2009 Taekwondo Magazine

Dear taekwondo family members:
I extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the taekwondo family who placed

the utmost efforts and time to promote taekwondo around the world
throughout the previous years.
Taekwondo is part of the Olympic Movement, and strives to realize
the Olympic spirit shared by the taekwondo family and by our 188
member nations. Taekwondo seeks promotion of harmony and
world peace through training and its educational program, sharing
the value of Olympism with the world.
As an expression of our commitment to contribute to world peace,
the WTF launched its ambitious Taekwondo Peace Corps project in the
summer of 2008, and dispatched seven teams of taekwondo instructors
to five countries - Russia (Moscow), India (Mumbai and Goa), Pakistan
(Islamabad), Paraguay (Asuncion), and China (Qingdao and Urumqi) for
one month.
The Taekwondo Peace Corps teams were warmly welcomed and
appreciated by the host countries. The impressive turnout at the training
and enthusiasm certainly reflected the yearning of the local youth for an
opportunity to learn and practice taekwondo. The Taekwondo Peace
Corps presented an opportunity and resources to children to enjoy and
play as well as to share a vision of never-ending hope, optimism, and

confidence.
resolution to make every competition results

transparent and fair.
Witnessing the positive evaluation and education effect of the activities,

the Taekwondo Peace Corps program will continue, targeting on more
recipients and a larger number of countries. The project will not be
confined only to Koreans or solely based in Korea. The establishment of
the Taekwondo Peace Corps worldwide will be encouraged with its
bases in as many countries as possible and by incorporating qualified
taekwondo instructors of different nationalities. The expansion will be
founded on a close consultation with the WTF member national
associations around the globe.
Learning from the experience, we will place our

concerted effort to assure fairness and
sportsmanship in the upcoming WTFpromoted/sanctioned competitions. For this,
we aim to introduce an electronic body
protector system and an instant video replay
system that can cross-check any controversy
over the referee decisions.
Taekwondo is no longer a sport solely for Koreans. At the 2008 Beijing

Olympic Games, a total of 128 taekwondo athletes from 64
countries competed for 32 medals, of which athletes from 22
countries won at least one medal. Taekwondo granted the first
Olympic medal to Afghanistan, which we hope is a step toward
uniting the war-torn country. This demonstrates that technical
levels of taekwondo have been evenly enhanced throughout the
world and the fairness in taekwondo competitions has much
improved.
The WTF will continue to do its best to improve fair judging and
refereeing. At the Beijing Olympic Games, we have reconfirmed our
Since my inauguration as the WTF President

in 2004, the WTF has carried out various
reform measures to correct the wrong
practices and to raise the standard of our sport
federation to the global standard.
Thus far, we have accomplished much. There
has been considerable change in every
respect. We are now opening a new
chapter to surge another wave of change
for the creation of a new image of
taekwondo. Our new tasks are to make
competitions more exciting, to ensure
transparency and internationalization of

the administration of the WTF, and to
pursue transparent and fair competitions.
The WTF has appointed new Technical
Committee members and chairpersons of
competition, games, education, referee
committees, whose passion and enthusiasm
will surely make a difference. The WTF
organized a Joint Technical Meeting to review
and amend the WTF Competition Rules.
I also look forward to the implementation of
the world athlete ranking system, which will no
doubt be an exciting new venture for our
athletes and taekwondo enthusiasts.
With your support and affection, I am certain
that our endeavor will have positively contribute
to keeping taekwondo in the Olympic program
of 2016, which may be decided at the IOC
Session in Copenhagen, Denmark, in October
2009.
Dear taekwondo family members,

We are at the crucial juncture that may
determine our course toward the future of
taekwondo. We should not lose our focus.
We need to work together to search for ways
for the better future of taekwondo. We should
concentrate undivided attention to keep
taekwondo as a permanent Olympic sport.
I urge everyone to give full support to the WTF
to overcome challenges of any kind. We know
what the ultimate goal of the taekwondo-loving
people should be. And we will achieve it with
pride and confidence. Let there be hope and
vision.
Chungwon Choue
President
World Taekwondo Federation
Europe (49)
Africa (43)
Pan America (42)
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
(Associate Member)
25.Israel
91.Algeria
92.Angola
93.Benin
94.Burkina Faso
95.Cameroon
96.Cape Verde
97.Central African Republic
98.Comoros
99.Cote dIvoire
100.Congo
101.D.R. of the Congo
102.Equatorial Guinea
103.Egypt
104.Ethiopia
105.Gabon
106.Gambia
107.Ghana
108.Guinea
109.Kenya
110.Lesotho
111.Liberia
112.Libya
113.Madagascar
114.Malawi
115.Mali
116.Mauritius
134.Antigua & Barbuda

135.Argentina
136.Aruba
137.Bahamas
138.Barbados
139.Belize
140.Bermuda
141.Bolivia
142.Brazil
143.British Virgin Islands
144.Canada
145.Cayman Islands
146.Chile
147.Colombia
148.Costa Rica
149.Cuba
150.Dominica
151.Dominican Republic
152.Ecuador
153.El Salvador
154.Grenada
155.Guatemala
156.Guyana
157.Haiti
158.Honduras
159.Jamaica
26.Italy
27.Latvia
28.Lithuania
29.Luxembourg
30.Macedonia
31.Malta
32.Moldova
33.Monaco
34.Montenegro
35.The Netherlands
36.Norway
37.Poland
38.Portugal
39.Romania
40.Russia
41.San Marino
42.Serbia
43.Slovak Republic
44.Slovenia
45.Spain
46.Sweden
47.Switzerland
48.Turkey
49.Ukraine
Asia (41)
50.Afghanistan
51.Bahrain
52.Bangladesh
53.Bhutan
54.Brunei
55.Cambodia
56.China
57.Chinese Taipei
58.Hong Kong
59.India
60.Indonesia
61.Iran
62.Iraq
63.Japan
64.Jordan
65.Kazakhstan
66.Korea
67.Kuwait
68.Kyrgyzstan
69.Laos
70.Lebanon
71.Macao
72.Malaysia
73.Mongolia
74.Myanmar
75.Nepal
76.Pakistan
77.Palestine
78.Philippines
79.Qatar
80.Saudi Arabia
81.Singapore
82.Sri Lanka
83.Syria
84.Tajikistan
85.Thailand
86.Turkmenistan
87.United Arab Emirates
88.Uzbekistan
89.Vietnam
90.Yemen
117.Morocco
118.Mozambique
119.Niger
120.Nigeria
121.Sao Tome & Principe
122.Senegal
123.Somalia
124.South Africa
125.Sudan
126.Swaziland
127.Chad
128.Tanzania
129.Togo
130.Tunisia
131.Uganda
132.Zimbabwe
133.Zambia
160.Mexico
161.Netherlands Antilles
162.Nicaragua
163.Panama
164.Paraguay
165.Peru
166.Puerto Rico
167.St. Lucia
168.St. Kitts & Nevis
169.Surinam
170.St. Vincent & the Grenadines
171.Trinidad and Tobago
172.Uruguay
173.U.S.A
174.Virgin Islands
175.Venezuela
Oceania (13)
176.American Samoa
177.Australia
178.Fiji
179.French Polynesia
180.Guam
181.Kiribati
182.Marshall Islands
183.New Zealand
184.Papua New Guinea
185.Solomon Islands
186.Tonga
187.Samoa
188.Vanuatu
CONTENTS
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLD TAEKWONDO FEDERATION

2009, lssue No.96 / ISSN 1599-3779
PART 01 COMPETITIONS
016
050
016
050
076
078
080
082
086
090
093
076
082
PART 02 PICTORIAL
090
098
098
100
102
104
106
108
OLYMPIC SPECIAL SECTION

Interview with Taekwondo People
Amendment to Competition Rules
WTF Pushes to Introduce Instant Video Replay System
WTF Announces Key Technical Committee Officials
WTF to Introduce Athlete Ranking System
7th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships
3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships
WTF Events Calendar 2009
TAEKWONDO Ceramic Exhibition

Children Demonstration
2008 TAEKWONDO Day
VIPs at Taekwondo Venue
Beijing Olympic Games Highlights
Jam-Packed Venue
PART 03 INTERNATIONAL
100
112
125
128
142
154
112
114
119
120
124
125
126
128
129
130
142
154
WTF Adopts 2009 World Anti-Doping Code

WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program
Reflections on Taekwondo Goodwill Program
Taekwondo in India
2nd Korean Fair Play Award Ceremony
1st Ethics Committee Meeting
WTF Liaison Office in Lausanne
Global Partnership Agreement with Macquarie
WTF President Offers Condolences to Myanmar, China
Continental Union Activities
Taekwondo Peace Corps
Busan IOC Forum
016 OLYMPIC SPECIAL SECTION

22 Nations Win at Least 1 Medal in Taekwondo Competition
2008 Beijing Olympic Games / 64 Qualified NOCs
Medal Winners
Competition Day Overview
050 Interview with Taekwondo People

Athlete - Rohullah Nikpai (Afghanistan)
Athlete - Sara Khosh Jamal (Iran)
Athlete - Aaron Cook (Great Britain)
Referee - Leon Preston (USA)
Official - Dr. Ken Min (U.S.A.)
Official - Dae-Sung Moon (Korea)
076
078
080
082
086
090
093
Amendment to Competition Rules

WTF Pushes to Introduce Instant Video Replay System
WTF Announces Key Technical Committee Officials
WTF to Introduce Athlete Ranking System
WTF Events Calendar 2009
22 Nations Win at Least 1 Medal in Taekwondo

Competition at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
The taekwondo competitions
at the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games were held at the
University of Science and
Technology Beijing
Gymnasium in Beijing, China
on August 20-23, 2008.
This was the third consecutive time that the
taekwondo competitions were being staged at
the Olympic Games and expectations were
higher than before.
In total, 22 national Olympic committees won
at least a medal. Compared to the 2000
Sydney Olympic Games and the 2004 Athens
Olympic Games, the medal distribution in the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games was the most
evenly distributed.
The even distribution of medals indicates the
homogeneous development of taekwondo
globally. There were a few historic firsts that
define the beauty and importance of

the Olympic sport of taekwondo.
Below are the top five moments that touched

our hearts:
1.Afghanistans FirstEver Olympic Medal
Nikpai created one of the biggest shocks when

he upset Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain, who
was the gold medalist at the 2007 WTF World
Taekwondo Championships in the bronze
medal contest.
It was reported in various news agencies that
thousands of Afghans had to gather in a
handful of shops that still had electricity just
to watch Nikpai compete, as the country was
suffering from a nationwide electrical blackout.
Nikpais victory is one of the greatest moments
in the history of the Olympic Games. It united
a war-torn country that is strife with internal
conflicts.
Rohullah Nikpai won a bronze medal in the

mens under 58kg weight category on August
20, 2008; it was Afghanistans first-ever
Olympic medal in any sport.
More importantly, Nikpai reminded us what

taekwondo and the Olympic Movement should
stand for: Sport transcends politics and brings
hope of unity to the rest of the world.
17
Overall Medal Tally
2. Beacon of Hope
from the Middle East
Games, it was the first time that the

Micronesian nation of islands in the middle of
the Pacific Ocean ever held court in the
grandest stage of sport.
in Taekwondo Competition at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

would always be one - and same - favorite.
He is Steven Lopez from the United States.
During the march-in of the national teams
at the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games, the world was treated to one
of the most memorable sights in Olympic
history: Just behind the national flag of the
Islamic Republic of Iran, a female athlete and
her coach were leading a group of men.
That female athlete is Sara Khosh Jamal and
she is the first female athlete to represent Iran
at the Olympic Games. Khosh Jamals
participation in the Olympic Games is a
symbolic moment for empowering women,
especially in the Middle East, where sport is
still mostly practiced by men.
Khosh Jamal had the moves, too, as she
blanked her opponent (5:0) in the first round of
the womens under 49kg weight category.
She succumbed in the second round to 2004
Athens Olympic Games champion Shu-Chun
Yang of Chinese Taipei.
Khosh Jamal might not have won any medal,
but more significantly, she will always be
remembered as the beacon of hope that
shines brightly for women in the Middle East.
As if that is not enough, Olympic history was

created when Steven, his younger brother
Mark and youngest sister Diana participated in
the taekwondo competitions at the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games. This was the first time
in more than a century of U.S. Olympic history
where three siblings have participated in the
same sport in the same Games. To top it off,
eldest brother Jean served as a head coach of
the taekwondo team.
Ranking order according to the number of (1) gold, (2) silver and (3) bronze medals
NOCs that share the same ranking are categorized according to their NOC codes
18 WTF
Jasons performances earned him an Olympic

Solidarity Scholarship and respect from the
taekwondo community around the world.
5. Never-Say-Die Spirit
Steven and Diana each won a bronze medal in

the mens under 80kg weight category and
womens under 57kg weight category
respectively, while Mark won a silver medal
in the mens under 68kg weight category.
At the end of the day, making Olympic history
with the family meant just as much, if not more,
than winning the medals. The Lopez family is
taekwondos equivalent to the Mount
Rushmore National Memorial.
4. Introduction of
Marshall Islands
In the first round of the womens under 57kg

weight category, Li-Wen Su of Chinese Taipei
injured herself so severely that she almost had
to quit the competitions. Gritting her teeth, Su
managed to see through the match. It was
diagnosed that Su had broken a bone on her
left foot and torn her knee ligaments.
When it was clear that Su would be
participating in the repechage, there was
likelihood that she would give up that chance.
3. Dominance of the
Lopez Family
Since the start of the century, one name has
been synonymous with success. It does not
matter if it was the WTF World Taekwondo
Championships or the taekwondo
competitions at the Olympic Games; there
Thanks to the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship

program, athletes from the Marshall Islands
were offered golden opportunities to participate
in the Games. Anju Jason, however, qualified
for the Games. By virtue of winning the gold
medal in the mens under 80kg weight
category at the Oceania Olympic Qualification
Tournament held in Noumea, New Caledonia,
on December 1, 2007, Jason became the first
athlete from the Marshall Islands to qualify
directly for the Olympic Games.
When the Republic of the Marshall Islands

participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Nonetheless, what followed in the repechage

became a stuff of legends for Su. Overcoming
the excruciating pain and possibility of ending
her promising taekwondo career, Su
persevered to the bronze medal contest.
19
In the bronze medal contest, Su collapsed no less than 10 times. The pain
was so agonizing that her coach thought of throwing in the towel, but Su
would not allow that. Each time, she held back tears and struggled to her
feet and continued competing.
WTF Holds Olympic Coach Seminar,

Referee Refresher Course
Su did not win the bronze medal, but she won the hearts of millions with
her heroic displays of courage and passion for taekwondo.
Overall Improvement of
Refereeing Standards
Participants in WTF Olympic Coach

Seminar Adopt Resolution on Fair Play
Such improvements were not made in a day; far from it, in fact. The
foundations for the improvements were established in July 2007, when
the WTF embarked on a series of meetings and trainings to educate the
Olympic referees.
As part of its ceaseless efforts to ensure the fairest judging and refereeing
at the Beijing Olympic Games, the World Taekwondo Federation organized
a coach seminar and a referee refresher course for the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games in June and July 2008, respectively.
While the standard of refereeing and judging has improved, the WTF will
continually seek to update the education materials and enhance the training
methods.
The WTF coach seminar for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the first of
its kind in WTF Olympic history, took place at Haeundae Grand Hotel
in Busan, Korea, on June 16-18.
Olympic Qualification Tournament

From the total participants in the training camp, 54 of them were chosen to
officiate in world and five continental Olympic qualification tournaments:
World Qualification: Sept. 28-30, 2007 (Manchester, U.K.)
African Qualification: Nov. 1-2, 2007 (Tripoli, Libya)
Asian Qualification: Nov. 28-30, 2007 (HCMC, Vietnam)
Oceania Qualification: Dec. 1, 2007 (Noumea, New Caledonia)
Pan American Qualification: Dec. 8-9, 2007 (Cali, Colombia)
European Qualification: Jan. 26-27, 2008 (Istanbul, Turkey)
The list of international referees who would be officiating in the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games was finalized. One of the conditions imposed by the WTF:
Selected referees would no longer officiate in any other championships until the
2008 Beijing Olympic Games
Olympic Referee Refresher Course
An Olympic Referee Refresher Course was organized in Beijing, China. As
the name suggests, the course was designed to refresh the Olympic referees
on the technical rules and hand signal techniques
20 WTF
WTF President Chungwon Choue said,It is our responsibility to uphold

the integrity of our sport through fair and best behavior. There will
undoubtedly be winners and losers in any sport; respecting the results and
the referees decision, regardless of the outcome, is a code that we should
abide by in our task of bringing the spirit of fair play to taekwondo.
Fair judging and refereeing, along with fair play, will help bring a more
orderly environment to the taekwondo competition sites, in which athletes
and coaches will accept the competition results and follow proper protest
procedures, if necessary,he said.For the sake of our athletes and for the
sake of taekwondos future, it is our responsibility to ensure that only the
best athletes become worthy champions.
The WTF is proud of the international referees who officiated in the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games. When Dr. Jacques Rogge, president of the IOC,
and other IOC officials attended the taekwondo competitions on August
21, 2008, they praised the improved standards of the referees at the
Games.
Olympic Referee Selection Training Camp

About 190 international referees turned up at Woosuk University in Jeonju,
Korea, to attend the camp. This was the first time that the WTF organized
such camps to select Olympic referees. The referees endured a
series of physical tests, which were followed by tests pertaining to the
technical rules and refereeing hand signals.
tournaments, a great improvement in terms of judging and refereeing.
It read,I will respect and treat every athlete, coach and official equally
in accordance with the Olympic Charter and the Rules and Regulations of
the World Taekwondo Federation, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity,
and religious beliefs.
I will be a positive role model for my athletes and
promote fair play, sportsmanship and courtesy at all times.
I will ensure the safety of all athletes. I will not tolerate shameful or
undesirable acts from my athletes. I will accept any sanction imposed
on me and my national taekwondo association by the World Taekwondo
Federation should I violate any provision within the WTF Rules and
Regulations,the resolution concluded.
As part of its efforts to ensure the fairest refereeing and judging at
taekwondo competitions, especially the Beijing Olympic Games, the WTF
has devoted over the last four years most of its time and energy
to improving its refereeing and judging.
More than 100 coaches and officials from about 50 countries attended
the coach seminar. The three-day coach seminar featured a special video
lecture by Mr. Andrew Ryan, ASOIF director.
On July 13-19, the WTF held a WTF referee refresher course for the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
A total of 29 international referees participated in the week-long referee
refresher course.
In a strong show of their commitment to fair play at taekwondo

competitions, participants in the WTF Coach Seminar for the Beijing
Olympic Games resolved to respect fair play on the second day of the
three-day event at Haeundae Grand Hotel in Busan, Korea, on June 17,
2008.
The WTF finalized the 29 referees for the Beijing Olympic Games in
February 2008. The 29 finalists were selected among the 187 international
referees from 57 countries, who attended a week-long WTF International
Referee Training Camp for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in late July
and early August 2007 in Jeonju, Korea.
The seminar participants also resolved torespect and accept the

judgment and decisions of the refereeing and technical officials in all
taekwondo competitions.
Out of the 187, the WTF selected 54 top referees based on their camp
performances, who officiated at the WTF
s world and five continental
qualification tournaments between September 2007 and in January 2008.
All the participants, about 100 from about 50 countries, unanimously

adopted an Olympic coach resolution, which read,I, as a coach of a
participating national taekwondo team in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games,
am fully determined to respect fair play for the success of taekwondo
competition, and hereby abide by the following resolutions.
Partly thanks to the WTF

s stepped-up referee education and training, only
twominorprotests were lodged during the six Olympic qualification
21
Honorable mention: Li-Wen SU (Chinese Taipei/TPE) was seriously injured in her first match against Korea.
She persevered to the repechage final before finally succumbing to Croatia.
*P.S. Sarah STEVENSONs match result against Zhong CHEN (CHN) was reversed after a successful protest appeal by GBR
22 WTF
*P.S. Arman CHILMANOV received the bronze medal after his opponent, Angel Valodia MATOS (CUB), was
disqualified. Matos could not recover within the stipulated 1 minute time allocated for first aid. Matos then punched
corner judge Paulo MARTINS (POR) in the chest and kicked center referee Chakir CHELBAT (SWE) in the face.
Matoss final classification ranking has been disqualified.
23
24 WTF
25
26 WTF
27
COMPETITION DAY 1 : August 20, 2008

Womens -49kg / Mens -58kg
3. Sara KHOSH JAMAL, the first-ever Iranian female athlete to participate

in the Olympic Games, won her first contest in style (winning 5-0 against a
strong Moroccan athlete) before losing in the quarterfinals to the 2004
Athens Olympic champion Shu-Chun YANG from Chinese Taipei.
4. Mexico won their first gold medal in Olympic taekwondo history when
they won the mens -58kg weight category. They would go on to win
another gold medal in the womens +67kg weight category to finish
second overall in the taekwondo medal rankings.
5. This was Kenya's first-ever participation in the Olympic taekwondo
competitions and they achieved 5th place in the womens -49kg weight
category.
The first day of competitions was successfully organized, with all contests
being played on schedule.
The days competitions were remembered more for the following
achievements:
1. Rohullah NIKPAI of Afghanistan won a bronze medal in the mens
-58kg weight category. This was Afghanistans first-ever medal in any
sport in the Olympic Games. He is an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship
recipient. In the bronze medal contest, Nikpai created one of the major
upsets in Olympic taekwondo history when he defeated 2007 WTF
world champion Juan Antonio RAMOS of Spain.
2. Dalia CONTRERAS RIVERO of Venezuela won a bronze medal in
the womens -49kg weight category. She is an Olympic Solidarity
Scholarship recipient.
6. The Dominican Republic

achieved their first-ever
medal in Olympic
taekwondo history when
they won a silver medal in
the mens -58kg weight
category. Along the way, he
produced one of the major
upsets when he defeated
2004 Athens Olympic
champion Mu-Yen CHU
from Chinese Taipei. This
was also the Dominican
Republics first medal in any
sport in the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games.
7. Thailand achieved their best showing in Olympic taekwondo history
when they won a silver medal in the womens -49kg weight category.
They won a bronze medal in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
8. Chinas Jingyu WU proved to be a worthy champion. She dominated
two of her contests, which were both won by point gap (i.e. 7-point
margin). She outclassed the 2004 Athens Olympic champion from
Chinese Taipei in the semifinal (4-1) and defeated Thailand in the final.
28 WTF
29

Croatia would go on to win another bronze in the women-67kg weight

category.
4. Servet TAZEGUL of Turkey won a bronze medal in the mens -67kg
weight category. He is an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship recipient.
5. Azize TANRIKULU of Turkey created a stir when she upset favorite
Diana LOPEZ of the United States in the quarterfinal, and then went on
to achieve a silver medal.
6. Honorable mention:
Li-Wen SU of Chinese Taipei has been hailed as a national hero back
home and also an icon of taekwondo after her courageous efforts in
the womens -57kg weight category. Su suffered a broken bone in her
left foot and also possible tearing of her left knee ligaments in the first
contest against the eventual champion from Korea.
The second day of competitions was
organized extremely smoothly, with no
protests and all contests on schedule.
The following were the highlights of the
day:
1. IOC President Jacques ROGGE
arrived at the University of Science and
Technology Beijing Gymnasium at 3 p.m.,
along with IOC Sports Director
Christophe DUBI and other officials.
Despite the excruciating pain, Su persevered. Along the way, however,

Su collapsed whenever the pain became unbearable. In one particular
contest, she collapsed 11 times. Every time, she would pick herself up
to compete. It even reached a point where her coach admitted that he
contemplated throwing in the towel, but Su would not allow him to do
that.
Such was her bravery to defy all odds that Su went on to compete in
the repechage final, where she eventually lost. Su was given a standing
ovation and praises from the media.
2. Three siblings from the same family achieved a historic first. Diana
LOPEZ of the United States won a silver medal in the womens -57kg
weight category, while her brother Mark won a bronze in the mens
-67kg weight category.
The next day, elder brother Steven would go on to win a bronze in the
mens -80kg weight category. All three athletes are coached by their
eldest brother, Jean. This is the first time in Olympic taekwondo history,
and perhaps in Olympic history, that three siblings won a medal in the
same edition of the Games.
3. Croatia achieved their first-ever medals in Olympic taekwondo history
when they won a bronze in the womens -57kg weight category.
30 WTF
31

The following were the highlights of

the third day of competitions:
repechage final of the men's -80kg weight category. At 17 years of age,

the future is bright for Aaron.
1. Anju JASON represented the

Marshall Islands in the men's -80kg
weight category, which he earned
directly via the Oceania Olympic
Qualification Tournament in Noumea,
New Caledonia, on December 1,
2007. This was the Marshall Islands
first-ever participation in the Olympic
Games.
3. Italy achieved their first-ever medal in Olympic taekwondo history when

they won a silver medal in the men's -80kg weight category.
4. Hadi SAEI of Iran became only the third athlete to achieve two gold
medals in Olympic taekwondo history (the other two were CHEN Zhong
of China and Steven LOPEZ of the United States). In addition, he is only
one of two athletes to ever win a medal in every edition of the Olympic
taekwondo competitions (the other is Steven LOPEZ of the U.S.A.).
2. Teenage sensation Aaron COOK of

