The first World Taekwondo Grand Prix is over successfully
in Manchester, British.
The competition was below and above the
expectation but it gives new possibilities to new taekwondo match so it was
half successes competition.
World Taekwondo
Federation (WTF) held ‘2013 WTF World Taekwondo Grand prix final’ held like
show case concept at Central Center in Manchester, British.
WTF President Cho
Jeongwon said” we held London Olympic and Puebla world championship successfully,
we should change better and ready for next Rio Olympic. Olympic game should not stop alternation and
reformation.”
Followed by” Now to make taekwondo as popularity
marital art sports is the object of our changes’, “we will make citizen of
world to wait taekwondo game expectantly.”, “ it is possible, this Grand Prix
will be representative of taekwondo’s popularity.”, he said.
The stadium was
quiet impressive. They used old Manchester
Central station that has 133years of history. Manchester remodels this station
as complex convention center but they still preserve historical symbols.
Inside of stadium
there is over 2,000 stands and 4 courts as diamond shape. In a main court it
display LED billboard to advertise this competition sponsor for the first
time. The world’s largest broadcaster
BBC and Eurosports live streaming games in 97 countries and in Youtube.
All of the games are paid. In 13th
and 14th morning game there wasn’t lots of audience but during
evening game the seats are almost full. Especially, last day of competition, audiences
are crowed in the morning. It can be impact of weekend but it can be new star
Jade Johnson was competing on last day of the competition. Jade Johnson is
London Olympic gold medalist.
Jade Johnson was
in injured but he participate this competition because it’s first grand prix
and also held in his country. He earn silver medal with injured in this game.
This competition’s big game was returning match of
Aaron Cook (IMN) and Steven Lopez (USA)’s quarter final game. The winner of
this match was Aaron Cook; he defeated Steven Lopez with same technique in
4years ago. But Aaron Cook loses in semi-final game.
The semi-final and final games are
held in evening to consider paid audience and provide live streaming in golden
times. They invited London Olympic male announcer to make games excitement.
From semi-final games they only held
in main quarts. The players comes on court with glaring light and introducing
by announcer in courts like F-1 or UFC games,
The host broadcast BBC request black
mat and rating was not good as expected. The coated mat reflected light and it contrast
with white uniform color. WTF said this in one of the several of try; it can
change colors of mat.
WTF secretary general Jean Marie said” it was
wonderful event, this event can be confident to be Taekwondo as world sport”. “And
“it shows possible of that taekwondo can be successful as pro sports.”
WTF will held G-3 series next year in
July and October twice and G-8 final in December. Currently Mexico, Russia,
China, British, Kazakhstan and Qatar are intent to hold next competition. The
venue will announce next year in January.
The concern becomes reality. Kukkiwon vice president positions will vacancy shortly. The problem is serious, because it happen only 2weeks after appoint Noh Sun Myeong as vice president. Cause of this problem is internal conflict.
Kukkiwon continue the 9th temporary board of director that is adjourned last time. The point of this meeting is asked vice president Noh Sun Myeong’s serve consecutive terms. His term is over on February, 12th 2014,
Chairman of board of director Hong Munjong trying to delegate appoint director but other director Lim Yuntaek, Kim Chungeun and Kim Hyeonseong strongly opposed Hong Munjong’s decision. Eventually deicide vote to decide. In that situation the directors are shouting each other and make meeting atmosphere worst. So chairman stop the meeting and talks to few directors individually but it was meaningless.
They finally agree with decision by vote about extend vice president Noh Sun Myeong’s term. Directors trying to hear Noh Sun Myeong’s opinion before the voting but unexpectedly he gives up extend his term.
Vice president Noh Sun Myeong said” there is director who is elect and director who is elect by chairman’s election right.” And “if they have to vote cause of the different opinion, I will give up my terms. I don’t want board of director is conflict cause of me.”
As a result throughout this meeting, Chairman Hong Munjong political leadership got damage. Because many of directors selected him as chairman for few months and he still can’t control board of directors.
They will hold temporary board of director before end of this year to make decision about new appoint director and inspector.
