movies, playing in more than than 60.
And he generously shared his mastery of the sport. When Mustafa
Ozturk moved to Germany to work, he opened the Mustafa tae-
kwondo school in Munich - a branch of the same school in Istanbul.
Sportsmen from these schools have shown themselves great com-
petitors during international matches.
In 1990 the actor, sportsman and teacher came back to his histori-
cal motherland - Kazakhstan. A year later he founded the Taekwon-
do Federation of Kazakhstan and popularized the martial art all
KAZAKHSTAN
over the country. In 1992, Mustafa became a citizen of Kazakhstan
and in 1993, oversaw the inclusion of the Kazakhstan Federation
into the WTF. In 1995, he died suddenly.
The first president of the federation was another distinguished
son of the Kazakh nation: Bekseit Tulkiev. He started practicing tae-
kwondo when the martial art was forbidden in the USSR. He was
friends with Mustafa Ozturk, and managed to steer the initial im-
pulses regarding creating a federation in the right direction. In 1995,
at the 7th World Military Championships, Kazakhstan taekwondo
players took the second team place after Korea, winning one silver
and two bronze medals.
But Bekseit Tulkiev also left this world early: He died tragically in
1995 - the same year as Mustafa.
However by then, the sport was established. A seventh dan,
Shamsat Zhaksylykovich Isabekov, picked up the baton. He is also a
member of the National Olympic Committee. Thanks to his efforts,
as well as the cooperation of training staff, in 2008 at the Beijing
Olympiad, the federation received its first prize in the biggest event
of the sporting world: A bronze medal won by Arman Chilmanov.
In November 2013, the federation elected a new president, Kim
Vyacheslav Konstantinovich.
The federation today hopes for new victories in various tour-
naments and competitions. Nowadays, in Kazakhstan more than
20,000 people are involved in taekwondo and this number is in-
creasing. This means the chances of further victories are increasing,
too a bright future that the sports founders in Kakakhstan would
like to have seen.
Country Report KAZAKHSTAN
The Rise and
Rise of a
Taekwondo
Power
Country Report
Taekwondo has seen
its popularity explode
in Iran. Here is how it
happened
Irans first introduction to taekwondo was in the early 1970s when
the Islamic countrys military and police started practicing the Ko-
rean martial art. In 1975, Iran became a member of the World Tae-
kwondo Federation.
Today, with a taekwondo population of about 2 million and about
5,000 taekwondo gyms, Iran is one of the top global taekwondo
powers.
The country has so far taken home eight Olympic medals, includ-
ing two golds, as well as 164 medals at the World Taekwondo Cham-
pionships. In recent years, Iran has overtaken Korea to clinch the
mens overall titles at major taekwondo championships. At the 2011
World Taekwondo Championships in Gyeongju, Korea, Iran won
three gold medals, one silver and two bronzes for the overall mens
title. Korea came next with two golds and two silvers.
Behind the remarkable development of taekwondo in Iran are
Korean Grandmaster Shin-chul Kang and Seyed Mohammad Pou-
ladgar, president of the Iran Taekwondo Federation.
There were a mere 30,000 taekwondo practitioners in Iran in 1985
when Master Kang first came to the Islamic country as an instructor.
Kang served as the head coach of the Iranian national team from
1985 to 1995. Since 1996, Kang, a ninth dan black-belt holder, has
worked as chairman of the Iranian Technical Committee. From 2006,
IRAN
COUNTRY REPORT IRAN
he has also served as the head coach of the Iranian National Poom-
sae Team.
In June this year we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Grand-
master Kangs arrival in Iran, said Pouladgar, who has served as
president of the Iran Taekwondo Federation since 2001. In January
this year, Pouladgar was re-elected to the four-year post for the
fourth time.
Pouladgar, who started taekwondo at the age of 16 and holds
a seventh dan rank from the Kukkiwon, said that he is placing top
priority on the technical advancements of Iranian athletes in order
to ensure good results at the next Olympics.
The more medals we win at the Olympic Games means the more
power and support we win from our government, he said. To at-
tain this goal, we will strengthen our education for athletes.
In cooperation with the WTF, Iran established the World Tae-
kwondo Center in Tehran in May 2010, which serves as a WTF-des-
ignated Regional Training Center. Built on a 724 sq.-meter area, the
four-floor center is equipped with a hotel, a gym, a training room
with four courts, and a medical clinic.
The purpose of the center is to help enhance taekwondo skills
in Iran and nearby countries, said Pouladgar, a member of the
six-member Executive Board of the Iranian Olympic Committee. He
worked as a WTF Council member until 2013.
In 2010, Iran opened a two-year taekwondo university next to the
World Taekwondo Center. The university is made up of five classes,
and various departments for management, education and research
and cultural affairs. The first commencement ceremony of the uni-
versity, which was changed into a four-year school starting this year,
was held in June 2012; 35 students graduated. After five years of
operation, 410 students have been trained at the university, with
150 of them winning associated degrees and 70 studying for bach-
elor degrees. For the first semester of 2014, 70 students have been
admitted.
8
19
4
2
Miroslav Brezan / M
Maria Andrea Mancuso / F
Jeong Ki Young / M
Mohamed Riad Ibrahim / M
Samuel Michael Loiacono / M
Stephen Liu / M
Kim Yong Kwang / M
Snosy A. Mohamed / M
Nelson Brizuela Cortes / M
Varo Barragan / M
Lee Byung Kyu / M
Ken Wai-Kin Cheung / M
Yu Myung Ok / M
Linda Kwan / F
Lee Young Keun / M
Kim Young Sam / M
Lee Eui Bin / M
Park In Kon / M
Kim Dong Sup / M
Kim Koang Woong / M
Gregory S. Kailian / M
Bruce C.K.W. Harris / M
Leon T. Preston / M
William Sullivan / M
Sergio Chavez / M
Rafael Jesus Ruelas Reyes / M
Seo Myung Soo / M
Baek Jin Kun / M
Chakir Chelbat / M
Benjamin John / M
Sergey A.Danilov / M
Tricoli Lorenzo / M
Galip Ziya Yalginkaya / M
Croatia
Argentina
Egypt
Australia
New Zealand
Libya
Costa Rica
Panama
Canada
U.S.A.
Mexico
Netherlands
Germany
Sweden
France
Russia
Italy
Turkey
021-0952
015-0712
018-0848
018-1082
029-0123
020-0939
013-0634
013-0633
020-0938
013-0604
001-0162
008-0572
015-0684
029-0045
001-0175
002-0281
002-0069
002-0072
002-0100
005-0225
013-0625
019-0861
019-0866
019-2059
012-1061
015-0703
001-0170
013-0640
029-0134
013-0623
030-0002
008-1034
013-0632
1951/02/12
1965/12/04
1946/06/08
1955/10/26
1952/12/10
1957/12/13
1948/04/23
1953/05/08
1953/05/26
1955/09/24
1944/10/25
1950/07/03
1952/08/21
1960/03/23
1939/06/17
1942/11/25
1941/05/03
1945/04/04
1943/02/03
1937/07/10
1946/05/23
1951/05/11
1947/02/18
1950/06/13
1955/09/08
1952/09/25
1939/12/05
1947/08/24
1964/08/28
1953/03/31
1951/06/09
1951/10/05
1950/06/27
2011/12/31
2012/12/31
2006/12/31
2010/12/31
2010/12/31
2011/12/31
2007/06/30
2009/06/30
2011/12/31
2006/08/02
1994/09/10
2002/12/31
2007/06/30
2012/12/31
1994/09/10
2000/12/31
2000/12/31
2006/06/30
2000/12/31
1996/01/01
2010/06/30
2000/12/31
2012/12/31
2011/12/31
2005/12/31
2010/06/30
1998/12/31
2008/06/30
2011/12/31
2008/12/31
2010/12/31
2000/12/31
2009/12/31
EUROPE
PAN-AM
AFRICA
OCEANIA
Country
Country
Country
Country
Name / Gender
Name / Gender
Name / Gender
Name / Gender
IR Number
IR Number
IR Number
IR Number
Birth Date
Birth Date
Birth Date
Birth Date
Pro Date
Pro Date
Pro Date
Pro Date
Charles Mok Hung Fai / M
Moon Myoung Gon / M
Acen Tanuwijaya / M
Herman Andikara / M
Kalanayagam A.R. Nadarajan/ M
Tai Loke Woon / M
Moon Chang Nam / M
Hong Jeong Boo / M
Kang Sun Jang / M
Kim Kang Ein / M
Lee Sang Hyun / M
Lee Kyu Hyung / M
Kim Ki Yong / M
Park Hyun Sup / M
Oh Soo Gon / M
Chang Myeong Soo / M