Great Britain stormed to the
32 WTF
33

Womens +67kg / Mens +80kg
The following were the highlights of the fourth and final day of the
competitions:
1. Natalia FALAVIGNA of Brazil won a bronze medal in the womens
+67kg weight category. She is an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship
recipient.
2. Great Britain achieved their first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal
when they won a bronze medal in the womens +67kg weight category.
3. Nigeria achieved their first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal when they
won a bronze medal in the mens +80kg weight category.
4. Kazakhstan achieved their first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal
when they won a bronze medal in the mens +80kg weight category.
34 WTF
35
COMPETITION DAY 1 Highlights
36 WTF
37
38 WTF
39
International Technical Officials

According to the agreement
with the IOC, the number of
international technical officials
was as follows:
Drawing of Lots Session
After almost eight months of training and officiating in the Olympic

qualification tournaments, twenty nine (29) International Referees were
finally appointed on March 4, 2008. The officials were as follows:
4. For NOCs that did not attend the drawing of lots session, a BOCOG
volunteer approved by the other NOC representatives randomly picked
a numbered ball.
Despite the long, manual lot drawing process, numerous NOC
representatives praised the WTF for its transparency.
1. Two (2) Technical

Delegates
2. Five (5) Jury members
(also known as Competition
Supervisory Board
members)
3. Twenty nine (29)
International Referees
Issues
The lot drawing process was duplicated. Currently, the MSL system
cannot project its match trees through a projector.
Resolutions
The position of Technical

Controller was removed from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. As the
number of corner judges have increased from three (3) in 2004 Athens
to four (4) in 2008 Beijing, the number of International Referees have
increased by five (5).
The two Technical Delegates and five Competition Supervisory Board
members were appointed by the WTF President on August 31, 2007.
The WTF developed a simple Excel spreadsheet. Whenever the NOC

is called and the representative picks a numbered ball, an official from
the WTF will manually place the selected athletes name and NOC Code
into the appropriate slot in the match tree. The whole process is projected
on a big screen. At the same time, MSL does the same process in its
system, after which it prints out a copy for the Technical Delegates
verification.
The officials were as follows:
Future Consideration(s)
Technical Delegates:
1. Mr. Eui Min KO (Chairman of Technical Committee, Germany)
2. Mr. Manuel COLMENERO FIRVIDA (WTF Council member, Spain)
Competition Supervisory Board Members:
1. Mr. Rene BUNDELI (Chairman of Games Committee and
Council member, Switzerland)
2. Mr. Hong Ki KIM (Chairman of Referee Committee and
Council member, USA)
3. Mr. Dai Won MOON (Council member, Mexico)
4. Mr. Siaka Minayaha COULIBALY (Council member, Cote dIvoire)
5. Mrs. Carine Lahoud MURR (Council member, Lebanon)
The WTF held the Referee Selection Training Camp for the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games between July 29 and August 4, 2007. The camp drew
a total of 187 international referees from 57 countries. The selected fifty
four (54) international referees from the camp were then assigned
to officiate in the six (6) Olympic Taekwondo Qualification Tournaments
as part of the second screening process.
40 WTF
The drawing of lots session was held on August 18, 2008, which was
two days before the start of the competitions. To ensure fairness and
transparency, the following process was adopted at the drawing of lots
session:
The WTF has reflected this duplication process to MSL and to ORIS.
MSL has agreed to make the necessary adjustments so that its match
trees can be projected at the drawing of lots session in future WTFpromoted/sanctioned championships and the Olympic Games.
This change has been reflected in ORIS.
1. There were two boxes of ping-pong balls; one box was filled with balls
that had NOC codes and the other box was filled with balls that were
numbered 1-16 (depicting the 16 seeding positions in a standard match
tree).
Future Consideration(s)
Members of the Competition Supervisory Board were well-balanced in
terms of continental and gender representation. However, it is advisable
to appoint at least one (1) lawyer or law-trained taekwondo expert in the
Board, who could provide legal advice when it comes to protest
applications.
2. One of the Technical Delegates randomly picked a ball from the NOC
box. When the name of the NOC was read out, a representative from
the NOC approached the head table to randomly pick out one of
the numbered balls. The NOC was then placed in the match tree
according to the number that was picked.
3. The BOCOG then provided the NOCs with a similarly numbered gold
plaque as a souvenir.
41
Tripartite Commission
Invitation Places
(Wild Cards)
The IOC received wild card applications for taekwondo from the national
Olympic committees by November 15, 2007. After the technical
evaluation of the athletes by the WTF, a Tripartite Commission meeting
among the IOC, the Association of National Olympic Committees and
the WTF was called.
Olympic Solidarity
Taekwondo received a total of 59 successful applications for the IOC
Olympic Solidarity Scholarship program. After years of dedication and
personal sacrifices, 20 athletes qualified for the taekwondo competitions
at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The week-long WTF International Referee Training Camp for the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games was held on July 29 till August 4, 2008, drawing
a total of 187 international referees from 57 countries.
Through the intensive training session, which served as the first stage
of screening, the WTF ranked all the participating international referees
through practical and written tests.
For the second stage of the screening, the WTF sent the fifty four (54)
highly ranked referees to the WTF World Taekwondo Qualification
Tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Manchester, UK,
in late September 2007, and the WTFs five continental qualification
tournaments. Right after the WTF European Taekwondo Qualification
Tournament in Istanbul, Turkey in early 2008, twenty nine (29) referees
were finally appointed as the International Referees for the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games taekwondo competitions.
The following four (4) athletes were selected to receive invitation places.
(The results of the wild card recipients at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
taekwondo competitions are shown below their names):
1. Alfonso MARTINEZ (Belize, mens under 58kg)
a. Defeated by Juan Antonio RAMOS (Spain) by 1:2 in the Round of 16
Meanwhile, for the first time in the WTFs referee education programs,
the training camp conducted basic medical checkups, such as visual
acuity, color blindness, blood pressure and hearing, and fitness tests,
like a 50-meter sprint and standing long jump to ensure physical fitness
standing as referees.
2. Nesar Ahmed BAHAVE (Afghanistan, mens under 68kg)

a. Defeated by Mark LOPEZ (USA) by 0:3 in the Round of 16
b. Defeated by Daniel MANZ (Germany) by 3:4 in the repechage
3. H.H. Sheikha Maitha ALMAKTOUM (UAE, womens under 67kg)
a. Defeated by Kyung Seon HWANG (Korea) by 1:5 in the Round of 16
b. Defeated by Sandra SARIC (Croatia) by 0:4 in the repechage
For the evaluation of practical tests, the WTF set up an eight-member

ad-hoc evaluation committee.
Referee Assignment
4. Lailatou AMADOU LELE (Niger, womens under 57kg)

a. She did not show up at the weigh-in, and was automatically
disqualified from her competitions.
In July 2008, H.H. Sheikha Maitha Al Maktoum and the United Arab
Emirates NOC agreed to change her weight category from womens
over 67kg to womens under 67kg in order to ensure that there were 16
athletes across all the weight category at the Olympic taekwondo
competitions, which essentially is in accordance with the qualification
system developed by the WTF and approved by the IOC.
Referee Selection
Among them, four (4) athletes emerged as medal winners. In particular,

Rohullah NIKPAI of Afghanistan won a bronze medal in the mens -58kg
weight category, which is the first-ever medal won by Afghanistan in any
sport in the history of the Olympic Games. Nikpais victory is testament to
the Olympic spirit, which hopefully will help bridge cultures and ensure
peace around the world.
Referee assignments for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games taekwondo

competitions were done through the use of the random assignment
software developed by Dartfish.
The software was also used at the Good Luck Beijing 2008 International
Taekwondo Invitational Tournament on February 26-29, 2008. Between
the test event and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the system had
gone through major enhancements.
Fundamental principles:
1. A total of 29 referees were appointed. The composition of the referees
was as follows:
a. Europe - 11
b. Asia - 10
c. Pan America - 5
d. Africa - 2
e. Oceania - 1
42 WTF
2. The referees were divided into the center referee group and the corner
judges group. The classification of the referees into their respective
groups was done by the Mr. Eui Min KO (Technical Delegate), Mr. Manuel
COLMENERO FIRVIDA (Technical Delegate), Mr. Hong Ki KIM
(Competition Supervisory Board member) and Mr. Rene BUNDELI
(Competition Supervisory Board member).
3. According to the WTF Competition Rules, a referee who is of the same
nationality as the participating athlete will not be assigned to officiate
in that contest. This is to ensure fair judgment and no conflict of interest.
The same principle applied for center referees and athletes of the same
continent.
In the event that the corner judges are of the same continent as those
of the participating athletes, the WTF will ensure that both athletes
continents are equally represented in the assignment of the corner
judges.
4. During the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, a referee was not assigned
to be the center referee in the weight category that an athlete of the same
nationality was participating in.
a. There was minimal chance for the referee to be assigned as a corner
judge in that weight category as well. This principle was mostly applied
across all four days of competitions.
b. If the athlete goes all the way to the final, the referee of the same
nationality could only officiate in the repechage (as the repechage results
did not affect the final).
c. If the athlete goes to the repechage, the referee of the same nationality
could only officiate in the final, if assigned.
5. In certain exceptional situations, some of the political, religious and
ethnic sensitivities were considered in the assignment of referees, so as
to avoid any conflicts of interest or hostilities between officiating referees
and athletes.
6. No referees were assigned for the two consecutive contests.
7. Center referees who had officiated a particular country in a previous
round were generally not assigned to officiate that same country again,
unless necessary due to a lack of continental representation in the pool
of center referees.
8. After exclusion of any ineligible referees, less officiated referees were
assigned in priority.
9. Referees who were assigned for inspection and weigh-in sessions
were automatically excluded from officiating until they have completed
their assignments.
10. For each contest, the system provided two options of referees.
The two options were then brought to the two Technical Delegates
for their choice and approval.
11. On the last day of competitions, some of the referees were not
assigned following the instructions of the Technical Delegates, especially
the five referees who had officiated in Contest No. 134 (Great Britain vs.
China).
43
VENUE
(such as the one used in 2004 Athens), or

indications of two athletes and the center
referee.
Instead of putting a square in the middle of the competition mat, the WTF
and future Organizing Committees of the Olympic Games could consider
putting the IOC emblem or official Olympic Games logo in the middle
44 WTF
The warm-up area, at 640 sq. meters, was properly set up with three (3)
courts. The weigh-in rooms were located in the warm-up area for
the convenient access of athletes. Several TV monitors were well located
in the warm-up area to help athletes stay updated with the ongoing
match process. Other TV monitors were also set up in the athletes
waiting area to help inform the athletes to prepare for the upcoming
contests in advance.
Seating
The venue could accommodate a full-house capacity of 8,000
spectators. The design of the venue allowed the spectators to watch
the competitions without any hindrance. The proximity of the spectators
to the FOP created a noisy yet electric atmosphere, especially when
the spectators were cheering for the Chinese athletes.
The training venue was separately set up within the Capital Institute of
Physical Education Training Hall B, which consisted of four (4) courts.
The VIP seating area was designated behind two to three rows of tables
that were meant for the media broadcasters. While it is important for
the media to receive the best view of the competitions for their broadcast
commentary purposes, there were times when the view of the VIPs were
blocked, especially when the broadcasters stood up and walked around.
Perhaps the commentary boxes could be designed lower for future
Games.
The University of Science and Technology Beijing Gymnasium is a beautifully designed venue.
Field of Play (FOP)

The design of the Field of Play and the color combinations used were
intended to maximize the exposure of taekwondo. The contrast in colors,
especially in the competition mats, was well received by the Beijing
Olympic Broadcasting.
The competition mat, obviously a recognized product of the WTF, was

found to be too slippery, which caused some athletes to hesitate in
displaying their techniques in full. This issue was discovered before
the competitions and was solved prior to the start of the competitions.
However, it is the responsibility of the WTF to review the current
specifications of equipments to ensure that all WTF-approved products
are within our requirements and satisfaction.
Throughout the four-day competitions, only

one (1) court was used for the taekwondo
competitions, which was ideal in brining
attention to the FOP. At the same time,
having only one court meant that the
competitions would last a full day, which was
the case from 09:00 to 21:30 (including medal presentation ceremonies).
For athletes that were selected for in-competition testing, that would
mean leaving the venue at about 23:00.
For the clean and smooth operation within the FOP, the access to FOP
was strictly controlled and well managed by the BOCOG. Apart from
the Technical Officials, the WTF Secretariat was provided with six (6) FOP
access cards, either to be assigned to specific individuals or to be used
on a rotational basis.
Facilities in the venue

In the operation area, facilities for technical officials and the WTF
Secretariat were properly established and well managed with
the assistance of wonderful and hospitable volunteers.
The main functions rooms provided to the WTF were the Presidents
room, Secretary Generals room, WTF office, TDs room, CSB room,
WTF meeting room, ITO meeting room and ITO lounge.
After the Good Luck Beijing 2008 International Taekwondo Invitational
Tournament held in February 2008, the location and usage of the ITO
lounge have been an issue. After consultations between the WTF and
the BOCOG, it was agreed that the ITO lounge would be solely
designated for the 29 international referees. None of the other technical
officials or WTF staff could access the ITO lounge on competition days,
so as to maximize independence and convenience of referees.
The training venue opened on July 27 until August 23. Operation hours
were 08:00-13:00 and 15:00-22:00. The distance from the Olympic
Village to the training venue was 5km, or within 10 minutes if traveling
by shuttle bus. The training schedule was well planned and managed
by the BOCOG, and no major problems were reported.
Restaurant
Athletes, coaches, WTF officials and technical officials were allocated
within the designated restaurant for lunch and dinner, with partitions in
between to separate the different groups. The restaurant was
conveniently located within walking distance from the venue.
Lighting / temperature
The Beijing Olympic Broadcasting commented that the lighting within
the venue was suitable for broadcasting. For future Games, however,
it would be ideal to look into darkening the other areas around the FOP
so that the focus would be on the FOP.
During the Good Luck Beijing 2008 International Taekwondo Invitational
Tournament, questions were raised about the temperature within
the venue during summer time. However, the temperature in the venue
was very well maintained, and it provided the best conditions to
the athletes and also to the spectators.
The overall administrative services provided in the WTF office were

excellent, while the furniture in the WTF President and
Secretary General
s rooms need to be reviewed for future occasions.
45
WTF President, Greek Nikolaidis, Chinas

Chen Zhong Participate as Key Torchbearers
in Beijing Olympic Torch Relay
WTF President
Chungwon Choue;
Greek Alexandros
Nikolaidis, a silver
taekwondo medalist
at the 2004 Athens
Olympic Games; and
Chinese two-time
taekwondo Olympic
gold medalist Chen
Zhong participated
as key torchbearers in the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Torch Relay.
WTF President Choue participated as
a torchbearer in the Beijing 2008 Olympic
Torch Relay in Lijiang, Yunnan Province in
China on June 10, 2008.
As the 11th runner in the ancient town of Lijiang,
Dr. Choue ran about 50 meters in the morning
in his capacity as the president of an
international sports federation, drawing
a special attention from local media. He was
interviewed by the China Daily and the Xinhwa
news agency.
46 WTF
In May 2008, Dr. Choue sent a condolence

letter, along with a donation of $3,000, to
the Chinese Olympic Committee, for
the profound loss of lives from the devastating
earthquake which hit the Sichuan province,
which neighbors the Yunnan Province.
Taekwondo is a compulsory subject
at elementary schools in the Sichuan Province
from 2007.
The very first torchbearer in Greece was Greek
Alexandros Nikolaidis, the silver medalist in
the mens over 80kg taekwondo category
at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. On March
24, at the ancient Olympia archeological site,
High Priestess Maria Nafpliotou used a torch
ignited by the Olympic flame held by Nikolaidis,
who then handed over the torch to Chinas
swimming Olympic champion Luo Xuejuan.
Under the themeJourney of Harmonyand

the sloganLight the Passion Share
the Dream,the 2008 Beijing Olympic Torch
Relay started on March 24 in Greece and
continued until Aug. 8, the opening day of
the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
The torch relay covered over 100 cities across
the five continents of the world for a combined
distance of 137,000 km and involves 21,880
torchbearers and 5,000 escort runners.
The WTF hoped that the participation of WTF
President Choue, Nikolaidis, and Chen Zhong
as key torchbearers of the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Torch Relay would greatly help
enhance the image of the WTF and taekwondo
in the international sports community.
Chinas Chen Zhong, the two-time Olympic

taekwondo gold medalist, also participated in
the Olympic torch relay as one of the final eight
torchbearers during the opening ceremony
of the Beijing Olympic Games on Aug. 8.
47
Lopez Family
Olympic history was created when Steven Lopez of the United States, his younger brother Mark and youngest sister Diana
participated in the taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. This was the first time in more than a century of
U.S. Olympic history where three siblings have participated in the same sport in the same Olympic Games. To top it off, eldest
brother Jean served as a head coach of the U.S. taekwondo team.
Rohullah Nikpai (Afghanistan)
Afghans.As long as taekwondo stays as an Olympic

sport, Afghans can keep dreaming.
taekwondo history when he crushed 4-1 Juan Antonio
Ramos of Spain, the gold medal winner at the 2007 Beijing
WTF World Taekwondo Championships.
Nikpais Olympic medal is testament to the Olympic spirit,
which hopefully will help bridge cultures and ensure peace
around the world.
The International Olympic Committee announced that only
four countries, including Afghanistan, won their first
Olympic medal at the Beijing Olympic Games.
Nakpai earned war-torn

Afghanistan the first-ever medal
in the Olympic Games
in its 72-year Olympic history.
Rohullah Nikpai made history in Afghanistans 72-year
Olympic history as he qualified for the taekwondo
competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games for the first
time, and earned the war-torn country the first Olympic
medal in any sport.
Nikpai, 21, clinched a bronze medal in the mens -58kg
category at the Beijing Olympic Games. In the bronze
medal match, Nikpai, an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship
recipient, created one of the major upsets in Olympic
My single Olympic medal has helped bring Afghans

together and unite a wide variety of ethnic groups into
one,Nikpai said.Now taekwondo has emerged as
the symbol of peace in Afghanistan.
He said,Taekwondo has
given hope and dreams
to the Afghan people,
especially youth. The
sport of taekwondo has
given Afghans a can-do
spirit and a great
confidence.
Nikpai, who started
taekwondo at the age of
10, hoped that taekwondo
should retain its Olympic
status not only for the sport
of taekwondo, but also for
Nikpai, with a height of 181cm, has three elder brothers

and one younger sister. His two brothers also do practice
taekwondo.
When I grabbed the bronze medal, I was really delighted,
Nikpai said.I failed to achieve my goal of winning
the Olympic gold, but I will set again my Olympic gold
target on the 2012 London Olympic Games.
When I returned home, my mother told meI am proud
of you and thank you my son, my prayer is answered,
Nikpai said.
Upon arriving at Kabul International Airport on Aug. 28,
almost one thousand of Afghans, with ID cards, welcomed
Nikpai. A car parade was followed from the airport to
the Ghazi Stadium in downtown Kabul.I couldnt believe
my eyes. There were really lots of people welcoming me.
Under Korean coach Min Sin-hak, Nikpai trained about
seven hours a day for almost one year before the Beijing
Olympic Games.During the summer and winter times, I
trained much more.
When I first saw him in December 2005, I sensed that
he could be an Olympic gold medalist,Min said.I think
he can compete at the next two Olympic Games if he
desires.
Nikpai plans to engage soon and to continue his study
in 2009 by enrolling in a physical education department
in a Tehran university.
53
Taekwondo Makes History

in Afghanistan
After the
resumption of the
Afghanistan NOCs
relations with the
IOC and the OCA,
Afghanistan sent its
athletes to the 2002
Busan Asian
Games, where a
female taekwondo
athlete, Ms. Rouya
Zamani, won a
bronze medal, the
first taekwondo
medal at an
international event.
the end of 2009,

Rabani said.
All sportsmen now
send their daughters
and sons to
taekwondo clubs
in our country,
reflecting the high
popularity of
taekwondo,
especially after
the Beijing Olympic
Games,he said.
With the approval of the Afghanistan Education
Ministry, Rabani said that the Kabul Physical
Education University has decided to introduce
taekwondo as an optional subject for its
students.
The medal started

to attract a special
attention of the
Afghan media and
the people.
At the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, Afghanistan also
clinched one bonze medal in the taekwondo competition.
At the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championships
in Beijing, China, Afghanistans Nesar Ahmad Behave
grabbed the silver medal in the mens lightweight category.
For Afghanistan, it marked the first medal
at world championships in any sport.
Since the late 1970s, Afghanistan has suffered continuous

and brutal civil war.
During the 1996-2001 Taliban government,
the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic
Council of Asia (OCA) cut their relations with
the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee (NOC) for
the regimes restrictions on freedom and human rights
violations. Women were banned from jobs, and girls were
forbidden to attend schools or universities.
Afghanistan sent two taekwondo athletes to Beijing, China

for the 2008 Olympic Games. One was Nesar Ahmad
Behave who earned a Tripartite Commission invitation
place, or better known as a wild card, and the other was
Rohullah Nikpai, who earned a ticket for the Beijing
Olympic Games as he finished second at the WTF Asian
Taekwondo Qualification Tournament in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam on Nov. 1-3, 2007.
The two Afghan athletes were IOC Olympic Solidarity
Scholarship recipients. Nikpai was the first Afghan athlete
to qualify for the Olympic Games in any sport in his country.
At the Beijing Olympic Games, Nikpai won a bronze medal
in the mens -58kg class, the first-ever medal in the
Olympic Games in Afghanistans 72-year Olympic history.
Nikpais Olympic medal has exerted a positive

impact on the minds of Afghans. Afghanistan
is divided into a wide variety of ethnic groups.
The single medal changed a lot in Afghanistans
sports and other sectors.
Nikpais Olympic medal made history
in Afghanistans sports field. Now taekwondo
is the No. 1 sport in our country and all
taekwondo clubs are crowded,said Ghulam
Rabani Rabani, president of the Afghanistan
National Taekwondo Federation.
Rabani said that there are about 25,000
taekwondo practitioners and about 700
taekwondo clubs in Afghanistan.
Rabani, a Kukkuwon 5th Dan black-belt holder,
started taekwondo at the age of nine. The 33year-old Rabani took the helm of Afghanistans
national taekwondo governing body at the end
of 2001.
At the end of 2005, the number of taekwondo
practitioners was about 15,000. If the current
trend continues, it will jump to about 45,000 by
When Nikpai won the Olympic medal in

taekwondo, the country was united into one
and Afghans voicedWe are one country,
we are one people,Rabani said.The single
Olympic medal helped solve decades of
internal feuds among ethnic groups. Now
taekwondo means peace for Afghans.
When Nikpai arrived at Kabul International
Airport on Aug. 28, about 1,000 Afghans
welcomed him. The airport welcoming event
was followed by a car parade from the airport
to the Ghazi Stadium in downtown Kabul,
where thousands of people gathered to greet
him.
All the commemorative events were organized
by a special committee set up by the Afghan
government. Days later, Nikpai was invited
to the Presidents office.
Rabani cited as major reasons for the high
popularity of taekwondo among Afghans such
taekwondo values as etiquette, respect for

others, and discipline.
Because of decades of civil war in our
country, Afghans are lacking in respect for
others and mutual confidence, but taekwondo
puts those values first,said Rabani, who also
serves as an Executive Council member of
the Afghanistan NOC.
Korean Min Sin-hak, who serves as the
national coach of the Afghan national
taekwondo team, said,Afghan athletes have
good fighting spirits and high learning abilities.
And they are fearless.
Through taekwondo training, they dream of
better lives,said Min, who coached Nikpai
since late 2005.
At the invitation of the Afghan NOC and
the Ministry of Culture, Min went to Afghanistan
in December 2005 as the first Korean coach
to the Asian country.
Min, a Kukkiwon 6th Dan holder, said he
started an individual training program for Nikpai
and other Afghan national taekwondo athletes.
I focused on building up their physical strength
by putting a 20km marathon and cross country
in the training program.
As I sensed Nikpais great potential for
a future Olympic gold medalist, I started
making up for his weak points of slow start
timing,Min said.I am confident that Nikpai
will win the gold medal at the 2012 London
Olympic Games.
To teach Nikpai etiquette, a key taekwondo
value, Min said he brought Nikpai to Korea
on Nov. 8, 2008 for a 10-day training.
I emphasized over and over the importance of
being humble and the fact that he was able
to win the Olympic medal because of
the concerted concern and support of those
who love him.
55
Sara Khosh Jamal (Iran)

could do anything,she said.It was a great feeling to
know that I was the first woman in my countrys history
to actually qualify and, not on a wild card, and go to the
Olympics.
She said,Experiencing the Olympic Games was just
super. I felt so proud to be an Iranian Muslim woman.
Even though I didnt get the result I wanted, but under no
circumstances I would change the experience I had in
the Beijing Olympics.
Sara was very diligent and analytical with an introspective
nature,recalls Shin Dong-sun, who served as head coach
of the Iranian national female team between June 2005 and
December 2006.She constantly kept asking. She was
a good, well-disciplined student. But she was very
aggressive and fearless in competition.
Shin said,When we first met at a hotel in Tehran, she
asked me about kicking technique.
Sara created history

by being Irans first-ever female
athlete to participate in the
Olympic Games in any sport.
elementary school, and eventually in 2008 at the age of 20,

