Where is Taekwondo from?
Modern history of East Asian martial arts
Taekwondo was developed from karate for use in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces from 1954. For this purpose, karate terminology needed to be "nationalized". The name "taekwondo" is due to shotokan practitioner and army general Choi Hong Hi. After the Korean War, Taekwondo was further developed into a purely sportive discipline, since 1973 overseen by the World Taekwondo Federation. 
During 1964-1966, Choi Hong Hi continued to promote taekwondo, working to put together a world-class exhibition team. Taekwondo's emphasis on jumping and flying kicks dates to this period. While taekwondo was based off karate, the structural changes made in the 1950s and 1960s were significant, and it cannot now be considered a branch of karate, but is a standalone modern martial art. Taekwondo was presented at the Summer Olympics as a demonstration sport in 1988 and 1992, and became an official Olympic discipline in 2000.
Korean martial arts
Taekwondo (태권도; 跆拳道) is a success amongst the Korean martial arts. It is practiced by over 70 million people, in most countries of the world. Taekwondo is a martial art based on science that is effective for self-defense. Taekwondo has hand techniques, Kicking/leg techniques, blocks, throws, takedowns, and in some dojangs, grappling, though the latter three are practiced for self-defense purposes and their use is forbidden in competition. Some dojangs may also include weapon techniques, most notably a staff. Taekwondo has a good reputation for its kicks, however it uses just as much hand techniques, throws, blocks, and takedowns as its kicks. As a sport, it is an event in every major, multi-sports games, including the Olympic Games, the Commonwealth Games and the World University Games.
Para Taekwondo
Origins
Taekwondo
After witnessing a martial arts demonstration by the military in 1952, South Korean President Syngman Rhee urged that the martial arts styles of the kwans be merged. Beginning in 1955 the leaders of the kwans began discussing in earnest the possibility of creating a unified style of Korean martial arts. The name "Tae Soo Do" was used to describe this unified style. This name consists of the hanja "tae" "to stomp, trample", "su" "hand" and "do" "way, discipline".
Choi Hong Hi advocated the use of the name "Tae Kwon Do", i.e. replacing "su" "hand" by "kwon" (Revised Romanization: "gwon"; McCune–Reischauer: "kkwŏn") "fist", the term also used for "martial arts" in Chinese (pinyin "quán"). The new name was initially slow to catch on among the leaders of the kwans.
In 1959 the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) was established to facilitate the unification of Korean martial arts. In 1966, Choi broke with the KTA to establish the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) - a separate governing body devoted to institutionalizing his own style of taekwondo.
Cold War politics of the 1960s and 1970s complicated the adoption of ITF-style taekwondo as a unified style, however. The South Korean government wished to avoid North Korean influence on the martial art. Conversely, ITF president Choi Hong Hi sought support for the martial art from all quarters, including North Korea. In response, in 1973 South Korea withdrew its support for the ITF. The ITF continued to function as an independent federation, then headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Choi continued to develop the ITF-style, notably with the 1987 publication of his "Encyclopedia of Taekwondo". After Choi's retirement, the ITF split in 2001 and then again in 2002 to create three separate federations each of which continues to operate today under the same name.
In 1973 the South Korean government's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism established the Kukkiwon as the new national academy for taekwondo. Kukkiwon now serves many of the functions previously served by the KTA, in terms of defining a government-sponsored unified style of taekwondo. In 1973 the KTA and Kukkiwon supported the establishment of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF, renamed to World Taekwondo in 2017 due to confusion with the initialism) to promote taekwondo specifically as an international sport. WT competitions employ Kukkiwon-style taekwondo.
For this reason, Kukkiwon-style taekwondo is often referred to as WT-style taekwondo, sport-style taekwondo, or Olympic-style taekwondo, though in reality the style is defined by the Kukkiwon, not the WTF.
Original masters of taekwondo
The group came under the leadership of Choi Hong Hi (1918–2002), inaugural President of the KTA and later founder of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), and Nam Tae Hi (1929–2013), known as the Father of Vietnamese Taekwondo. Many of these men held senior positions in the ITF under Choi, but several left over time. Most of the men settled in North America, while others settled in Europe or Australia.
Taekwondowon
The Taekwondowon is a taekwondo venue and park that will host the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships.
Taekwondo at the 1987 Pan American Games
Taekwondo made its debut at the 1987 Pan American Games.
