The Olympic Referee Refresher Course for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games opened at the Beijing Shichahai Sports School in downtown Beijing, China on July 14, 2008, for a four-day run, with the full participation of the 29 international referees that will officiate in the Olympic taekwondo competitions on Aug. 20-23, 2008.

Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo Federation, told the international referees in his welcoming speech at the opening ceremony that they are in elite company, but with such status comes the responsibility to ensure the “most exciting, most dynamic and fairest taekwondo competitions ever.”

Mr. Ivan Dibos, member of the International Olympic Committee from Peru and member of the WTF Council, reiterated that the international referees are “the guardians of the sport of taekwondo [who] have an opportunity that others dream of.” As such, it is their responsibilities to ensure fair and sound judgment at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

This course, held for the first time outside Korea, will mainly focus on match management skills, thorough understanding of the WTF Competition Rules and gaining of experience in match simulation practices. The referees will also visit the University of Science and Technology Beijing, which is the taekwondo venue for the taekwondo competitions at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.