[By WTF/NBC-1TV H. J Yook]The commemorative events of the 2011 Taekwondo Day, which falls on Sept. 4, started with a 240km march across the country by about 80 taekwondo students in a ceremony on Aug. 27, 2011.
A launching ceremony for the “March Across the Nation” was held at the construction site of the Taekwondo Park in Muju, central Korea, with the attendance of ranking taekwondo officials, from the World Taekwondo Federation, the World Taekwondo Peace Corps Foundation, the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation and the Muju County.
About 80 taekwondo students, including about 30 members of the Taekwondo Peace Corps, are participating in the 240km march from Muju to Seoul through Daejeon and Suwon. They are scheduled to arrive in the afternoon of Sept. 3 at the Lake Park in Ilsan, northwest of Seoul.
The march across the nation event is one of various programs to commemorate the 2011 Taekwondo Day, which is organized by the WTF, in cooperation with the Kukkiwon, the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation and the Korea Taekwondo Association.
“Under the slogan “Shouting Peace in Taekwondo,” other commemorative events for the 2011 Taekwondo Day include the “Taekwondo Demonstration Festival” and the “Peace Concert,” both scheduled for Sept. 3 at the Lake Park in Ilsan. On Sept. 4, a ceremony to mark the 2011 Taekwondo Day will take place at the Renaissance Seoul Hotel in Seoul.
The WTF designated Sept. 4 as Taekwondo Day at its General Assembly in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2006, and has since marked the day. On Sept. 4, 1994, the International Olympic Committee decided at its Session in Paris, France to adopt taekwondo as an official sport of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.
In 2007, the Korean government, enacted a law on taekwondo promotion and the establishment of Taekwondo Park. On Sept. 4, 2008, the Korean government and the four taekwondo organizations in Korea - the WTF, the Kukkiwon, the Korea Taekwondo Association and the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation – jointly celebrated the Taekwondo Day.