Taegeuk Ee Jang
During the 1920s and 1930s many of the pioneers of taekwondo studied karate or Chinese martial arts in which forms practice is seen as an essential element of the martial art. When these pioneers returned to Korea after the Japanese occupation, they incorporated forms practice into their teaching. During the 1960s there were several efforts among these pioneers to unify their styles of martial art and create a consolidated set of forms. In 1965 the Korea Taekwondo Association appointed a committee of representatives from six of the Nine Kwans to develop the forms for what is now called Kukkiwon- or WTF-style taekwondo. The committee consisted of:
Nam Tae Hi
Nam was born in March 1929 in Seoul, Korea, during the period of Japanese occupation. He began training in the martial arts in 1946, training after school for five nights each week. Nam's training continued in the Chung Do Kwan under Won Kuk Lee. It has been claimed that Nam introduced Bok Man Kim (a pioneering master and one of the technical founders of taekwondo, working with Choi) to taekkyeon in 1948, but other sources indicate Nam did not meet Bok Man Kim until 1954.
Taekwondo
The term "traditional taekwondo" typically refers to martial arts practised in Korea during the 1940s and 1950s by the nine original kwans, or martial arts schools, after the conclusion of the Japanese occupation of Korea at the end of World War II. The term "taekwondo" had not yet been coined, and in reality, each of the nine original kwans practised its own style of martial arts. The term "traditional taekwondo" serves mostly as an umbrella term for these various styles, as they themselves used various other names such as Tang Soo Do (Chinese Hand Way), Kong Soo Do (Empty Hand Way) and Tae Soo Do (Foot Hand Way). Traditional Taekwondo is still practised today but generally under other names, such as Tang Soo Do and Soo Bahk Do.
Sang Chul Lee (taekwondo)
In 1975, Lee immigrated with his wife, Soon Lee, to America. The Lees arrived on Staten Island, New York with $800 in their pockets. Lee's first job was as a janitor at a special education school. He also worked part-time as a Taekwondo instructor. Lee came to America with a much bigger vision of introducing and establishing Taekwondo in America.
Korean martial arts
Traditional Korean martial arts gradually fell into three main groups or branches:
In 1958, these branches of traditional Korean martial arts were organized to form a single modern hybrid-system known as Kuk Sool Won. Today, Korean martial arts are being practiced worldwide; more than one in a hundred of the world's population practices some form of taekwondo. Among the best recognized Korean practices using weapons are traditional Korean archery and Kumdo, the Korean adaptation of the Japanese Kendo. The best known unarmed Korean Martial Arts Taekwondo and Hapkido though such traditional practices such as ssireum - Korean Wrestling - and taekkyeon - Korean Foot Fighting - are rapidly gaining in popularity both inside and outside the country. In November 2011, Taekkyeon was recognized by UNESCO and placed on its Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List. There has also been a revival of traditional Korean swordsmanship arts as well as knife fighting and archery.
Taekwondo New Zealand
Taekwondo New Zealand is the governing body for the sport of taekwondo in New Zealand.
Sport in India
Taekwondo in India is administered by the Taekwondo Federation of India which was founded by Jimmy R. Jagtiani. Surendra Bhandari won a bronze medal in taekwondo at the 2002 Asian Games. Taekwondo is widely practised in India, with actors Neetu Chandra, Akshay Kumar and Isha Koppikar holding black belts.
List of taekwondo grandmasters
This list of taekwondo grandmasters includes notable persons who have been recognized as grandmasters of the Korean martial art of taekwondo. There is no single, universally-recognised set of criteria to define a taekwondo grandmaster; different organizations and different styles have their own rules. Those listed below are grouped by system: Kukkiwon (widely known as the World Taekwondo), International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), and other systems (which includes some persons receiving ranks from taekwondo organisations that predate the other two systems, e.g., the original Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA)) and United Taekwondo Association UWTA.
Taekwondo
In 1969, Haeng Ung Lee, a former taekwondo instructor in the South Korean military, relocated to Omaha, Nebraska and established a chain of martial arts schools in the United States under the banner of the American Taekwondo Association (ATA). Like Jhoon Rhee Taekwondo, ATA taekwondo has its roots in traditional taekwondo. The style of taekwondo practised by the ATA is called "Songahm" taekwondo. The ATA went on to become one of the largest chains of taekwondo schools in the United States.