she became the first Iranian woman to qualify for
the Olympic Games in Iran
s history.
Sara is the first Iranian female athlete who participated
in the Olympic Games.
At the Beijing Olympic Games, Sara beat Moroccos
Ghizlane Toudali 5-0 in the round of 16, but failed
to advance to the semifinal round as she lost to Chinese
Taipeis Shu Chun Yang in the fourth, sudden-death
round.
In 2007 when she was only 19 years old, Sara competed
in the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in
Beijing, China. She then lost to the Chinese Taipei athlete.
Despite being very disappointed, she became even more
determined to continue for the Beijing Olympic Games.
Sara Khosh Jamal was from a middle-class family with two

sisters and one brother. Being a teacher, her father wanted
her to have higher education and as a typical Persian
parent, he wanted Sara to be an engineer or doctor, so he
wasnt too happy to hear about taekwondo.
But as time passed and he witnessed the discipline and
respect that was brought to his daughter by taekwondo,
he allowed Sara to practice taekwondo.
Sara, with a weak physique, started taekwondo in
I was disappointed, true, but I think that match made me

more determined. It gave me a kick-start to continue my
training harder and try to qualify for the Olympic Games,
Sara said.
She earned a ticket for the taekwondo competition at
the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as she finished third
in the womens -49kg category at the 2007 WTF Asian
Taekwondo Qualification Tournament in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam on Nov. 28-30, 2007.
When I qualified for the Olympic Games, I was ecstatic.
I wanted to show the whole world that Iranian women
57
Taekwondo in Iran
Taekwondo is the second most popular

sport in Iran with over 1.5 million
practitioners
Iran has been doing great in
producing champions as he
wants to get families more
involved and there are plans
to hold a family tournament that
can see grand parent or parents
participating with their children.
In the past decade, Mr. Pouladgar has tried

to concentrate his efforts on several factors that have
brought on the success and development for
taekwondo.
Attracting private financial sources was very difficult and
the Taekwondo Federation of Iran had to depend on
government support heavily, but as time passed more
and more private capital was poured into taekwondo
and today all 60 clubs that are participating in Irans
leagues are privately owned.
Taekwondo was brought to Iran in 1973 to train special

forces of the military. As more officers were trained, they
started to have private classes for the public, and soon
taekwondo became more and more popular among the
people.
Over the last 15 years, Iran has become a major
taekwondo power in the world and has produced many
world and Olympic champions.
As the president of the Taekwondo Federation of
the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyd Mohammad Pouladgar
has achieved great success and has been able to develop
taekwondo to become one of the top three most popular
sports in the country that only wanted to play football and
wrestle. In terms of the number of practitioners, taekwondo
comes second after football.
Today there are about one and a half million taekwondo
practitioners and about 3, 800 taekwondo clubs across
the nation. There are five leagues starting from under 14
to the premier league for males, one female league and
a poomsae league.
Mr. Pouladgar became president of the Taekwondo
Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2000 after
serving as vice president for four years. He started the first
taekwondo league in Iran and maybe in the world 14 years
ago and now there are several professional leagues.
One of the most important factors Mr. Pouladgar has

always insists on, when he talks about taekwondo in
Iran, has been the promotion of higher education among
athletes and coaches. He believes this, along with
academic and scientific
taekwondo seminars, can
produce better players and
coaches. The Iran
Taekwondo Federation has
held several international and
national seminars that have
attracted many guest
speakers and a wide range
of audience from around the
world.
During his tenure as
the president, he has been
able to gather support and
build the Houses of
Taekwondo in all 30
provinces in Iran. But the
most important piece of this
puzzle was to attract
the media.
Fortunately today taekwondo
enjoys live broadcast of not
only the tournament that are
held in Iran, but also live
broadcast of its league every
week.
When asked about his plans for the future of

taekwondo in Iran, the first thing Mr. Pouladgar
mentions is to try to get the public more
involved.
In addition, he would like

to expand the already existing
good relations with regional
countries and help develop
taekwondo in the Persian Gulf
region and accordingly Iran
organized the 1st West Asian
Taekwondo Championships in Tehran on Nov.
8-9, 2008.
Iran plans to start the first taekwondo academy
in the Middle East and when the project

finishes, it will be a dream come true for a man
that has dreamt about the idea for the last 25
years.
Mr. Pouladgar is one of the first people who
gave a vote of confidence and his support
for the reforms started by the WTF President
Dr. Chungwon Choue.
He thinks electronic protectors, suggested by
Dr. Choue, is a very important step toward
bringing fairness to taekwondo and bringing
an end to all the controversies surrounding
the officiating situation in the WTF.
In his opinion, using the electronic protectors
can be one of the things that can attract
a wider audience.Of course, we have to do
more in regards to our rules and regulations
and the TV coverage of the matches to attract
more spectators and in turn attract financial
sponsors.
Iran has been working very hard to raise
the interest among the women and today
there are over 50,000 female taekwondo
players. After a long haul, Iranian women were
able to get a bronze in the Asian Games
in Doha, Qatar in 2006, and then for the first
time in Irans history, Iranian women were able
to finish first and qualify for the Olympic
Games, something that had never happened
before in any sport.
Throughout the history, Iran has been attacked
and invaded and the Iranian men have learned
how to defend their country.
That is why Iranians are so good at martial
arts and they have taken special liking to
taekwondo. It has attracted many girls because
in taekwondo women are allowed to wear their
Hejab-scarf covering their heads.
59
Aaron Cook (Great Britain)

Q : When did you start practicing taekwondo?
A : I was five years old when I started practicing
taekwondo.
Q : What were the reasons for practicing
taekwondo?
A : I think electronic scoring will be good for

the sport, as long as it works properly. I believe
there are still problems with the new system
(I have not yet competed with it) and unless
these problems are solved, I think using it will
be no different than having judges that make
poor decisions and you will end up with more
controversy. As long as the new system works
fairly and doesnt cause change in the way you
have to fight your opponents, I think it will be
a good thing for the sport.
Q : What is your opinion of introducing an
instant video replay system at the taekwomdo
competitions?
Q What is your impression of participating in

the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games?
A : It was a great experience, and I was very lucky to fulfill
a childhood dream by representing my country at the
Olympic Games. I was also very proud to have ahieved it
at such a young age.
Q : You are believed as a teenage sensation in your
country and a great hope for the 2012 Olympic Games.
How do you think about that?
A : I just try to be the best I can be, but sometimes it is very
difficult to make others understand my dreams and goals.
To be the best, you have to do things no one else has
done before. I think that is what I have done, and had
to do to achieve the things I have. I will continue to strive
to achieve my goals, and winning the gold at my home
Olympics in 2012 would be a dream come true.
Q : Why do you think taekwondo should be in the Olympic
program?
A : Taekwondo is a very exciting, dynamic martial art, that
anyone can be involved in. It is not expensive to participate,
compared to a lot of other Olympic sports and has global
appeal. I very much hope taekwondo remains on the
Olympic program.
Q : What are the strong points of taekwondo, compared

with other sports?
A : Taekwondo is fast, exciting, unpredictable and
a good spectator sport. In my semifinal match with
the Italian fighter at the Beijing Olympic Games,
with just 10 seconds to go, we could have ended in
a golden-point round, there could have been a KO,
but we ended in an exchange of five kicks between
us with the Italian being awarded the point to win 6-5.
That was for an Olympic gold or silver medal. I did not
see much that exciting at the games.
A : I think this would also be a very important

change for the sport. I train very hard, have
great ambition and want to win, but sometimes
I will lose. As long as I lose for the right reasons
(because my opponent was better than me),
its okay, but if I lose because of a poor
decision, I, as an athlete, cant do anything
about that, and that is something that has
to change. If video replays give the athlete and
coach the opportunity to alter a poor decision
that could affect the result of a match, it can
only be fair to everyone, including the judges
and spectators, as well as the athlete and
eliminate further controversy.
A : I loved the Power Ranger TV program.

I was always trying to copy them so my mum
and dad found a local martial arts club. I was
very lucky it happened to be a taekwondo club
and not another martial art.
Q : How important is taekwondo to you and
your career?
A : From the moment I started taekwondo
at the age of five, taekwondo became my life.
I cannot imagine life without taekwondo.
Q : What is your taekwondo philosophy?
A : My parents encouraged me to observe and
live my life by the tenets of taekwondo, which
I have and continue to do, and I get upset
by people within taekwondo that neglect those
tenets, tenets that the sports success has
been built on. Because of my age and my own
achievements within the sport, I also have
a phrase that also helped me achieve all I have,
and has inspired me when things have been
hard and not going to as planned. That phrase
isImpossible is Nothing.
Q : Do you have any suggestions for

the development of taekwondo and the World
Taekwondo Federation?
A : I personally feel that taekwondo is heading
in the right direction. Electronic scoring and
video playback are positive responses that
could change life as an athlete for the better.
The proposed world rankings are a major
move forward. I love to compete; it is why I get
out of bed every morning to train, because
I know I have a competition coming up to
focus on. The ranking system should
encourage athletes to compete more, it will
eliminate the potential of the best athletes
meeting in the early stages of a major
competition (via seeding), and this will in turn
make major competitions more exciting and
create more spectator/media interest, with
more chance of the better athletes progressing
to the later stages of the competitions and fight
one another for medals, instead of the earlier
rounds that the current drawing of lots system
can sometimes give.
Q : What are your plans for 2009?
A : I hope to do well at ranking competitions
and get a good ranking by the end of the year
at the World Senior Championships, at the new
U21 European Championships, and hopefully
compete in the first WTF Invitation competition
at the end of the year.
Q : What is your opinion of introducing an electronic body

protector system at the next Olympic Games?
61
Leon Preston (U.S.A.)

referee the Olympic Games. I do know we all
attended and participated in a number of very
difficult processes starting with the selection
camp at Woosuk University in Korea during
July of 2007 and progressed through six other
events leading up to the final selection. I will
never forget those days and times.
Q : How important is taekwondo to you and

your career?
A : Taekwondo is not important to my career,
but does have importance in my life as it
continues to provide me opportunities and
challenges each day to grow from a human
perspective and understand some of the many
pathways we all travel. I believe the human
capacity is infinite and our paths in life depend
on how deep we can see into infinity.
Q : Why do you think taekwondo should be

in the Olympic program?
Q : What is your
impression of
participating in
the taekwondo
competition at
the Beijing Olympic
Games as a WTF
international referee?
A : To participate in
the Olympic Games
was one of those
defining moments
in my life, which
provided me the
opportunity to walk the talk of fairness and transparency
in the most competitive venue in the world under extreme
and intense conditions.
Every match was like a final as each athletes dream of
Olympic gold and status as a national hero was at stake.
The exuberance and uninhibited pleasure in victory shown
by those who stood at the top of the podium resonates
through us all for as referees we had a big hand in creating
and maintaining the atmosphere, which in many ways
provided a clear and uninhibited path for victory.
it was superb. This is to be expected as the best at that

time from each national association in their weight class
was there.
It was a contest between some of the finest and most
competitive athletes I have ever seen. The skill level and
fellowship with the exception of one individual was
outstanding and represented the true ideal of the Olympic
Games.
A : Without any question, taekwondo should

remain on the Olympic program. These are
times where many sports find themselves
struggling to remain exciting to the public and
win the acceptance of the IOC. Taekwondo
has demonstrated ongoing efforts to improve
our venue and competition rules to add greater
excitement for the public and IOC recognition
as a popular sport worldwide with audience
appeal.
Taekwondo brings excitement and
relevance to the world of sport.
Taekwondo instantly appeals to all with its
flamboyance and tenacity. Once anyone
witnesses taekwondo and has an
opportunity to understand the game, they
become fans for life and easily see how it
fits within the Olympic ideal.
Q : What is your evaluation of the overall taekwondo

competition at the Beijing Olympic Games in terms of
refereeing?
A : Given the level of competition, the overall microanalysis
and evaluation of every contest, and the pressure to
perform, I believe our overall performance was very good.
Q : What is your evaluation of the overall taekwondo

competition at the Beijing Olympic Games?
Q : Do you think the WTF referee selection for the Beijing

Olympic Games was fair?
A : All things considered, I believe the taekwondo

competition at the Olympic Games was very good, in fact
A : I have not been privileged to know all the details of

the selection processes leading to the final 29 selected to
A : The concept is good. It will take much more

development and refinement, but it is possible
and a goal well worth pursuing. The integration
of the electronic body protector and human
match management is ideal and central to
our ongoing goal of fairness in all aspects
of competition.
Q : What is your opinion of introducing
an instant video replay system at the
taekwondo competitions?
A : I think it is a good idea. The real question is
under what conditions and how many video
replays can a coach request, and if a request
is granted, how will that impact potential
protest rights. I am sure there are other
questions, but I have not analyzed this matter
from a critical thinking process as of yet.
Q : When did you start practicing taekwondo?
Q : Do you think the WTF refereeing system has been

improved?
A : Yes, without question it has. Under WTF President
Dr. Chungwon Choues leadership and critical attention
to the referee division, improvements have been made.
Secretary General Jin Suk Yang has paid close attention
to and actively taken part in referee development events.
Q : What is your opinion of introducing

an electronic body protector system at the next
Olympic Games?
Q : What are the strong points of taekwondo,

compared with other sports?
A : Humility, cooperation, respect, a sence of
mutuality and its cultural diversity among
athletes, coaches, referees, fans, and family
members. Taekwondo is dynamic in its
application as a sport unlike any other martial
art.
A : I first took up taekwondo as a kid but never

really stayed with it because my attention was
focused on basketball, football, track and field,
and baseball. It was not until I graduated from
the university that I really focus my attention
on taekwondo.

A : Taekwondo empowers equity and social
justice on all levels of interaction, but
recognizes ones right to self-determination
and individuality.
Q : Do you have any suggestions for
the development of taekwondo and the World
A : Bring individuals on board in all positions
that have proven knowledge, skills, and abilities
to help move the WTF into a strategic position
to maintain our Olympic status and promulgate
taekwondo throughout the world as
the preferred martial art and sport ideology.
Q : What are your plans for 2009?
A : Continue my work at the University of
Washington School of Social Work. I look
forward to teaching and training referees and
creating referee development programs. I hope
to get back into coaching. I plan to continue
training and consulting with national programs
outside the United States on sparring theory
and sport psychology.
Q : What were the reasons for practicing

taekwondo?
A : Fun, new friends, hard workouts,
something different and new as a challenge
to excel within myself. The nature of
taekwondo is compatible with my athletic
background.
63
Dr. Ken Min (U.S.A.)

Member of WTF Council
most of all, self-respect,
both for the individual and
for humanity as a whole.
Moreover, taekwondo is
deeply rooted in Asian
macro philosophy which
perceives the surrounding
nature as a whole where
mankind can exist
harmoniously with the
environment.
Since its introduction as
a demonstration sport in the
1988 Seoul Olympics, and
through the efforts of many
taekwondo leaders
throughout the world,
taekwondo has become one
of the major emerging sports
in the Olympic Movement.
Undoubtedly, one of the
highlights of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the third
Olympic Games to be held in Asia, was the unprecedented
and unparalleled levels of volunteers, funds, and facilities
made available by the Chinese government. The Beijing
Olympics festivity strove to meet Coubertins noble
challenge of participation. In particular, I was privileged
to attend the Olympic taekwondo competition which was
held August 20-23, at the Gamestaekwondo venue
at Beijing University of Science and Technology.
Q : Why taekwondo should stay in the Olympic

Movement?
A : The relationship between taekwondo and the Olympic
Games has been and should be one of positive mutual
benefit and growth. Baron Pierre Coubertin, founder of the
International Olympic Committee, said that,The important
thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part,
the important thing in life is not to have conquered but
to have fought well.
The taekwondo movement shares this philosophy
of participation and also seeks to cultivate
the educational values of character building,
perseverance, self-discipline, self-confidence and,
I was impressed not only by the athletes but by

the numeroustaekwondo dadsandtaekwondo
moms,especially from Western countries, who brought
their boys and girls hoping to compete in the 2010 Youth
Olympic Games in Singapore. Such enthusiasm shows
that taekwondo is more and more becoming
a contemporary family sporting event, like soccer and
swimming.
Taekwondo is now more than ever a universal Olympic
sport. Of the 188 membership countries of the World
Taekwondo Federation, which is currently headed by
President Chungwon Choue, 64 countries sent teams
to compete in the taekwondo competition at the Beijing
Olympics. These athletes went through the stringent
Olympic qualifying competitions to reach Beijing. The
quality of taekwondo athletes has been elevated or has
surpassed those who competed in the 2004 Athens
Olympics.
Q : What is your evaluation of taekwondo as

an Olympic sport?
A :Evaluation of todays taekwondo movement
should include the past, present and future
direction. The cumulative experience and
knowledge of the World Taekwondo
Federation since its establishment in 1973
should be leveraged for the future of the
taekwondo movement.
To help us do so, the continuity of all positions,
from volunteer committee chairs to the
presidency, should be closely and effectively
managed, especially the professional staff at
the WTF headquarters. The world taekwondo
movement should archive all records and
documents so that they can be referenced by
concerned parties. Also following all events,
small or major, especially post-Olympic
Games, there should be an objective debriefing
by all concerned parties with records made
available to the public for the constructive
recommendation and criticism for the future of
the taekwondo movement.
For ongoing harmony and collaboration within
the world taekwondo community, I would also
strongly recommend that the WTF adopt an
emeritus system for those who contributed
to the success of the world taekwondo
movement by recognizing individuals for
honorary positions, similar to the policy
established by the FISU, which is definitely
needed for the future success of the
organization.
Jacques Cousteau did more than any other
person to raise mankinds awareness of
the immutable bond between the creatures of

the sea and those who are bound to its shores.
At the age of 84, Jacques Cousteau spoke of
the Olympic Movement at the IOC Paris
Centennial Congress in 1994. He said:The
Olympic Games is a celebration of constant
improvement and is therefore a dash by man
toward the future. For me, the purpose
of an event is not to beat others but rather
to improve the performance of our fellow
creatures.
The Olympic Movement can trace its origins
back to an elite competition. Taekwondo, on
the other hand, was cultivated and developed
for personal enhancement via self-training, with
the ultimate goal being mutual respect among
humanity. Both the Olympic Movement and
the taekwondo movement now endeavor
to educate our youth to cultivate health, ethics,
and mental and aesthetic development
to maximize their human capability on all fronts.
Q : What is the current taekwondo status in
the United States?
A : I can remember when people in the United
States used to call taekwondo by the name
Korean karate.Today, fewer people ask
what is taekwondoor have difficulty
in pronouncing or spelling its name. In fact
it may now be better known than other Asian
martial arts, perhaps even more than judo.
There are definitely more taekwondo followers
than any other martial arts in the United States,
according to the martial arts publications.
Taekwondo development in the United States
is second only to that of Korea, the mother
country of taekwondo. The National Collegiate
Taekwondo Association has hosted an annual
national collegiate championship since it was
established in 1971, and was the main
organizing force that created the national official
taekwondo body, which has evolved through
several name changes from the National AAU
Taekwondo Committee to the current USA
Taekwondo, Inc.
There are thousands of master and
grandmaster instructors who teach taekwondo
in private dojangs, or clubs, and YMCAs,

Boys and Girls Clubs, and recreation centers
which have spread throughout the nation, from
small communities to major metropolitan areas.
Taekwondo was accepted as an official United
States amateur sport in 1974, second only
to Korea in establishing a national governing
body. In fact, USA taekwondo was developed
to establish a character-building program that
would coincide with physical education in
schools and universities, including high school.
U.S. taekwondo has also contributed to
the evolution of the global taekwondo
movement by contributing major professional
volunteer positions, including hosting two world
championships and two world university
championships and numerous Pan American
regional championships. U.S. taekwondo
spearheaded the formation of the Pan
American Taekwondo Union in 1977, which is
rooted in the North American Taekwondo
Union, formed in 1974.
Recently in the United States, various
organizations have been competing for NGB
(National Governing Body) status of the United
States Olympic Committee. I consider this a
positive contribution for grass-roots
development and success of its national
movement. I am very optimistic about
the future of taekwondo in the United
States, as long as taekwondos values
coincide with the educational values in
the training of our upcoming generation.
Q : What is the future of taekwondo,
in general?
A : After 35 years of accumulative experience
and development, celebrated by the WTF
at a special reception in Beijing, taekwondo is
now one of the major sports movements in
the Olympics program. It covers all five rings of
the Olympic symbol, from Asia (41 countries),
to Oceania (13 countries), to Pan Am (42
countries), to Europe (49 countries) and Africa
(43 countries). The WTF has grown large and
sophisticated enough to observe ethical
concerns related to its organization as the IOC
65
Mr. Dae-Sung Moon (Korea)

New Member of the Athletes Commission of the IOC
Q : What is your perception of Universiade taekwondo in reference to
the Poomsae situation?
A : Under the leadership of President George Killian, the FISU
(International University Sports Federation) has been growing rapidly
in recent years. The Summer and Winter Universiades, with over 100
individual world championship sports held every two years, are
considered the second best multi-sports organization in the world,
especially so since future leaders of the sports world in all aspects will be
university graduates.
did following the 2002 XIX Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. The
IOC adopted many USOC structures such as athletesrepresentation
and ethical standards.
It is unfortunate that taekwondo, with its Asian inheritance of discipline,
confidence, and mutual respect, has had to adopt a more explicit ethics
code to balance the Westernization of taekwondo as an Olympic sport,
effected by the drive of international elite competition towin at all costs.
Yet we must remember that sports itself is considered a training ground
for the law-abiding citizens, and especially the Olympic Movement
emphasizes education of youth for peace, harmony and collective effort
to overcome obstacles.
Taekwondo should seek to attract spectators and media attention, but
I do not consider taekwondos sole emphasis to be entertainment or
competition with other sports for popularity or spectatorship. Instead,
I see the goal of taekwondo to be a philosophy in action, an educational
endeavor which should be spearheaded by the WTA (World Taekwondo
Academy), a similar concept of the IOA (International Olympic Academy)
of the IOC.
Taekwondos future development should focus on safety of
athletes, aesthetic performance, leadership, development for world
peace and harmony through taekwondo education. More than 95%
of taekwondo participants consider taekwondo anartrather than
asport.The current Taekwondo Peace Corps, initiated by the WTF,
should incorporate, if it has not already done so, the core principles of
the New Village Movement initiated by the late Korean President Park
Chung Hee for the modernization of the country from the ashes of
the Korean War. The three principles are diligence, self-help and
cooperation.
I am very optimistic that the future of taekwondo will include
contributions to world peace and harmony as part of the
permanent Olympic sports program.
66 WTF
In the United States, university sports are as popular as professional

games through support of the general public. That is why WTF President
Choue supports the FISU movement very actively, which has resulted
in the inclusion of poomsae along with kyorugi in the 2009 Belgrade
Summer Universiade, and this despite the global economic setback and
hardship for the Organizing Committee.
Taekwondo is regarded by the FISU leadership very positively as a nearfuture addition to the official Universiade sports program which will include
poomsae.
Q : What is your personal involvement in taekwondo?
On Aug. 24, the final day of

the Beijing Olympic Games,
the 120th IOC Session
elected four new IOC
members: Dae-Sung Moon
of Korea, Alexander Popov
of Russia, Claudia Bokel of
Germany and Yumilka
Ruiz-Luaces of Cuba.
As one of the early pioneers in taekwondo, I was the founding President

of US Collegiate Taekwondo (1971), founding President of the National
Official Governing Body (1974) of the National AAU Taekwondo
Committee, U.S. official delegate for the formation of the foundation of
the World Taekwondo Federation (May 1973) and currently serve as
a Council Member and Ethics Committee Member of the WTF,
spearheaded the organization of the Pan American Taekwondo Union
(1977), ongoing Technical Commissioner of FISU (1986 to date), but
foremost a grandmaster of taekwondo (Kukkiwon 9th Dan) at
the University of California, Berkeley.
They are new members of

the AthletesCommission,
to which they were elected by their peers during the Beijing
Olympic Games. The Commission, which was created
in 1981, is a link between active athletes and the IOC.
Until my retirement (2001) as faculty of the Physical Education

Department and director of the University of California Martial Arts
Program (2006), I taught approximately 100,000 students and also
coached the Berkeley taekwondo team which is considered No. 1
in the country. The Berkeley program not only holds a winning record
but is known for quality of its instructional and research program.
Moon, the gold medalist in taekwondo at the 2004 Athens

Olympic Games, was elected with 3,220 votes, followed by
Popov with 1,903, Bokel with 1,836 and Yumilka with
1,571. The new members were officially introduced at
the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games
on Aug. 24.
I am currently focusing on research and publication of taekwondo and

other martial arts as director of the International Martial Arts Research
Institute, which is part of the University of California, Berkeley Martial Arts
Program established in 1969.
Moon, 32, became the first Asian Olympian to be elected

as a member of the IOC AthletesCommission for
an eight-year term. The Commission has 19 members,
including active and retired athletes. Twelve, eight from
summer Olympic sports and four from winter Olympic
sports, are elected for eight years by the athletes
competing in the Olympic Games, and up to seven athletes
are appointed by the IOC president to ensure a balance
between regions, genders and sports.
The IOC AthletesCommission upholds the rights,

expertise and obligations of the athletes, and meets
regularly - as well as with the IOC Executive Board,
to which it issues recommendations. The Commission
members are also represented in nearly every other IOC
commission.
I am happy to be a member of the IOC Athletes
Commission as the first Asian. I will devote most of my time
and energy to leading a strong anti-doping campaign,
said Moon.I will also do my best to reflect the voices of
Asian athletes in IOC policymaking.
Of course, I will do my utmost for the promotion of
taekwondo,said Moon, who clinched the gold medal in
the mens over 80kg category at the 2004 Athens Olympic
Games. Moon also serves as a member of the WTF
Council.
Moon painted a bright future of the Olympic sport of
taekwondo as a total of 22 countries won at least one
medal at the Beijing Olympic Games. A total of 128
athletes from 64 countries participated in the taekwondo
competition at the Beijing Olympic Games. Afghanistan
clinched a bronze medal in taekwondo, the first medal
in Afghanistans 72-year Olympic history.
Reflecting the high popularity of taekwondo, all the tickets
of the Beijing Olympic taekwondo matches were sold out,
Moon said.
67
TAEKWONDO HISTORY
SYDNEY OLYMPIC SUMMARY
Origin of Taekwondo
2000 Sydney Olympic Games