2013 WTF World
Taekwondo Grand Prix M-80kg Aaron Cook VS. Steven Lopez quarter final game
There was rival match in ‘2013 WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix’
M-80kg quarter final game. The rivals are two-time Olympic champion and
five-time world gold medalist Steven Lopez (USA) and Aaron Cook(IMN) who is
defeat Steven Lopez in 2009 Mexico World Taekwondo Tour final game.
The game started with slugfest, first score goes to Aaron Cook and
Lopez was trying to recover losing point but Aaron Cook keep leading game and
score four more points and first round finished with 6-1.
In second round, Steven Lopez counter-attack trying to overturn
game. Steven Lopez keep attack and Aaron Cook keep defense. In this situation
Aaron Cook keeps losing score by warning accumulate and it finished with 9-5.
In final round, two players movement is faster. Aaron Cook keep scoring
points with bada-chagi and Steven Lopez keep using fist to recover losing
point. In score 11-7, the time left only 40seconds and Steven score 3 points
and chase one points difference.
But Aaron keeps his way and continuously scores more points. In score
13-10, Steven finally evened the score but cause of the warning accumulate
gives one point to Aaron and it was close game with score 14-13.
The game continues and it’s hard to predict who will go to be winning.
When last 10 seconds left, Aaron scores final point with face spin kick. The
stadium was full with exclaimed because that technique was same technique that
Aaron defeat Steven in 4 years ago. The final score is 17-14 and winner was
Aaron Cook.
Host Great Britain, Sweden and Chinese Taipei clinched one gold medal each on
the second day of the inaugural 2013 WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in
Manchester, the United Kingdom on 14 December, 2013.
Great Britain's Lutalo Mustafa Muhammad, the bronze medalist at the 2012
London Olympic Games, needed a fourth golden-point round to grab the gold medal
in the men's -80kg category against Russia's Albert Gaun.
After three rounds of competition at the Manchester Central Convention
Complex, Muhammad and Gaun were drawn to a 2-2 score and his left-foot attack to
the body of Gaun in the fourth sudden-death round earned him the top honors,
thrilling the home fans.
In the division, Turkey's Yunus Sari and the Isle of Man's Aaron Cook shared
the bronze medal.
"It was a nearly close match and it was a fantastic fight. I am happy to be
the golden-point winner at the 1st Grand Prix event," Muhammad said after the
victory ceremony.
Muhammad, who started taekwondo at the age of 3, said, "I wanted to come out
today at the home ground and I proved that I can do." The 22-year-old Muhammad
said he wouldl compete at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and beyond.
In the men's -58kg final match, Chinese Taipei's Chen-Yang Wei brushed aside
a stiff challenge from Korea's Tae-hun Kim to beat Kim 6-5 for the gold medal.
Wei, the bronze medalist in the men's -58kg division at the 2013 Puebla World
Championships and the bronze medalist in the men's -63kg at the 2011 Gyeongju
World Championships, advanced to the final match by defeating Mexico's Damian
Alejandro Villa Valadez 2-0 in a semifinal match.
In the division, the bronze went to Mexico's Villa Valadez and Iran's Hadi
Mostean Loron.
In the women's -67kg division, Sweden's Elin Maria Katarina Johansson easily
beat Chinese Taipei's Chia Chia Chuang 9-2 to earn her country the first gold
medal at the inaugural Grand Prix event.
Johansson, the US Open champion, reached the final match as she beat Russia's
Anastasiia Baryshnikova 2-0 in a semifinal match.
France's Haby Niare and Russia's Baryshnikova shared the bronze medal in the
same category.
Besides final matches, the quarterfinal match between the Isle of Man's Aaron
Cook and Steven Lopez of the United States drew a special interest from both the
public and international media, in which Cook came from behind to equalize the
score at 9-9 at the end of the third round. In a fourth golden-point round, Cook
successfully delivered a turning kick to the body of Lopez to advance to the
semifinal round.
The third and final day of competition, on 15 December, features two weight
categories: the women's -57kg and the men's -68kg.
Spain and Russia grabbed
one gold medal each on the third and final day of the2013 WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in
Manchester, the United Kingdom on 15 December, 2013.
After three days
of competitions at the inaugural 2013 WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final,
Russia topped other countries in the overall medal tally as it took home two
gold medals, one silver medal and one bronze medal.