Han Sang Jin / M
Choi Jung Ho / M
Kim Kil Lae / M
Kim Hwa Ryong / M
Mojtaba Nazmdeh / M
Deep Raj Gurung / M
Abubakr A.K. Kordi / M
Teong Chin Lim / M
006-0257
024-0987
018-0852
018-2053
015-0687
015-0692
001-0154
001-0155
002-0070
002-0083
002-0086
002-0088
002-0118
002-0282
016-0737
016-0750
016-0752
016-0753
016-0766
025-0004
025-0002
015-0685
025-0107
006-0594
1948/10/09
1957/02/05
1944/08/23
1954/12/24
1949/12/19
1961/02/06
1942/05/26
1943/03/03
1947/01/15
1948/07/18
1942/03/05
1945/09/01
1948/03/15
1946/03/02
1956/01/12
1959/09/15
1954/09/14
1954/09/22
1943/08/20
1949/03/24
1957/03/23
1959/09/15
1962/07/07
1948/02/14
2002/06/30
2010/06/30
2011/12/31
2012/12/31
2008/12/31
2008/12/31
1994/09/10
1994/09/10
2003/06/30
2001/12/31
2003/12/31
2000/12/31
2002/06/30
1998/06/30
2008/12/31
2009/12/31
2008/06/30
2000/12/31
2008/06/30
2012/12/31
2010/12/31
2010/12/31
2013/12/31
2001/06/30
Sung Kuang Sen / M
Mao Kee Lung / M
Kim Sa Ok / M
Chinese Taipei
Hong Kong
Indonesia
Malaysia
Korea
Iran
Nepal
Saudi Arabia
Singapore
010-0568
010-0570
010-0560
1946/04/27
1951/03/10
1944/04/24
2000/12/31
2004/06/30
2002/12/31
ASIA
27
Country Name / Gender IR Number Birth Date Pro Date
WTF S-Class International
Kyorugi Referees
(as of Feb. 28, 2014)
No
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
1
2
3
Name (Gender)
Mohammed Argoubi (M)
David Coupar (M)
Carmen Chiu (F)
Soo Hyeon Park (F)
Jose Eduardo Cornelio (M)
Si Liang (M)
Julie Dib (F)
Mohammed Bin Ishaq (M)
Jose Luis Gonzalo Morales (M)
Abubakr Kordi (M)
Neydis Tavarez (F)
Young Hwan Choi (M)
Stephen Liu (M)
Kwang-cheol Oh (M)
Stig Ove Ness (M)
Jorge Reynoso Cruz (M)
Vu Xuan Thanh (M)
Maria Merkouri (F)
Shahram Arbabi (M)
Roland Gayo Campos (M)
Nubia E. Segundo (F)
Abdelhak Chbibi (M)
Christopher Codling (M)
Jorge Reynoso Cruz (M)
Mokake Moshoeshoe (M)
Renata Crkvenac (F)
Ricardo Santiago (M)
Hafez Mahdavi (M)
Wu Jianzhong (M)
IR Number
038-0216
030-0006
046-0004
038-0104
038-0163
046-0046
046-0012
025-0211
048-0062
025-0107
050-0024
038-0075
020-0939
046-0057
046-0049
033-0002
034-0179
042-0012
047-0031
024-2121
060-0016
048-0056
035-0014
033-0002
051-0013
048-0072
024-2141
045-0411
054-0003
Nationality
Netherland
Denmark
Macau
Korea
Aruba
China
Lebanon
U.A.E
Spain
Saudi Arabia
Puerto Rico
Korea
New Zealand
Azerbaijan
Norway
Mexico
Vietnam
Georgia
Iran
Philippines
Mexico
Belgium
Great Britain
Mexico
Lesotho
Croatia
Philippines
Iran
China
8th World Junior Taekwon-
do Championships
Team Championships
20th (15th Womens) World
do Championships
21st (16th Womens) World
Team Championships
Team Championships
Tijuana, Mexico
March 6~9/2010
Urumqi, China
July 17~20/2010
Gyeongju, Korea
May 1~6/2011
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
April 4~8/2012
Puebla, Mexico
July 15~21/2013
Santa Cruz, Aruba
Nov. 23~25/2012
Abidjan, Cote dIvoire
Nov. 28-30/2013
WTF Best Referee Award Recipients List Kyorugi
6th World Junior
1st World Cup Taekwondo
Team Championships
2009 World Cup Taekwondo Team
Championships & 1st Para-Tae-
kwondo Championships
do Championships
Madrid, Spain
April 13~17/2005
Hochiminh City, Vietnam
July 26~30/2006
Bangkok, Thailand
Sept. 14~18/2006
Beijing, China
May 18~22/2007
Baku, Azerbaijan
June 10~14/2009
Izmir, Turkey
May 7~11/2008
Copenhagen, Denmark
Oct. 14~18/2009
No
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
Name (Gender)
Thekla Breitenfeld (F)
Linda Kwan (F)
Chakir Chelbat (M)
Jose Molero Lopez (M)
Uwe Otterbein (M)
Zhao Lei (M)
Chen Chun-Feng (F)
Nazmdeh Mojtaba (M)
Myung Ok Yu (M)
Thomas Klaey (M)
Benali Youssef (M)
Jessica B. Stenholm (F)
Tung Ya Ling (F)
Khim Hua Seng (M)
Dong Jun Sin (M)
Vladimir Sheyka (M)
Ian Leafe (M)
Carmen Navarro Ingles (F)
Soo Gon Oh (M)
Nelson Brizuela Cortes (M)
Mohamed Hosni Ahmed (M)
Serge Sembona (M)
Barbara Ruth Marian (F)
Song Chul Kim (M)
Jatuporn Hemwonno (F)
Samuel Michael Loiacono (M)
Joseph Elias Khoury (M)
Denis Odjo (M)
John Lee Holloway (M)
Ahmed Hassan El Mofty (M)
Rene Raymond Leveaux (M)
Jung Kwang Jeon (M)
Sandra Magally Pena (F)
Myung Chan Kim (M)
Predreg Tesovic (M)
Faraj Alfadhel (M)
IR Number
030-0014
029-0045
029-0134
025-0110
033-0029
034-0195
029-0098
025-0002
029-0045
038-0024
028-0001
025-0020
034-0141
029-0042
045-0338
044-0001
025-0102
038-0226
016-0737
020-0938
038-0020
051-0004
043-0016
038-0164
042-0017
029-0123
038-0046
035-0031
019-0865
046-0075
034-0172
034-0062
043-0099
019-0910
050-0014
045-0240
Nationality
Germany
Canada
Sweden
Spain
Cuba
China
Chinese-Taipei
Iran
Canada
Switzerland
Morocco
Norway
Chinese-Taipei
Australia
Japan
Russia
Great Britain
Spain
Korea
Costa Rica
Egypt
France
Canada
Canada
Thailand
Australia
Lebanon
France
U.S.A
Egypt
Australia
Korea
Colombia
U.S.A
Serbia
Kuwait
1st WTF World Taekwondo
2nd WTF World Taekwondo
3rd WTF World Taekwondo
4th WTF World Taekwondo
Seoul, Korea
Sept. 4~6/2006
Incheon, Korea
Nov. 4~6/2007
Ankara, Turkey
Dec. 16~18/2008
Cairo, Egypt
Nov. 30~December 2/2009
No
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
Name (Gender)
Kang-Ein Kim (M)
Tong-Wan Shin (M)
Varo David Barragan (M)
Carmen Navarro Ingles (F)
Teong Chin Lim (M)
Nur Syahidah Binti Abdullah (F)
Santiago Escutia (M)
Aly Mohamed Taher Nour (M)
In Ok Yang (F)
Shin Boo Kim (M)
Mustapha Moutarazak (M)
Jong Wan Kim (M)
Jin Beom Kim (M)
Maria Nelly Chacin (F)
Raymond Hsu (M)
Galip Yalcinkaya (M)
Jong Joo Kim (M)
Kostas Kaloudis (M)
Elba Monroy Garcia (F)
Ahmed Mahmoud Rizk (M)
Jose Luis Gonzalo Morales (M)
IR Number
001-0027
003-0018
001-0122
005-0010
006-0055
006-0046
001-0125
006-0067
006-0021
001-0121
002-0011
004-0010
006-0035
007-0031
007-0008
003-0008
006-0023
009-0020
007-0019
002-0074
005-0024
Nationality
Korea
Great Britain
Panama
Spain
Singapore
Malaysia
Mexico
Egypt
Korea
Australia
Netherlands
France
Korea
Venezuela
U.S.A
Turkey
Korea
Greece
Mexico
Egypt
Spain
WTF Best Referee Award Recipients List Poomsae
No
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
Name (Gender)
Ahmed Hassan El Mofty (M)
Elio Luppichini Mella (M)
Vera Moens (F)
Roberto Lopez (M)
Seung Jae Heo (M)
Jung Hua Lien (M)
Costantino Luciano (M)
Jungjin Jeon (F)
Vladimir Lifshits (M)
El Hadj Bamaarouf (M)
Daniel Khorassandjin (M)
Johanna Bliem (F)
Jun Cheol Yun (M)
Wolfgang Bruckel (M)
Tem Igor Buenconsejo (M)
Acen Tanuwijaya (M)
Huy Thanh Nguyen (M)
Noor Muhammad Shirali (M)
Ahmed Saied Ahmed (M)
Maria de Lourdes de Veer (F)
IR Number
009-0006
007-0013
001-0141
001-0004
008-0012
001-0133
003-0013
008-0010
006-0068
004-0021
010-0041
003-0001
011-0045
001-0127
006-0050
008-0030
001-0108
003-0014
014-0002
007-0031
Nationality
Egypt
Chile
Belgium
Mexico
Korea
Chinese Taipei
Italy
Korea
Russia
Morocco
Lebanon
Austria
U.S.A
Germany
Philippines
Indonesia
Vietnam
Germany
Egypt
Aruba
Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Oct. 8~10/2010
Vladivostok, Russia
July 29~31/2011
Tunja, Colombia
Dec. 6~9/2012
Bali, Indonesia
Oct. 31~ Nov 3/2013
International Referee Interview
Do you have any suggestions for the
betterment of taekwondo and referee
education of the World Taekwondo Fed-
eration?
Of course training camps and refresher
courses help a lot in the referees education.
Moreover refereeing has been improving a
lot lately with the new technology that can
be accessed online, and watching the vid-
eos posted on Dartfish - thats what we did
during our training period for the London
Olympics.
Do you have any advice for those who
are interested in becoming an IR?
Be humble, modest, honest, fair and trans-
parent.
Would you name several positive chang-
es of refereeing and judging in the last
10 years?
Definitely. The use of PSS and the instant
video replay are the most positive changes.
Also, in my opinion the head-kick scoring
becomes very easy when you just have to
touch lightly the head, because athlete safe-
ty is a must.
refereeing and judging at the 2013
World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in
Manchester, UK?
