[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven was awarded the 10th Honorary Black belt by WTF President Dr. Chungwon Choue on Friday in recognition of his outstanding support for the sport of taekwondo.

The awarding ceremony took place at the reception for the 1st WTF President Cup-European Region which was held at Telekom Dom in Bonn, Germany on 8 April, 2016. Sir Craven was presented with the belt following a period of close collaboration between the IPC and WTF.

The WTF was recognized by the IPC in 2013 and worked with the organization to grow para-taekwondo around the world, in line with international best practice. In January 2015, the IPC Governing board awarded para-taekwondo a place on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games sports programme.

Speaking after the ceremony, WTF President Dr. Chungwon Choue said:

“We are delighted to award Sir Philip Craven with the 10th Honorary Black belt. The WTF has worked closely with the IPC over the last few years and Sir Craven has played a major role in helping us to develop para-taekwondo. Getting para-taekwondo onto the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games was a huge honour and we will continue to work with the IPC to grow our sport around the world.”

After receiving the belt, Sir Craven praised the WTF for the ongoing development of para-taekwondo and spoke of his sense of unity with the taekwondo family.

Before joining the reception, Sir Craven welcomed the delegates from the WTF, headed by Dr. Choue, to the headquarters of the IPC located in Bonn.