Host Great Britain
came next with two golds and one silver, followed by Spain with two golds,
Chinese Taipei with one gold and one silver, and Sweden with one gold. Korea
came next with three silvers and one bronze, while Brazil and Canada clinched
one silver each.
A total of 231
athletes from 59 countries competed for top honors at the 2013 World Taekwondo
Grand Prix final, which took place at the Manchester Central Convention
Complex.
In the women's -57kg
category, Spain's Eva Calvo Gomez brushed aside a stiff challenge from Great
Britain's Jade Jones to win the final match 4-3 for the gold medal.
Calvo Gomez, the
bronze medalist at the 2013 Puebla World Championships and the 2010 Spanish
Open gold medal winner, reached the final match by edging down France's
Floriane Liborio in a fourth golden-point round.
Jade Jones, the
gold medalist at the 2012 London Olympic Games and the silver medalist at the
2011 Gyeongju World Championships, came from behind to beat China's Yuzhuo Hou
in a semifinal match to advance to the final match.
In the men's -68kg
final match, Russia's Alexey Denisenko, the bronze medal winner at the 2012
London Olympic Games and the gold medalist at the 2013 Russia Open, earned his
country the gold medal as he managed to defeat Canada's Maxime Potvin 1-0.
Denisenko made it
to the final match by beating Iran's Behnam Asbaghikhanghah 5-4, while Potvin,
the silver medalist at the 2009 World Championships and the gold medalist at
the 2012 Pan American Championships, reached to the final match as he
outpointed Iran's Bagheri Motamed 3-0.
Host Great Britain, Spain and Russia took one gold medal each on the opening day of the inaugural 2013 WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final in Manchester on 13 December, 2013.
Great Britain's Mahama Cho required a fourth golden-point round to earn his country the gold medal in the men's +80kg division against Brazil's Guilherme Cezario Felix.
After three rounds of competition, Cho and Felix were tied at 2-2 and his right-hand punch in the fourth sudden-death round gave him the victory, exciting the home fans.
In the category, the bronze went to Gabon's Anthony Mylann Obame and Korea's Dong-min Cha.
"I did my best and my biggest dream has come true," said the 24-year-old Cho shortly after the final match. "My next dream is the 2016 Rio Olympics and I am confident that I will make it."
Cho, who started taekwondo at the age of 8, said he won the final match against Felix at the 2012 French Open.
In the women's -49kg final match, Spain's Brigida Yague Enrique easily defeated Korea's So-hui Kim 9-1 to earn her country the gold medal.
Yague Enrique, the silver medalist at the 2012 London Olympic Games and four-time world champion, needed a fourth golden-point round to reach the final match against Chinese Zhao Yi Li.
In the category, the bronze went to China's Zhao Yi Li and France's Yasmina Aziez.
In the women's +67kg category, Russia's Olga Ivanova beat Korea's In-jong Lee 2-1 in the final match to take the gold medal.
Mexico's Briseida Acosta Balarezo and the Netherlands' Reshmie Shari Oogink shared the bronze medal in the division.
Russian Ivanova, the gold medalist in the women's +73kg division at the 2013 Puebla World Taekwondo Championships, advanced to the final match by crushing the Netherlands's Oogink 12-3. Korea's Lee reached the final match as she outpointed Mexican Maria del Espinoza 9-6.
A total of 231 athletes, including 115 males, from 59 countries are competing for top honors at the 2013 WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final event, which kicked off on 13 December for a three-day run at the Manchester Central Exhibition Complex.
For the first time ever in WTF history, all semifinal and final matches are conducted on a black-mat court, which are televised live about 100 countries around the world.
The Grand Prix final features four male and four female Olympic weight categories and the maximum number of athletes per Olympic weight division is 32.
Day 1 result - World Taekwondo GP - 2013 Final
Female -49kg: Gold medal- YAGUE ENRIQUE, BRIGIDA(Spain), Silver - KIM, So Hui(Korea), Bronze - LI, ZHAO YI(China), AZIEZ, YASMINA (France)
The World Taekwondo Federation and the United Nations on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP) signed a partnership agreement on 13 December, 2013 at the Manchester Central Exhibition Complex in Manchester, the United Kingdom.
The agreement was inked between WTF President Chungwon Choue and Mr. Wilfred Lemke, under secretary general of the UNOSDP and special advisor to the UN Secretary General on sport for development and peace.
