[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] SEOUL, Korea (October 10, 2021) - The World Taekwondo Council met virtually today ahead of tomorrow’s General Assembly which will see the elections of the President, Council members and Auditor. World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue opened the meeting by congratulating the President and members who have been elected onto their respective Continental Union Councils:• Issaka Ide (Niger) – World Taekwondo Africa President• Kyu Seok Lee (Republic of Korea) – Asian Taekwondo Union President• Sakis Pragalos (Greece) – European Taekwondo Union President• John Kotsifas (Austral
[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] CHIBA, Japan (September 4, 2021) - World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue met with Para Taekwondo star Parfait Hakizimana, a Burundian refugee living in Rwanda during the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. President Choue praised Hakizimana for all he has achieved and presented him with his black belt in Chiba on the last day of competition at Tokyo 2020. Hakizimana had lost his first match at Tokyo 2020 in the M-61kg on September 2 but reflected positively on his experience. “To come here a lot of people helped me,” he said. “I would like to thank the children that I teach at
[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] SEOUL, Korea (29 August, 2021) - World Taekwondo today praised the collective efforts of theInternational Paralympic Committee (IPC), the Centre for Sports and HumanRights, and governments in working with the federation to ensure AfghanistanPara Taekwondo athlete Zakia Khudadadi can compete at the Paralympic GamesTokyo 2020. In a major operation, World Taekwondo was involved in ensuringmembers of the Afghanistan delegation were able to travel to Tokyo. Khudadadiwas joined by Para Athletics athlete Hossain Rasouli and Chef de Mission ArianSadiqi from Paris to Tokyo. Khudada
[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] SEOUL,Korea (17 August 2021) - World Taekwondo today hosted a Joint ParalympicWorkshop for approximately 60 coaches and international technical officialsahead of the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. ParaTaekwondo will make its historic Paralympic Games debut in Tokyo and the JointWorkshop was an opportunity to run through important rules and procedures forthe Para Taekwondo competitions. A total of 30 referees (15 male and 15 female)from 30 countries will officiate the competitions in Tokyo. Just like in Rio2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, World Taekwondo is sending equal nu
[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] SEOUL, Korea (August 11, 2021) - The World Taekwondo Election Committee today announced the list of the eligible candidates running for election at the virtual election on 11 October. Incumbent President Chungwon Choue is the sole candidate standing as President. A total of 40 candidates, representing all five continents, are standing for the 17 available Council member positions and 2 candidates are standing for the one Auditor position. This includes 11 female candidates, which is a significant increase on the number of female candidates who ran at the last elections and
[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] CHIBA, Japan (July 22, 2021) – TheTaekwondo that will be contested at Tokyo 2020 will not be the sameTaekwondo that was contested at Rio 2016 as the game continues to develop,improve and innovate. New players are joining the game, newtechnology is upgrading transparency, a new look is upgrading sportspresentation and a new, high-impact format is being introduced as a showcase. Moreover, a new regulation is beingimplemented to ensure athletes’ wellbeing. Diehard fans, however, should not fret:The changes are evolutionary, not revolutionary. All these innovations will beon s
[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] CHIBA, Japan (22 July, 2021) - Theeagerly anticipated competition draw was today held ahead of the Olympictaekwondo competition on the 24-27 July as team leaders discovered who theirathletes will be facing in Tokyo. The full competition draw can be found here. Ahead of the competition draw, TeamLeaders from the 61 participating NOCs plus the refugee team attended the TeamLeaders Meeting. During the meeting World Taekwondo Committee chairs deliveredreports on a number of important areas such as the competition schedule,competition rules and medical rules and safety procedur
[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] From the dusty fields of a Rwandan refugee camp to the blazing lights of Tokyo’s Makuhari Messe – sport is doing wonders for this Para Taekwondo star. (July 1, 2021) - Para Taekwondo star Parfait Hakizimana, a Burundian refugee living in Rwanda, was named to the Paralympic Refugee Team this afternoon. Living in a camp for internally displaced people in 1996 because of the Burundian Civil War, he lost his mother and received an injury that left his arm permanently debilitated when he was eight. Fearing for his life, he later left the country permanently when unrest in Burun