The World Taekwondo Federation approved Oman’s new membership and the revised WTF Competition Rules, among others, at its General Assembly in Tijuana, Mexico on March 2, 2010.

With the addition, the WTF has a global membership of 190, ranking among the top 10 International Sport Federations. The WTF targets to raise the figure over 200 in a few years.

The revised WTF Competition Rules contain detailed guidelines on the use of electronic body protectors and an instant video replay system at competition.

The new rules stipulate that coaches shall not leave the 1 meter by 1 meter marked coach’s zone that indicates the position of the coach.

On the duration of the contest, the new rules stipulate that the duration of each round may be adjusted to 1 minute or 1 minute 30 seconds upon the decision of the technical delegate for the pertinent championships.

The General Assembly, which took place at the Grand Hotel Tijuana, also approved the revised WTF Rules and Regulations. The new regulations stipulate the operation of the WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships and special events for the promotion of taekwondo, such as professional taekwondo events.

The participants in the General Assembly received progress reports from the organizing committee for the taekwondo competition of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, the 2011 World Taekwondo Championships, and the 2nd World Para-Taekwondo Championships to be held on May 11 in St. Petersburg, Russia. They were briefed by Mr. Dai-soon Lee, chairman of the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation and WTF vice president, on the preparations for the curriculum of the World Taekwondo Academy at the Taekwondo Park in Muju, Korea.

A day earlier on March 1, the WTF Council voted to decide on the host sites for three of its major events in 2010 and 2011.

China won the right to host the 2010 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on July 25-30, 2010. China outvoted Senegal to earn the honors.

Azerbaijan beat the United States to earn the right to host the 2011 WTF World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for the 2012 London Olympic Games in Baku, while Uzbekistan grabbed the right to host the 5th WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Tashkent this year as it outvoted Vietnam. [By WTF/NBC-1TV H. J Yook]