Koreans in Venezuela
Taekwondo was brought to Venezuela between 1968 and 1970 by three South Korean teachers: Howo Kan in the Capital District, Cho Kon in Carabobo, and Hong Kin Kim in Anzoategui. Since then, the sport has gained popularity in Venezuela and the country has accumulated major singles titles, making itself one of the world leaders in Taekwondo during the 1980s and 1990s.
Tae-hong Choi
Choi moved to Washington, D.C., in 1971. He taught taekwondo to secret service agents and CIA operatives. His family did not move with him to Washington, D.C., but they emigrated to Oregon where a distant cousin lived. In 1972, Choi joined his family in Oregon and started teaching tae kwon do at the YMCA, Lewis and Clark College and Reed College (Judo - '74-'75), and Sunset High School before opening his own studio in Northeast Portland. Choi's Taekwondo Academy was the first taekwondo school in Oregon. 
"Mr. Choi was one of the pioneers for tae kwon do in this country. When the word 'tae kwon do' didn't even exist in this country, he was already teaching." -- Joon Pyo Choi, co-chairman of USA Taekwondo's martial arts commission.
Taekwondo
The oldest Korean martial arts were an amalgamation of unarmed combat styles developed by the three rival Korean Kingdoms of Goguryeo, Silla, and Baekje, where young men were trained in unarmed combat techniques to develop strength, speed, and survival skills. The most popular of these techniques were ssireum, subak, and taekkyeon. The Northern Goguryeo kingdom was a dominant force in Northern Korea and North Eastern China prior to the 1st century CE, and again from the 3rd century to the 6th century. Before the fall of the Goguryeo Dynasty in the 6th century, the Shilla Kingdom asked for help in training its people for defence against pirate invasions. During this time a few select Silla warriors were given training in taekkyeon by the early masters from Goguryeo. These Silla warriors then became known as Hwarang or "blossoming knights." The Hwarang set up a military academy for the sons of royalty in Silla called Hwarang-do {花郎徒}, which means "flower-youth corps." The Hwarang studied taekkyeon, history, Confucian philosophy, ethics, Buddhist morality, social skills, and military tactics. The guiding principles of the Hwarang warriors were based on Won Gwang's five codes of human conduct and included loyalty, filial duty, trustworthiness, valour, and justice.
In spite of Korea's rich history of ancient and martial arts, Korean martial arts faded during the late Joseon Dynasty. Korean society became highly centralized under Korean Confucianism, and martial arts were poorly regarded in a society whose ideals were epitomized by its scholar-kings.
Taekwondo
Also in 1990, martial artist and actor Chuck Norris, an alumnus of Hwang Kee's Moo Duk Kwan organization, established a hybrid martial art system called Chun Kuk Do. Chun Kuk Do shares many techniques, forms and names with Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo, and so can be considered a variation of traditional taekwondo. Similarly, Lim Ching Sing's Hup Kwon Do and Kwang-jo Choi's Choi Kwang Do also derive from taekwondo.
World Taekwondo
World Taekwondo was established on May 28, 1973 at the inaugural meeting held at the Kukkiwon with participation of 35 representatives from the world after it separated from the International Taekwon-Do Federation because of political reasons. At that time, Un Yong Kim was elected president for a four-year term. One of the main Constituents of World Taekwondo, the Secretariat was formed on June 3, 1973 and began operating. On October 8, 1974 World Taekwondo was affiliated to the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), now SportAccord. Until the 1980s, the European (May, 1976), the Asian (October, 1976), the Pan American (September, 1978) and the African (April, 1979) Taekwondo Unions inaugural meetings were held, while Oceania’s Taekwondo Union was not recognized as the 5th Continental Union of World Taekwondo until July 16, 2005. The recognition of the IOC towards World Taekwondo at its 83rd session in Moscow on July 17, 1980 was the cornerstone for their Cooperation. Thereupon Taekwondo participated in the 24th Olympic Games at Changchung Gymnasium in Seoul, Korea as well as the 25th Olympic Games at the Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona, Spain as a demonstration sport. In recognition of his contribution to the Olympic Movement Un Yong Kim was awarded the Order of Commander by Prince Rainier of Monaco on September 21, 1993. Moreover, Taekwondo was adopted as an official sport of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games at the 103rd IOC session in Paris, France on September 4, 1994. Half a year later, on February 15, 1995 World Taekwondo was affiliated to the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) as a provisional member. After the first appearance of Taekwondo as an Olympic Sport in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, the IOC executive board confirms Taekwondo as an Olympic Sport for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games on December 11–13, 2000. Furthermore, the inclusion of taekwondo in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was confirmed on November 29, 2002 at the 114th IOC session held in Mexico City. On February 15, 2004 the Vice President (Italy) Sun Jae Park was elected as Acting President of World Taekwondo due to the resignation of the founding President Un Yong Kim from the presidency of World Taekwondo. Four month later Chung Won Choue was elected as new President of World Taekwondo at the extraordinary General Assembly on June 11, 2004. Taekwondo was confirmed as program of the 2012 London Olympic Games on July 8, 2005.