The history of taekwondo as a martial art can
be traced back almost two millennia ago on
the Korean Peninsula. For centuries, this unique
self-defense martial art existed in various forms
and names. In ancient times, including
the Three Kingdoms Period on the Korean
Peninsula, the martial art was introduced
primarily as a form of physical or military
training.
History of
the World Taekwondo Federation
In the 1950s, a group of leading Korean grandmasters unified the various forms of the martial art into a single system of selfdefense. This unified system came to be known as taekwondo, which literally means "The Way of Kicking and Punching."
Taekwondo's popularity soared thereafter, as its forceful and difficult techniques, combined with swiftness and grace, attracted
interests from all walks of life. In 1971, taekwondo was designated as a Korean national sport and in 1972, the Kukkiwon was
established. On May 28, 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation was founded.
Taekwondo Today
In 1975, taekwondo was accepted as a sport of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) and in 1980,
the World Taekwondo Federation was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole governing entity of
taekwondo around the world. Over the past three decades, taekwondo's global popularity is nothing short of meteoric, as tens of
millions of general practitioners around the world associated themselves with the proud tradition, philosophies and health benefits
of taekwondo.
Over the past 35 years, the WTF has promoted 18 editions of the WTF Mens World Taekwondo Championships and 11 editions
of the WTF Womens World Taekwondo Championships, which are held concurrently every odd year. Every even year, the WTF
promotes its World Junior Taekwondo Championships; the 7th edition was last held in May 2008 in Izmir, Turkey.
As of the end of 2008, the global membership of the WTF stands at 188 national associations across five continents.
Taekwondo in the Olympic Games

Taekwondo entered as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.
On September 4, 1994, taekwondo was accepted as an official medal sport of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games at the 103rd IOC
Session in Paris, France.
Taekwondo was included in the official program in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and will
once again feature as an official sport in the 2012 London Olympic Games.
68 WTF
September 27-30, 2000 / State Sports Center

On May 28, 1973,
the World Taekwondo
Federation was
established in Seoul,
Korea.
On September 4,
1994, the global
taekwondo community
rejoiced at the
International Olympic
Committees decision
to introduce
taekwondo as an
official medal sport
in the XXVII Games of
the Olympiad, which
were held in Sydney,
Australia.
The taekwondo competitions took place at
the State Sports Centre for four days from
September 27 to 30, 2000. A total of 103
athletes from 51 countries participated in this
historic moment.
Among the dignitaries who attended the finals
of the first competition day were the then-IOC
President Juan Samaranch; former U.S.
Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; Queen
Sophia of Spain; Mme. Janette Howard, wife of
then-Australian Prime Minister John Howard;
as well as numerous IOC members, NOC
presidents and various sports ministers.
In particular, the final of the womens under
49kg weight category between Lauren Burns
(Australia) and Urbia Melendez (Cuba) was
a spectacular sight to behold, as the State
Sports Center was dominated by the Australian
national colors of green and gold. Their fervent
was duly rewarded when Lauren Burns
emerged victorious.
Not to be outdone, the final of the mens under

58kg weight category between Michalis
Mouroutsos (Greece) and Gabriel Esparza
(Spain) also attracted much attention, resulting
in a dramatic win for Greece. Ironically,
Mouroutsosvictory seemed to signal to
the rest of the world that Greece was ready to
take over the reins as host nation of the XXVIII
Games of the Olympiad in four years time.
On the second day, Jae Eun Chung (Korea)
won the womens under 57kg weight category
to bring gold to Korea, the birthplace of
taekwondo. Hieu Ngan Tran (Vietnam), despite
finishing second, became a national hero, as
her silver medal was the first Olympic medal
for Vietnam in any sport.
The mens under 68kg weight category was
considered as the most exciting, as the likes
of Steven Lopez (USA), Hadi Saei Bonehkohal
(Iran) and Joon Sik Shin (Korea) were
developing a rivalry at that time. Lopez
eventually emerged victorious when he
defeated Shin in the final.
On the third day, Sun Hee Lee (Korea)
extended Koreas dominance with her victory
over Trude Gundersen (Norway) in the final of
the womens under 67kg weight category.
In the final of the mens under 80kg weight
category, Angel Matos (Cuba) sprung a
surprise of epic proportions when he defeated
a very experienced Faissal Ebnoutalib
(Germany).
History was in the making on the final day of
competitions; Chen Zhong (China) became
the youngest gold medalist in taekwondo at
the age of 17 years and 10 months, when she
defeated Natalia Ivanova (Russia) in the final of
the womens over 67kg weight category.
Australias hopes for a second gold medal

were dashed when Kyong Hun Kim (Korea)
defeated Daniel Trenton (Australia) in the mens
over 80kg weight category.
The final gold medal tally reads: Korea (three
golds), with Australia, Greece, USA, China and
Cuba grabbing one gold medal respectively.
While Koreas dominance in the inaugural
Olympic taekwondo competitions was
outstanding, the balanced distribution of the
gold medals to other nations showed that it
was still possible to dream of being an Olympic
champion in taekwondo.
Milestones of 2000 Sydney Olympic
Games - Taekwondo
- Oldest/Youngest Taekwondo Athlete
The oldest taekwondo athlete at the 2000
Sydney Olympic Games was Cheryl Ann
SANKAR from Trinidad & Tobago, who was 36
years old at that time. In December 2007,
at the age of 43 years and 10 months, Cheryl
Ann participated in the 2007 Pan American
Qualification Tournament for the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games.
The youngest taekwondo athlete at the 2000
Sydney Olympic Games was Great Britains
Sarah STEVENSON, who was 17 years and 6
months old.
- Oldest/Youngest Gold Medalist
Lauren BURNS from Australia, at 26 years and
8 months, was the oldest taekwondo gold
medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
The youngest taekwondo gold medalist at the
2000 Sydney Olympic Games was
Chen Zhong from China, who was 17 years
and 10 months old.
69
ATHENS OLYMPIC SUMMARY
PAST MEDALISTS
MEDALS BY NOC 2000~2004
2004 Athens Olympic Games

August 26-29, 2004 / Sports Pavillion
One of the major highlights of the 2004 Athens
Olympic Games was the full-house attendance of
four-day taekwondo competitions at the seaside
Sports Pavillion. A total of 124 athletes from 60
countries, including four wild cards this time,
competed for Olympic glory.
The first day of competitions was a historic moment
for the Chinese Taipei, as Chen Shih Hsin won the gold in the womens
under 49kg weight category; this was Chinese Taipeis first-ever gold
medal in the Olympic taekwondo competitions. The festivities continued
for Chinese Taipei as Mu Yen Chu also won the gold medal in the mens
under 58kg weight category.
Milestones of 2004 Athens Olympic Games - Taekwondo

- Oldest/Youngest Gold Medalist
Hadi SAEI BONEHKOHAL from Iran was the oldest taekwondo gold
medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games; he was 28 years and
2 months old.
The youngest gold medal winner at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games was
LUO Wei from China, who was 21 years and 3 months old.
On the second day, Hadi Saei Bonehkohal (Iran), who was a bronze
medalist at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, finally struck gold in
the mens under 68kg weight category. The womens under 57kg
weight category was won by Ji Won Jang (Korea), after she defeated Nia
Abdallah (USA).
The third day of competitions was dominated by Wei Luo (China)
becoming the youngest gold medalist in the 2004 Athens Olympic
taekwondo competitions, when she defeated Elisavet Mystakidou
(Greece) in the final of the womens under 67kg weight category; Luo
was 21 years and 3 months years old when she achieved the feat.
In the mens under 80kg weight category, Steven Lopez confirmed his
rising stardom when he successfully defended his Olympic gold medal
against Bahri Tanrikulu (Turkey).
On the final day, Korea and China added one more gold medal each. In
the second minute of the mens over 80kg final, Dae Sung Moon (Korea)
unleashed a jumping backspin kick to the head of local favorite
Alexandros Nikolaidis (Greece), which briefly knocked out the Greek.
In the womens over 67kg final, Chen Zhong (China) successfully
defended her Olympic gold medal against Myriam Baverel (France).
The final gold medal tally reads: China (2), Chinese Taipei (2), Korea (2),
with Iran and the U.S.A. each grabbing one gold medal.
70 WTF
71
NOC ENTRY 2000
( 7 NOCs with * received a wild card each.)
72 WTF
NOC ENTRY 2004
( 4 NOCs with * received a wild card each.)
73
Li-Wen SU
Li-Wen Su of Chinese Taipei finished fifth in the womens under 57kg weight category at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
In the bronze medal contest, Su collapsed more than 10 times due to serious injury, but she picked herself up to complete the match,
showing the world the true spirit of taekwondo.
Among major discussion points for

the final recommendations from the WTF
Technical Committee and Continental
Union technical delegations to the WTF
Council for approval were ;
- the shortening of the court size from
the present 10 meters by 10 meters
to 8 meters by 8 meters;
- the change of weight categories in
the World Championships to match those
in the Olympic Games;
- the adoption of differentiation of points
by difficulty of techniques;
It marked the first time in WTF history that
the WTF Joint Technical Meeting was held
in an open-discussion format, with the
attendance of both taewkondo experts and
representatives from the WTFs 188 member
national associations.
As part of its ceaseless efforts to make

takewondo more action-packed and exciting,
the World Taekwondo Federation held a Joint
Technical Meeting for the amendment to
the WTF Competition Rules in Seoul, Korea
on Nov. 14, 2008.
The meeting, which was held at the Ramada
Seoul Hotel, drew more than 60 taekwondo
experts from over 30 countries, including
Mr. Dai Won Moon of Mexico, who was newly
appointed as chairperson of the WTF Technical
Committee.
Also attending the meeting were Mr. Philippe
Bouedo of France, new chairperson of
the WTF Games Committee, and Mr. Herbert
Perez of the United States, new chairperson
of the WTF Education Committee.
76 WTF
This is an important meeting, which will shape

the future of taekwondo as an Olympic sport.
It is time for us to put our best effort and
special attention to place taekwondo
permanently in the Olympic program,said
WTF President Chungwon Choue in his
speech for the participants.
As I emphasized before, we need the overall
amendment of the Competition Rules for more
exciting, transparent and fair games,
Dr. Choue said.We have now commenced
a process of revising the Competition Rules
to make taekwondo matches more enjoyable
and exciting to both athletes and spectators
alike.
- removal of a 12-point ceiling and

a 7-point gap;
- the overturning of results
recommendation; and
- the introduction of an instant video
replay system
The WTF prepared the amendment proposals
after receiving suggestions from taekwondo
experts from at home and abroad and its 188
member national associations.
Shortly after the Joint Technical Meeting, key
officials of the WTF Technical, Games, Referee
and Education Committees met to finalize a list
of amendment proposals. The final proposal
will be presented to the WTF Council meeting
for approval in Ankara, Turkey on Dec. 15,
2008 on the occasion of the 3rd WTF World
Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
New Technical Committee Chairperson Moon

explained about the Competition Rules
amendment proposals, and the participants
went through the amendment proposals item
by item.
77
WTF Pushes to Introduce Instant Video Replay

System, Electronic Protector System
For the cause of successful competitions
at this Olympic Games and for the harmony of
the taekwondo family, I have restrained myself
to a certain degree from taking serious
measures or resolute decisions against certain
actions that damaged the image of the WTF
and taekwondo,Dr. Choue said.
As part of its ceaseless efforts to ensure fairer

judging and refereeing, the World Taekwondo
Federation plans to adopt an instant video
replay system and an electronic protector
system in the taekwondo competition at
the 2012 London Olympic Games.
To do so, the WTF will set up an ad-hoc
committee to deal with all the procedural and
technical aspects regarding the use of
electronic protectors.
Prior to the London Olympics, the WTF
plans to introduce the electronic protector
system as early as at the next WTF World
Taekwondo Championships scheduled for
October 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
It is positively considering the introduction of
an instant video replay system at taekwondo
competitions, which will enable immediate
correction of the referee decision in case of
controversies.
At a dinner party hosted by WTF President
Chungwon Choue for WTF Council members
and international referees shortly after
the conclusion of the taekwondo competition,
Dr. Choue made such remarks, showing his
strong determination for fairer judging and
refereeing at taekwondo competitions.
78 WTF
Dr. Choue mentioned about his ceaseless

reform programs.Since my inauguration as
the WTF president in 2004, I have initiated
various reform measures to correct the wrong
practices and to raise the standard of our sport
federation to the global standard.
Thus far, we have accomplished much. There
has been considerable change in every aspect.
We are now at the juncture of opening a new
chapter to surge another wave of change for
the creation of a new image of taekwondo,
he said.
He said,Our new tasks are to make
competitions more exciting, to ensure
transparency and internationalization of
the administration of the WTF, and to continue
transparent and fair competitions based on our
experience at the Beijing Olympic Games.
I am now saying it loud and clear that from

now on, I will not tolerate whatever it is that
may hamper the process of creating our new
image,he said.It is simple and clear. Going
against the tide is no longer an option. The exit
door is open for anyone who does not want a
new change for the betterment of taekwondo.
Dr. Choue also mentioned about the inaugural
meeting of the WTF Ethics Committee in
Beijing.
On Aug. 19, the WTF Ethics Committee held
its first meeting with an IOC member as its
chairman and four other internationally
respected members,he said.With much
discussion on its function and procedure, it
concluded that any person or organization
bringing disgrace to the WTF will be referred
to the Ethics Committee in strict compliance
with the rules concerned.
Dr. Choue finally stressed that the global
taekwondo family should concentrate
undivided attention to keep taekwondo as
an Olympic core sport and to maintain its
Olympic status in the 2016 Olympic Games
and afterwards.
79
WTF Announces Key Officials of Technical,

Games, Referee, Education Committees
INTERVIEW with Mr. Dai Won Moon (Mexico)

New WTF Technical Committee Chairperson
matters. We can move forward with one goal
in a more systematic manner.
At the WTF Council meeting in May 2007 in Beijing, China, participants

agreed to extend the term of the chairpersons of the WTF Technical,
Games and Referee Committees by one year until after the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games.
The WTF expects that the operation of the WTF
s key committees will be
more efficient as the newly appointed committee officials are all experts
in their respective fields.
The World Taekwondo Federation announced a list of key officials of

the WTF Technical, Games, Referee and Education Committees in early
November 2008.
Mr. Dai Won Moon of Mexico was appointed as chairperson of the WTF
Technical Committee, replacing Mr. Eui Min Ko of Germany. Mr. Ko
serves as an advisor to the Technical Committee.
Frances Philippe Bouedo was named as chairperson of the WTF Games
Committee, while Mr. Herbert Perez of the United States became new
chairperson of the WTF Education Committee.
The new chairpersons of the Games and Education Committees were
also appointed as ex-officio vice chairpersons of the WTF Technical
Committee. The soon-to-be-appointed chairperson of the WTF Referee
Committee will also serve as vice chairperson of the WTF Technical
Committee.
The WTF also appointed Mr. Steven Capener of the United States,
Truong Ngoc De of Vietnam and Koreas Duk Young Yoon as vice
chairpersons of the WTF Games Committee.
Mr. Leon Preston of the United States, Mr. Myung Ok Yu of Canada,
Mr. Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, and Koreas Jung Ho Choi were named
vice chairpersons of the WTF Referee Committee, while Arubas Mr. Jose
Cornelio and Koreas Sun Jang Lee were appointed as vice chairpersons
of the WTF Education Committee.
The term of the newly appointed committee officials will expire in October
2009.
80 WTF
Q : What is your impression of being appointed

as new chairperson of the WTF Technical
Committee?
A : I feel somewhat burdened to assume this
heavy responsibility, but I will do my best
to carry out my duties. I ask for the continued
support and concern of taekwondo masters
around the world. The appointment of Mr. Eui
Min Ko, former chairperson of the Technical
Committee, as an adviser to the Technical
Committee, will be of much help to me. I also
would like to take this opportunity to thank
WTF President Chungwon Choue for
appointing me as the new Technical
Committee chairman at this crucial juncture.
Q : Are there any changes in the operation of
the WTF Technical Committee?
A : The operation of the WTF Technical
Committee will be more efficient as
the chairpersons of WTF Games, Referee and
Education committees were automatically
appointed as vice chairpersons of the WTF
Technical Committee. In that sense,
the Technical Committee will have more
authority in dealing with the WTFs technical
Q : What are the top priorities of the Technical

Committee for 2009?
A : The urgent task for the WTF Technical
Committee is to produce new WTF
Competition Rules, which are action-packed
and exciting to both the media and
the spectator. In this regard, the WTF Joint
Technical Meeting in Seoul on Nov. 14, 2008
was very meaningful. It marked the first time
in WTF history that the WTF Joint Technical
Meeting was held in an open-discussion
format, bringing more than 60 taekwondo
experts from the WTF
s 188 member national
associations. It clearly showed the world
the WTFs transparency and fairness
in handling all WTF technical and administrative
matters.
Besides the change in the WTF Competition
Rules, our Technical Committee will put
an equal emphasis on disseminating
taekwondo values around the world. I want
to help taekwondo athletes not only win
medals, but be the gold medalist in their
respective lives.
A : Taekwondo is my life. I think taekwondo is
a good educational tool, which helps develop
good people through training. Taekwondo
gives youth guidelines in life and energy.
Q : When did you start taekwondo and would
you tell us about your taekwondo history?
A : I took up taekwondo at the age of 14 when
I was a middle school student in Daejeon,
Korea. I moved to Mexico in 1969 and the year
2009 marks the 40th anniversary of my coming
to Mexico.
I created the Mexico Martial Arts Federation,

from which the Federation Mexicana de
Taekwondo was separated in 1975. In 1978,
I played a crucial role in founding the Pan
American Taekwondo Union (PATU). I served
as PATU secretary general and chairman of
the PATU Technical Committee several times.
Since 2001, I have been serving as a member
of the WTF Council. I am a Kukkiwon 9th Dan
black-belt holder.
Q : What are the strong points of taekwondo?
A : Taekwondo places great value
on etiquette, self-discipline and respect for
others among practitioners. Taekwondo
has a tremendous power to transcend
cultural, linguistic, and religious
differences. It can be enjoyed by both rich
and poor. Taekwondo is a good family
sport. Taekwondo is loved by tens of
millions of people in 188 countries. Given
those factors, I am confident that
taekwondo will continue to stay as
an Olympic sport.
Q : How popular is taekwondo in Mexico?
A : Taekwondo is the second most popular
sport after soccer in my country. About one
million people practice taekwondo and we
have about 4,000 taekwondo clubs.
The number of taekwondo practitioners is
rapidly increasing after the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games, in which Mexico won two
gold medals in taekwondo alone. Guillermo
Perez earned his country the first gold medal
in taekwondo as he clinched the gold medal
in the mens -58kg category at the Beijing
Olympic Games. Maria del Rosario Espinoza
also won the gold medal in the womens
+67kg division, the second gold medal at the
Beijing Olympic Games.
81
WTF to Introduce
Athlete Ranking System in 2009
The World Taekwondo Federation will

introduce an athlete ranking system as early as
in 2009, after years of study.
The WTF world athlete ranking system, which
will be announced every three months, is
aimed at making taekwondo competitions
more exciting both to the public and the media.
The system will be applied to the WTFpromoted/sanctioned taekwondo

championships on an individual basis.
Multi games and WTF-sanctioned tournaments

shall be classified into AAA, AA and A classes
by the Event Evaluation Committee.
In principle, the points shall be awarded

according to the following formula: A (Points
received according to the rank at the WTFpromoted/sanctioned championships) X B
(Grade of pertinent tournaments) = final points.
The Committee shall evaluate a tournament

within one month after the completion of
the pertinent event, taking into consideration
the number of participants, technical level of
athletes, the organizing committees abidance
by the WTF Rules and so on.
According to the master plan for the WTF

ranking system, the first-ranked athlete shall
receive 10 points, while the second-placed
athlete shall receive 60 percent of the points
awarded to the first-ranked athlete, that means
6 points. The third-ranked athlete shall receive
60 percent of the points awarded to the
second-ranked athlete, that means 3.6 points.
Based on the WTF ranking system, the WTF

plans to launch a tentatively named annual
President Cup Invitational Tournament
as early as in December 2009. According to
the proposal, top eight athletes in each
category will be invited to the tournament.
82 WTF
The awarded points shall be only valid for two

full years and will be reviewed every three
months, according to the master plan. This
process is continuous, that is new points
awarded to an athlete will be subject to its own
two-year cycle of point reviews every three
months.
During the two-year term, 25 percent of
a particular set of awarded points shall be
deducted every three months. After the
completion of the eight quarterly reviews, that
is two-year term, no points from this set shall
remain.
A quarter of the athletes participating in

the WTF-promoted/sanctioned tournaments
will be seeded for every category, according to
the master plan of the WTF ranking system. If
there are 24 athletes in a weight category, six
will be seeded.
The system, which will include informative
statistics, may eventually serve as a platform for
the creation of a professional taekwondo
league, which will be beneficial to the WTF and
the athletes in terms of marketing
opportunities.
Athlete Ranking System Master Plan
Based on this rolling point review process, the

only remaining points shall be those awarded
to the athlete in other competitions.
The WTF will commission its Games

Committee or a new Event Evaluation
Committee to grade taekwondo tournaments.
The WTF plans to report the detailed ranking
system to the WTF Council in December 2009
on the occasion of the 3rd WTF World
Taekwondo Poomsae Championships to be
held in Ankara, Turkey. The first-placed athlete
at the Olympic taekwondo tournament,
for example, will receive 100 points.
National team ranking and junior ranking

systems will be adopted after successful
implementation of the WTF ranking system for
individuals, while the by-law to the WTF ranking
system will be developed soon to clarify
the detailed matters, such as criteria of classes.
WTF Ranking System is expected

To make taekwondo competitions more
exciting
To provide media with more stories and
statistics
To createBest of the Bestsinvitational
tournament
To be a platform for the pro-league
To make various international tournaments
more activated
To create more marketing opportunities
How the ranking system works?
In principle, the points shall be awarded

according to the following formula :
A : Points received according to the rank at the
WTF-promoted or sanctioned championships
B : Grade of pertinent championships
A x B =Final Points
Allocated points per rank

The 1st-ranked athlete shall receive 10 points
The 2nd-ranked athlete shall receive 60% of the
points awarded to the 1st-ranked athlete
The 3rd-ranked athlete shall receive 60% of the
points awarded to the 2nd-ranked athlete
The 4th-ranked athlete shall receive 60% of the
points awarded to the 3rd-ranked athlete
The 5th-ranked athlete shall receive 70% of the
points awarded to the 4th-ranked athlete. From
this point on, an athlete shall receive 70% of
the points awarded to the athlete ranked
higher than him or her.
Fundamental Principles
Ranking system shall be applied to all WTFpromoted/sanctioned competitions on an
individual basis in the eight (8) weight
categories (men and women) that are defined
in the WTF Competition Rules.
In the case of the Olympic Games, points shall
be awarded to athletes regardless of their
registered weight categories. No points shall
be given to qualification tournaments for the
Olympic Games.
Fundamental Principles
(continued)
In the case of Olympic Qualification
Tournaments, two weight divisions shall be
consolidated in seeding. For example, the top
rankers of mens Fin and Fly weight divisions
can be seeded regardless of their original
weight category at the mens under 58kg
division, according to their achieved points.
In the verification of the seeding for tie score,
the higher ranker shall be the one who has
better result in the higher grade events.
83
How the class of the event is determined?

Seeding
Multi-games and WTF-sanctioned championships shall be classified into AAA, AA and A classes by
the Event Evaluation Committee.
The Committee shall evaluate a championship within one (1) month after the completion of the
pertinent championship, taking into consideration the number of participants, technical level of
athletes, organizing committees abidance by the WTF Rules, etc.
Validation of the points
The awarded points shall only be valid for two (2) full years and will be reviewed every quarterly (i.e.
every three months). This process is continuous (rolling), i.e. new points awarded to an athlete will be
subjected to its own two-year cycle of point reviews every quarterly. The official ranking can always
be found in the WTF Web site, and the WTF will officially announce the world ranking every three
month.
In the WTF-promoted championships, certain number of athletes shall be seeded

based on the following:
For every category, regardless of the number of athletes, a quarter (25%) of the athletes will
be seeded.
- If there are 16 athletes in a weight category, 4 will be seeded.
- If there are 24 athletes in a weight category, 6 will be seeded; and so forth
Validation of the points (continued)
In the event that any of the top athletes is ineligible to participate, the next highest ranked
athlete(s) shall be seeded to make up the quota.
During the two-year term, 25% of a particular

set of awarded points shall be deducted every
quarterly. After the completion of the eight (8)
quarterly reviews (i.e. two-year term), no points
from this set shall remain. Based on this rolling
point review process, the only remaining points
shall be those awarded to the athlete in other
competitions.
The Annual President Cup Invitational Tournament (tentatively named)

According to the WTF ranking system, the Annual President Cup Invitational Tournament
(tentatively named) will be held in December every year, ideally starting from the year of 2009.
Implemention of
WTF Ranking System
The WTF ranking system shall be
implemented from January 1, 2009.
Only the top ranked athletes shall be invited.