The games became much more dynamic and
exciting, especially when we applied the
new rules that stop athletes faking injuries
and wasting time during contests.
country?
Taekwondo in Lebanon is the sport that has
got the best achievements and results be-
cause of our athletes during past years. We
have got medals in the World Junior Cham-
pionships, the Youth Olympic Games, the
Asian Games and the Asian Championships.
evaluation of the WTFs 40 years of ac-
tivities?
Recently the WTFs activities have been
hugely successful in terms of achieving their
goals and objectives - especially in 2013,
which was of course the decision taken by
the IOC to name taekwondo as one of the 25
core sports on the 2020 Olympic program. I
guess that is the greatest achievement for all
the WTF family.
Taekwondo is on the offcial program
of the 2020 Olympic Games as a core
sport. What is your evaluation?
I am very proud and honored by that deci-
sion and I wish all of us continue working
smarter and harder in order to maintain the
good level. And lead our game to achieve
more successful achievements as was the
case in 2012 in London the best games ever.
Anything to add?
I would like to thank all the people that have
supported me who have had faith in me and
in my capabilities. The trust they gave me
will make me always committed to fulfilling
my duties to the utmost extent with wisdom
and honesty. Thank you!
Julie Dib
Lebanon
July 18, 1977
bantam8@hotmail.com
+96 1346 5670
Officiated at 2012 London Olympics &
2013 Grand Prix final
Best referee at 2010 Urumqi World Cup
Be humble,
modest, honest,
fair and trans-
parent
How long have you served as an inter-
national referee and what motivated
you to become an IR?
I have been an international referee since
2003. I was a fighter before that; I had some
achievements during that period but I want-
ed more. I became a trainer then an IR, my
passion. This game gives me the strength to
continue fulfilling my goals.
When did you start practicing taekwon-
do and what was your motivation?
I started practicing taekwondo when I was
6 years old and I come from a sporty family.
The martial art spirit runs in our blood!
What is your goal as an IR?
My goal is to maintain the good level, look-
ing forward for new achievements, and
sharing the improvement of this game.
What is your greatest achievement so
far as an IR?
London 2012 Olympic Games
What is your evaluation of the Protec-
tor and Scoring System (PSS) and the
Instant Video Replay system?
I think the use of IVR and the electronic body
protector gives more fairness to the compet-
itors and it limits possible human mistakes in
refereeing.
take the sport forward.
10 years?
a. The team in place delivering the Educa-
tion Program
b. Introduction of the Instant Video Replay
system
c. Allowing officials to request the Instant
Video Replay system
d. Showing the Instant Video Replay on the
big screens
e. Introduction of rules and guidelines to
prevent players from stalling the game
refereeing and judging at the 2013
World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in
Manchester, UK?
I think the quality of the judging and ref-
ereeing was excellent, which once again
pays testament to the education program in
place. I believe the decisions on the Instant
Video Replay could possibly have been a lit-
tle quicker in some instances. This is an area
which is being worked on in the education
program.
country?
Taekwondo has become more and more
popular within Great Britain since the pub-
licity it got when Sarah Stevenson won
bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games.
Then in the 2012 London Olympics Games,
winning gold and a bronze by Jade Jones
and Lutalo Muhammad, the sport has had
a tremendous amount of publicity. This has
improved taekwondos popularity, which is
being seen within the membership.
evaluation of the WTFs 40 years of ac-
tivities?
I am very pleased to have been a member
of the WTF for a good number of those
years. I feel that taekwondo is one of the
only arts that have moved along with the
times. The constant re-evaluation of how it
can be improved is a true testament to the
people who have guided us through the last
40 years.
Taekwondo is on the offcial program
of the 2020 Olympic Games as a core
sport. What is your evaluation?
I am pleased that the IOC has decided to
keep our wonderful sport within the 2020
Games and hope that I may still be around to
possibly be an IR at this event. It is quite clear
that with all the constant improvements to
make our sport more dynamic and enter-
taining, that it should be in all future games.
Anything to add?
It has been an honor and a privilege being
asked to do this article as one of the WTF
international referees.
Christopher Codling
Great Britain
Nov. 14, 1970
ccodli@aol.com
+44 7836 372 755
Officiated at 2013 Grand Prix final
Best referee at 2013 Puebla
World Championships
I became an international referee at the
35th IR Seminar held in Helsinki, Finland
back in 1996. Just like many young taekwon-
do athletes, I went to a lot of competitions
as a player. I was unhappy at the standard of
judging and refereeing in my own country,
and made it my mission to try and sort it out.
I didnt want other athletes to feel the same
way as I did, so set about becoming a referee
and hopefully getting to a stage where I was
the one teaching them. For the past 12 years
this has been the case within Great Britain,
and I am pleased with the standard of the
referees we are now producing to officiate
at our competitions.
When did you start practicing taekwon-
do and what was your motivation?
I started practicing taekwondo at the tender
age of nine back in 1980, as the result of a
demonstration I had seen on a local evening
news television program. Master Tong Wan
Shin and his students performed an excel-
lent demonstration which caught my eye
and made me want to do taekwondo. I set
about looking for a local club to train at and
found one run by Stuart Haliday who be-
came my instructor. Stuart himself became
an IR which in turn was a great help to me
when I was looking at becoming a referee
myself.
What is your goal as an IR?
I would like to referee at an Olympic Games.
far as an IR?
My greatest achievement so far as an IR has
to be getting the Best Referee Award at the
2013 World Taekwondo Championships in
Puebla, Mexico.
I do believe that the PSS system is the way
forward for sport taekwondo. I still think
it can be improved and Im sure it will over
the coming years. The Instant Video Replay
system is a must in any sport nowadays. The
Dartfish system which we use at most com-
petitions I think is excellent, and is improv-
ing all the time. With the education we are
now receiving along with this, it will only
improve in making the game more fair and
transparent.
eration?
I believe we have the right team in place
at the moment (Mr. Chakir Chelbat WTF
Referee Chairman and Mr. Phillip Bouedo
Games Chairman) who have made vast
changes in the education program, which
has taken the standard of refereeing to an-
other level. They are continually improving
things to make the game fair and transpar-
ent for everyone to see.
Do you have any advice for those who
are interested in becoming an IR?
All I would say is, it is an extremely import-
ant and hard job, but without the referees,
the athletes cant compete. So please come
forward and join our family, and lets con-
tinue with the next generation of officials to
From my point of view as an IR, the PSS sys-
tem and the Video Instant Replay system
have made kyorugi a more objective game.
Reducing human error makes this game fair-
er and more transparent. Also the chest pro-
tectors maintain the safety of the athletes,
and have not failed to achieve that primary
function.
eration?
Well, humbly I say that I have some ideas
from my perspective as an industrial en-
gineer to make the game better for the
viewers. I hope to God that these ideas are
validated and that I have the opportunity
to present them, first to the PATU Referee
Chairman Myung-chan Kim, and then to
WTF Referee Chairman Chakir Chelbat.
10 years?
The introduction of advanced technology:
Instant Video Replay (IVR) system and the
use of Protector and Scoring System (PSS)
The creation of a Review Jury. IRs with
great experience in taekwondo and kyorugi
take the decisions in requested video replays
The 10-second rules ensure that athletes
do not avoid the fight
Win by point gap: The match shall finish
when a 12-point difference between the
two competitors at the end of the 2nd round
or at any time during the 3rd round exists
Reduction of contest area from 10m x 10m
to 8m x 8m to initiate more action in the
contest and ensure athletes do not run away
or avoid the fight using space
Give more points to the more difficult and
spectacular kicking technique: three points
for valid kicks to the head, two points for
turning kicks to the body and four points for
valid turning kicks to the head
The awarding of additional points to the
competitor by opposing player penalties
The rule that one of the judges can request
a meeting between refereeing officials and
ask for confirmation among the judges in
case a mistake has been made
The rule that in the last 10 seconds of the
3rd round and at any time during the sud-
den death round, any of the judges can ask
for review and correction of scoring when a
coach does not have an appeal quota
The specification of some penalties, such
as penalties for running, turning the back,
blocking with the knee and coach behavior
The rule about duration of each round
of games may be adjusted to 1 minute x 3
rounds, 1 minute 30 seconds x 3 rounds or 2
minutes x 2 rounds upon the decision of the
Technical Delegate for the pertinent cham-
pionships
The international referee education by the
WTF Referee Division with, seminars and the
Dartfish videos in the WTF Taekwondo TV
Education and Referee channel
country?
After my country had two sub-world Cham-
pions, (Ineabelle Daz, Madrid-2005 and Zo-
raida Santiago, Copenhagen-2009), a Junior
World Champion, (Myrllam Sire Vargas-Ta-
varez, Tijuana-2010), and two Olympic 5th
places, (Asuncion Ocasio, Beijing-2008 and
Ineabelle Diaz, Athena-2004), taekwondo
has increased in popularity in my country.
Is there anything you would like to add?
The greatest things are the most simple.
When we silence the noise and focus to-
ward the simplest way is to begin to grow
and see the true splendor of life, joy, peace
and blessings that God gives us. Taekwondo
is an instrument to achieve, see and find the
beauty of life, it just depends on each of us. I
hope that 2014 brings more compassion and
love for all.
Neydis Tavarez
Puerto Rico
June 28, 1965
neydis@yahoo.com
+939 645 2145
Offciated at 2012 London Olympics &
2013 Grand Prix fnal
Best referee at 2011 Gyeongju
World Championships
When I started taekwondo, I always enjoyed
kyorugi. But over the years, with other re-
sponsibilities in my life, like being a mother,
coach and trainer for my students and my
children, my presence in the game was mod-
ified. With time came the opportunity to be
a national referee in 1998. For me, this was
another way of being directly in the game
without having to distance myself complete-
ly. So, in 2006 came the dreamed-of oppor-
tunity to develop myself as an international
referee for my country, Puerto Rico.
far as an IR?
