[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] SEOUL, Korea (February 1, 2021) - The World Taekwondo Council met virtually today for its first Extraordinary Council meeting of 2021, with a particular emphasis placed on the safe return of taekwondo events this year. 

This year is scheduled to see the return of the two biggest events in the taekwondo calendar – the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Wuxi 2021 World Taekwondo Championships. During the meeting, the Council discussed that the federation is continuing to plan for Tokyo 2020 to go ahead and aims to have held the final two Continental Qualifications for Asia and Europe by May. 

The Council heard that the dates for the World Championships have been amended slightly in agreement with the host city and Organizing Committee. The World Championships are scheduled to take place on October 12 - 18 and the World Para Taekwondo Championships will be held on October 21 – 22. The Council Meeting will be held on October 10, the General Assembly and Opening Ceremony on October 11. In addition, as of February 1, 2021, there are 72 taekwondo events planned for this year. That includes 15 World Taekwondo events (including five online events), 10 taekwondo competitions at multi-sport events, 9 Continental Union promoted events and 38 World Taekwondo recognised events.

This year will see a number of inaugural events including the World Taekwondo Women’s Open Championships, World Taekwondo Grand Prix Challenge, World Taekwondo Urban Championships and Super Talent Show.

World Taekwondo President Choue said:

“Restarting our competitions is a priority; for our athletes, for our fans and for the future of our sport. However, we have to make sure that we have robust plans in place to ensure that our events can be held safely. This is something we have been working on carefully as it should not be rushed and must be guided by expert advice. Stakeholder safety is our priority and I would like to thank the host cities and organizers for their preparation to ensure the health of our athletes and officials at their events.

“We have many excellent events planned for this year; from the biggest events – the Olympic and Paralympic Games and World Championships – to a number of new exciting and innovative competitions. We look forward to a great year of taekwondo.” 

During, the Council meeting, there was also a presentation on governance and a discussion on how World Taekwondo can further improve its governance and support its Member National Associations in doing so.

The next Council meeting is proposed to be a hybrid Extraordinary Council meeting in Seoul on April 22-24 should quarantine measures have been relaxed. If the situation does not improve, the next Extraordinary Council meeting will take place virtually on April 21.