A formal WTF gala party shall be held on this occasion, where the Best Athlete, Coach and Referee
of the Year Awards will be presented.
Top eight (8) ranked athletes to be invited
However, the ranking system will be

exceptionally applied to the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games considering that the Olympic
Games take place only once every 4 years.
National team ranking and junior ranking
systems shall be adopted after successful
implementation of the WTF ranking system
for individuals.
The bye-law to the WTF ranking system shall
be developed soon to clarify the detailed
matters, such as criteria of classes,
qualification of members of
the Event Evaluation Committee, etc.
84 WTF
85

Attract Record Number of Countries
as it clinched both the mens and womens
team titles.
In the mens team ranking by points, Korea
topped other countries with 101 points,
followed by Iran with 56 points and Turkey
with 43 points. Russia and China came next
with 38 points and 36 points, respectively.
Thailand and Spain came next with 34
points each, followed by the Untied States
with 33 points. Jordan and Mexico came
next with 31 points and 27 points,
respectively.
The WTF World Junior Taekwondo

Championships date back to 1996, when 455
athletes from 53 countries participated in
the inaugural event in Barcelona, Spain.
The previous 6th World Junior Taekwondo
Championships were held in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam in 2006 to draw athletes from 77
countries.
th
The 7 WTF World Junior Taekwondo

Championships, which took place in Izmir,
Turkey, on May 7-11, 2008, were a great
success for good reasons.
The biennial event drew 728 athletes from
a record 80 countries, while 85 international
referees officiated at the taekwondo
competition.
Reflecting the importance of the event, it drew
the local medias special attention, with Turkish
Radio and Television broadcasting live
the taekwondo competition, which was held
at Halkapinar Sport Hall in downtown Izmir.
The brand-new venue opened in 2005 for
the Universiade.
86 WTF
The next World Junior Taekwondo

Championships are scheduled to take place
Mexico in 2010, which will serve as
the qualification tournament for the taekwondo
competition at the inaugural 2010 Youth
Olympic Games, which is promoted by
the International Olympic Committee.
With 80 medals up for grabs in 10 weight
divisions each for the men and women division,
19 countries won at least one medal in
the mens category, and 23 countries earned
at least one medal in the womens division,
reflecting the universality of the sport of
taekwondo.
Korea confirmed its supremacy in taekwondo
medalist in the womens -49kg division, was

named the Best Female Athlete of
the championships.
Team ranking is decided by

the accumulated points based on
the following guidelines: basic one point per
each contestant who entered
the competition area, one point per each
victory, and an additional seven points per
one gold medal, an additional three points
per one silver and an additional one point
per one bronze medal.
In the womens team ranking by points,
Korea ranked first with 75 points, followed by
Turkey with 49 points, the United States
with 45 points. Chinese Taipei and France
came next with 40 points and 39 points,
respectively.
Croatia came next with 31 points, followed by
Thailand with 30 points. Germany and Russia
followed with 27 points each, while China
stood next with 26 points.
In the overall medal tally, Korean male
contestants ranked first with six gold medals,
one silver and one bronze, followed by Iran
with two golds and one silver.
Jordan ranked third with one gold and one
During the opening ceremony of the event

on May 7, WTF President Chungwon Choue
said in his remarks,The Izmir World Junior
Taekwondo Championships draw special
attention from both the public and the media,
as the International Olympic Committee is
scheduled to organize the 1st Youth Olympic
Games in Singapore in 2010.
bronze. Great Britain came next with one gold,

while Thailand won two silvers and one bronze
to rank fifth in the medal tally.
In the overall medal tally for the womens
division, Korea grabbed three golds, one silver
and three bronzes for the first place, while
the United States and Turkey followed with one
gold, one silver and one bronze each. Chinese
Taipei and France came next with one gold
and one bronze.
During the closing ceremony of the 7th WTF
World Junior Taekwondo Championships
on May 11, five international referees were
given the Best Referee Awards.
The awardees were Mr. Jeseph Elias Khoury

of Great Britain, Mr. Denis Odjo of France,
Mr. John Lee Holloway of the United States,
Mr. Ahmed Hassan El Mofty of Egypt, and
Mr. Rene Raymond Leveaux of Australia.
The Good Fighting Spirit Prizes went to
Moldova, Puerto Rico and Senegal, while
the Active Participation Prizes were given
to Lebanon, Serbia and the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
Irans Bekzad Eilkhani, the gold medalist in
the mens -73kg category at the Izmir World
Junior Championships, was chosen as
the Best Male Athlete (Samsung Blue Passion
Award); while Turkeys Hulya Kaya, the silver
WTF President Choue said,Reflecting

the importance of this Izmir championships,
a record 80 countries are participating in this
event, which is not a mere sport event where
young taekwondo athletes compete for
medals, but a learning experience and
opportunity for friendship, cultural exchange
and education.
He continued to say,Sport is a powerful tool
to teach young people the value of justice,
morality, cooperation, understanding and
the universal sport rule of fair play.
Mr. Metin Sahin, president of the Turkish
Taekwondo Federation, also delivered
a welcoming speech during the opening
ceremony.
87
"I am very much pleased to host the young

athletes from all parts of the world. As we
always express, sport has a very important
duty to unify people in a common place,"
Mr. Sahin said. "This common place makes
these young people peaceful men and women
and so these people will make good
contributions to the peace of world in future."
Mr. Sahin continued to say, "I believe that we
as all humanity need peace more than ever.
Brotherhood and sisterhood of people can
repair the deep injuries of humanity today with
the great support of sport. Because sport has
this super power."
A day earlier, on May 6, WTF President Choue
organized a reception for the referees at
the Hotel Altin Yunus in Cemes, near Izmir,
prior to the welcoming party for the participants
in the Izmir event at the same hotel.
In his speech for the referees, WTF President

Choue reiterated the importance of fair judging
and refereeing at taekwondo competitions for
the very future of taekwondo as an Olympic
sport.
our sport through fair and
transparent refereeing.
This is a code that both you
and myself should abide by
in our mutual task of
bringing the spirit of fair play
to our sport.
I would like to congratulate you on your

appointments to officiate at this championship.
Your presence here is a clear indication of our
faith in your abilities. I hope you will do your
best to justify your selections.
He continued to say,As WTF referees, you
have the responsibility to uphold the integrity of
WTF President Choue said

thatTo ensure fairer
judging and refereeing,
the WTF has stepped up
referee education and training. Strong
disciplinary action has also been taken on the
spot when undesirable incidents related to
judgment and refereeing occurred during
the competition.
continental taekwondo qualification

tournaments for the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games.
Fair judging and refereeing is the key to
the future of taekwondo as an Olympic sport,
he said.I hope that you will officiate at
the highest level. For the sake of our athletes
and for the sake of taekwondos future, it is
our responsibilities to ensure that only the best
athletes and teams become worthy
champions.
As a result, he said, only two minor protests

were lodged at the WTFs world and five
89
Preparations for
in Ankara, Turkey Go Smoothly
committee members are Mr. Kyu-hyung Lee of Korea, Mr. Ki-young
Cheong of Egypt, Mr. Myung-soo Chang of Korea, Mrs. Victoria Serbin
of the United States, and Mr. Young-ghil Park of Italy.
Athletes will compete for 16 gold medals up for grabs at the Poomsae
Championships.
After performing two of the four 1st
compulsory poomsae predetermined by
the WTF, the top 50 percent of
participants will qualify for the next round
according to the average score of
the two performances.
The Turkey Poomsae Championships have a special meaning as they

are held outside Korea for the first time,Mr. Sahin said.Reflecting
the high popularity of taekwondo in Turkey, the National Turkish TV (TRT)
will broadcast the championships both in live and delayed formats.
Preparations for
the 3rd WTF World
Taekwondo
Poomsae
Championships
slated for Dec. 1618, 2008 in Ankara,
Turkey are going
smoothly,
organizers say.
Everything is okay with our preparations for the championships and
we are ready for the event,said Mr. Metin Sahin, president of the Turkish
Taekwondo Federation.
On behalf of the Organizing Committee, we would like to ensure that
we will make every possible effort in organizing a successful
90 WTF
championship of the highest technical level,said Mr. Sahin. About 50

countries have expressed their intention to participate in the
Championships.
The three-day event, which will take place at the Mustafa Ozbek
Sporthall, is promoted by the World Taekwondo Federation and is
organized by the Turkish Taekwondo Federation.
As part of its efforts to further expand the global taekwondo population,
the WTF launched the Poomsae Championships in Seoul, Korea
in September 2006 to draw 584 athletes and officials from 57 countries.
The second edition of the Poomsae Championships was held in Incheon,
Korea in November 2007, attracting about 500 athletes and officials from
50 countries.
The first and second Poomsae Championships were held shortly after
the 2nd and 3rd Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships,
respectively.
Mr. Metin, the bronze medalist in the mens middleweight category in

the taekwondo competition at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, said,
Taekwondo is the second most popular and successful sport in Turkey
after soccer.
Turkey earned one silver and one bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games.
About 180,000 taekwondo practitioners are registered with the Turkish
Taekwondo Federation,he said.
He said that three courts will be installed at the 8,500-seat Mustafa Ozbek
Sporthall.We will conduct a total of 16 anti-doping tests for the firstranked athlete in individual competitions, and random tests among
the first-ranked pair or team athletes.
The top 50 percent of participants would

be required to perform two of the four 2nd
compulsory poomsae predetermined by
the WTF. The top eight athletes of each
category (individual, team and pair) will be
selected according to the average score
of the two performances.
The top eight athletes of each category would be required to perform
the remaining two 2nd compulsory poomsae. The ranking of the top three
athletes of each category will be decided by the average scord of the two
performances. In the case that there are less than eight individuals or
teams per division, the contestants will automatically qualify for the final
round.
Turkey won three silver medals and two bronze medals at the inaugural
Poomsae Championships in 2006, and it clinched six silver medals and
one bronze medal at the 2007 Poomsae Championships.
For a successful operation of the Poomsae Championships, the WTF

set up an ad-hoc WTF Poomsae Committee, headed by Mr. Sung-chon
Hong of the Philippines, a member of the WTF Council. The other
91
Anju Jason
Anju Jason of the Marshall Islands qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as he won the gold medal
in the mens under 80kg category at the WTF Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Noumea,
New Caledonia on Dec. 1, 2007. He became the country
s first-ever athlete to participate in the Olympic
Games by directly qualifying for the Olympic Games.
93
H. H. Sheikha Maitha
Al Maktoum
H. H. Sheikha Maitha Al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates competed in the womens under 67kg weight category in the
taekwondo competition at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. As the Princess of Dubai and former karate athlete, she became
the U.A.E.s first-ever participant in the Olympic taekwondo event.
098
100
102
104
106
108
TAEKWONDO Ceramic Exhibition

Children Demonstration
2008 TAEKWONDO Day
VIPs at Taekwondo Venue
Beijing Olympic Games Highlights
Jam-Packed Venue
The Power , Art + Sports
TAEKWONDO
Ceramic
Exhibition
Under the topicThe Power ; Art + Sports,a taekwondo

ceramic exhibition opened at the main exhibition hall of
Kring in Seoul, Korea on Sept. 16, 2008 for an eight-day
run. The taekwondo ceramic exhibition, the first of its kind
in Korea, was sponsored by the World Taekwondo
Federation and Kring.
98 WTF
99
Children
Demonstration
A taekwondo demonstration is under way
by foreign and Korean students for the WTF
s
promotional film at the Midong Elementary
School in Seoul, Korea on July 11, 2008.
Regardless of age and gender, taekwodo
is practiced by tens of millions of people
around the world.
2008 TAEKWONDO Day

A variety of events marking the 2008 Taekwondo Day were held
at the Olympic Park in Seoul, Korea on Sept. 4, 2008. About 7,000
taekwondo people from at home and abroad, mostly in taekwondo uniforms,
attended the opening ceremony of the 2008 Taekwondo Day.
102 WTF
103
VIPs
at Taekwondo Venue
Dr. Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee,
Princess Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise of Great Britain,
H.S.H. Prince Albert II of the Municipality of Monaco, and
numerous other VIPs visited the taekwondo venue
during the Beijing Olympic Games.
104 WTF
105
Beijing Olympic Games

Highlights
Through taekwondo competitions, you can see the moments of victory, and you can feel
such taekwondo values as friendship, respect for others, and self-discipline. The ultimate
goal of taekwondo is to develop good people through training.
106 WTF
107
Jam-Packed Venue
The taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games were held at the
University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB) Gymnasium in Beijing, China
on Aug. 20-23, 2008. Throughout the four days of competitions, the state-of-the-art
gymnasium with a seating capacity of 8,012 people was jam-packed, reflecting
the high popularity of the Olympic sport of taekwondo around the world.
108 WTF
109
112 WTF Adopts 2009 World Anti-Doping Code

114 WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program
Reflections By Brian Saliba (Malta)
Reflections By Frederick Lartey Out (Ghana)
119
120
124
125
126
128
129

Taekwondo in India
Global Partnership Agreement with Macquarie
WTF President Offers Condolences to Myanmar, China
130 Continental Union Activities

AFTU Activities
ATU Activities
ETU Activities
PATU Activities
OTU Activities
142 Taekwondo Peace Corps

Report on 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps
Interview with Paraguayan Ambassador to Korea
WTF to Dispatch 2008 Winter Taekwondo Peace Corps Teams
6th World Forum on Sport, Education and Culture
Educational Values of Taekwondo
Strengthening
Anti-Doping Efforts
The year 2008 was extremely eventful for the WTF in terms of
anti-doping efforts. On May 6, 2008, the General Assembly of the WTF
unanimously accepted the 2009 World Anti-Doping Code, thus
becoming only the second International Federation to do so.
The year 2008 was extremely eventful for

the WTF in terms of anti-doping efforts. On May
6, 2008, the General Assembly of the WTF
unanimously accepted the 2009 World AntiDoping Code, thus becoming only the second
International Federation to do so.
In addition, the General Assembly unanimously
approved the 2009 WTF Anti-Doping Rules,
which are modeled after the 2009 Code. The
WTF is among the first International Federations
to incorporate the Model Rules of the 2009 Code.
On the occasion of the 7th WTF World Junior
Taekwondo Championships in Izmir, Turkey,
on May 7-11, 2008, the WTF introduced the AntiDoping Administration and Management System
(ADAMS) for processing of Therapeutic Use
Exemptions. The ADAMS is an online data
management system developed by the World
Anti-Doping Agency and is essential for every
International Federation.
The WTF has since expanded the use of ADAMS
for maintaining athlete records, informing WADA
112 WTF
of the athlete whereabouts, and processing

adverse analytical findings. From 2009, the WTF
will educate its member national associations on
incorporating the ADAMS in their daily anti-doping
operations.
Finally, the WTF conducted its own out-ofcompetition testing between June and August
2008. A total of 46 out-of-competition tests were
conducted by the Association of National AntiDoping Organizations and the Korea Anti-Doping
Agency. The WTF is pleased by the fact that
there were no adverse analytical findings. All tests
were conducted with no advanced notice, which
is one of the most important criteria in the fight
against doping.
The out-of-competition tests will be conducted,
and possibly increased gradually, on an annual
basis. It is just one of the endeavors to be
undertaken by the WTF in the coming years.
The WTF firmly believes that doping has no place
in taekwondo and in any other sport.
113
Strengthening Anti-Doping Efforts
Strengthening Anti-Doping Efforts
On May 6, 2008, the WTF General Assembly unanimously

accepted the 2009 World Anti-Doping Code, thus becoming
the second International Federation to do so.
WTF-KHU Partnership
Taekwondo Training Program
The World Taekwondo Federation held a

ceremony for the participants in the third edition
of the 2008 WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo
Training Program at the Suwon campus of Kyung
Hee University in Suwon, Korea, on Sept. 23,
2008.
A total of 15 coaches and athletes from 15
countries attended the training program, which
started on Sept. 17 and lasted until Oct. 7.
The ceremony drew the 15 program participants
and some 200 taekwondo students and faculty
members of Kyung Hee University. Kyung Hee
University established a taekwondo department
in 1983 to become the world's first four-year
school to have a taekwondo major.
Since 2005, the WTF and Kyung Hee University
have jointly offered a taekwondo training program
for coaches and athletes in less developed
countries.
The WTF-KHU partnership program is gaining
growing popularity among the WTF's 188
member nations.
In 2005, a total of 35 coaches and athletes from
more than 20 countries attended the partnership

program, compared with 34 in 2006 and 44
in 2007.
"With the increasing number of applicants
being accepted to the program, it has
contributed to improving technical abilities,
confidence-building and popularity of
taekwondo in underprivileged regions that
are deprived of resources to play sport," said
WTF President Chungwon Choue at the
opening ceremony.
"With the increasing number of applicants being accepted to the program, it has contributed
to improving technical abilities, confidence-building and popularity of taekwondo in
underprivileged regions that are deprived of resources to play sport."
Complimenting the solidarity program, Dr. Choue

said that "The WTF has also launched the
Taekwondo Peace Corps project this summer
to dispatch groups of volunteer taekwondo
instructors to countries in need of assistance and
to offer programmed taekwondo training to the
local people."
In July 2008, the WTF sent the first seven
Taekwondo Peace Corps teams to five countries
- Russia, India, Pakistan, Paraguay and China for one month, along with educational packages,
including training booklets, CDs, taekwondo
uniforms and other equipment.
Dr. Choue said, "Based on its success and
positive feedback from the host countries,
the Taekwondo Peace Corps program will
continue with a twice-a-year, short-term dispatch
for two months, and a long-term dispatch of
instructors for six months to two years, targeting
on more recipients and a larger number of
countries."
"I hope the WTF-KHU partnership program
continues to offer more athletes and coaches a
valuable chance to learn more about taekwondo
training, and acquire necessary knowledge and
skills to bring back home, which may contribute
to further development of taekwondo in their
respective countries," he said. "It is my wish that
this partnership training program, together with
the Taekwondo Peace Corps, delivers hope and
dream to many who seek opportunities."
114 WTF
115
Reflections
On the WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training Program

Reflections
Reflections
Taekwondo
background:
Taekwondo
Background:
By Brian Saliba (Malta)

As a practitioner of taekwondo who has been
practicing this art for more than 20 years, visiting
the land where it all started meant nothing more
than adream come true.The WTF-KHU
program made all this possible for me, not just
to visit Korea, but moreover to enhance my
methodology of teaching.
My name is Brian Saliba. I come from a tiny island
which is situated in the center of the
Mediterranean Sea. Its name is Malta. Malta has
a population of just 400,000 people. I am
currently head coach for kyorugi and I am quite
sure that this program has helped me a lot
in achieving the desired results.
At last, after a journey of 18 hours of flying time,
I arrived at Incheon International Airport. Later
I settled down at Kyung Hee University (KHU).
One by one the new team started to form itself.
On the first day we were briefed by our director,
Ms Kang. To my surprise I was chosen to be the
captain of this magnificent team. The days started
rolling rapidly. We started to get to know each
other better and the team spirit was now more
evident.
One of the most topics that I really enjoyed was
taekwondop philosophy. I was disappointed a bit
because I would have loved to attend for more
classes on this important subject. In it we learned
not just the real meaning of taekwondo, but also
116 WTF
the Korean history and culture. All this is of

utmost importance to me because back in my
country, the people always ask about the
meaning of taekwondo.
During the course we experienced some very
interesting visits. Surely the first thing I wanted
to see was the Kukkiwon. We were so lucky
because we found the Korean national
taekwondo demonstration team practicing.
They kindly accepted to have some time off for
a photo session with us.
Another important episode was surely the visit
to the WTF headquarters, where we were
greeted by Secretary General Mr. Jin Suk Yang.
He gave us a speech that I am sure we shall all
treasure. Mr. Yang spoke of the love of
taekwondo and how he would like us all to pass
on all that we learned from this experience to our
fellow students when we get back to our
respective countries .
We were all surprised when WTF President
Dr. Chungwon Choue turned up at the opening
ceremony and addressed us. It was a real honor
for us all and we thank the organization for giving
us this wonderful opportunity.
Together the team experienced some very happy
moments and some which were not so happy.
However, we managed to settle all the minor
problems and escape theFalcon Eyesof Ms.

Kang. We spent a fun day together at Everland
and we went to see the musical 'Jump.
If I had to vote for my favorite master then surely
I would give full marks to Master Yung Chul. His
sessions were so hard for us sometimes but with
his professionalism and encouragement we finally
made it through. However, this doesn't
undermine the other professors/masters. I feel
that all involved put all their efforts and energy for
the benefit of us all.
Well now here I am nearing the end of this dream.
After nearly four weeks in Korea I now find myself
having to resume normal life again. My feelings
are sad but happy at the same time. Sad
because I know that I have to separate from quite
some good people. If I had to mention them all
I will never stop but I cannot forget two very
important persons namely Claire and Nuwon who
did an impeccable job taking care of us and
on behalf of everyone I would like to say a big
thank you, you deserve it!!
As for Korea I said that I was living a dream.
I know it is not that easy for me to return to this
land but I pray that I will have at least another
chance to visit the land where it all started and
surely meet once more some people who made
my stay in Korea an unforgettable experience.
I was introduced to taekwondo by a friend

after watching several martial art movies and
developed the interest to learn in 1984. Through
commitment, dedication and hard work, I rose
through the taekwondo grades to national 6th
Dan and Kukkiwon 5th Dan.
I have also attended international seminars and
courses like the WTF International Kyorugi
Referee Seminar and the Kukkiwon Foreigners
Instructor Course.
WTF-KHUPartnership
Partnership
Taekwondo
WTF-KHU
Taekwondo
Training
Training
Program:
Program:
The introduction of the WTF-KHU Partnership
Taekwondo Training Program for coaches and
athletes was a good news to taekwondo
practitioners all over the world.
As the technical director of the Ghana
Taekwondo Association, I was nominated as the
head coach to attend this all important program.
The program began on Sept. 17, 2008, with its
orientation given to program participants on Sept.
16, and ended on Oct. 7. The program started
on a good note with teachers and masters being
punctual and gave explanatory taekwondo
education under a friendly atmosphere.
Participants were taught subjects like taekwondo
sparring, referee, massage, poomsae, rescue
By Frederick Lartey Out (Ghana)

and CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation),
philosophy, taping and etc. The inclusion of
subjects such as taping, philosophy and
massage was a plus.
The systematic teaching methodology approach
used encouraged participants to be present in
class all the time even during ill health, which is a
good indication that the International Taekwondo
Academy of Kyung Hee University is up to the
task to develop and sustain taekwondo. It also
enabled program participants to ask questions
to understand certain aspects of taekwondo very
well.
Field trips which were organized also broadened
the knowledge of participants about the World
Taekwondo Federation, the Kukkiwon, and
Korean recreational centers and martial art
drama.
Recommendation:
Recommendation:
It is highly recommended that the training of

coaches and athletes together if possible should
be discontinued. Under such circumstances,
coaches who are old and cant exhibit high
techniques and skills in difficulty and complexity
as compared to young athletes might not give out
their best to be assessed properly by teachers
and masters of the program.
It will also be in the best interest of every

participants, of they are given the opportunity
to give suggestions of any kind during the training
program so that participants could test whatever
they recommended during their period of
participation as they might not have the chance
in the future to know whether their suggestions
were of good use if given at the end of the
training program.
For the sake of taekwondo development and
promotion globally, the WTF-KHU Partnership
Taekwondo Training Program should be
extended so that more than a coach and
an athlete could benefit from each participating
country.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Considering the duration of the program, content
of education and teaching methodology of
the WTF-KHU Partnership Taekwondo Training
Program, it is obvious that taekwondo is
developing, taekwondo has come to stay, and
taekwondo has a bright future.
Comments made by program participants
indicated that they have acquired meaningful
taekwondo education which will improve upon all
round performance of taekwondo practitioners
in the various countries they come from.
117
My visit to Korea and the expansion of horizon through
Taekwondo Goodwill Program
I have been doing, learning and studying taekwondo since long, but
it was my long-cherished dream to pursue and intermingle with
taekwondo more closely, especially in context with the Korean culture
and the motherland of taekwondo, Korea, from where it originated.
Initially, I was not aware of this program
as I was in search of a co-guide/
supervisor in Korea for my Ph.D. The
program gave me an opportunity to
research and study the management
module of taekwondo in Korea, as well as
to achieve the objective of my Ph.D, using
Korea as the benchmark for the
promotion of taekwondo in India, after
registering in Ph.D. in the Department
of Physical Education & Sports Sciences,
under the Faculty of Inter-Disciplinary &
Applied Sciences, University of Delhi.
I have forwarded an application through Mr. Jin Hyung Kim, Minister
Counsellor, Embassy of Republic of Korea, New Delhi to the Asian
Taekwondo Union and in response the ATU recommended my name
for further recommendation to the Taekwondo Federation India (TFI)
and the Department of Physical Education & Sports Sciences,
University of Delhi for the Taekwondo Goodwill Program from May 15
to Nov. 14, 2008 which was organized by the Taekwondo Promotion
Foundation (TPF). It is now time to prove myself as one of the assets
in taekwondo.
I have learnt Korean language in Kyung Hee University. I started