So far, my greatest achievement as IR was to
have been part of the Olympic Games 2012,
which shaped history for the good of tae-
kwondo.
The three-day workshop drew members
of the WTF Technical and Development
Committee, including Jin-bang Yang of Ko-
rea, a new committee chairman; Philippe
Bouedo of France, chairman of the WTF
Games Committee; and Chelbat Chakir of
Sweden, chairman of the WTF Referee Com-
mittee. Both the latter were reappointed to
their respective committees for a two-year
term.
Also on hand at the workshop were Gary
Hall of Great Britain, performance director
of GB Taekwondo; Bruce Harris, president
of USA Taekwondo; and Prof. Kook-hyun
Jung, a WTF Council member. WTF President
Chungwon Choue attended the first session
of the workshop, while WTF Secretary Gen-
eral Jean-Marie Ayer attended all the meet-
ings.
This workshop serves as a brainstorm-
ing session and all topics should be put on
the table and I expect concrete action plans
should be worked out, WTF President
Chungwon Choue said at the workshop.
We have to continue to evolve for tae-
kwondo to maintain its Olympic status.
Yang, the newly appointed chairman of
the WTF Technical and Development Com-
mittee, who replaced Dae-won Moon of
Mexico, said, The WTF has organized the
most successful taekwondo competitions
both at the 2012 London Olympic Games
and the 2013 Puebla World Taekwondo
Championships. Now the WTF has to pre-
pare for the next stage and show the world
a new taekwondo at the 2016 Rio Olympic
Games.
In this regard, the workshop had a spe-
cial meaning as we exchanged extensive
ideas and opinions on each and every top-
ics, said Yang, a taekwondo professor of
Yong In University. He previously served as
secretary general of the Korean Taekwondo
Association.
Respecting WTF President Choues com-
mitment to continued evolution of tae-
kwondo and the WTF, I will do my utmost
to support him, thereby helping taekwodo
become a genuinely global sport, Yang
continued.
Bouedo, chairman of the WTF Games
Committee, said, I am happy and proud to
be part of the WTF Technical and Develop-
ment Committee. During my first two-year
Technical Committee Convenes
in New Taekwondo Complex
The WTF Technical and Development
Committee held its latest meeting in a loca-
tion appropriate: The brand-new Taekwon-
dowon in Muju, Korea
The WTF held its Technical and Develop-
ment Committee workshop at the Taekwon-
dowon in Muju, Korea on Jan. 13-15, 2014.
Participants in the working-group work-
shop dealt with almost all major taekwondo
matters, including the protector and scor-
ing system, electronic head gear, Grand Prix
events, para-taekwondo, and team champi-
onships.
They also discussed development pro-
grams for referees, improvements to the
WTF Competition Rules, improvements to
championships and codes of behavior for
athletes, coaches and team officials.
tenure as the chairman of the WTF Games
Committee, the main target was the success
of the London Olympic Games and we made
it.
He added. Over the next two years,
based on this success, we should not sleep
and still keep on working again and again
for the 2016 Olympic Games. Through this
brainstorming workshop, we will make real
proposals to make the best taekwondo.
Chakir, chairman of the WTF Referee
Committee, said, Since the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games, there were huge improve-
ments in refereeing and judging and the
2012 London Olympic Games were a great
success with the introduction of a protector
and scoring system and an instant video re-
play system.
We have the best education programs
ever. For further improvements of taekwon-
do, I plan to make stronger programs for the
2016 Rio Olympics, Chakir added. We will
teach and educate our referees and we are
really pushing to make more dynamic com-
petitions.
The WTF Taekwondo Demonstration
Team held a workshop for its 50 members at
the Taekwondowon for four days from Jan.
12, 2014.
The Taekwondowon will officially open to
the public in April 2014.
Jin-bang Yang Philippe Bouedo
Jean-Marie Ayer Kook-hyun Jung
Chelbat Chakir
Taekwondos
Latest Honorary
Black Belts
Four global leaders are latest
recipients of WTF honorary black belts.
Here is why...
The black belt is a symbol not just of athletic achievement in the sport, but also of prestige.
For this reason, the WTF awards honorary black belts to persons who have made significant
contributions - even if they are unable to throw a front kick. The latest recipients are:
U.N. Secretary General
Ki-moon Ban
Russian President
Vladimir Putin
Kazakh President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Lithuanian President
Dalia Grybauskaite
June 6, 2013 Nov. 13, 2013
Jan. 21, 2014 Feb. 18, 2014
Taekwondos Latest Honorary Black Belts
Ban was awarded an honorary 10th
dan at the U.N. headquarters in New
York, the day before the 3rd Interna-
tional Forum on Sport for Peace and
Development, jointly organized by
the U.N. and the IOC. WTF President
Chungwon Choue said that the award
recognized how closely aligned tae-
kwondos values are with those of the
UN. Ban is only the third recipient of
an honorary 10th dan; the previous
two were former IOC presidents Juan
Sammaranch and Jacques Rogge.
The Russian president was awarded
an honorary ninth dan and a tae-
kwondo dobok during his state visit
to Korea by WTF President Choue.
Putin is widely known not just for
politics, but also for his interest in
fitness and his enthusiasm for martial
arts. Choue made the presentation to
thank the Russian leader for his con-
tribution to the sports development
across Russia.
U.N. Secretary General
June 6, 2013
Ki-moon Ban
Taekwondos Latest Honorary Black Belts
The president of the Central Asian
republic was awarded an honorary
ninth dan by Choue for his efforts to
promote the sport across Kazakhstan.
The presentation was made in the Ak
Orda Presidential Palace in the city
of Astana. Kazakhstan is considering
establishing a taekwondo Regional
Training Center and is also bidding to
host an upcoming Grand Prix.
The president of the Baltic state was
presented an honorary ninth dan
by Choue during a ceremony at the
Millennium Hilton Hotel in Seoul,
Korea. The award was made in ac-
knowledgement of the presidents
contribution to the development of
the sport in her country. During the
ceremony, Grybauskaite pledged to
continue to promote taekwondo and
increase participation, particularly
among young people.
Kazakh President Lithuanian President
Jan. 21, 2014 Feb. 18, 2014
Nursultan
Nazarbayev
Dalia
Grybauskaite
Married to
Taekwondo
Michel Idiaquez Baradat, Honduras ambassador to Korea,
could not have a closer relationship with taekwondo
What led you to taekwondo?
I started practicing taekwondo when I
was 12 years old, influenced by the pas-
sion for martial arts of my oldest broth-
er, who used to take me to the cinema to
watch Bruce Lee, and other martial arts
movies. But my mother, whos an accom-
plished piano player, wanted me to learn
classical music and enrolled me in piano
classes. To be honest, I didnt do that well.
This frustrated me and made my desire to
practice martial arts stronger.
At school, a fellow student told me
about an extraordinary Korean master
who had recently established a taekwon-
do academy in Tegucigalpa, the capital
city of Honduras, where I was born and
grew up. Finally, I enrolled in Master
Bong-kyung Songs gymnasium and my
relationship with the Song family start-
ed, creating, through the practice of
taekwondo, a filial bonding that would
change my life forever.
My first days of training at Master
Songs dojang were challenging. At that
time, we used to train with the members
of the Presidential Guard, therefore, the
rhythm and difficulty of the exercises
and sparring where arduous. My learning
process was stimulated by outstanding
players and fellow classmates like Fredy
Nuez, who became the first Honduran
ever to win a medal (silver), in an official
continental competition, the Pan-Amer-
ican Games; Master Marco Banegas, the
only Honduran WTF international refer-
ee; Master Martin Banegas; Cecilio Mo-
lina; Marlon and Vicente Zuiga, and of
course the actual President of the Repub-
lic of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo Sosa.
How important is taekwondo to you?
The wisdom and values of Master Song
helped me forge a healthy body and gain
self-confidence, reaffirming my person-
ality as a competitive person better pre-
pared to face lifes challenges. At a more
personal level, Master Song exposed me
to a new culture, the Korean culture,
which I learned to embrace and admire.
Thirty years later, in retrospect, Ive come
to the conclusion that the decision to
practice taekwondo defined me as a per-
son.
In 2002 I married Ivette Song, the
daughter and right hand of Master Song,
whom I remember seeing for the first time
when she was five years old, rolling and
jumping with her young brother David in
the dojang under the watchful eye of her
strict mother, Young-shin Kang. Now God
has blessed our family with two sons and
after a 20-year career as a diplomat I was
finally appointed as ambassador of Hon-
duras to Korea.
Does your family still practice?
My wife Ivette is a dentist and a 4th dan
black belt, our sons Michel and Daniel
have been taught to perceive taekwondo
as an elemental part of the familys daily
routine, hence, the Mooto Dojang in our
neighborhood in Seoul has become an
extension of our home, where they are
learning to socialize and compete with
their classmates while acquiring the val-
ues of respect, honesty and discipline.
Moreover, by offering classes for children
during the day and for adults at night, we
are able to practice, at the same dojang,
the basics of taekwondo, kyorugi, poom-
sae and self-defense, all under the sage
guidance of specialized sabonims.
My family and the whole world have
learned to appreciate taekwondo - in my
opinion the first Korean brand to achieve
global status. I firmly believe taekwondo
has been a valuable instrument to over-
come racial, cultural and religious bound-
aries making people around the world
more tolerant.
I understand that taekwondo has
a special place in Honduras?
On Jan. 4, 2014 in Honduras, in a solemn
ceremony chaired by the President of the
Republic, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, a Nation-
al Day of Taekwondo was established in
commemoration of Grand Master Bong-
kyung Song.