The signing took place on the opening day of the 2013 WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix Final.
Under the agreement, the UNOSDP agreed to offer to assist the WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps for para-taekwondo, while granting the WTF an opportunity to send two participants from the WTF Taekwondo Peace Corps and/or the WTF internship program to the next possible Youth Leadership Program (YLP).
The WTF also agreed to give the UN side an opportunity to promote the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at least one of the WTF-promoted championships. They also agreed to organize joint promotional events to support the UN MDGs in UN facilities.
The two parties agreed to create a link from its official web site to the other party's web site.
Disability has not prevented a Ukrainian girl
from overcoming a tragic past and winning gold at the Aruba World Para-Taekwondo
Championships. But her joy was short-lived. Today, as her coach Yuliya Volkova
writes, she needs help.
My name is Yuliya Volkova. I am 33-years-old,
andam a Ukrainian athlete and coach. I love taekwon- do, a sport I had dreamed
of since I was seven, but I was not able to start practicing until I was 21.
Even so, I have been fortunate to compete in a
number of tournaments, and won a bronze medal at the European Championships in
2010.
My coach is my husband, Yuriy Babak, who was the
national female team coach from 2001-2007. He is currently secretary general of
the Ukraine Taekwondo Federation. As I am a graduate of Zaporizhzhya University
in sport, we coach together.
Three years ago, not far from our dojang, we met
a boy with a disabil- ity: He only had one arm. His name is Anton, and he is
today 12. We asked him and his mother if he would like to take up taekwondo. He
agreed, and is now a blue belt, who competes across Ukraine.
He was our dojang's first para-athlete. We
decided to look for more such children, and offer them taekwondo. This made us
the first (and so far, the only) dojang offering taekwondo training to the
disabled in the country. Now we have seven such children, aged from six to 14,
training with us.
We also have one senior. Her name is Vika. She is
our champion and this is her story.
In December 2011, Viktor Shavlo, a sport teacher
at Zaporizhzhya , told us of a girl he knew who was disabled, but seemed a
promising potential taekdondo student. That is how we met Vika, or, to give her
full name, Viktoriia Marchuk.
When we first talked to her she was very quiet
and shy and was not sure whether she wanted to take up taekwondo – a sport she
had never even seen. So we invited her to a New Year's party at the do- jang,
and showed her some pictures and video from the World Para-Taekwondo
Championships. She took some time to think about it.
In January 2012, she decided to accept our offer.
I was immediately impressed by her leg strength and flexibility: She was a
natural! As I taught her the kicks and footwork, I really found myself enjoying
the teaching. And her talent was not just physical, it was mental, too. From the
first, Vika told me that she was there to be a winner. We told her about the
upcoming para-championship in Aruba in 2012. She said she would do any necessary
training to become a champion.
Perhaps her determination was rooted in her past
– for Vika's past is a heart-breaking story. After being born with disabilities
in Kiev in 1990 - she has Holt-Oram syndrome and only one arm - the baby Vika
was abandoned by her parents. She spent her childhood in an orphanage, a place
with terrible facilities.
Today, Vika does not like to remember or even
talk about her lost childhood. She is currently a student at Zaporizhzhya
College and is planning to go to Zaporizhzhya National University this summer in
order to become a coach in her future. Before coming to taekwondo, she
specialized in track and field.
We knew that she had had a heart operation, and
that before she started training, she was under medical supervision. We checked
with her doctors; they said that everything was OK. When she started, she was
doing taekwondo three times weekly, two hours each session. Then she upped her
training to six times a week. Soon, she was train- ing twice a day, for two
hours per session. In June 2012, she took part in the first-ever Ukrainian
Para-Taekwondo Championships, an initiative of my husband.
In August, we held a training camp in the
mountains on the Black Sea coast. It was hard, but Vika did her best. She was
motivated to be a champion - a world champion. She spent that summer in our
house. I noticed that she did not sleep well. The problem was her shoulder. In
September – just two months before the championship - she had an operation.
Within two weeks, although heavily bandaged, she was back in training. This was
true force of character.
By now, Aruba was looming. There is no
governmental support in Ukraine for para-taekwndo. The trip would be expensive:
We need- ed around US$5,000. I looked for sponsors for two months – nothing, not
even any interest. Mercifully, we have friends, who gave us some money for
flight tickets. Even so, it was not enough.