learning alphabet Hangeul, writing, and reading, too. First time, I was
confused, but in last days I really enjoyed learning the Korean
language.
All the more, I would like to eat the unique
taste of Korean food. It is known to be low
in calories and high in nutrition. Also, I want
to taste the famous "kimchi." I have a plan
to keep network and promote partnerships
among taekwondo playing nation and work
for conjugal all taekwondo styles together and
bring them under one umbrella at international
level, that is the World Taekwondo Federation.
- Reflections by Mr. Surender Kumar Bhandoria, an Executive Council member of the Taekwondo Federation of India
Taekwondo led me to see the new lands and

meet with different people. It expanded
my horizons and made me realize that cultural differences are not
separation but a chance and challenge for mutual understanding.
Taekwondo sow the seeds of peace in the world because it teaches
discipline, tolerance, and respect for others.
As we said goodbye to our new friends whom I made during the visit,
I could not believe that my time in Korea was finally coming to an end.
Finally, the Taekwondo Goodwill Program will go long way in my life
and help us to foster taekwondo leaders for the 21st century in India.
The TPF invited participants from Asia, Africa and Latin America
to help the promotion of taekwondo and increase the cultural
understanding among partnership countries. The project establishes
a variety of taekwondo and Korean language programs at Kyung Hee
University, co-work between invited scholars and researchers, visit
to major sport facilities and sport organizations, taekwondo training
and participation in related events and to build cultural and human
network. It appeared that the unexpected good news from
the President Sh. Harish Kumar, IPS (Retd.), TFI was the reward
for my past efforts to promote taekwondo in my country.
It was my first visit to Korea, the mecca of taekwondo for all those
who are engaged in or related to taekwondo. Korea is a modern and
hi-tech society in its hyper-dynamic capital "Seoul" heralded as
the soul of Asia.
118 WTF
119
Taekwondo in India
Present Scenario and Future Prospective
India is a country of ancient art and culture, and

people of this country are fond of traditional
martial arts since long. The history reveals that
the practice of martial art and other traditional
sports was seen in the ancient time in India.
The traditional Korean martial art of taekwondo
appeared in India like a long-awaited waterfall
in the thirsty desert. Therefore, the martial art
practitioners and instructors regardless of
personal benefits have left no stone unturned
to take this art to zenith and have presented true
spirit of struggle and inspiration before youth.
Taekwondo is making its presence felt all over
the country and is being embraced by both civil
and National Defence Services. It is also gaining
popularity with young people, especially among
school and college students, which inculcates
discipline in them and raises their level of
confidence by way of training them for selfdefence.
At present, there are more than 5,000 blackbelt holders registered with the Taekwondo
Federation of India (TFI) and it is expected
that the number will reach over 25,000 by
2010. Similarly registered athlete base is also
expected to jump up to one million over
the next five to eight years.
About 1,500 schools are going to introduce
taekwondo in the academic year of 20092010. This will result in more than 15,000 new
athletes joining taekwondo at sub-junior and
junior level.
120 WTF
The Sports Authority of India has started a one-year diploma course of

taekwondo at the NS Southern Center in Bangalore and continuously
producing talented taekwondo coaches every year, who would only know
about the techniques of right coaching, psychology of children and other
science of sorts & physical education.
These centers will function as centers of

excellence and provide training to national-level
athletes, including their education, etc. The
Federation will manage and run these RTCs
by providing best training equipments,
competitive environment and facilities and also try
to accommodate athletes from neighboring
countries and provide them training at much
cheaper costs.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the Central Industrial Security
Force (CISF), the Service Selection Board (SSB), the Air force had already
recruited taekwondo players and has affiliation with the federation.
This will help us promote the sport of taekwondo

at grass-roots level in India, thereby strengthening
the chance to achieve medals in international
events conducted by the World Taekwondo
Federation.
Taekwondo in India
Taekwondo in India
Overview
For preparing senior and junior teams for

international and World Championships, five
regional training centers will start functioning
in earnest shortly in Delhi, Lucknow, Aurangabad,
Imphal and Bangalore.
equipment, and the federation offered supplementary assistance including

accommodation and transportation.
India, where more than half of the population is youth and has been
an upsurge in violence and a loss of morality in all levels of society,
especially among the young, this project has shown positive
influence on youth and provided the necessary surge for a healthy
mind and a healthy body.
Some of the participants have fully understood the basic principles of
modern taekwondo and try to make such value an integral part of their lives.
Educational
Institutions:
Educational
Institutions
The introduction of this project in Goa and Mumbai has given the children
the impetus to forge ahead in life with confidence.
The School Games Federation of India (SGFI) has included taekwondo
in the SGFI Zonal and National Program from 2006-2007.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) Sports Committee
approved taekwondo as one of the disciplines for competition in the CBSE
Inter-Zonal and National Competition from 2006-2007, and now the CBSE
has revised the syllabus of physical education in XI & XII classes and
in Section B `Games in Sportsnew chapter of taekwondo has been
added, which includes introduction of taekwondo, history and philosophy
of taekwondo, rules of the competition, major tournament and main
personality of taekwondo and taekwondo terminology.
The Taekwondo Peace Corps program has helped children put on

a positive path to healthy development, serve as tools to teach important
values and life skills including self-confidence, teamwork, communication,
inclusion, discipline, respect for others and fair play, and ensure a culture
of peace and real international cooperation.
The article was contributed by Mr. Harish Kumar, president of the

Taekwondo Federation of India, and Mr. Surender Kumar Bhandoria,
an Executive council member of the Taekwondo Federation of India.
The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) is conducting the zonal & national
Taekwondo Championship with the technical & material support of
the Federation.
The Delhi Public Schools (DPS) have International Taekwondo Federation
coaches, but from 2007 they are replacing or converting them into the WTF
black belts and also conducting their National Championships by the WTF
Competition Rules with technical and material support of the Federation.
The Association of Indian Universities is struggling to include taekwondo
in inter-university programs.
TaekwondoPeace
Peace
Corp
Taekwondo
Corp
Two four-member WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps teams were dispatched
by the WTF to Goa and Mumbai, India from Aug. 1 to Aug. 16, 2008.
The expenses for airfare and training were covered by the WTF with
educational packages, including training booklet, CDs, uniforms, and other
121
Self-Discipline
Through taekwondo training, practitioners learn how to overcome themselves. Taekwondo puts great
value on etiquette, self-discipline, respect for others, and fair play, among practitioners.
122 WTF
123
WTF Holds Inaugural
Korean Fair Play Committee Holds
Ceremony in Seoul
The Korean Fair Play

Committee (KFPC), led
by WTF President
Chungwon Choue,
held its second Korean
Fair Play Award
ceremony in Seoul,
Korea on Nov. 20,
2008.
The awarding ceremony was held at the Olympic
Parktel in Seoul, drawing hundreds of sports
figures.
A six-member KFPC Screening Committee
selected the 2008 Korean Fair Play prizewinners
after strict selection sessions, mainly based
on the applicantsoutstanding examples of fair
play attitude and good sportsmanship in sports.
The committees conviction is to regard fairness
as more important than winning at all costs.
In the mens individual division, Lee Bae-young, the silver medalists in

the weightlifting at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, earned the honors
as the recipient of the 2008 Korean Fair Play Award.
The honors in the womens individual category went to Dang Yea Seo,
the bronze medalist in the womens team table tennis at the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games.
The Doosan Bears, a Korean professional baseball team, and the Korean
national womens basketball team won the honors in the mens and
womens team division, respectively.
In line with the IOC policy, we launched the WTF Taekwondo Peace
Corps in July 2008 and dispatched the first Taekwondo Peace Corps
members to seven regions in five countries and we plan to send
the second Peace Corps members in January 2009,WTF President
Choue said.The Taekwondo Peace Corps program will ultimately
contribute to the promotion of global peace.
To promote the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship in the Korean sports
community, the KFPC was launched in 2006. WTF President Choue was
unanimously nominated as the first president of the KFPC at its inaugural
General Assembly in Seoul on Sept. 26, 2006. Since 2007, the KFPC
has presented Korean Fair Play awards annually.
The KFPC plans to recommend the prizewinners as the Korean
candidates for the World Fair Play Prizes for the year 2008, which is
organized by the International Fair Play Committee.
The KFPC serves as the Korean national body of the IFPC, whose
headquarters are located in Paris, France. The IFPC presents World Fair
Play awards annually to famous and less-known athletes, coaches,
teams, and organizations all over the world in three divisions: act of fair
play, sports career, and promotion of fair play.
Iranian Hadi Saei Bonehkohal, the double gold medalist in the
taekwondo competition at the Olympic Games, was voted by the IFPC
as the World Fair Play for the Year 2005 for his humanitarian activities.
The World Taekwondo

Federation held its first Ethics
Committee meeting in Beijing,
China on Aug. 19, 2008.
Ethics Committee
Meeting in Beijing, China
2nd Korean Fair Play Award
At the inaugural meeting,

which took place at the Beijing
Shichahai Sports School
in downtown Beijing, the fivemember Ethics Committee reviewed the draft WTF Code of Ethics
and other matters.
The Ethics Committee is headed by Mr. Willi Kaltschmitt, a member of
the International Olympic Committee from Guatemala. The other
Committee members are Dr. Ken Min, a WTF Council member from
the United States; Dr. Luc Reychler, secretary general of the IPRA;
Dr. Pornchai Mongkhonvanit of Thailand, president of the IAUP and
head of Siam University; and Mr. James E. Roberts, an attorney at law
from the United States.
The establishment of the WTF Ethics Committee was approved by
the WTF General Assembly at the Loong Palace Hotel in Beijing, China
on May 17, 2007, on the occasion of the 2007 WTF World Taekwondo
Championships.
The final version of the WTF Code of Ethics is to be presented
for approval to the WTF Council in Ankara, Turkey in December 2008
on the occasion of the 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae
Championships.
With the launch of the WTF Ethics Committee, the WTF expects its
operations will be more transparent.
In the special prize division, Park Jong-chul, a disabled weightlifter, and

the Jeonnam Sports Association shared the honors.
To instill Olympic ideals of friendship, solidarity and fair play in youth is
one way to enhance the educational value of sports,said WTF President
Choue in his welcome speech at the awarding ceremony.
Dr. Choue said,To attain that goal, IOC President Jacques Rogge
proposed the creation of Youth Olympic Games and the proposed 2010
Singapore Youth Olympic Games will serve as a good opportunity for youth
to share friendship and solidarity, as well as learn more about fair play spirit
and peace.
124 WTF
125
WTF to Expand Functions of
Liaison Office in Lausanne

35th WTF Anniversary

Reception
On the occasion of the taekwondo competitions at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games,
the World Taekwondo Federation held a grand reception to mark the WTFs 35th anniversary
of founding at the Beijing International Hotel in Beijing, China on Aug. 19, 2008.
The World Taekwondo Federation plans

to expand the functions of its liaison office
in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The areas under consideration are the Olympic
marketing and communication, international
relations, and public relations.
The WTF liaison office, which was officially
opened on Dec. 1, 2006, is located in the Maison
du Sport International (MSI).
The office has taken up the role of facilitating
communications between the WTF and the IOC
and other international sports federations. It has
also expanded its roles into strategy and
implementation for greater exposure on TV and
new media, and framework for sponsorship.
Due to its proximity to the IOC headquarters,
the Olympic Museum and the Court of Arbitration
for Sport, the MSI is the ideal place for
international sports federations to share
information on world sport.
Among the 20 tenants and co-owners of the MSI
are the International Boxing Association (AIBA),
the International Archery Federation (FITA), the
126 WTF
Association of Summer Olympic International

Federations (ASOIF), the General Association of
International Sports Federations (GAISF), the
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), SportAccord,
and the International Sports Press Association
(AIPS).
About 12 companies in the field of sport,
including Ernst and Young and IEC in Sport, are
also in the MSI.
Mr. Jean-Marie Ayer serves as the WTF attache
in the liaison office. He is also a special assistant
to WTF President Chungwon Choue in
marketing.
The contact information of the WTF liaison office
in the MSI is as follows:
Mr. Jean-Marie Ayer

WTF Attache in Lausanne
WTF Office in Maison de Sport International (MSI)
Avenue de Rhodanie 54
CH-1007 Lausanne, Switzerland
Tel : +41 21 601 50 13
Fax : +41 21 601 79 23
E-mail : wtf-lausanne@bluewin.ch
127
WTF President
WTF Signs
WTF Signs Global Partnership Agreement with Macquarie
Global Partnership Agreement

with Macquarie
as the global partner of the WTF
over the next five years,said WTF
President Choue during the
signing ceremony.
Dr. Choue said,The global
partnership would greatly help
consolidate the WTFs status
as an international sport and help
taekwondo retain its Olympic
status.
Offers Condolences
to People of
our organizations had a lot in common, and

wanted to contribute to Korean society in similar
ways.
This sponsorship is the vehicle which will allow
us to achieve this. We feel it is a tremendously
positive initiative,Mr. Walker said.It is exciting
for taekwond and also for us.
He said,Firstly, it enables Macquarie to play
a role in the further growth of the great sport of
taekwondo, which I personally have enjoyed as
a spectator for several years.
Secondly, it
provides us with a way to do more work for the
benefit of disadvantaged people in Korea,
particularly youth, through theEnhancing Young
Livesprogram.
Mr. Walker has provided financial

supports to several Australian
national taekwondo athletes from
The World Taekwondo
the Australian state of Victoria for their training
Federation signed a global in Korea over the last several years,he said.
partnership agreement
Mr. Walkers special love for taekwondo has
with Macquarie Group of
Mr. Walker said, theEnhancing Young Lives
made this global partnership agreement
Companies, Korea in
program is in the development stage at
possible.
a ceremony in Seoul
the moment.When fully developed, it will focus
on March 31, 2008.
on spreading taekwondo, and greater awareness
Mr. Walker said at the signing ceremony that
of the health benefits of physical exercise, through
We are delighted at our new partnership with
For the WTF, the global partnership agreement
needy areas.
This could involve, for example,
the WTF. We are sure it will be a long and fruitful
marked the second of its kind after Samsung
gestures like donating sporting equipment
one.
This is one of Macquaries biggest ever
Electronics in March 2005.
to community groups, or sending taekwondo
sponsorships. We are sure it will be one of our
masters to train kids in areas where such training
most successful.
Under the five-year contract, Macquarie secured
is not accessible.
the advertising and sponsorship rights for
Macquarie, whose headquarters are located
the WTF-promoted events, like the WTF World
He said,We hope that, eventually, the
in Australia, has business networks in 28
Taekwondo Championships and the WTF World
Enhancing Young Livesprogram will be
countries in the world. Macquarie Group of
Junior Taekwondo Chamionships.
expanded to include broader social welfare
Companies, Korea, which started its investment
actitivies.
banking business in 2000, is the fastest growing
The amount of the sponsorship fees was not
business entity in Asia.
disclosed in accordance with the non-disclosure
clause in the agreement signed between the two For some time, Macquarie has been looking
parties.
for more cohesive ways to deepen our ties with
the Korean community.Weve been doing
The agreement was signed between WTF
business in Korea for eight years now. Korea has
President Chungwon Choue and Mr. John
been very good to us. In fact, the Korea office is
Walker, chairman of Macquarie Group of
one of Macquaries fastest growing businesses.
Companies, Korea at the latters headquarters
We now have nearly 400 employees here.
in downtown Seoul.
Mr. Walker said,We feel strongly that Macquarie
The agreement is Macquarie Groups long-term should repay Koreas generosity with genuine
commitment to Korean society and I believe that
efforts to make a significant contribution to this
Macquarie will faithfully carry out its responsibility
country.
Several months ago, we agreed that
128 WTF
Myanmar, China over Cyclone, Earthquake Disasters
Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo Federation, sent letters of condolences
on May 9, 2008 to the president of the Myanmar Taekwondo Federation, and the president of
the Myanmar Olympic Committee, over the loss of lives resulting from a recent natural disaster in
the Southeast Asian country.
In the letter to Mr. Htay Myint, president of the Myanmar Taekwondo Federation,
WTF President Choue extended hisdeepestcondolences to the people of
Myanmar for theprofoundloss of lives from the devastating cyclone which
hit Myanmar.
According to the reports, the cyclone might take about 100,000 lives
and leave about one million homeless, one of the worst natural disasters
in recent history.
No words can do justice to the desolation suffered by your people
at this very moment,Dr. Choue said in the letter.We, however, urge
you not to give up on those who have survived and strive to help them
rebuild their shattered lives.
He continued to say,The global taekwondo family stand by you
in the hope of a quick recovery and we will be with you always in times
of need.
Dr. Choue also sent a similar letter of condolences to H.E. Brigadier
General Thura Aye Myint, president of the Myanmar Olympic Committee.
As part of our efforts to assist you, I wish to inform you that the World
Taekwondo Federation will donate a sum of U.S.$3,000 to the Myanmar
Olympic Committee,he said in the letter.We hope that you will be able to use
this contribution to rebuild the sports infrastructure in your country and bring hope
to your people.
On May 13, WTF President Choue also sent letters of condolences to the president of
the Chinese Taekwondo Association and the Chinese Olympic Committee for the profound
loss of lives from the powerful earthquake which hit the southwest China, including the Sichuan
province.
He also sent a symbolic U.S.$3,000 dollars to the Chinese Olympic Committee, hoping a quick
recovery. Dr. Choue mentioned in the letter the fact that the Sichuan province adopted the Olympic
sport of taekwondo as a compulsory subject at its elementary schools in 2007.
129
Continental
Union Activities
Continental Union Activities

- AFTU Activities
- ATU Activities
- ETU Activities
- PATU Activities
- OTU Activities
130 WTF
131
AFTU Activities
The 20 athletes break down to eight players from
Africa, seven from Asia, three from the Pan American
region, one from Europe and Oceania each.
The fact that 13 AFTU member countries qualified for the taekwondo
competition at the Beijing Olympic Games reflects the growing popularity of
the Olympic sport of taekwondo in the African region
The AFTU organized several kyorugi and poomsae

seminars and refresher courses for international
referees.
The AFTU will hold both senior and junior African
Taekwondo Championships in 2009.
For the African Taekwondo Union, the year 2008

was very fruitful at the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games.
It also plans to hold kyorugi and poomsae seminars

and refresher courses for international referees, as well
as referees and coaches seminars under the umbrella
of the AFTU.
The 13 African countries are Benin, Cote dIvoire,

Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mali,
Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia.
Nigerias Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije won the
bronze medal in the mens over 80kg weight
category, which marked the first-ever medal in
taekwondo for the African country.
132 WTF
Malis Daba Modibo Keita was one of the 20 athletes.

Keita, the gold medal winner at the 2007 WTF World
Taekwondo Championships in Beijing in May 2007,
was regarded as the strongest Olympic gold medal
hopeful, but he failed to attain the goal.
Major AFTU Activities

in 2008 / 2009
A total of 18 players from 13 AFTU member

countries participated in the taekwondo
competition at the Beijing Olympic Games,
compared with eight at the 2000 Sydney Olympic
Games and nine at the 2004 Athens Olympic
Games.
AFTU Activities
AFTU Activities
African Taekwondo Union

President
Gen. Ahmed Fouly
The dates for major taekwondo competitions and

seminars and refresher courses will be finalized during
the AFTUs General Assembly on Jan. 17, 2009 in
Cairo, Egypt.
More than ever, the unity and harmony among global
taekwondo leaders are very crucial for the future of
taekwondo,he said.In this regard, we have a full
confidence in WTF President Choue for his ongoing
reform programs and his policy of creating a new
image of taekwondo. We will continue to give our full
support to him.
Taekwondo in AFTU
The African Taekwondo Union contains 49 WTF member associations distributed on five
main areas of the large continent. Languages used in the union are English, French and
Arabic. Unlike Europe, due to the lack of infrastructure and the low standard of living in
most of the African countries, it is difficult and costly to move internally, which limits the
cooperative activities and continental events through the union.
However, the AFTU has made its best with the aid of the World Taekwondo Federation,
the Egyptian Taekwondo Federation and other sources that can introduce aid to develop
taekwondo in Africa.
The fact that 13 AFTU member countries

qualified for the taekwondo competition at the
Beijing Olympic Games reflects the growing
popularity of the Olympic sport of taekwondo in
the African region,said Gen. Ahmed Fouly.
The top priority of the AFTU is to distribute its agenda to cover all the area in the continent
in order to make it possible and reliable for all the members to join the activities. To take
the last four years as example, the African Championships had been held in Madagascar
(South) and in Kenya (East) and International Referees Seminars had been held in Egypt
(North) and Niger (West), and many referees and coaches sessions under the umbrella of
the AFTU had been held in Libya, Ethiopia, Uganda, and others are arranged to be held in
Gambia and Zambia.
Gen. Fouly said such a rapid development of

taekwondo in Africa was, to a large extent,
attributable to the IOC Solidarity Scholarship
program.
The activities of the AFTU raised the standards and participation of Africans in the
international events that had been noticed during the Beijing Olympic Games, when many
African athletes joined the Games. Nigerian male competitor Chika Chukwumerije got the
bronze medal and Egyptian female competitor Noha Safwat achieved the 5th position.
Taekwondo received a total of 59 successful

applications for the IOC Solidarity Scholarship
program. Of them, 20 athletes qualified for the
taekwondo competitions at the Beijing Olympic
Games.
The future of the AFTU is promising in that the coming period will witness a great jump for
taekwondo in the continent, as big efforts are being made for this future progress by the
executive office and through AFTU President Gen. Ahmed Fouly, Secretary General Mr.
Hussam Morsy and the Vice Presidents.
133
ATU Activities
the afternoon and then the matches stopped for the opening ceremony
of the inaugural West Asian Taekwondo Championships.
The Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) plans to expand its solidarity program for athletes and coaches
in the newly emerging taekwondo countries in Asia in 2009.
The ATU also plans to create regional championships for the South Asian and Central Asian regions,
thus helping reduce the gap in technical levels of taekwondo athletes in other areas.
Unlike other continents, Asia has a variety of different religions and cultures. Given those
differences, we plan to further activate taekwondo activities by launching regional championships
in South Asian and Central Asian regions,said Mr. Dai-soon Lee, president of the Asian
Taekwondo Union.
Mr. Lee, who also serves as a vice president of the WTF and president of the Taekwondo Promotion
Foundation in Korea, said the ATU will expand its solidarity program in 2009.
In 2008, our solidarity program resulted in a bronze medal for Afghanistan, the first medal in 72
years for the Asian country,Lee said.We will expand our solidarity and assistance program
for athletes and coaches in the newly emerging taekwondo countries in Asia.
He is confident of taekwondo
s inclusion in the official programs of the Olympic Games in 2016
and afterwards.We have to do our best to get our taekwondo spirit and values across to all IOC
members. The ultimate goal of taekwondo is to make good people.
the 2nd
International
Taekwondo
Symposium
1.On
Report
on the
2nd International
Taekwondo
The 2nd International Taekwondo Symposium was held in Tehran, Iran
on Nov. 7, 2008, with the attendance of officials of the Asian Taekwondo
Union and its member associations, as well as coaches and athletes.
The second edition of the scientific and technical seminar was organized
by the Taekwondo Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, under the
auspices of the ATU.
Among attendants in the one-day symposium were ATU President Lee;
ATU Vice President Dae-won Kang; and Mr. Seyd Mohammad Pouladgar,
president of the Taekwondo Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
ATU President Lee stressed the importance of making taekwondo more
attractive and more understandable to both the media and the spectator.
This is the second international seminar the ATU is holding and I hope
this can be the start of a trend to see more symposiums around the world
to seek ways on how to improve taekwondo,said ATU President Lee in his
speech at the symposium.
survive without spectators. Spectators keep on asking taekwondo to be

more entertaining and action-packed. They order fairness of judgment and
high-caliber sportsmanship of players and coaches,Lee said.The time for
change has arrived, without change, we can not make one step forward.
The purpose of creating the West Asian Taekwondo Championships is

to produce solidarity and prosperity by improving taekwondo skills of
the athletes in the region and thus developing the exchange among
the member nations in the West Asia,said ATU President Lee in his
congratulatory speech during the opening ceremony.
ATU Activities
ATU Activities
Asian Taekwondo Union

President
Mr. Dai-Soon Lee
gold medals and two silver medals, followed by Bahrain with one gold,
two silvers and one bronze. Jordan finished third as it clinched one gold,
followed by Qatar with one silver and one bronze, and Iraq with three bronze
medals.
3. On the 2nd Meeting of West Asian Countries
On the 2nd Meeting of West Asian Countries
During the opening ceremony, a memorable event was held at the

competition arena - the farewell ceremony for Iran
s Hadi Saei Bonehkohal.
Hadi, who won two golds and one bronze in the taekwondo competition
at the past three Olympic Games, had a symbolic one-round match and
as a traditional farewell custom by Iranian athletes kissed the four corners
and the center of the taekwondo mat that has given him so much in life.
In the morning of Nov. 8, the second meeting of representatives from West

Asian countries was held in Tehran.
After the opening ceremony, the poomsae competitions continued and Iran
finished first in the overall medal tally with seven gold medals. Jordan came
next with two silvers and one bronze, followed by Qatar with one silver and
one bronze, and Syria with three bronzes.
The first meeting was held during the 20th Fajr International Taekwondo
Championships in Bandar Abbas, Iran in February 2008.
On Nov. 9, kyorugi competitions started. Electronic protectors were used

at the 1st West Asian Taekwondo Championships.
Performance of the electronic protectors was excellent as there was not
even a single protest lodged with the Arbitration Board, which once again
proved that the reforms started by WTF Presdient Chungwon Choue was
going in the right direction, and the electronic protectors are the most
important part of solving this problem.
The majority of West Asian countries - Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar,
Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Iraq - were present in the meeting, which was
presided over by ATU President Lee.
In the meeting, a variety of subjects regarding the development and

promotion of taekwondo in the region were discussed and the most
important thing was to approve the rotation of the championships among
junior national teams and senior national teams every other year, so
the region
s teams could have a good tournament before continental
and World Championships.
The participants voted to award Jordan the right to hold the inaugural West
Asian Junior Taekwondo Championships in 2009, and Saudi Arabia earned
the right to host the 2nd West Asian Taekwondo Championships in 2010.
In the kyorugi competiton, Iran ranked first in the overall medal tally with six
He also stressed the need to do more research about equipment used by

taekwondo athletes and more medical research on the prevention of serious
injuries to the athletes.
2.On
Onthe
the 1st
1st West
WestAsian
AsianTaekwondo
Taekwondo Championships
The 1st West Asian Taekwondo Championships were held in a ceremony

in Tehran, Iran on Nov. 8-9, 2008, attracting athletes and officials from eight
countries.
The inaugural regional taekwondo event, which featured both kyorugi and
poomsae competitions, drew athletes from host Iran, Qatar, Syria, Bahrain,
Jordan and Iraq. The poomsae competition was conducted as
a demonstration event.
On Nov. 8, four teams from Iran, Qatar, Syria and Jordan competed in
the poomsae division in different age groups.
We have to listen more carefully to spectators as no modern sports could

The participating teams started competing in the preliminary round in
134 WTF
135
ETU Activities
ETU Activities
ETU Activities
European Taekwondo Union

President
Mr. Athanasios Pragalos
Major ETU Activities in 2008
For the European Taekwondo Union, the year 2008 was very successful
both at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and its major championships.
In the taekwondo competition at the Beijing Olympic Games, seven ETU
member countries won four silver medals and five bronze medals.
Turkey clinched one silver and one bronze, while Greece, Italy and Norway
grabbed one silver medal each. Croatia took two bronze medals in
taekwondo, while France and Great Britain won one bronze medal each.
For the ETU, the most successful event for 2008 was the European Senior
Taekwondo Championships held in Rome, Italy on April 10 -13. The event
drew athletes and officials from 41 ETU member countries.
On April 8, two days before the opening of the European Senior
Taekwondo Championships, ETU President Athanasios Pragalos and other
leaders visited the Vatican to present Pope Benedict XVI with a taekwondo
uniform.
On Nov. 1-2, the European Team Championships were held in Konya,
Turkey, in which Turkey was the winner both in the male and female
categories.
For the first time in its history, the ETU organized A-class ranking
tournaments in 2008. About 10 international tournaments, mostly open
events under the control of the ETU, were held in Azerbaijan,
the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Spain, Sweden
and France.
The ranking tournaments were a big success and at the end of
the competitions, the winners received in each weight category an ETU
Ranking cup.
The ETU Technical Committee organized a poomsae seminar in Spain.
Major ETU Programs for 2009

The year 2009 will be another busy year for the European Taekwondo
Union, as always.
In 2009, the ETU launches another new category.