Master Song is considered the founder
of the WTF in Honduras, and in recogni-
tion of this, he was awarded with a Gold
Medal by the National Assembly for his
contribution to the education of youth
in the country. He initiated his martial art
career at the age of 12, and graduated
first in his class from the prestigious Yong
In University with a major in physical edu-
cation, and a 4th dan in taekwondo, judo
and hapkido. He then became a professor
at Yong In University and was known as
a fierce judo player in the heavyweight
category, winning four national champi-
onships, before leaving Korea to continue
his life trajectory in Honduras.
President Porfirio Lobo Sosa, who is a
4th dan himself, and was privileged with
an honorary 9th dan during his official vis-
it to Korea by WTF President Chungwon
Choue, said in his congratulatory speech:
I will send to the National Assembly a
decree to establish the 4th of January as
the National Day of Taekwondo, in mem-
ory of Korean Master Bong-kyung Song,
who promoted the sport in Honduras and
also was my professor, whom I recall with
much affection. Taekwondos discipline
allowed me to forge a tolerant character
and Hondurans must give more empha-
sis to taekwondo as an educational tool
and take advantage of the excellent bi-
lateral relations existing with Korea, the
country where the sport originated. I
recall that when I visited Korea, the fact
that I practiced taekwondo, allowed me
to strengthen ties with my hosts and
doors were opened. I congratulate the
President of the National Taekwondo
Federation of Honduras, Vinicio Armando
Valdez, for keeping alive the memory of
Master Song, which endures today in the
education of citizens and whose influence
has marked my life. I recommend enlisting
the children of the country in the sport,
whose philosophy is not one of attack,
but which makes use of prudence and
maintains conduct and discipline accord-
ing to the philosophy of taekwondo.
The presidents speech was responded
to by the widow of Master Song, Young-
shin Kang. She thanked President Lobo
for supporting taekwondo during his ten-
ure. She said she felt happy to share this
historic day with the taekwondo family
that her husband forged. She expressed
her gratitude to the president for his pro-
posal of a decree to declare Jan. 4, Master
Songs date of birth, National Day of Tae-
kwondo in Honduras. Master Song passed
away in 2008.
AFTU
Family members: Greetings!
2014 saw another era dawn for taekwondo promotion world-
wide, with wider application of advanced levels of new systems
and methods for our sport; with Grand Prix events; and with the
Global License usage. New changes came to competitions, begin-
ning with the shape of the competition area, developments in the
rules, and many other improvements.
We hope that this new energy, which is promoting taekwondo,
will keep it on the top of the martial arts pyramid, and maintain
its strong status as an Olympic sport.
As for Africa, we will positively move in the same strong direc-
tion as all WTF trends. 2014 will see promotions and upgrades in
the continents activities and systems, led by the African Taekwon-
do Union in all its zones, with all its family leaders and with all its
members.
Hoping for the best of luck and success to all in 2014!
Presidents Message
Gen. Ahmed Fouly
President
Vice President, WTF
President
Gen. Ahmed Mohamed Fouly (Egypt)
1st Vice President
Mr. Ide Issaka (Niger)
NORTH REGION Vice President
Mr. Driss El Hilali (Morocco)
Mr. Ali Mohamed Saber (Libya)
EAST REGION Vice President
Mr. Suleiman Sumba (Kenya)
Member
Mr. Hassan Kasm Allah El Kamar (Sudan)
CENTRAL REGION Vice President
Mr. Alain Badiashile (D.R. Congo)
Member
Mr. Edouard Tchoquessi (Cameroon)
NEWS
Kindly note that the General Assembly of the Af-
rican Taekwondo Union (AFTU) which included
the elections, took place on Sept. 9, 2013 in Cairo,
Egypt, with the representation of 24 members.
The results of the elections are as follows:
WEST REGION Vice President
Mr. Sheikh Bamba (Cote dIvoire )
Member
Mr. Frank Eyll kwami Klutse (Togo )
SOUTH REGION Vice President
Mr. Henri Randriamandrato (Madagascar)
Member
Mr. Godfrey Mokaboto (South Africa )
Members appointed by ATFU President
Vice President
Dr. Jonathen Nnaji (Nigeria)
Mr. Martin Koonce (Rwanda)
Mr. Souleymane Diallo (Guine)
Date
2014
2015
Feb. 11-16
TBA
TBA
TBA
TBA
May 10-11
May
June 12-15 or
July 24-17
August
(to be confirmed)
Place
Luxor, Egypt
Brazzaville, Congo
TBA
TBA
TBA
Tunis, Tunisia
Gaborone, Botswana
Tunis, Tunisia
Kinshasa, D.R. Congo
Event Remarks
EVENTS CALENDAR - AFTU
1st Luxor Open Championships ( G 2 )
All African Games ( G 4 )
Kyorugi Referees Seminar & Course
African Championships ( G 4 )
Poomsae Referees Seminar & Course
4th Cartage Open Championships ( G 1 )
2nd African Youth Games ( G 4 )
African Championships ( G 4 )
IRS & IRRC Kyorugi Referees Seminar & Course
Open
Multi Games
WTF Kyorugi Referees Seminar & Course
AFTU Continental Championships
WTF Poomsae Referees Seminar & Course
Open
Multi Games
AFTU Continental Championships
WTF Kyorugi Referees Seminar & Course
EVENTS
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Dear taekwondo colleagues
and family,
On behalf of the Asian Tae-
kwondo Union (ATU), I wish
you a happy new year with
good health, and appreciate
your support for taekwondo
and the WTF.
I would like to begin by
thanking Dr. Dai-soon Lee for
his remarkable contribution
and dedication to the Asian
Taekwondo Union on behalf
of the entire ATU family. I truly
believe that the ATU has pros-
pered thanks to his hard work
and leadership.
I also greatly appreciate Dr.
Chungwon Choue, WTF presi-
dent, and all WTF staff for their
support and dedication. With-
out continuous support from
you and all the taekwondo
family in the world, we would
not have had such a great 40th
anniversary as we did in Bali,
Indonesia last year.
On the threshold of anoth-
er decade, as a newly elected
president of the Continental
Union, I dare promise all tae-
kwondo colleagues and families
that I will be a role model to
show a taekwondo spirit cor-
responding with courtesy and
integrity, and support the WTF
and other Continental Unions,
thereby ensuring our cohesion
as one strong family and pro-
moting taekwondo with true
values.
The characteristics of sports
are sociability, improvement,
truthfulness, verifability, free-
dom and equality. We should
never forget these principles.
Therefore, a major duty of
taekwondo leaders is to edu-
cate our taekwondo families in
these characteristics.
The spirit of taekwondo
should be adhered to by all
Kyu-seok Lee
President
ATU
people who train taekwondo
in all places where taekwondo
exists. Then, we dont need to
worry about unfairness of judg-
ing or biased decision-making
at any taekwondo competition
venue.
Taekwondo has grown so
rapidly and become one of the
biggest Olympic sports. This is
very good. However, this exter-
nal growth, I feel, may dilute
the true value and spirit of
taekwondo as a great martial
art and sport.
So, for another decade, we
should look into our internal
growth concerning the spirit
and characteristics of taekwon-
do - and put efforts into this.
Again, I thank you all for your
continuous concern, support
and cooperation for taekwon-
do. I wish you a great 2014!
Presidents Message
2nd Grand Prize (1st) 3rd
Finalists of open exhibition for ATU logo
Feb. 21 - 23
Date
Feb. 20 - 21
Mid July
Sept. 30 - Oct. 3
Nov. 5 - 9
Feb. 27- March 1
April 8 -25
May 3 -5
Feb. 24 - 26
Place
Fujairah City, UAE
Gyeongju, Korea
Incheon, Korea
Bangkok, Thailand
Manama, Bahrain
Kish, Iran
Nepal
Event
EVENTS CALENDAR - ATU
2nd Fujairah Open International Taekwondo Championships
2014 Gyeongju Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships
17th Asian Games
Thailand Open International Taekwondo Championships
6th Bahrain Open
West Asian Games
2nd Mt. Everest Tournament
4th Asian Clubs Championships
25th Fajr International Open
3rd Asian Taekwondo Poomsae Championships
21st Asian Taekwondo Championships
May 25 - 28 Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Tehran, Iran
EVENTS
NEWS
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April 11 - 13
April 25 - 27
Hamburg, Germany
Kos Island, Greece
German Open (G1)
Greece Open (G1)
Belgian Open Poomsae (A-CLASS)
Belgian Open Kyorugi
April 4 - 6
April 5 - 6
Lommel, Belgium
Lommel, Belgium
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
For the year 2014, I would
like to wish all members of the
taekwondo family all over the
world, a prosperous, happy and
healthy new year!
2013 was a full year for the
ETU. We had a fully scheduled
event calendar and travelled
from country to country in
order to attend championships,
meetings and other events.
Most important was the
decision of the International
Olympic Committee to include
our beloved sport in the Games
of the Olympiad in 2020!
Without the continuous efforts
of WTF President Chungwon
Choue and all other colleagues,
this would never have been
ETU
Presidents Message
Athanasios Pragalos
President
achieved. I think this is some-
thing of which we can all be
proud!
The ETUs member national
associations continued to
organize high-level events for
our athletes in Europe. The ETU
organized several European
Championships in 2013 and all
of them were concluded suc-
cessfully. These events are the
cornerstone of our existence
and the ETU continues to fur-
ther professionalize its events.
In 2013, the ETU opened its
new offce in the city of Athens.
With its staff, the offce under
the leadership of Secretar
General Mr. Fysentzidis, will do
its utmost to serve the MNAs
and prepare ETU events and
meetings. The ETU was hon-
ored with a visit from Dr. Choue
at the newly opened offce in
December 2013.
The year 2014 will be a year
which will mark the start of
G1 events throughout Europe.