Yeon Hwan Park
Park trained in his native Korea from early childhood. He attended Korea University and served in the Republic of Korea Marine Corps before being dispatched by the South Korean government as an emissary to Africa, where he began teaching taekwondo in Lesotho. In 1980 he settled in the United States, where he established himself as a prominent figure in taekwondo instruction. While worldwide study of the martial arts increased in popularity in the early 1970s, due in part to work of Bruce Lee, taekwondo was still largely unknown outside of Korea. In 1983 Park established the goal of increasing the popularity of the sport in a concerted movement towards having taekwondo become recognized as an official Olympic Sport. In response to the work of Park and other taekwondo leaders the International Olympic Committee granted the sport Demonstration Sport status in the 1988 and 1992 games and as a full medal sport, commencing with the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia.
Yun Mu Kwan
"Yun Mu Kwan" (or "Yun Moo Kwan" or, sometimes, "Yeonmuguan"), the "lost kwan" (because it disappeared so early in the history of Korean karate), is one of the original Korean karate styles, now known as Taekwondo, which were derived from Japanese karate in the mid-twentieth century by a number of Korean men who had studied, while their country was under Japanese occupation, at Japanese universities. Karate-do (or "Way of the Empty Hand") was a form of generally unarmed, hand-to-hand combat developed on Okinawa Island, part of the Ryukyu archipelago (annexed by Japan in 1872) which reflected the influences of the kung fu styles then practiced in southern China. Karate was first brought to Japan from Okinawa by the Okinawan educator Gichin Funakoshi, who had trained in the Shuri-te tradition of Okinawa te ("Okinawan hand"), or karate — a tradition that emphasized aggressiveness and direct lines of attack and defense. Other Okinawan karate masters followed him to Japan including Kanken Toyama, Chojun Miyagi, Kenwa Mabuni, and Uechi Kanbun, each with his own variation of what Funakoshi was then calling "kempo" (a Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese "ch'uan fa" which translates, roughly, as "law of the fist" and is sometimes used in China in lieu of the more familiar "kung fu" and "wushu"). Funakoshi adopted much of the systematic training format Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, had developed for his art, including white uniforms (the "gi") similar to those worn by judo players, the structured teaching format which begins with formal stretching and warm-ups, progresses to basic techniques and then to fixed routines (kata) and finally to practical applications on the mat. He also adopted judo's colored belt ranking system, culminating in the now universally recognized black belt.
Taekwondo New Zealand
Taekwondo New Zealand is affiliated to the Oceania Taekwondo Union (OTU) and World Taekwondo and is recognised by the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC).
Taekwondo
Taekwondo (Korean , , ) is a Korean martial art, characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping and spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques.
Rhee Taekwon-Do
Rhee Taekwon-Do occupies a prominent place in Australian taekwondo history. This is reflected in three key claims: (1) Chong Chul Rhee is the Father of Australian Taekwondo, (2) Rhee Taekwon-Do is the first taekwondo school in Australia, and (3) Rhee Taekwon-Do is the biggest taekwondo school in Australia. The school has widely publicised these claims since at least the 1980s.
Sang Chul Lee (taekwondo)
Sang Chul Lee (born May 8, 1948) is a Korean born Taekwondo grandmaster 9th Dan, US Olympic Taekwondo head coach, entrepreneur, and owner of the US Taekwondo Center. Sang Chul Lee is a leading taekwondo innovator and missionary and has played an instrumental role in the promotion and development of Taekwondo throughout the United States and the world.