The 1st European Taekwondo Championships
Under 21 are scheduled to take place in Bigo,
Spain on Nov. 6-8.
The European Junior Taekwondo Championships
will be held in Trelleborg, Sweden on May 28-31.
On the occasion of the championships, the ETU
will hold its General Assembly on May 27.
A total of 11 A-class international tournaments are
scheduled for 2009. They are the Trelleborg Open
in Trelleborg, Sweden on Feb. 14-15, the Dutch
Open (Eindhoven, the Netherlands on March 2122), the German Open (Hamburg, Germany on
April 4-5), the Belgium Open (Herentals, Belgium
on April 18-19), the Spanish Open (Alicante,
Spain on April 25-26), the Austrian Open
(Innsbruck, Austria on May 3-4), the Danish Open
(Kolding, Denmark on May 23), the Poomsae
Austrian Open (Kufstein, Austria on June 14), the
BTCB British Open (Manchester, England on
Sept. 12-13), the Croatian Open (Zagreb, Croatia
on Nov. 14-15), and the Paris International (Paris,
France on Nov. 29-30).
ETU Suggestions
The European Taekwondo Union favors adopting
electronic body protectors at major taekwondo
events.
The ETU suggests that the World Taekwondo
Federation create a group of international referees
special for the World Taekwondo Championships.
The Continental Unions can also do this for their
respective Championships.
The ETU also made one more suggestion that
there should be more strict control on injured
competitors as we see injured competitions
fighting, which is not acceptable.
On July 3-5, the European Cadet Taekwondo Championships will be held

in Zagreb, Croatia, drawing athletes in the age group of 12 to 14 years.
The inaugural European Cadet Championships were held in Palermo, Italy
in 2005, which attracted about 300 competitors from about 30 countries.
136 WTF
137
PATU Activities
On the Use of Electronic Body Protectors and Suggestions

The PATU first introduced the WTF-approved electronic body protectors
(EBP) at the 9th Caribbean Championships in May 2008. During this event,
the PATU set up an ad-hoc committee to evaluate the possibility of using
electronic protectors in all future events of the PATU. All five members
unanimously agreed and recommended the immediate use of this system
in all PATU events as an officially recognized scoring system.
PATU
s sFour-Year
2.
PATU
Four-YearProjection
Projection
At the beginning of 2008, the PATU
s current Secretary General, Dr. Helder
Navarro Carriazo, and I produced a comprehensive eight-year PATU
developmentGrand Planby systematically analyzing all areas of the PATU
and submitted the plan to the WTF leadership.
The plan was received with positive reviews from the WTF leadership, and
was promised their commitment and support for the plan in all possible
areas.
In 2010, the PATU will successfully complete its qualification tournament

for 2011 Pan Am Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. We will continue to
communicate with the PASO Technical Commission to realize our proposal
of increasing taekwondo athlete participation from the current 100 to 108
at the 2011 Pan Am Games.
I then introduced the plan to all PATU member nations for their
consideration and support at the General Assembly. I am confident that
the plan was accepted by the members of the General Assembly. Although
the goals set forth in theGrand Planare challenging, they are practical
and attainable objectives that will develop the PATU to a higher level of
recognition in the near future.
From the business outlook, we plan to organize our already successfulPan

Am OpenChampionships and increase participation to 5,000 competitors
with plans to build it up to an international taekwondo festival by 2012. With
the success of this event, the PATU will be in a financially stable position
to support additional programs and projects without burdening or relying
on the WTF, the Kukkiwon and our member national federations.
As early as in January 2009, the PATU will be organizing a special

committee to revise our current Statutes, to introduce athlete and
tournament ranking systems, and to start sponsorship efforts to launch
the first PATU National Presidents Convention in the first half of 2009.
We are in the planning stage to develop new and fresh events to stir new
interest and re-energize current support. Immediately effective will be
the branding of PATU logos and direct merchandizing that will secure
financial gains for the PATU before the end of next quadrennial period.
Such efforts will not only give the PATU financial flexibility, but also define
and identify the PATU on a global scale.
We will continue our efforts to organize and promote poomsae seminars,

PATU poomsae and competition referee seminars in different regions, in
an effort to educate, train and develop awareness of taekwondo to maintain
the current global progress of taekwondo.
PATU
Committeeforfor2009-2012
2009-2012
Term
1.
PATUReport
Reporton
onExecutive
Executive Committee
Term
The Pan American Taekwondo Union held its General Assembly and an
Executive Committee election on Oct. 2, 2008 in Caguas, Puerto Rico, prior
to the 16th Pan American Taekwondo Championships.
I anticipate that by the end of 2010, all PATU national presidents will have
all the necessary information and support from the PATU and the WTF to be
able to facilitate a program to educate, train and advance their own athletes
and coaches by applying the accessible programs from their government,
the WTF, and the Olympic Solidarity programs.
Furthermore, the delegates also had the opportunity to evaluate my

performance of the past nine months as the newly elected president.
Together with the memberssupport and dedication, I was confidently able
to successfully introduce many new programs that proved to be effective
and beneficial in supporting a continued progress in different regions which
included the WTF Standard Poomsae Seminars, Athlete and Coach
Development Programs for small countries, uniform and equipment support
programs, development of a new PATU Web site, corporate sponsorship
efforts, and the introduction of electronic body protectors, to name a few.
The General Assembly was conducted in a highly diplomatic manner with

the attendance of 36 member nationspresidents and delegates.
My objective is to assist and educate all PATU nations to be able to

independently receive and implement these available programs successfully
without relying on foreign assistances in the future. This movement will
jump-start much needed technical development of small countries and
advance technical standardization of all PATU athletes.
Finally, upon completion of the election for the new Executive Committee
and Council members, all PATU members showed deeper commitment
to work together to make our organization one of the strongest Continental
Union of the WTF.
The General Assembly then moved on to hold an Executive Committee and

Council election for the 2009-2012 term. Mr. Ji-ho Choi of the United States
earned 28 votes to be elected president of the PATU, against Mr. Jose
Cornelio of Aruba, who won eight votes.
The PATU will also work very closely with the Mexican Taekwondo
Federation to prepare for the 2010 World Junior Taekwondo
Championships in Tijuana, Mexico. I am confident that we will organize the
finest World Junior Championships ever to be experienced in our continent.
The entire PATU has unequivocally expressed their strong desire to become
a powerful presence in our sport taekwondo program, and all newly elected
PATU leaders are enthusiastic for a renewed unity and organizational
integrity for a progressive future.
138 WTF
PATU Activities
PATU Activities
Pan American Taekwondo Union

President
Mr. Ji Ho Choi
We then performed a pilot study of this system at the Pan Am Open

Championships in Puebla, Mexico, in preparation for the Pan Am
Championships in Puerto Rico. The technicians from the LaJUST were
present at all three events to assist with staff training, provide athlete
practice sessions for the participating teams prior to the events, and
to assure technical assistance during the events.
Upon completion of the 16th Pan American Taekwondo Championships
in Puerto Rico, the EBP received many positive reviews from all participating
teams. The system certainly supported valid scoring method of delivering
accuracy of power delivered to the valid scoring areas. It also recognized
and promoted exact kicking techniques as described in the WTF
Competition Rules. Many athletes with unclear, unconventional kicking
techniques were not able to successfully score. Minor percentage of error
was observed due to human error and computer malfunction. In many
incidences, the judges were not able to actively score the head points due
to impaired vision, too much distance from the action, or blocked view
by the referee or the competitors. Other than that, the latest version of
LaJUST EBP proved to be an effective means to judge, score and
recognize superior performance without any serious problems.
Nevertheless, as we strive ceaselessly to seek improvements in safety and
fairness of competition scoring, I would like to make the following proposal
to the current EBP system and amendments to the current Competition
Rules and regulations to successfully adapt the EBP system for
the upcoming World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark in 2009.
a. Use of electronically censored gloves to register valid punching points
b. Use of wireless scoring system for two judges and have them move
along the boundary lines to actively score the head points
c. Immediate video reviews and evaluation of head points
With these positive changes to the current EBP system and the WTF
Competition Rules, I am confident that scoring in all taekwondo games will
be much more accurate and ultimately minimizing and perhaps eliminating
all human errors related to scoring.
139
OTU Activities
Q : What was your evaluation of the

Q : What
was your
evaluation ofatthe
taekwondo
competition
thetaekwondo
2008
competition
the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games?
Beijing at
Olympic
Games?
A : For the OTU, the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games represent the cornerstone of our
development as we were very successful in
qualifying nine athletes for the Games from four
different countries: Australia, New Zealand,
the Marshall Islands and Papua New Guinea.
For our Olympic athletes from Papua New
Guinea and the Marshall Islands, the 2008 Beijing
Olympic Games were their first international
competition. Whilst no medals were gained at the
2008 Olympic Games, the Olympic experience
and the realization that Oceania athletes are now
able to qualify for medal contention at an Olympic
Games will lift the profile of our sport within our
region and provide strong interest in our sport.
Q : What were the major activities of your

Q : What were the major activities of your
Taekwondo Union in 2008?
Q : What are the major activities of your

Q : What are the major activities of your
A : We are a very small Continental Union

compared to the other four unions, so our events
calendar is much smaller. Our major event was
the 2008 Oceania Taekwondo Championships
which were held in Auckland, New Zealand
on Dec. 5-6, 2008.
A : The coming years and, in particular 2009,

promise to be a very challenging year for the OTU
as we are planning to implement some very
important development programs in our region
to assist our member nations.
Our total member nations within the Oceania

region is 13 member nations at the moment
as the OTU was only established in 2005, so we
have a very small history and we are very young
compared to the other Continental Unions who
have been in existence for decades. It is pleasing
to note that nearly all member nations attended
the 2008 Oceania Championships, which was
a very exciting event and provided our Oceania
athletes with much needed international
competition experience.
We held senior and junior kyorugi as well as
poomse competitions in the same championships
in Auckland, so as to consolidate our events
calendar and to reduce costs as many of our
member nations are developing nations and do
not have the resources or the budget to be
attending as many events as they otherwise
would like to attend.
140 WTF
These initiatives will include:

Referee courses, accreditation and seminars
Coaching course, accreditation and seminars
Junior and senior athletes development
programs
Junior talent identification programs with
particular focus on the 2010 Youth Olympic
Games
Solidarity support for our developing member
nations
The establishment of an Oceania region training
center
There are logistical and practical difficulties
in implementing these programs within our region
as all of our member nations are islands
separated by sea and travel within the region
is very difficult and very expensive.
Naturally, the implementation of such programs
also involves considerable financial expense on
the part of the OTU whose role is to develop and

promote our great sport within the Oceania
region. The challenge for the OTU will be
to finance these important programs on a very
small budget, so we have to source major
sponsors to assist us in this task.
We have been fortunate to have had assistance
and support from Samsung, the WTF
s global
partner, and Adidas, but much more financial
assistance is required if we are to achieve real
development and improvement in our region.
Naturally, we will seek as much assistance from
the WTF as possible as well as the Kukkiwon.
Australia and New Zealand will also play a leading
role in our regional development as they are far
more developed nations and have a lot more
experienced and qualified personnel who will be
of assistance to our member nations.
We aim to have greater participation of the OTU
at the 2009 WTF World Taekwondo
Championships and of course we are all looking
forward to the 2012 London Olympic Games
where the OTU hopes to qualify even more
athletes for these games from a broader number
of OTU member nations.
It should also be noted that our sport is one

of the very few sports that provides athletes
from developing nations with a real and rare
opportunity to compete at the Olympic
Games, which after all is the greatest and
most prestigious sporting event in the world.
This is a credit to the WTF as there are not
many international sporting organizations
which can provide such an opportunity to its
athletes.
performance in Beijing. The implementation of an

electronic chest protector and the current review
of our WTF Competition Rules are all major
initiatives being implemented by the WTF which
are aimed at making our sport more transparent,
exciting and attractive to the broader public and
sponsors at large.
These changes and more are required if we are
to cement our position as a permanent full medal
Olympic sport.
Doyou
youhave
haveany
any
suggestions
for further
the
QQ::Do
suggestions
for the
further development
taekwondo
development
of taekwondoof
and
the World and
the World
Taekwondo
Federation?
A : Unity in our sport is very important particularly

given that there are many other sports who seek
to take our place on the Olympic program. We
naturally are entitled to disagree with each other
and are perfectly entitled to have a different view,
but in the end we are all part of the same sporting
family, so we must work hard in 2009 to secure

our place as a permanent Olympic Sport. What
we must do now is focus on the major task
ahead of us in 2009 in securing our future as
an Olympic Sport because if we do not do this,
we will all be accountable for the end result.
OTU Activities
OTU Activities
Oceania Taekwondo Union

President
Mr. Phil Coles
The promotion of our sport as a truly global sport

should be high on the WTF
s agenda, with
particular emphasis on introducing more member
nations of the WTF in 2009. We are yet to reach
our full potential and we have much room
for expansion of our sport globally.
There is now greater liaison and cooperation
between the WTF and the Continental Unions,
but there are some initiatives that can be
implemented by the WTF, which will enhance our
development and growth. Establishing a greater
presence in Lausanne and the establishment of
regional WTF headquarters in each of the five
Continents will decentralize the WTF, so that it is
able to respond to global issues more efficiently
and effectively.
The OTU is very proud to have had nine athletes

represent our region at an Olympic Games and
when you compare the size of our region to that
of other Continental Unions, we have done very
well.
Our region is also proud of the fact that we have
achieved a gold and silver Olympic medal at the
2000 Sydney Olympic Games so we are well
placed compared to many other regions.
We have also produced World Cup champions
and medalists from World Championships as well
as a silver medalist at the 2008 WTF World Junior
Taekwondo Championships which also stand us
well for future development.
It is clear however, that the WTF has many
important issues to address following our sports
141
2008 Summer
Russia (Moscow)
India (Goa)
China (Urumqi)
Pakistan (Islamabad)
India (Mumbai)
142 WTF
China (Qingdao)
Paraguay (Asuncion)
143
4. Feasible and Latent Effects through TPC
Report on 2008 Summer

1. The Purpose of Taekwondo Peace Corps
Taekwondo teaches virtues of self-reflection, self-discipline, self-control,
confidence, respect, patience, and balance of body and mind. These
virtues help make our mind peaceful, synchroniz the mind with the
movements, and extend this harmony to life and society. In the sense that
taekwondo ultimately pursues peace among humankind and the harmony
between the humanity and the nature, its essence shares with the
fundamental principles of the United Nations (U.N.) and the International
Olympic Committee (IOC).
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), an International Federation
governing the sport of taekwondo, and GCS International, an NGO
in special consultative status with the U.N. Economic and Social Council,
under the leadership of Dr. Chungwon Choue as President of the two
organizations, seek feasible ways to share the value and philosophy
of taekwondo through goodwill activities.
As a result, the Taekwondo Peace Corps (TPC) was proposed, and
launched with the hope to share the spirit of taekwondo and to
demonstrate that sport can indeed contribute to promoting global peace
and communication as well as to education and sustainable social
development.
2. The Societal Contexts of TPC Launch
The WTF and GCS International together have been searching for ways
to contribute to peace and social development in the global community.
The Taekwondo Peace Corps was one of the ambitious projects devised
to realize this vision. Professionals and experts from various fields who
share the interest voluntarily joined in the project as decision-making board
144 WTF
WTF President Chungwon Choue poses

with members of the Taekwondo Peace
Corps and the WTF Demonstration Team in
a launch ceremony at the Suwon campus of
Kyung Hee University in Suwon, Gyeonggi
Province on July 5, 2008.
members, lecturers, Web designers, instructors, and advisers. For the
purpose of maximal productivity and managerial efficiency of the TPC,
multifaceted collaboration and international support were mobilized within
the taekwondo community. A prospect of the U.N. and the IOC working
together to promote global peace and harmony through sport endowed
further motivation for the TPC project.
2.1 Hope and willingness of the WTF and GCS International to contribute
to the global community set the foundation of the TPC launching.
2.2 Prospect of U.N.-IOC collaborative contribution to world peace and
harmony through sport has motivated the TPC launching.
3. The Expected Goals of TPC
3.1 TPC is expected to supplement and refine the existing solidarity
program of the WTF, which has been providing taekwondo equipment
and training opportunities to the less-developed WTF member nations.
3.2 TPC is expected to share the spirit of taekwondo and respect for
humankind. This initiative intends to gather the energy of young people
in the world to become one global family that transcends the differences.
3.3 TPC is expected to give participants an opportunity to learn about
the taekwondo culture of cultivating sound mind and healthy body.
3.4 TPC is expected to encourage young people to enjoy the experience
of sharing love for humanity and working together to create a favorable
environment for sustainable development and peaceful co-existence.
4.1 Feasible Educational Achievement

There were two different education programs; TPC education programs for volunteers and
TPC programs provided by the volunteers for local taekwondo instructors and participants.
The former is called TPC volunteer training programs, while the latter is described as TPC
programs in this document.
4.1.1 Spontaneity
Recruitment of taekwondo instructors and interpreters for the TPC was performed
on a voluntary basis. Likewise, participants who attended the TPC program did so on a
voluntary basis. Therefore, spontaneity has been founded on all processes. As a result,
volunteers and participants were fully motivated to join in the program, teach/learn
taekwondo, and enjoy the activities offered by the TPC.
- Volunteer Perspective
Upon announcing the TPC recruitment on the WTF and GCS International Web sites, more
than 60 volunteers applied for the TPC 2008 summer dispatch. They were dominantly
university students in their 20s. Through a strict screening procedure, including tests and
interviews, 27 (19 males and 8 females) volunteers were selected as members of the TPC,
and were sent to seven regions in five different nations: China, India, Pakistan, Paraguay,
and Russia. Prior to dispatch, they participated in 15 different TPC volunteer training
programs, which included courses on taekwondo spirit, taekwondo rules, taekwondo
teaching methods, taekwondo competitions, taekwondo Poomsae, referee training, health
education, meditation, Korean language, cultural understanding, etc.
Specific information on the TPC dispatch is as follows:
- Participant Perspective
Taekwondo learners, practitioners, and local residents
were all invited to participate in the programs provided
by the TPC. All the programs, thus, were managed
based on participantsspontaneity. The TPC delivered
taekwondo instruction programs and education
packages for local taekwondo instructors, while
administering special programs customized for different
levels (beginners, intermediate, advanced,
children/youth/adults) for other participants.
4.1.2 Responsibility/Accountability
TPC volunteer training programs were given with
respect to what volunteers are responsible for as
visitors and what they are accountable for as TPC
members. TPC programs for local instructors and
participants similar to the TPC volunteer training
programs were offered as well.
The training focused on what and how to teach, how
to approach culture learners, how to make the
experience enjoyable, and how to behave as peace
facilitators. Volunteersaccountability guidelines and
visitors
responsibility codes were strictly adhered to
all the time to ensure appropriate conduct and behavior
of the TPC members.
The spirits of taekwondo and sport ethics were taught
prior to the physical skill learning program. An
emphasis on the philosophical dimension was
reinforced through a mental training practice, which
was designed to familiarize the participants with
the concepts of peace, harmony, fair play, and
respecting the rules and regulations.
4.1.3SelfValues
The spirit of independence is based on self-values.
The values of independence and collaboration were
highlighted simultaneously throughout the taekwondo
competitions and cooperative trainings.
Taekwondo contains diverse educationalselfvalues
such as self-control, self-confidence, self-defense,
team-based problem-solving and so forth.
145
Report on the first Dispatch of the
Each delegation was supposed to manage every task on its own although
one or two local guides were assigned to each delegation. Delegation
members as a team were expected to participate in managerial work
as well as administration of the programs. This gave all the delegation
members chances to develop their ability to self-control, level of selfconfidence, and skills for problem-solving.
The spirits underlying taekwondo is not to be aggressive but defensive.
The concept of self-defense was accentuated at the beginning of the TPC
programs. The TPC programs were specifically designed to foster selfconfidence in participants through enhancement of their ability to defend
themselves. The TPC meditation program for participants and local
instructors, in particular, helped increase the level of self-confidence
remarkably.
4.1.4 Service-oriented Leadership and .Followership
Fostering service-oriented leadership/followership based on spontaneity
and self-confidence nurturing programs were emphasized both in the TPC
volunteer training programs and the TPC programs for local instructors and
participants.
The TPC training programs target on nurturing leadership as an instructor,
master, referee, and colleague. The latest taekwondo curriculum and
instruction methods were introduced through the TPC training programs
to develop membersteaching ability, which highlighted service-oriented
leadership rather than charismatic leadership. The members were
expected to respond to the local instructorsobjectives and participants
needs, and not to behave as a superior officer or a commander. This
effectively facilitated volunteersquicker adaptation to local customs and
better susceptibility to cultural relativism, gender equality and racial
indiscrimination.
146 WTF
Learning taekwondo is to cultivate the spirit of challenge. This does not
mean challenging the instructors or rules. Nurturing the spirit of challenge
is to empower and enable the participants to go beyond their limits and
envision the future. With regard to followership, the importance of showing
respect to their teachers and judges and obeying rules and referee
decisions in competitions was accentuated in the taekwondo philosophy
class.
4.2 Contribution to Social Development
4.1.5 Fair Play