In total, Europe will host 15
G-ranked events and continues
to be the leading Continental
Union with regard to the
number of high-level and
high-quality events. We are
profoundly proud and thankful
for this. Azerbaijan will host
the 2014 ETU European Senior
Championships in May and the
European Broadcasting Union
(EBU) will provide live feeds
of this event throughout the
world. The ETU hopes that this
EVENTS
cooperation with the EBU will
help the general public across
Europe to become ever-more
closely acquainted with our
beloved sport.
Finally, I would like to thank
in particular WTF President
Choue, all volunteers, referees,
organizers, executives and
those who spent their time
contributing to our sport.
Without your valued and com-
mitted contribution, none of
the events and activities that
took place in the past and will
take place in the future could
be possible. Thank you for your
contribution!
Feb. 11 - 16
July 24 - 27
Date
Feb. 8 - 9
July TBC
Oct. TBD
Nov. 14 - 16
Oct. TBD
Dec. 13 - 14
July TBC
Oct. TBD
Dec. TBD
March 15 - 16
July 24 - 27
March 20 - 21
Aug. 16 - 28
Oct. 1 - 5
Sept. 6 - 7
Oct. 3 - 5
Feb. 15 - 16
July TBC
Place
Trelleborg, Sweden
TBD
Aguascalientes, Mexico
Antalya, Turkey
TBD
Paris, France
Gyeongju, Korea
TBD, Turkey
TBD
Eindhoven, Netherlands
Baku, Azerbaijan
Gummersbach, Germany
TBD
New Taipei City, Taipei
Nanjing, China
Turku, Finland
Warsaw, Poland
Kharkov, Ukraine
Event
EVENTS CALENDAR - ETU
Trelleborg Open (G1)
2014 WTF World Grand Prix Series 1 (G4)
World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships
Turkish Open (G1)
Tournoi International de Paris (G1)
Gyeongju Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships (G1)
European Club Taekwondo Championships
2014 WTF World Grand Prix Series Final (G8)
Dutch Open (G2)
WTF World Cadet Taekwondo Championships (G1)
WTF Qualification Tournament for Nanjing 2014 Youth Oplympic Games
June 20 - 21 New Taipei City, Taipei WTF Qualification Tournament for Nanjing 2014 Youth Oplympic Games
Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games (TKD 17 - 21)
1st European Team ChampionshipsOplympic Games
June 21 - 22 TBD 5th World Para Taekwondo Championships
Warsaw Cup
Ukraine Open (G1)
Luxor Open
WTF World Cadet Taekwondo Championships
German Open Poomsae (A-CLASS)
KIM& LIU International Tournament (A-CLASS)
Russia Open (G1)
Galeb Belgrade Trophy - Serbia Open (G1)
Israel Open (G1)
Croatia Open (G1)
May TBD
Sept. 11 - 15
Oct. 18 - 19
Sept. 21
Nov. 8 - 9
Rome, Italy
Moscow, Russia
Belgrade, Serbia
May 8 - 14
May 14
Hohhot, China
Vienna, Austria
13th World University Taekwondo Championships
Austrian Open Poomsae (A-CLASS)
Swiss Open (G1_ May 7 - 8 Lausanne, Suisse
Ramla, Israel
Zagreb, Croatia
Luxor, Egypt
May 1 - 5
May TBD
Baku, Azerbaijan
Chisinau, Moldova
European Senior Championships (G4)
Moldova Open (G1)
May 31 - June 1
May 25
Innsbruck, Austria
TBA
Austrian Open Kyorugi (G1)
May 23 - 26 New Taipei City, Taipei 10th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships
Danish Open Poomsae (A-CLASS)
May 23 - 25 Spanish Open (G1) Alicante, Spain
Baku, Azerbaijan
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PATU
Dear PATU family and friends,
Greetings on behalf of the
Pan American Taekwondo
Union (PATU) and the World
Taekwondo Federation (WTF)!
I would like to send my very
best wishes for continued suc-
cess and prosperity to you and
to your federations.
2014 is known as the Year
of Blue Horse; it gallops along
every 60 years. In Korea, the
blue horse represents strength,
perseverance, and success -
which are also great aspects
of the taekwondo spirit. I am
confdent that the strong spirit
of the blue horse will bring all
Presidents Message
Ji-ho Choi
President
PATU family and friends un-
precedented success in 2014.
PATU has been positively
progressing in all areas of
taekwondo development in the
past few years; especially, in
the development of poomsae
competition where we have
successfully trained many world
champions. As part of our
ongoing development, PATU
has authorized 10 additional
WTF G-ranked, international
open events in 2014. These
events will provide greater
opportunities for our athletes
to attain valuable WTF athlete
ranking points in their early
preparation for the 2016 Rio
Olympic Games.
Aside from these internation-
al open events, PATU has sched-
uled two multi-sports games
and the Pan Am Olympic Festi-
val, which will be organized by
PASO/ODEPA and the Pan Am
Senior Poomsae, Kyorugi and
Para-Taekwondo Champion-
ships, to be held in Vancouver,
Canada. in November 2014.
PATU opened this years
competition season in February
with the North American Tour
which was scheduled two
weeks apart, starting with the
Canada Open and then the
U.S. Open. The close proximity
of the dates maximized team
results and reduced travel
expenses.
Later in the year, the South
American Tour will be orga-
nized with the Open of Las
Americas in Colombia, the
Argentina Open and the Costa
Rica Open. It is advised that you
begin strategically planning for
these events to maximize your
teams WTF ranking points!
In July, PATU and PASO/ODE-
PA will jointly organize the Pan
Am Olympic Festival in Mexico
City for the 108 best-ranking
athletes in the Pan Am region
to train and compete for nine
days in an Olympic competition
setting. All expenses for the
participating athletes and
coaches have been arranged to
be paid by PASO/ODEPA. This
is another excellent example
of PATUs ongoing efforts to
develop a great working rela-
tionship with PASO/ODEPA.
Looking even farther ahead,
PATU is in the fnal stages of
completing the Technical Man-
ual with the OC of Toronto for
the 2015 Pan Am Games in To-
ronto, Canada, as well as orga-
nizing the offcial qualifcation
tournament to be held in Mex-
ico, in late 2014 or early 2015.
Our approved athlete quota
remains 109, and these athletes
will be selected through the
qualifcation tournament.
Together with the WTF com-
petition schedule, and PATU
scheduled events, 2014 will un-
doubtedly be a very busy year
for all members of the PATU
family. Please remember that
PATUs EXCO and Council will
always be available to assist and
support you to generate the
best possible results in the year.
As we anticipate another
successful year, all detailed
information for each event will
be posted on the PATU website,
prior to each event. Please
review the schedule and inform
PATU of any questions or rec-
ommendations.
Again, thank you for your
continued support of PATUs
leadership and I look forward
to working with you towards a
victorious 2014!
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Phillip Walter Coles
President
Complete WTF Membership System Underway
Australia will be the frst WTF member to complete this process
Starting Jan. 1, 2014, all athletes
competing in state and national
competitions in Australia are re-
quired to have the WTF Global
Athlete Licence (GAL).
Australia has been at the fore-
front of the WTFs GMS and GAL
initiatives and to further the im-
plementation of this global ini-
tiative, Australia will be the first
country to make the GAL man-
datory for all its state, regional
and national competitions.
Sports Taekwondo Austalia
(STA) President John Kotsifas
stated:
We have been assisting the
WTF in the development of
the Global Membership System
for a number of years now. We
were the first country to fully
implement the GMS as our own
national membership system so
as to provide our members with
a comprehensive and revolu-
tionary membership system de-
veloped by the WTF. To further
our partnership with the WTF,
we have now decided to make
the Global Athlete L icence man-
datory for all competitions in
Australia from Jan. 1 2014. This
means that all athletes irrespec-
Dear members and friends,
2013 was yet another year
of signifcant development for
the Oceania region. Despite
limited funds and resources,
the Oceania region continues
to grow both in structure and
athlete development. This has
been possible because of the
contribution and hard work of
our member nations who de-
vote themselves on a volunteer
basis to the development of our
sport and to the service of our
athletes.
The OTU is blessed with
some amazing people who
are involved in our sport and
we are so fortunate to have
member nations who remain
loyal, enthusiastic and passion-
ate despite the adversities that
they face in terms of resources,
fnances, expertise and oppor-
tunity.
Presidents Message
tive of age and belt rank, will
be required to have the GAL in
order to compete as an athlete
in Australia. Further, all coaches,
judges and officials will also be
required to have the Global Of-
ficial Licence (GOL) in order to
officiate and coach at any Aus-
tralian competition.
Australia will again be the
first country to implement this
requirement and we will work
closely with the WTF to pro-
vide valuable feedback of this
important initiative that will be
implemented in 2014.
Consequently, in Australia, all
ordinary members of STA will
hold WTF GMS National mem-
bership, all athletes competing
domestically, will hold the WTF
GAL and all officials, coaches
and judges participating at any
domestic events will be required
to hold a WTF Global Official Li-
cence.
These are all important devel-
opments for our sport in Aus-
tralia and our desire to link our
domestic activities to the WTF
global membership system and
to further develop our relation-
ship with the WTF.
The 2013 Mini-Pacifc Games
History Maker
Two World Champions for
Oceania in 2013
The 2013 Mini-Pacific Games,
which is a WTF-sanctioned,
multi-sport games event, took
place in Wallis & Futuna in Sep-
tember 2013. Taekwondo was
included as a medal sport for
the games, which is an import-
ant lead up event to the Pacific
Games in 2015 to be held in Pap-
ua New Guinea.
One of the smallest islands in
the South Pacific, with a popu-
lation of approximately 15,000
people, it hosted one of the
most successful and friendliest
competitions the OTU has wit-
nessed in a very long time.