Fortunately, I had a friend in Germany. In July I
had been invited to Germany for two training camps to help the female athlete
Sümeyye Manz to prepare for the Olympics. At that time, I spoke with her uncle,
Özer Gülec, about my training of children with disabilities. He said then,
that if I needed help, to ask him. So I did.
And in November, I competed at the Swiss Open,
where I was fortu- nate enough to win a bronze. Athletes from Nuremburg
Taekwondo Club Özer, hearing Vika's story, generously donated some of their own
money.
With all this assistance from friends and fellow
athletes, our Aruba dream could be realized.
The flight was a long one – and the first
overseas trip for Vika. I worried about her shoulder, but she looked confident.
Aruba proved beautiful. The hotel was excellent, all the people were very kind.
Next morning we had training, then weigh-in and registration. I was very
nervous, but tried not to show it to Vika. I had a bad night...
The big day arrived. Vika seemed even more
focused than usual. The opening ceremony was hot and loud. I could hear Vika
whispering to herself, "I must win, win."
Her first match was easy enough and by 3 p.m, she
was ready for the final. Then we heard that her match had been put back: It
would be the last bout of the day. Finally, the hour arrived. Vika stepped onto
the mat. Could a girl with only nine months of training fight at this level of
competition?
She rose to the occasion. Gold! The disabled girl
who had been aban- doned at birth was at last a champion.
It was Ukraine's first-ever medal in
para-taekwondo, and the first-ever medal for Ukraine in a Senior World
Championship. We were ecstatic and all our friends shared our delight. I had
never seen Vika looking joyful. Now, at last, I did. Sport – in this case,
taekwondo – truly has the power to realize dreams and to change lives.
Back home, the euphoria soon evaporated. In
Ukraine, we were told that it was a "random gold medal." Moreover, the ministry
told us there were few athletes and few countries competing in Aruba. So no.
There would be no prize money. No training grants. No financial support for the
next world championships.
We were unhappy, but got back into training. That
is when even worse news hit us. Vika's shoulder was in pain. We found that her
operation had been unsuccessful. Her condition deteriorated; she has cysts on
her shoulder and is in constant pain. Ukrainian doctors are unable to help
her.
This is Vika's story, up to 2013. She is a fine
student, a gifted athlete, a tribute to our sport. Life has not been kind to
her. She deserves bet- ter... hence this story.
Mexico's men's team and Korea's women's team claimed gold today in the final day of the 2013 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.
Fans at the Palais des Sports venue, and those watching online, were treated to an excellent standard of taekwondo on an enthralling and tense climatic third day.
In the first of the day's men's quarter-finals, Mexico overcame a spirited display from Brazil, winning the match 24-21. Korea booked their place in the semi-finals shortly after, defeating the USA 17-11.
In the other two quarter-finals, Russia beat Senegal 39-9 to continue their unbeaten record at the Championships and host nation, Cote d'Ivoire, managed to overcome China 17-15, in an extremely tense match.
Up next, were the women's semi-final matches between Korea and France, and Cote d'Ivoire and China. Korea maintained their 100% record and defeated France 17-13. China then took on Cote d'Ivoire and after an excellently contested match, came away with the win and a place in the final thanks to a 17-9 victory.
Fans had to wait until the afternoon to find out which teams who would be awarded the gold medals as athletes were given a break ahead of the men's semi-finals and final and women's final.
After the break, Mexico took to the mat against Korea for the first men's semi-final. There was very little between the two sides, but Mexico just edged it, winning 9-8. Russia took on Cote d'Ivoire in the second semi-final, but with the crowd spurring them on, Cote d'Ivoire won the match 17-16, much to the delight of the home fans.
The women's final was up first with an unbeaten Korean team taking on China. The atmosphere was electric but despite a valiant effort from China the Korean side was too strong and won the match 12-9 to take the gold medal, leaving China with silver. Cote d'Ivore and France claimed joint bronze.
The home crowd was hoping to see their men's team take gold as Mexico and Cote d'Ivoire took to the mat for the men's final. Fans were treated to an outstanding match which was a fitting reward for the superbly organised competition. But the hosts fell just short as Mexico took the top prize thanks to a 17-11 win leaving Cote d'Ivoire with silver and Korea and Russia with bronze.