In todays society, the spirit of fair play is stressed in all areas, stretching
to political, economic, social and cultural spheres. Since Dr. Chungwon
Choue, President of the WTF and GCS International, is concurrently serving
as President of the Korean Fair Play Committee (KFPC), a member of
the International Fair Play Committee (IFPC), conceptualization of fair play
had a special weight in the TPC programs. Accordingly, this important
value was accentuated in every class for both TPC volunteers and
participants.
Harmonious collaboration and group effort among the participants were

encouraged in all classes, conveying a message that all humans are equal
and shall be respected in all circumstances.
The TPC volunteer training programs included learning of Olympism. It is
because Olympism constitutes the fundamental principle of all sports
participating in the Olympic Movement and its ideals share with those of
the taekwondo spirit. One of the Olympic ideals is the spirit of fair play,
which was stressed repeatedly as the major theme in all classes.
Local taekwondo instructors and participants were taught about the spirits
of taekwondo, taekwondo etiquette, and fair play in taekwondo through
various classes and TPC activities, underlining respect for the competition
rules and referee decisions as well as for the opponent players.
4.1.6 Democracy
The concepts of spontaneity and accountability are closely related
to democratic values. All the volunteers and participants chose to
join the TPC programs according to their own will, but once they
joined, they were to be strictly responsible/accountable. Getting
accustomed to the values of service-oriented leadership/
followership, fair play, responsibility, accountability, and rule-abiding
attitude through the TPC programs implies exercise of democratic
practice. Taekwondo training, therefore, naturally implants
democratic values in volunteers and participants alike.
The TPC programs may serve as an effective means to educate and
spread the democratic values in youth and children of the
underdeveloped countries, where establishment and consolidation
of a democratic system are still in need.
4.2.1 Anti-Discrimination
All local residents were welcomed to the TPC programs regardless of race,
gender, age, religion, or disability. Since taekwondo does not stress the
physical dimension alone, but psychological and spiritual dimensions as
well, any type of discrimination based on physical appearance was strictly
prohibited in administration and management of the TPC programs.
4.2.2 Communication
Face-to-face communication and open dialogues between local
participants and TPC volunteers helped both parties acquire mutual
understanding of respective culture and build friendship easily. The TPC
programs also offered a basic Korean language class. For participants,
learning Korean, including some verbal orders used in taekwondo training
and competitions, helped develope closer affinity to the sport of
taekwondo. However, language was not the decisive factor in facilitating
communication and special bond between volunteers and local people.
Sport itself was a universal language.
4.2.3 Cultural Understanding and Mutuality
Misunderstanding and ignorance of other cultures have been a major
cause of cultural clashes and conflicts between different civilizations.
Exchange of culture and human resources is, therefore, essential to
enhance mutual understanding and to accept cultural diversity. The TPC
is an example of providing young people opportunities to learn about
different culture and different people in the world. The TPC certainly offered
a unique experience to volunteers to live in a different cultural setting and
participants to learn about the Korean culture. The TPC will be developed
to recruit volunteers from diverse cultures and races to encourage further
cultural exchange.
the project will pursue diversity of volunteers and wider range of TPC
beneficiary. Utility maximization and collective effort are crucial for
the purpose of promoting global peace and harmony through sport. Active
support of the international organizations such as the U.N. and the IOC
as well as global support is called for in order to increase the feasibility of
the resultant effects of the TPC.
5. Conclusion: Promoting Global Peace and Harmony through Sport
The TPC opened a new possibility and a window of opportunity for sportrelated organizations to contribute to the humanity and peace-building.
The TPC teams dispatched in the summer of 2008 were warmly welcomed
and greatly appreciated by the five host countries. The impressive turnout
at the training and enthusiasm shown by the participants certainly reflected
the yearning of the local people for an opportunity to learn and practice
taekwondo.
Above all, the TPC presented an opportunity and resources to children
to enjoy and play and to share important values in life as well as a vision
of never-ending hope, optimism, and confidence.
The TPC participants equally experienced priceless one month of sharing
the spirit of taekwondo, valuable friendship, and special bond with those
who love taekwondo in distant parts of the world. It was agreed by both
volunteers and participants that the first dispatch period was rather short
to grasp the taekwondo culture and spirit in those countries to the full
extent.
Based on the positive experience of this pilot study, the TPC program will
continue with a twice a year short-term dispatch for two months and
a long-term dispatch of instructors for six months to two years, targeting
on more recipients and a larger number of countries. The establishment
of the TPC worldwide will be encouraged with its bases in as many
countries as possible and by incorporating qualified taekwondo instructors
of different nationalities. This will be a significant step toward achieving
global peace and harmony through sport.
4.2.4 Volunteerism
There are a number of volunteer activities in the field of sport. Unlike the
majority of existing volunteer activities in sport, the TPC does not aim
exclusively at increasing the number of taekwondo population or upgrading
taekwondo skills, but at sharing the spirit of peace and harmony through
taekwondo and providing service to the global community. Its goodwill and
service-oriented intent demonstrate a desirable form of consistent
volunteerism in sport.
4.2.5 Collaboration of the International Community
For the purpose of continuity and expansion of the TPC worldwide,
147
Interview with
Paraguayan
Ambassador
to Korea
As far as the passion for taekwondo is concerned, Paraguayan Ambassador to Korea Ceferino
Adrian Valdez Peralta may be second to none among foreign envoys in Korea.
His two daughters are taekwondo practitioners.
Paraguay was the quickest responder to the World Taekwondo Federations invitation to the 2008
summer Taekwondo Peace Corps program.
The WTF selected five countries - Paraguay, China, Russia, Pakistan and India - to send its first
Taekwondo Peace Corps members during the summer of 2008.
On July 11, 2008, the Paraguayan ambassador even invited four members of the 2008 Summer
WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps to his residence in Seoul.
The four volunteers, all Korean university students, left for Asuncion, Paraguay on July 22 and returned
home on Aug. 19. The four members, three taekwondo majors and one Spanish major, taught local
people taekwondo.
Kong Jin-seong, 25, a junior at Donga Universtiy in Busan and majoring in taekwondo,
has found a perfect match between what he studies and what he feels passonate for.
I want to be a taekwondo ambassador.It was his second voluntary mission after Cambodia.
The envoy poured out his personal affection and national interest in the traditional martial art of
taekwondo.
In Paraguay, he said, the word taekwondo is commonly heard at training centers scattered across
the country, along with Korean supermarkets andjimjilbang,or a Korean version of a sauna.
Reflecting his great interest, the ambassador proposed opening a large taekwondo training center
with an offer of land and some other facilities in Paraguay.
It is just not my idea. It has been addressed by the Paraguayan Olympic Committee,he said.
148 WTF
149
WTF to Dispatch 2008 Winter

Members in January 2009
After a successful 2008 Summer WTF

Taekwondo Peace Corps program, the World
Taekwondo Federation will send 2008 Winter
WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps teams to about
10 countries for about two months starting
in January 2009.
The WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps program is
operated as one of the WTF Solidarity programs
for technical enhancement of WTF member
national associations. The WTF plans to expand
the number of Taekwondo Peace Corps
members and the countries to which members
will be sent.
In the summer of 2008, a total of 27 Taekwondo
Peace Corps members were selected and they
underwent two weeks of intensive training-camp
education course in the fields of competition,
poomsae and taekwondo demonstration.
Seven teams were dispatched for about one
150 WTF
month to five countries - Russia (Moscow), India (Mumbai and Goa),

Pakistan (Islamabad), Paraguay (Asuncion), and China (Qingdao and
Urumqi). Reflecting the successful Taekwondo Peace Corps activities,
a growing number of countries are showing interest in the program.
Each team consists of four people - three taekwondo practitioners with
at least 3rd Kukkiwon Dan certificate holders, and one with proficient
language skills.
On July 5, 2008, the WTF launched the 2008 Summer Taekwondo
Peace Corps in a ceremony in Suwon, Korea. The launch ceremony,
which was held at the Suwon campus of Kyung Hee University, drew
27 members of the 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps.
Through the Taekwondo Peace Corps, the WTF can ultimately

contribute to the promotion of world peace,said WTF President Choue
in his welcome speech at the launch ceremony.After consultations with
our 188 member nations, we will dispatch Peace Corps members
to taekwondo-developing countries, especially in Africa and the Middle
East.
Dr. Choue said,If the Taekwondo Peace Corps project is carried out
successfully, then we will expand the program to involve all Olympic
sports into aSport Peace Corpsprogram, in cooperation with
the United Nations and the IOC.
The WTF disbanded the 2008 Summer Taekwondo Peace Corps at the
headquarters of the GCS International in Seoul, Korea on Sept. 6, 2008.
Shortly after taking the helm of the WTF in June 2004, WTF President
Choue promised to launch the Taekwondo Peace Corps, thus helping
enhance the image of taekwondo and the WTF in the international sports
community.
The Taekwondo Peace Corps is promoted by the WTF and organized

by GCS International, a United Nations-recognized non-governmental
organization with a special consultative status with the U.N. Economic
and Social Council. GCS stands for goodwill, cooperation and service.
WTF President Chungwon Choue heads the two international
organizations.
The Taekwondo Peace Corps idea was first raised by Dr. Choue
at an international workshop on sports and peace in Leuven, Belgium
on Sept. 21, 2007, and then at an international forum on peace and
sport in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on Dec. 6, 2007.
151
Moment of
Victory
Taekwondo is a lifetime pursuit and it takes years of training to
develop beautiful techniques and even more training to keep it.
152 WTF
153
Taekwondo is an Effective Educational Tool for Children Worldwide,
WTF President Says
Taekwondo is an effective educational tool

for young people around the world and now is
the time for taekwondo to serve the world, says
president of the worlds taekwondo governing
body.
As part of efforts to promote global peace,
the president says that he hopes the WTFinitiated Taekwondo Peace Corps program
to be expanded into a new entity of the so-called
Sport Peace Corps,in cooperation with
the United Nations and the International Olympic
Committee.
As proven by numerous studies, taekwondo
training has significant educational effects
on children in the stage of personality forming and
emotional vulnerability,said Chungwon Choue,
president of the World Taekwondo Federation.
It teaches youth about justice, morality, respect,
154 WTF
cooperation, lover for one another, and to accept

the universal sport rules of fair play,he said.
enhancement of the young.

This, in effect,
could curtail them from getting involved in youth
delinquency, drugs, alcohol and violence.
wish is a noble act of the taekwondo people.

Dr. Choue said that there are many people in
the world who are deprived of the opportunity
to learn and practice sports due to lack of
necessary equipment, facilities, instructors, and
program, he said. Some countries are desperate
and eager to receive any kind of training
equipment and uniforms, either new or used.
Under the topicThe Value of Korean Traditional

Sport in Youth Education,WTF President Choue The educational value of taekwondo has been
recognized by many countries outside Korea,
made the remarks in the Plenary G session of
the 6th World Forum on Sport, Education and
he said.Last year, the Sichuan and Hunan
provinces in China adopted taekwondo as
Culture at the BEXCO in Busan, Korea on Sept.
27, 2008. Dr. Choues 20-minute presentation
a required course in their elementary schools.
Primary schools in the Boston area and Indonesia As part of its efforts to provide them with such
drew keen interest from the participants in
have introduced taekwondo as a mandatory
the IOC forum.
necessities, the WTF has expanded its assistance
curriculum. Canadas Chatham College
in the form of in-kind contributions to countries
International initiated a residential secondaryThe three-day, IOC-promoted forum, which
in need among its 188 member nations around
opened on Sept. 25 in a ceremony, drew more
school taekwondo program.
the world,WTF President Choue said. The WTF
than 800 world sports leaders, including about 30
has also launched initiatives with other relevant
Taekwondo is not merely a sport, but
IOC members. The biennial event is organized
organizations to send taekwondo equipment
encompasses excellent cultural values and spirits to the disadvantaged countries and to provide
by the metropolitan city of Busan.
that cannot be learned from the textbooks, he
taekwondo training program for coaches and
WTF President Choue said,Through such
said.Sharing these excellent qualities of
athletes from less developed countries.
taekwondo with those who are deprived of
learning, and mental and physical disciplining,
it helps sound personal development and selfthe opportunity to learn and practice despite their One ambitious project by the WTF is sending
155
taekwondo instructors to countries in need of

assistance to offer programmed physical and
mental training to the local people, especially
to the disadvantaged youth.
Dr. Choue said,The Taekwondo Peace Corps
is just the beginning. Inspired by our experience,
I proposed developing the Sport Peace Corps
program to expand the initiative globally and
to involve other sport-related organizations such
as the IOC, U.N. institutions, as well as their
network of relations with the sport-related
institutions and sponsors.
Under the topicThe Value of Korean Traditional Sport in Youth

Education,WTF President Chungwon Choue (at the podium) speaks
during the Parallel G session on the third day of the 6th World Forum on
Sport, Education and Culture at the BEXCO in Busan, Korea on Sept. 27,
2008. At the session, President Choue made a presentation on the WTF
Taekwondo Peace Corps program.
The Sport Peace Corps entails provision of

comprehensive sport-related assistance to the
underdeveloped countries or the U.N.-assigned
areas, he said.
The assistance includes coaching and training
service to the local young athletes, supply of
equipment and facilities, and finding the means
for the competent young people to partake
in international sporting events.
Dr. Choue concluded his presentation by
saying,Someday my vision of the Sport
Peace Corps will be realized to further
promote the Olympic ideal, and offer
chances to youths from wider range of
countries to partake in international
sporting events, where they can showcase
their athletic talent while enjoying
the priceless educational experience.
I assure you that taekwondo will be at
the forefront all the way in the course
of realizing this vision of sharing love and
hope with the world through sport.
156 WTF
157
Busan
IOC Forum
Olympic Culture and Education in Korea
IOC World Forum: Sport and Education for the Now Generation
The Value of Korean Traditional Sport in Youth Education

Chungwon Choue
President, World Taekwondo Federation
The following is the full text of WTF President Chungwon Choues speech delivered at the 6th World
Forum on Sport, Education and Culture at the BEXCO in Busan, Korea on Sept. 27, 2008.
Introduction
Educational
Values
The
Educational
ValuesofofTaekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Peace
Corps
Taekwondo
Peace
Corps
A sound body and mind are inseparably related.

One cannot be mentally sound without being
physically healthy nor be completely healthy
without being mentally sound. The Korean
martial art taekwondo has its essence in training
ones body while cultivating ones spirit.
Taekwondo is a philosophy of action that is
based on several virtues such as self-reflection,
self-discipline, confidence, respect for others,
patience, and the balances of body and mind.
Practicing taekwondo means making ones mind
peaceful by synchronizing mind with movement,
and extending this harmony to ones life and
society. In short, it is a way of life with lasting
inner peace, different from physical fighting skills.
Taekwondo is not merely a sport, but encompasses excellent values and spirits that cannot be learned
from the textbooks. Taekwondo is a defensive martial art of purifying fundamentally offensive
orientation such and fostering ability to socialize and positive interaction based on discipline, courtesy,
respect, and patience. It teaches the youth about justice, morality, cooperation, love for one another,
and to accept the universal sport rules of fair play. Through such learning and disciplining, taekwondo
helps sound personal development and self-enhancement. Taekwondo training is virtually education
for the whole man.
Sharing the excellent qualities of taekwondo with

those who are deprived of the opportunity
to learn and practice despite their wish to do so
is a noble act. Youth in less developed and
underprivileged countries, for instance, have
difficulties practicing taekwondo due to a lack of
necessary equipment, facilities, instructors, or
program. Some countries are desperate and
eager to receive any kind of training equipment
and uniforms, either new or used.
Taekwondo, therefore, is a useful tool for

the education of youth with its proven
positive effects on self-control and character
building. Taekwondo also provides attractive
possibilities for youth to engage and become
involved in society with awareness of
prevalent social and health problems.
This paper outlines such outstanding educational
qualities of taekwondo, and discusses the
mechanism of sharing such values with youth
in the world.
In Korea, there has been increasing demand on taekwondo training for elementary school students.
It is reported that over 90% of taekwondo practitioners registered at private Dojangs are children.
Taekwondo Dojang has now become an important setting for education, in which children learn life
virtues and experience personal growth. The educational value of taekwondo has been recognized
by many countries outside Korea. In 2007, the Sichuan and Hunan provinces in China adopted
taekwondo as a required course in their elementary schools. Indonesia also introduced taekwondo
as a mandatory curriculum in primary schools and Canadas Chatham College International initiated
a residential secondary-school taekwondo program. Considering that taekwondo education at school
can bring about multiple educational effects on both physical and mental discipline of youth, inclusion
of taekwondo in the formal physical education curriculum of primary and secondary schools in Korea
is strongly advisable.
Introduction
158 WTF
There are numerous studies conducted, which found positive effects of taekwondo training on children
and youth in the stage of personality forming and emotional vulnerability. According to the studies,
mental and physical training of taekwondo significantly improves the level of concentration, sociability,
confidence-building, self-possession, leadership, learning attitude, and EQ (Emotional Quotient). It also
helps youth to relieve stress and secure emotional strength. This, in effect, could help youth attain
ability to judge what is right or wrong, therefore, prevent them from getting involved in youth
delinquency, crimes, drugs, alcohol, and violence.
As part of its effort to provide them with such

necessities, the World Taekwondo Federation,
the sole International Federation governing
the sport of taekwondo recognized by the IOC,
has expanded its assistance in the form of in-kind
contributions to countries in need among its 188
member nations around the world. The WTF
has also launched initiatives with other
relevant organizations to send
taekwondo equipment to the
disadvantaged countries and
to provide taekwondo training
program for coaches and athletes
from less developed nations.
One ambitious project by the WTF
is sending taekwondo instructors to countries in need of assistance to offer programmed physical

and mental training to the local people, especially to the disadvantaged youth. In July 2008, the
WTF, together with GCS International launched theTaekwondo Peace Corpsproject. Originally,
the idea came from thePeace Corpsof the United States proposed by John F. Kennedy, which
has been dispatching American volunteers to less developed countries to help on development,
education, information technology and environmental preservation since 1961.
The Taekwondo Peace Corps embraces a similar mission and function. It is comprised of volunteers
from the taekwondo community who wish to share fundamental values and hope through
taekwondo. In 2008, 27 Korean taekwondo instructors were selected as the first Taekwondo Peace
Corps members through a strict procedure of recruitment and selection. They went through a twoweek training course based on the educational program specifically designed for the Taekwondo
Peace Corps activities.
Under the topicThe Value of Korean

Traditional Sport in Youth Education,
WTF President Chungwon Choue (at the
podium) speaks during the Parallel G session on
the third day of the 6th World Forum on Sport,
Education and Culture at the BEXCO in Busan,
Korea on Sept. 27, 2008. At the session,
President Choue made a presentation on the
WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps program.
This includes how to give different levels of training both in Poomsae (form) and kyorugi (sparring)
and how to teach cultural and spiritual aspects of taekwondo. Following a comprehensive
preparatory period, seven teams were dispatched to five applicant nations - Russia (Moscow), India
(Mumbai and Goa), Pakistan (Islamabad), Paraguay (Asuncion), and China (Qingdao and Urumqi) for one month. Each team comprised of competent taekwondo university students who are qualified
for taekwondo education and those who have proficient language skills. The educational packages
such as training booklet, CDs, uniforms, and other equipment were sent along to each region.
The WTF member national associations in respective country offered supplementary assistance like
accommodation and transportation.
The Taekwondo Peace Corps teams were warmly welcomed by the host countries. The impressive
turnout at the training and enthusiasm of the trainees not only reflected the ever-growing popularity
of taekwondo in all parts of the world, but also their yearning for an opportunity to learn and practice
taekwondo. In particular, the Taekwondo Peace Corps activities were received favorably by
the children of less developed countries who had been deprived of opportunity and resources
to enjoy and play. Sport is not only for competent athletes, but for everyone to enjoy.
The Taekwondo Peace Corps members spent the most valuable one month of sharing the spirit
of taekwondo, priceless friendship, and special bond with those who love taekwondo in distant parts
of the world. Hopefully, the Taekwondo Peace Corps presented the youth in host countries with
an opportunity to grow spiritually and cultivate ones body and mind while sharing a vision of neverending hope, optimism, and confidence to those who suffer from material deprivation. The first
dispatch period was rather short to implant the taekwondo culture and spirit in those countries
to the full extent. Based on the experience of this pilot study, the Taekwondo Peace Corps program
will continue with a twice-a-year short-term dispatch for 2 months and a long-term dispatch of
instructors for 6 months to two years, targeting on more recipients and a larger number of countries.
The Taekwondo Peace Corps is just the beginning. Taekwondo is Koreas gift to the world. The gift
package not only has taekwondos oriental spirit and philosophy, but also its service to the humanity
as an instrument for peace and harmony in different geographical, cultural, and social contexts.
The Olympic ideal behind developing sports isto contribute to building a better and more peaceful
world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the
Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.
As demonstrated by the Taekwondo Peace Crops project, taekwondo will lead, rather than merely
follow the movement of fulfilling the goals of Olympism and of contributing to the mankind.
160 WTF
SportPeace
Peace
Corps
Sport
Corps
Inspired by our experience and concept ofTaekwondo Peace Corps,I propose developing
theSport Peace Corpsprogram to expand the initiative globally and to involve other sport-related
organizations. The Sport Peace Corps entails provision of comprehensive sport-related assistance
to the underdeveloped countries or the U.N.-assigned areas. The assistance includes coaching and
training service to the local young athletes, supply of equipment and facilities, and finding the means
and opportunities for the competent young people to partake in international sport events. In addition,
depending on the type of assistance requested by target countries, it would coordinate collaboration
among the stakeholders to gather necessary human and material resources.
This Sport Peace Corps project requires a group of volunteers consisted of coaches, athletes, and
teachers in any sport to be dispatched to serve the assigned community. It also requires participation
of the international organizations such as the IOC, UN institutions as well as their network of relations
with the sport-related institutions and sponsors. The Sport Peace Corps project aims at: 1) utilizing
sport as part of education, training and youth program; 2) provide equipment, skills for education and
training, and coaches for any Olympic sport in countries in need of assistance; 3) give hope and
dreams to young people who are deprived of the opportunity to learn and practice sport, and 4)
contribute to the promotion of friendship and understanding through sport and people-to-people
interaction.
Enhanced partnership and coordination of action of international organizations and International Sport
Federation can indeed create synergy to strengthen the role of sport in solving international economic,
social, cultural and humanitarian problems and promoting peace and development in the world. In this
regard, positive consideration of the Sport Peace Corps and close collaboration of the IOC and the
U.N. are strongly called for.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Healthy body and sound mind of youth is a fundamental basis for the bright future of the mankind.
Sport is a powerful tool to teach young generations the value of justice, morality, cooperation,
understanding and universal sport rules of fair play, while endowing healthy life. Offering various
learning experiences and opportunities for friendship, cultural exchange and education to youth
through sport is what our generation can and should do for them. Accentuating the importance of
creating various educational opportunities through sports, the International Olympic Committee plans
to organize the 1st Youth Olympic Games in 2010 in Singapore. The WTF truly welcomes the IOC
initiative of the Youth Olympic Games, which will mark a major turning point in Olympic history. If put
into practice, the Sport Peace Corps project will surely complement and facilitate the Youth Olympic
Games by offering a chance to youth from wider range of countries to partake in international sporting
events, where they can showcase their athletic talents, while enjoying the priceless educational
experience.
161
162 WTF
163
Magazine
2009,Issue No. 96
ISSN 1599-3779
REVIEW
WTF TAEKWONDO
Publisher / Dr. Chungwon Choue, President
Editor-in-Chief / Mr. Jin Suk Yang, Secretary General
Magazine Director / Mr. Seok-jae Kang, PR Director
Editors / Mr. Jerry Ling, Mrs. Su-jin Chae
Senior Design Adviser / Prof. Kenneth S. Park, Kwangwoon University
Design Adviser / Prof. Hyun-Jong Kang, Yuhan College
Contributing Photographer / Seuk-je Lee
Designed by / GG Company
The WTF is delighted to bring you the official publication of the federation. The WTF Taekwondo magazine
epitomizes our enthusiasm and progressive mindset in leading taekwondo and the WTF in the new centry.
The WTF Taekwondo 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 the useful information on taekwondo.
2009 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.
4th Fl. Joyang Building 113, Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea, 135-090
164 WTF
Tel. (82-2) 566-2505 / 557-5446 Fax. (82-2) 553-4728 Homepage. www.wtf.org E-mail: pr@wtf.org
165
166 WTF
167
168 WTF
169
170 WTF

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Dear taekwondo family members:

I extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the taekwondo family who placed

play as well as to share a vision of never-ending hope, optimism, and

resolution to make every competition results

Witnessing the positive evaluation and education effect of the activities,

Learning from the experience, we will place our

Taekwondo is no longer a sport solely for Koreans. At the 2008 Beijing

Since my inauguration as the WTF President

transparency and internationalization of

Dear taekwondo family members,

Pan America (42)

134.Antigua & Barbuda

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLD TAEKWONDO FEDERATION

OLYMPIC SPECIAL SECTION

TAEKWONDO Ceramic Exhibition

WTF Adopts 2009 World Anti-Doping Code

016 OLYMPIC SPECIAL SECTION

050 Interview with Taekwondo People

Amendment to Competition Rules

22 Nations Win at Least 1 Medal in Taekwondo

define the beauty and importance of

Below are the top five moments that touched

1.Afghanistans FirstEver Olympic Medal

Nikpai created one of the biggest shocks when

Rohullah Nikpai won a bronze medal in the

More importantly, Nikpai reminded us what

World Taekwondo Federation

Overall Medal Tally

Games, it was the first time that the

in Taekwondo Competition at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

As if that is not enough, Olympic history was

Jasons performances earned him an Olympic

Steven and Diana each won a bronze medal in

In the first round of the womens under 57kg

Thanks to the Olympic Solidarity Scholarship

When the Republic of the Marshall Islands

Nonetheless, what followed in the repechage

World Taekwondo Federation

WTF Holds Olympic Coach Seminar,

Participants in WTF Olympic Coach

Olympic Qualification Tournament

WTF President Chungwon Choue said,It is our responsibility to uphold

Olympic Referee Selection Training Camp

tournaments, a great improvement in terms of judging and refereeing.

In a strong show of their commitment to fair play at taekwondo

The seminar participants also resolved torespect and accept the

All the participants, about 100 from about 50 countries, unanimously

Partly thanks to the WTF

World Taekwondo Federation

World Taekwondo Federation

World Taekwondo Federation

World Taekwondo Federation

COMPETITION DAY 1 : August 20, 2008

Competition Day Overview

3. Sara KHOSH JAMAL, the first-ever Iranian female athlete to participate

6. The Dominican Republic

World Taekwondo Federation

COMPETITION DAY 2 : August 21, 2008

Competition Day Overview

Croatia would go on to win another bronze in the women-67kg weight

Despite the excruciating pain, Su persevered. Along the way, however,

World Taekwondo Federation

COMPETITION DAY 3 : August 22, 2008

The following were the highlights of