Our thanks and appreciation
are expressed to our Wallis and
Futuna friends and all the volun-
teers that made this a most en-
joyable, friendly and successful
event. Ten Oceania member na-
tions competed at the Mini-Pa-
cific Games, which demonstrat-
ed the vast improvement and
rapid development of our Oce-
ania athletes. Typically of the
Oceania region, win or lose, all
athletes showed immense sup-
port for each other and demon-
strated great sportsmanship
throughout the competition.
2013 world champion Carmen
Marton is the first Aussie to win
a taekwondo world champion-
ship.
The two-time Olympian Car-
men Marton has made history
- becoming the first Australian
to win a world championship in
taekwondo.
Marton, who competed at the
Beijing 2008 and London 2012
Olympic Games, came agoniz-
ingly close to a medal in Lon-
don, losing out to Germanys
Helena Fromm in the bronze
medal final. And she did win
bronze at the Australian Youth
Olympic Festival in 2003, an
event designed to prepare tal-
ented young athletes for a fu-
ture in sport.
At the World Championships
in Puebla, Mexico, Marton was
the first female fighter to enter
the -62 kg final after beating
the German Rabia Guelec by 7-2
in a match which was not always
under her control. Marton could
not reflect her superiority on the
first period scoreboard, which
2013 world para-taekwondo
champion Steven Currie is look-
ing unstoppable.
Despite our small size and de-
spite the lack of finances and
resources that many other WTF
regions enjoy, 2013 was a re-
markable year for Oceania and
in particular, Australia with two
world champions being pro-
duced.
Steve Currie from Australia be-
came a world para-taekwondo
champion for a second time in
2013 winning the WTF World Pa-
ra-championships held in Swit-
zerland in June 2013. Steven had
also previously won the 2010
WTF World Para-Taekwonodo
Championships making him a
two-time world champion.
finished 0-0 thanks to Guelecs
evasive abilities. The second
round was decisive, as Guelec
started to feel the demanding
competition on her legs. Marton
took advantage of that to score
7 points, allowing the German
to only connect with one chest
kick (7-1). Marton changed her
strategy for the 3rd round and
left almost no cracks for Guelec
to get back into the fight. In the
end it was 7-2 - the first and only
gold medal chance for Australia.
The Aussies rival in the big
final was Korean Hwi-lang Kim,
who defeated Nina Klaey of
Switzerland 8-4 after coming
back from a slow start. Marton
took the title, beating Kim 7-3.
For the smallest and poorest
of all continental unions, the
Oceania region has produced
two world champions in 2013.
This is an absolutely amazing
achievement, which provides
confidence and motivation for
all aspiring young athletes in
the Oceania region.
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The fifth WTF regional training center will
be officially designated in Shenzhen, China,
while Russia, Kazakhstan and Croatia have
all expressed strong interest in hosting sim-
ilar centers.
The decision to designate the Shenzhen
Sport School, in Chinas Guangdong Prov-
ince, as an official WTF regional training
center was taken during the 2nd Asia-Eu-
rope Intercontinental Taekwondo Cham-
pionships held in the city in October 2013.
The school boasts a 303 sq. meter taekwon-
do hall - one of the largest dedicated spaces
of its kind in the world. A board-hanging
ceremony will take place on March 16, in
the presence of WTF President Chungwon
Choue.
In a related development, Russian Sport
Minister Vitaly Mutko affirmed to WTF
President Choue, during a meeting on Oct.
19, 2013 in St. Petersburg, that Russia was
very interested in hosting a regional train-
ing center. The two were meeting on the
As taekwondo continues to spread
and decentralize, a range of WTF
regional training centers are
planned for around the world
New Regional
Training Centers
Coming On-Line
Shenzhen-China
Shenzhen-China
sidelines of the SportAccord World Combat
Games, which took place in the Russian city.
In Western Europe, Croatia is also plan-
ning to establish a Regional Training Cen-
ter. WTF Auditor Dalibor Krpan of Croatia
delivered a presentation at the WTF Council
meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in October 2013
regarding Croatias willingness to establish
a center.
Subsequently, during a meeting in Asta-
na, Kazakhstan, on Jan. 21, 2014, Kazakh
President Nursultan Nazarbayev told the
WTFs Choue that his country was also inter-
ested in hosting a regional training center.
The various regional training centers
will provide bases for upcoming seminars
and workshops for referees, coaches and
administrators, enabling easier access to
world-class facilities within the WTFs vari-
ous geographic regions.
The first regional training center was des-
ignated at the Shichahai Sports School in
Beijing, China, in September 2008. The sec-
ond, the Musado Center, was established
in Baku, Azerbaijan in June 2009. The third
was designated in Tashkent, Uzbekistan in
2009, while the fourth was designated in
Tehran, Iran, in 2010. That center is adja-
cent to Irans Taekwondo University, which
is now accepting students for four-year pro-
grams. (See separate story on Iranian tae-
kwondo elsewhere in this issue.)
Through the regional taekwondo train-
ing centers, we are sure that taekwon-
do will be further developed around the
world, said Choue. We plan to designate
more.
With East Asia, Central Asia and the Mid-
dle East already catered to, the WTF hopes
to see future centers come into being in Af-
rica, Europe, the Americas, and Oceania.
Baku-Azerbaijan
Beijing-China
Tashkent-Uzbekistan
Tehran-Iran
The uniforms have been standardized into three categories:
This is a simplification and rationalization
of the previous poomsae uniforms, which
featured a wider range of categories. The
decision to reduce the number of uniform
categories was made at the WTF Poomsae
Task Force Meeting, held in Korea from Jan.
29-30, 2013. The reason for the simplifica-
tion was to prevent bias in judging.
Previous uniform designs were based on
competitors taekwondo ranks, and this
created a problem. In competition, poom
grade holders might be competing against
dan grade holders; and among dans, a first
dan might be competing against (say) a sev-
enth dan. This system could have generated
sub-conscious bias, with judges awarding
Cadet Division
(Ages 12-14)
Junior and Senior Division
(Ages 15-49)
Master Division
(Ages 50 and up)
White top with red and
black collar, plus blue
pants for males; the same
top, but with red pants
for females
Spectators at the 9th WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, to be held in the
latter half of 2014 in Aguascalientes, Mexico, had better be prepared to be dazzled
because a splash of color is coming to taekwondo. While uniforms for kyorugi will remain
classic white, uniforms for poomsae have gotten a facelift.
White top with dark blue
pants for males; white
top with light blue pants
for females
Yellow top and dark blue
pants for both males and
females
N
ew Uniformity for
Poomsae Uniforms
Standardized competition uniforms
have been confirmed for all WTF
poomsae championships. And the
new gear is not just about looking
good
higher scores to players with higher grades.
With the new standardization, this poten-
tial bias is eliminated, meaning that - as they
are attired in the same uniform - a talent-
ed beginner of lowly rank has a fair chance
against a veteran master with multiple dan
grades.
In sum: The new standardization creates
uniformity for the taekwondo family, en-
sures equality in the judging process, and
presents a colorful and aesthetically pleas-
ing appearance.
The uniforms were originally designed by
Korean company Dolsilnai, a fashion house
specializing in hanbok (traditional Korean
clothing). With feedback grained through
extensive research taken into consideration,
the designs and specifications have been
perfected and standardized by WTF-recog-
nized brand JCalicu. Now, other WTF-rec-
ognized companies including Adidas, Dae-
do, Mooto and Twin Tower are making the
uniforms, granting poomsae competitors a
wide range of suppliers to choose from be-
fore they step onto the mats in Mexico.
Taekwondo pilgrims, take note.
For years now, the surging popularity of
taekwondo worldwide has demanded a
new architectural icon; a flagship complex
appropriate to the sports status that will
become the heartland of taekwondo as it
accelerates into the 21st century.
The Taekwondowon is it.
Opening in April 2014, this facility lies in a
valley winding through the rolling foot hills
of Mt. Baekunsan (White Cloud Moun-
tain) in the county of Muju, in Koreas
North Jeolla Province. Muju, approximate-
ly two-and-a-half hours from Seoul by car,
is noted for its bucolic scenery, hence the
complexs name: Taekwondowon means,
literally, Taekwondo Garden.
And it is some garden. Built over grounds
totaling 2,314,000 sq. meters, the Taekwon-
dowon is 70 percent as large as New Yorks
Central Park, and ten times bigger than
Seouls World Cup Stadium. The project,
which has been built with a combination of
public and private funds, got underway in
2005.
The flagship construction at the Taekwon-
dowon is the circular, glass-sided T1 Arena,
fronted by reflective pools. At 18,107 sq. me-
ters, it includes a competition floor, seating
for 4,571 spectators, VIPs areas, media facil-
ities, event management facilities, lounges,
rest areas and food court. This makes it the
largest taekwondo arena on earth. Seen
from above, the venues design is a three-
part taeguk motif, symbolizing heaven,
earth and man.
Greetings on the Opening of the Taekwondowon
As you gear up for a successful year in 2014 - which, as the Year
of the Horse, reflects the indefatigable spirit of the Korean peo-
ple - may your future be blessed with good fortune and hope.
In 2013, the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation worked diligently
to complete the construction of the Taekwondowon, to prepare
meaningful and valuable programs, and to ensure that opera-
tions at the center go smoothly.
Our dream is for the new center to be a holy site for taekwondo.
To make that dream a reality, we will be bringing you new, excit-
ing programs in April 2014.
In the days to come, the Taekwondowon will be a place that
communicates the values and spirit of taekwondo to the world, a
place that is filled with the true spirit of taekwondo. The center
will become a cultural asset not only for Korea but also for the
whole world, a place that all of us can be proud of.
It is said that everything starts with hope, that hope is an eter-
nal beginning. Inspired by this saying, we will prepare for the
long-awaited opening of the Taekwondowon with an attitude of
new hope.
I humbly request your continued interest and support for the
Taekwondowon. I pray that health and happiness will always be
with you and your family.