170 athletes from 15 countries took part in the three-day Championships which were officiated by 82 qualified referees.
COTE D’IVOIRE SECURE PLACE IN QUARTER-FINALS OF THE 2013 WTF WORLD CUP TAEKWONDO TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS IN FINAL MATCH OF DAY 2
Cote d'Ivoire's men's team overcame Brazil in dramatic fashion in the final match of day two of the 2013 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships in Abidjan today, to secure themselves a place in the quarter-finals of the Championships alongside Brazil, China, Mexico, Korea, Russia, Senegal and the USA.
The match concluded an excellent day of competition which saw many closely fought matches, all contested in the spirit of friendship and fair play.
The women's team from host nation, Cote d'Ivoire opened proceedings this morning with a match against USA, narrowly beating the American team by three points. Only three points separated the next two women's teams to take to the mat, as China defeated France 11-8 in their Group B match.
After the lunch break, Korea defeated the USA 22-12 to maintain their 100% record in the Championships and secure themselves top spot in Group A. That left Cote d'Ivoire and Spain to battle it out for second place. To the delight of the home crowd, Cote d'Ivoire beat France 11-9 in a very tense and exciting match.
In Group B, China beat Russia 10-8, in their third straight victory of the preliminaries, putting them top of Group B. Meanwhile France beat Mali 10-1 to book a place in tomorrow's knock-out matches.
Tomorrow, Korea will face France, while Cote d'Ivoire will take on China in the two female team semi-finals.
Meanwhile in the men's competition, China scored 22 points to France's 15 in their opening match giving them their first win of Group A. Mexico picked up from where they left off yesterday, beating Spain 28-21 and putting themselves top of the group with two wins and a draw. In the final match of Group A, Spain beat China 26-21; however it was not enough for the Spaniards to qualify for tomorrow's quarter-finals and China went through.
In Group B, Russia secured a place in tomorrow's quarter-finals before the lunch break, as they beat the USA 18-10. However, despite losing to Russia, USA's men's team managed to finish second in the group by beating Gabon 24-11 later in the afternoon.
Over in Group C, Senegal's men's team overcame a spirited display from the Democratic Republic of Congo to win 36-20, but were unable to defeat Korea later in the day, with the two teams finishing with 25 points each. This meant both Korea and Senegal finished the group with one win and one draw, but Korea claimed top spot courtesy of a slightly superior points difference.
Finally in Group D, Brazil managed to win their opening match of the Championships, having not played yesterday, as they defeated Nigeria by the smallest of margins, 10-9. Despite losing to host nation, Cote d'Ivoire in the final match of the day, the South American team claimed second place in Group D courtesy of their win over Nigeria and will compete in the quarter-finals tomorrow.
In the men's quarter-finals tomorrow, Mexico will take on fellow South Americans, Brazil; Korea will face the USA; Russia will take to the mat against Senegal; and Cote d'Ivoire will be looking to overcome China.
HOST NATION, COTE D’IVORIE, WINS OPENING MATCH ON FIRST DAY OF WTF WORLD CUP TAEKWONDO TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
Cote d'Ivoire's men's team beat fellow African nation, Nigeria, 23-11 today on the opening day of the WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire.
The men's team's win puts them in a strong position to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Championships on Saturday, as they prepare to face Brazil tomorrow in their second match of Group D.
Meanwhile in Group A, Mexico's men's team started the Championships with a 16-16 draw against China before overcoming pressure from France to win 30-21. France did manage to claim a win on the opening day, however, as they beat Spain 16-15 in an incredibly hard fought match.
In Group B, Russia's men's team got off to the perfect start, beating Gabon 23-8 and Burkina Faso 35-5. Burkina Faso will be looking for their first victory tomorrow as, despite their best efforts, they lost 34-4 to the men's team from the USA.
In Group C, only one match was played, with Senegal yet to compete at the Championships. In the only match of the group, Korea managed to overcome the Democratic Republic of Congo 32-13.
The women's competition was split over two groups with teams from all eight of the competing countries taking to the mat on the first day of the Championships.