Robert Howard (martial artist)
When Howard first became involved in martial arts, in the early 1960s, taekwondo was unheard of in Ireland. He therefore started his training in karate in 1966 in Gardiner Place, Dublin. After several years, a Korean instructor (Yung Wu Kwon, 3rd "dan") arrived at the club and began teaching them after he had moved to Ireland to look for work. Kwon was Howard's first introduction to the Korean martial art of taekwondo. Howard and his early classmates (Liam Dandy, Frank Matthews, and Paul Kavanagh) had never seen techniques like these before and were extremely impressed. Later, another Korean instructor (Chang Ho Cho, 5th "dan") started to teach and train in the hall. Cho graded Howard, Dandy and Matthews to red belt, but shortly afterwards he had to leave for the USA in search of work.
Taekwondo Federation of India
Taekwondo was introduced to India in 1975 by Jimmy R. Jagtiani. Jagtiani, who was born in Vietnam in 1955, had emigrated to Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh with his family to escape the Vietnam War. He founded the Taekwondo Federation of India on 2 August 1976, and is regarded as the father of taekwondo in India. The federation marked its first anniversary in 1977 with a demonstration of high power taekwondo techniques at the K.D. Singh Babu Indoor Stadium in Lucknow. The TFI received affiliation from the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) in 1979, the Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) in 1982, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in 1985, and the South Asian Taekwondo Federation (SATF) in 1994.
Taekwondo at the 1986 Asian Games
Taekwondo took place from September 30 to October 3 at the 1986 Asian Games in Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea. Men's competitions held in eight weight categories. The host nation South Korea dominated the competition winning seven out of eight possible gold medals.
Original masters of taekwondo
The original masters of taekwondo is a group of twelve South Korean martial art masters assembled by the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA) in the early 1960s to promote the newly established art of taekwondo. In alphabetical order following Korean naming conventions, they are: Choi Chang Keun, Choi Kwang Jo, Han Cha Kyo, Kim Jong Chan, Kim Kwang Il, Kong Young Il, Park Jong Soo, Park Jung Tae, Park Sun Jae, Rhee Chong Chul, Rhee Chong Hyup, and Rhee Ki Ha.
Sport in Mexico
Taekwondo was introduced to Mexico in 1969 by Korean Mexican Dai Won Moon. With over 1.5 million taekwondo practitioners and 3,500 schools throughout the country, taekwondo is one of the most popular sports in the nation. Mexico has also been competitive on the international level in the sport of taekwondo. Over forty Mexican taekwondo practitioners have medaled at the World Taekwondo Championships.
Choi Hong Hi
Choi combined elements of Taekkyeon and Karate to develop a martial art that he called "Taekwon-Do" (태권도; 跆拳道), which means "foot, fist, art" or "the way of hand and foot" and it was so named on 11 April 1955. Choi founded the Oh Do Kwan, and held an honorary 4th "dan" ranking in the Chung Do Kwan. Due to accusations of dishonesty, Choi was stripped of his rank and position in the Chung Do Kwan. During the 1960s, Choi and Nam Tae Hi led the original masters of taekwondo in promoting their martial art around the world, though these would be only the first of many such endeavors.
Asian Mexicans
Taekwondo was introduced to Mexico in 1969 by Dai-won Moon. With over 1.5 million taekwondo practitioners and 3,500 schools throughout the country, taekwondo is one of the most popular sports in the nation. Mexico has medaled in taekwondo at all Olympic Games since it became a full medal sport at the 2000 Olympics, and currently places fifth overall on the medal count for the sport.
Roberto Cruz (taekwondo)
Roberto "Kitoy" Cruz (born August 18, 1972) is the most bemedalled Taekwondo player in international competition for the Philippines. He competed in the 1990s and was at the tail-end of a long illustrious career when he competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. (where Taekwondo first became a medal sport) This was before the onset of YouTube and Social Networking when very few videos were publicly shared. A lot of the younger generation of Taekwondo Practitioners are unfamiliar with this player's many exploits. He currently serves as one of the national coaches for the country. Before John Paul "Japoy" Lizardo, the Philippines had a Taekwondo Champion in Roberto "Kitoy" Cruz. 
Listed are some of his international achievements:
Taekwondo at the Deaflympics
Taekwondo events have been contested in Deaflympics since 2009 in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. This was the 21st edition of the event.
