WTF President Chungwon Choue is attending the 2009 IF Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland, which drew about 250 delegates from 31 of the summer and winter Olympic federations. The third edition of the annual IF Forum, which takes place at the Lausanne Movenpick Hotel on Nov. 16-18, focuses on two main themes of revenue generation, and youth and sport. During the opening ceremony of the event, IOC President Jacques Rogge made a speech, with welcome addresses by Hein Verbruggen, president of Sportaccord, the umbrella body for the International Sport Federations, and Denis Oswald, president of the Ass
Amid high interest from both the public and international media, the World Taekwondo Tour 2009 Mexico wrapped up in a resounding success in Mexico City, Mexico on Nov. 14, 2009.Before a jam-packed gymnasium of the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City, Korea’s Su-jeong Lim defeated Guatemala’s Euda Carias Morales 15-2 to win the top honors in the women’s -57kg category. With the victory, Lim, the gold medal winner both at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2009 World Taekwondo Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark, took home $20,000 in prize money.The United States’ Diana Lopez and Spain’s
The inaugural World Taekwondo Tour will be held in Mexico City, Mexico on Nov. 14, 2009.The World Taekwondo Tour 2009 Mexico, which will take place at the Palacio de los Deportes, will draw 16 top athletes, mostly Olympic and World Championship medal winners.The WTF-promoted event is aimed at entertaining spectators and TV viewers by displaying the spectacular techniques of takwondo. The WTF hopes the event can be further developed into professional taekwondo competitions.The WTF originally planned to hold the event in Mexico City on May 2, 2009, but was put off due to the outbreak of the swin
Korea managed to clinch the overall men’s title atf the 2009 WTF World Taekwondo Championships, which concluded five days of competitions in Copenhagen, Denmark on Oct. 18, 2009. China grabbed the overall women’s title. In the men’s division, Korea won three gold medals and one silver medal for the top place in terms of total points, followed by Iran with one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Spain came next with one gold, one silver and one bronze, while Turkey grabbed one gold and two bronze medals for the fourth place. The United States followed with one gold and one bronze. In the
Spain showed its supremacy in taekwondo, as it won two gold medals on the second day of the 2009 WTF World Taekwondo Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark on Oct. 15, 2009. China also surged ahead with one gold medal.In an action-packed men’s -58kg final match, Spain’s Joel Gonzalez Bonilla brushed aside a stiff challenge from Mexico’s Bamian Villa to earn his country the gold medal.Argentina’s Mauro Crismanich and Afghanistan’s Sayed Rezai shared the bronze medal in the men’s -58kg category.In the women’s -49kg division, Spain’s Brigitte Yague Enrique beat Russian Anna Soboleva to earn her cou
Dr. Chungwon Choue was re-elected to his third term as president of the World Taekwondo Federation at the WTF General Assembly at the Scandic Copenhagen Hotel in Copenbhagen, Denmark on Oct. 13, 2009. Out of a total of 150 votes cast, Dr. Choue garnered 104 votes against 45 by Thailand's Nat Indrapana, with one vote invalid. Choue was first elected president of the WTF in June 2004 for the remainder of his predecessor, and then was re-elected in May 2005 for a four-year term. In the vice presidential elections, Mr. Sun-Jae Park, president of the Italian Taekwondo Federation; Gen. Ahmed Fouly,
A 10-member taekwondo team from Uzbekistan arrived in Korea on July 22, 2009 to receive an intensive taekwondo training at a Korean university in Busan in preparation for the World Youth Taekwondo Camp scheduled for Aug. 6-11 in Seoul and Muju, North Jeolla Province. On July 20, a 21-member Russian taekwondo delegation arrived at Incheon International Airport before traveling to Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, for the team’s intensive training at the two-year Jeonju Vision University. On the same day, 11 athletes from Kazakhstan also arrived in Korea to undergo an intensive training at the Busa
The World Taekwondo Federation will hold a book launch ceremony in Seoul, Korea on April 7, 2009. The book launch ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m. in the Crystal Ball Room on the 3rd floor of the Jamsil Lotte Hotel in Seoul.At the ceremony, two English books will be officially launched: a photo book titled “Taekwondo & The Olympics” and a compilation of works by WTF President Chungwon Choue, titled “Peace in Mind, Sports at Heart.”“The book launch ceremony will serve as a good occasion for the public to better understand the Olympic sport of taekwondo, Korea’s gift to the world, and will
Kia Motors America (KMA) today announced the 2009 Kia Spectra (also known as ‘Cerato’ in some markets), Rio5 and Rondo (also known as ‘Carens’ in some markets) have been included in two MSN Autos Editors’ Top Pick lists in the USA. Kia Spectra (LX) and Rio5 are named to the “Top 10 Cars for Less Than $15,000” list and Rondo is a top pick for “Best Family Cars for Downsizing.” The three vehicles are lauded for offering attractive pricing on top of an impressive combination of quality, space, comfort, value and warranty. “These days, consumers are looking for ways to make their money go further
The WTF General Assembly, the highest decision-making body of the world’s takewondo governing body, has voted to overwhelmingly approve the proposed amendments to the WTF Rules and Regulations and the WTF Competition Rules.The WTF Council convened in Ankara, Turkey on Dec. 15, 2008, on the occasion of the 2009 WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships, to approve the proposed amendments.On Dec. 24, the WTF sent letters to its 188 member national associations and WTF Council members, asking for their votes by email or post by no later than Jan. 31, 2009.“In accordance with Article 20 and Articl