Preparations for the 3rd WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships slated for Dec. 16-18, 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 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.

“The Turkey Poomsae Championships has 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.”

In a Nov. 27, 2008 letter to the WTF, the Organizing Committee of the 2009 Summer Universiade confirmed that, despite financial contstraints, both taekwondo kyorugi and poomsae will be included, as planned, in the official program of the 2009 Universiade scheduled for July 1-12, 2009 in Belgrade, Serbia.

Mr. Metin, the bronze medalist in the men’s 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 first-ranked athlete in individual competitions, and random tests among the first-ranked pair or team athletes.”

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 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 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.
[By NBC-1TV H. J Yook]