With sincere gratitude,
Taekwondo Promotion Foundation Chairman
Jhong-shin Bae
There is also a 7.314 sq. meter Taekwondo
Museum and a Visitor Center, encompassing
a multipurpose exhibition hall with some
5,000 taekwondo-related artifacts and
documents. The museum shop sells train-
ing equipment and taekwondo merchan-
dise, while a Resource Center provides the
worlds top documentary archive/library on
taekwondo.
An Experience Center known as Yap!
covers 2,651 sq. meters and provides a
place for visitors with no background in the
sport to get a taste of taekwondo training
through 3D technologies.
A Sculpture Garden holds 11 pieces of stand-
ing art by sculptor Chung Hyung. His artworks
are based on poomsae poses and stand in a
circle representing global peace though the
upright spirit of the taekwondo athlete. A
nearby, open-air Performance Area provides
a space for demonstrations of taekwondo or
other aspects of Korean culture.
But the Taekwondowon is not just for tour-
ists; taekwondo masters, teachers, athletes
and hobbyists are, of course, fully catered
to. A training center - Doyak Buildings A,
B and C - provides a total floor area of
10,705 sq. meters with training mats, a mul-
tipurpose gymnasium, a weight room, and a
meditation room. The buildings also house
accommodation facilities for live-in train-
ing, including single rooms, dormitories and
meeting/conference facilities. Total capacity
is 1,159 visitors.
There is also a 5,837 sq. meter Adminis-
trative Center and a Research Institute. A
clutch of traditional Korean style buildings
are reserved for the sports elder statesmen:
its grandmasters. Part of this complex, an
inner-sanctum for the sports top practi-
tioners, complete with walled garden and
lotus pool, is off-limits to the public.
The Taekwondowon also features a
three-story observatory and a pavilion over-
looking a traditional-style Korean garden.
Between and among the valleys man-made
facilities are streams, copses, waterfalls,
walking trails all overlooked by Mujus
wooded hillsides. Hence, taekwondos new
mecca offers everyone from grandmasters
to visiting laymen an appropriate environ-
ment to refresh body, mind and spirit.
According to its promoters, the Taekwon-
dowon is a place dreamed of by taekwon-
do practitioners the world over.
They may be right.
2014-2015
Events Calendar
2014
Date Date Place Place Event Event G G
Feb. 8-9
Feb. 11-16
March 15-17
Feb. 21-23
April 8-25
Feb. 18-24
March 23-26
Feb. 27 - March 1
April 17-20
Feb. 13-16
March 20-21
Feb. 24-26
May 1-5
May 10-11
April 11-13
Feb. 20-22
April 4-6
March 15-16
April 25-27
Trelleborg,
Sweden
Luxor,
Egypt
Santiago,
Chile
Tehran,
Iran
Kish Island,
Iran
Las Vegas,
USA
Taipei City,
Chinese Taipei
Manama,
Bahrain
Chisinau,
Moldova
Montreal,
Canada
Taipei City,
Chinese Taipei
Tehran,
Iran
Baku,
Azerbaijan
Tunis,
Tunisia
Hamburg,
Germany
Fujairah,
UAE
Santo Domingo,
Dominican Rep.
Eindhoven,
Netherlands
Kos Island,
Greece
Trelleborg Open 2014
1st Luxor Open
South American Games
4th Asian Clubs Championships
West Asian Games
U.S Open International
10th WTF World Junior
6th Bahrain Open
Moldova Open 2014
Canada Open International
Taekwondo Tournament
WTF Qualifcation Tournament for Nanjing 2014
YouthOlympic Games
25th Fajr International Open
European Senior Championships
4th International Carthage Open
German Open 2014
2nd Fujairah Open
International Taekwondo Championships
Santo Domingo Open
International Taekwondo Tournament
41st Lotto Dutch Open
Taekwondo Championships 2014
Greece Open 2014 G1 Ranking
Taekowndo International Tournament
G-1
G-2
G-1
N/A
G-1
G-2
N/A
G-1
G-1
G-1
N/A
G-1
G-4
G-1
G-1
G-1
G-1
G-2
G-1
May 23-25
May 25-28
May (TBD)
May 31 - June 1
Alicante,
Spain
Tashkent,
Uzbekistan
Gaborone,
Botswana
Innsbruck,
Austria
Spanish Open 2014
Asian Taekwondo Championships
All African Games for Juniors
Austrian Open
G-1
G-4
N/A
G-1
TBD
June 7-8
June 21-22
June 18-19
July 13-15
June 8-14
July 11-16
June 20-22
July (TBC)
TBD
Lausanne,
Switzerland
Port Moresby,
Papua NewGuinea
Port Moresby,
Papua NewGuinea
Puebla,
Mexico
Hohhot,
China
Gyeongju,
Korea
Santa Cruz,
Bolivia
TBD
5th WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships
Swiss Open 2014
Papua New Guinea Open
2014 Oceania Taekwondo Championships
Mexico Open International Taekwondo Champi-
onships
13th World University Taekwondo Championships
2014 Gyeongju Korea Open International Tae-
kwondoChampionships
Bolivia Open
2014 WTF World Grand-Prix Series 1
N/A
G-1
G-1
G-4
G-1
G-1
G-2
G-1
G-4
Aug. (TBD)
July 19-21
Aug. 8-10
July 24-27
Tunis,
Tunisia
Mexico City,
Mexico
Sogamoso,
Colombia
Baku,
Azerbaijan
African Senior Taekwondo Championships
Pan Am Olmypic Festival
Open of Las America
International Taekwondo Championships
1st WTF World Cadet
G-4
N/A
G-1
N/A
Dec. 13-14
Dec. (TBC)
Paris,
France
TBD
10th Tournoi International de Paris
2014 WTF World Grand-Prix Final
G-1
G-8
Date Place Event G
Aug. 22-24
Aug. 29-31
Sept. 11-15
Sept. 19 - Oct 4
Sept. 21
TBD
Buenos Aires,
Argentina
San Jose,
Costa Rica
Moscow,
Russia
Incheon,
Korea
Ramla, Israel
Tunisia
Argentina Open International Taekwondo
Championships
Costa Rica Open International Taekwondo
Championships
4th International G1 Ranking Taekwondo
Tournament RussianOpen 2014
2014 Incheon Asian Games
12th Israel Open Championships
African Cup Taekwondo Championships 2014

G-1
G-1
G-1
G-4
G-1
N/A
Oct. (TBC)
Oct. (TBC)
Oct. 30-Nov. 2
Oct. 16-19
Nov. 7-10
Nov. 15-16
Oct. 3-5
Nov. 5-9
Oct. 18-19
Nov. 14-16
Nov. 15-18
Paran,
Brazil
TBD
Aguascalientes,
Mexico
Queretaro,
Mexico
Vancouver,
Canada
Zagreb,
Croatia
Kharkov,
Ukraine
Bangkok,
Thailand
Belgrade,
Serbia
Antalya,
Turkey
Veracruz,
Mexico
Brazil Open International Taekwondo
Championships
9th WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae
Championships
Pan American Open International Taekwondo
Championships
Pan Am Senior Championships and Pan Am
Para-TaekwondoChampionships
20th Zagreb - Croatia Open
Ukraine Open Cup
2014 Thailand Open International Taekwondo
Championships
Galeb Belgrade Trophy - Serbia Open 2014
1st Turkish Open Taekwondo Tournament
Central & Caribbean Games
G-1
G-4
N/A
G-1
G-4
G-1
G-1
G-1
G-1
G-1
G-1
Date Place Event G
TBD
TBD
July 15-Aug 1
July (TBC)
Sept. (TBC)
Dec. (TBC)
June (TBC)
July (TBC)
July 10-26
Oct. (TBC)
Chelyabinsk,
Russia
HCMC,
Vietnam
Brazzaville,
Congo
TBD
TBD
TBD
Baku,
Azerbaijan
Gwangju,
Korea
Toronto,
Canada
TBD
2015 WTF World Taekwondo Championships
2015 All Africa Games
2015 WTF World Grand-Prix Final
2015 European Games
2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade
Toronto 2015 Pan American Games
G-12
N/A
G-4
G-4
G-4
G-8
G-4
G-2
G-4
G-4
2015
Aug. 15-17
Aug. 16 - 28
(TKD17-21)
Sydney,
Australia
Nanjing,
China
2014 Australian Open
Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games
G-2
N/A
189
Seoul Headquarters Lausanne International Headquarters
7148-4, Taepyeong-dong, Sujeong-gu,
Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea 461-885
Tel: (82-2) 566-2505 / 557-5446
Fax: (82-2) 553-4728
E-mail: pr@wtf.org
Avenue de Rhodanie 54, 1007 Lausanne,
Switzerland
Tel: (41-21) 601-5013
Fax: (41-21) 601-5983
E-mail: lausanne@wtf.org
Publisher / Dr. Chungwon Choue, President
Editor-in Chief / Jean-Marie Ayer, Secretary General
Magazine Director / Seok-Jae Kang, PR Deputy Secretary General
Editors / Andrew Salmon, Olof Hansson, Corbin Min, Eil-Chul Kim
Contributing Photographer / Denis Sekretev, Seuk-Je Lee, Jin-Ho Lee
Designed by / DN (d-n@daum.net)
The WTF is delighted to bring you the ofcial publication of the federation. The WTF Taekwondo magazine epitomizes out enthusiasm and
progressive mindset in leading taekwondo and the WTF in the new century.
The WTF Taekwondo magazine is published annually. It is a summary of the previous years events, competition results and happenings
throughout the world of taekwondo. It provides the events of this year, interviews with taekwondo stars and useful information on taekwondo.
2014 World Taekwondo Federation
This publication and its contents may not be reproduced, even in part, in any form, without the written permission of the WTF.
2014
ISSN 1599-3779
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