In Group A, Korea's women's team maintained the unbeaten run set by their country's men's team as they overcame Spain 31-16 and, unfortunately for the host nation, beat Cote d'Ivoire 28-3. Spain beat the USA 25-12 in the only other match in Group A.
Over in Group B, Russia beat African team, Mali, 23-3, but could not manage victory against France, losing narrowly 17-14 to the team from Europe. China was also matched against Mali and claimed a 35-4 win over the team from Africa.
Tomorrow will see all the teams compete in the final day of group matches as they look to book themselves a place in the knockout stages of the Championships on Saturday.
2013 WTF WORLD CUP TAEKWONDO TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
KICK OFF IN ABIDJAN
The 2013 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships got underway in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, today in front of a passionate home crowd, further reinforcing taekwondo's global reach and worldwide popularity.
Over 170 male and female athletes from 15 different countries are set to compete at the Palais des Sports venue in Abidjan over the next three days. Athletes from the host nation, Cote d'Ivoire, will take to the mat against national teams from all over the world, including Brazil, China, France, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Spain and the USA, as they look to win gold on home soil. They will also have the chance to compete against teams from closer to home as fellow African nations Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal are all represented at the Championships.
Speaking in Abidjan, WTF President Chungwon Choue said:
"It gives me great pleasure to be here in Abidjan for the 2013 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships. Taekwondo has a very special relationship with Africa and we are delighted to be able to reward the loyal support here. The growth of taekwondo in Africa over the last two decades has been extraordinary; the WTF now has 49 African Member National Associations.
"Speaking to athletes and spectators it is clear to see the appetite and passion for taekwondo that exists in Africa. Just yesterday afternoon, a ceremony was held to commemorate the laying of the first stone of the Taekwondo Palace which will serve as a base for the development of taekwondo in Cote d'Ivoire for many years to come.
"Hosting world-class competitions like the WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships across the world will only increase the global reach of our sport. I have no doubt that over the next three days Abidjan will host an excellent event which will be contested in the spirit of friendship and fair play."
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has decided to use the PSS from the Spanish brand Daedo at the inaugural WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix, which will be held in Manchester (UK) between the 13th and 15th of December 2013.
Furthtermore, Daedo PSS has also been selected to complement the upcmonig edition of the World Team Cup, which will take place in Abidjan (Ivory Coast) from the 28th to the 30th of November.
In addition, the E-Head protector from Daedo is already being used at some competitions and is only pending on a field test organized by the WTF for its approval and further use at official events.
President Lee Dae Soon complete 14yeasr of terms and retire from Asia Taekwondo Union include WTF
President Lee Dae Soon is retire from Asia Taekwondo Union(ATU), He is not a authenticity Taekwondo person but as a taekwondo administrator go around all of the world 14years for progress and improvement of taekwondo.
President Lee Dae Soon is over age 80 but he works with the passion. He is only one who is admiring from Taekwondo person, many people ask him to keep working but he rejected. With this he finished his term in 28th ATU general meeting
The vice president of ATU Pimol Srivikorn(Thailand Taekwondo association president) said” We must not to forgot president Lee Dae Soon’s effort for Taekwondo’s progressive and harmony of over the Asia to international.” Soon as he finished his talk all of people in meeting stands up and applause to him.
Previously President Lee Dae Soon suggest retirement in ‘the 7th International Taekwondo symposium.’ He finished all of the activity from ATU and him only work as consultant in WTF. He wouldn’t work in front anymore.
President Lee Dae Soon was keynoter in International Taekwondo symposium. In his greeting ‘I feel so new individually’, ‘tomorrow I will finish my term and I put lots of effort to (Taekwondo Promotion Foundation, TPF) is was the moment that grand and graceful of taekwondo was in front to me.’ He was very impressed. Not only that, during WTF vice-president, as a international he got For further ‘ I think this is my last mission that solve how does taekwondo should do in future, I really thankful that I got this chance.’ During President Lee’s term, for taekwondo’s encourage he supply Asia country that is underdevelopment country. He lead built taekwondo studio and send student taekwondo volunteers. Also he invite underdevelopment country player to Korea and training them strengths and makes Afghanistan taekwondo player got bronze medal 2 in a row in Beijing and London Olympics.
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12/23/2013 03:17:00 PM
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