Korean martial arts
Taekwondo is a synthesis from many different martial arts (both Korean and foreign) and it continues to evolve today, taking the best of other arts, adapting them, tweaking them, and implementing them in it. Its popular success is perhaps due to the scientific approach and to the group efforts of the many Korean Masters (Sa-bum-nim) and Grand-Masters who created it.
Korean Academy of Taekwondo
The Korean Academy of Taekwondo is one of Colorado's Taekwondo and martial arts schools. The school was founded in February 1980 by Grandmaster Jae Kyu Chung. The school has produced numerous tournament champions and has trained thousands of students throughout the years. They have also contributed several non-peer reviewed articles on the physics and mechanics of martial arts. The school has several locations in Colorado and has at times had locations in Texas and Baghdad, Iraq.
Choi Jung Hwa
Choi Jung Hwa still works extensively promoting Taekwon-Do around the world and is accredited with introducing and developing Taekwon-Do in many Eastern European countries such as Poland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Romania, the former USSR and the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea.
Taekwondo
Early progenitors of taekwondo - the founders of the nine original kwans - who were able to study in Japan were exposed to Japanese martial arts, including karate, judo, and kendo, while others were exposed to the martial arts of China and Manchuria, as well as to the indigenous Korean martial art of taekkyeon.
Original masters of taekwondo
C. H. Rhee was born around 1940 in Korea. In the mid-1960s, he contributed to the introduction of taekwondo to Malaysia and Singapore. He arrived in Australia in 1970 and settled in Melbourne, Australia. Rhee is in charge of Rhee Taekwon-Do operations in Melbourne.
Kyongwon Ahn
In 1974, Ahn was a founding member of the Amateur Athletic Union's Taekwondo Committee. The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) awarded Ahn his Master Instructor certification in 1977. He received 9th "dan" ranking from Kukkiwon in 1990. Through the 1980s, Ahn worked within the United States Taekwondo Union (USTU) and ultimately served as the association president USA Taekwondo. He served as a member of the Board of Directors for the United States Olympic Committee and worked to bring taekwondo to the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympic Games. In 2000, Ahn was one of the founders of the United States Taekwondo Won (USTW). From 2003 to 2005, he served on the WTF's Legislative Committee. In 2005, the Republic of Korea awarded Ahn the National Sport Merit Award in recognition of his work in promoting taekwondo and helping it to become a full medal Olympic sport.
Original masters of taekwondo
S.K.SULTAN KHAN was born around 1940 in Korea. He began his martial arts training in the South Korean army in 1956, studying taekwondo and karate. Choi taught taekwondo in Malaysia from 1964, and moved to Vancouver, Canada, in 1970. In 1973, he held the rank of 7th "dan". Choi was promoted to 8th "dan" in 1981 by H. H. Choi, and attained the rank of 9th "dan" in 2002. He is still based in Vancouver.
Kyongwon Ahn
Ahn was born in 1937 in Seoul, Korea, and began training in the martial arts began when he was 12 years old. He served an internship with his instructor, Chang Bok Lee, as the Master Instructor for the South Korean and American armies from 1955 to 1967. In 1962, Ahn achieved his Juris Doctorate (Civil Law) from Kangwon University. In August 1967, he emigrated to the US and began teaching tang soo do at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. He has also held teaching and advisory positions at the Miami University (in Ohio) and Xavier University. Ahn founded the International Martial Arts Federation, now the United Taekwondo Association in 1971 in an effort to standardize taekwondo teaching methods.
Kukkiwon
Kukkiwon (국기원; 國技院), also known as World Taekwondo Headquarters, and home of the World Taekwondo Academy, is the official taekwondo governing organisation established by the South Korean government. It is supervised by the International Sports Division of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
Original masters of taekwondo
K. J. Choi was born on 2 March 1942, in Daegu, Korea. His martial art training began when he was still a child, learning kwon bup. Choi served in the South Korean military and came into contact with H. H. Choi there. Around 1966–1967, he taught taekwondo in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Choi moved to the United States of America in 1970 to seek medical treatment for injuries sustained from martial arts training. In 1987, he founded his own martial art system and organisation, Choi Kwang-Do. He is based in Atlanta. Choi holds the rank of 9th "dan" in his own martial art, Choi Kwang-Do.
South African Taekwondo Federation
South African Taekwondo Federation is the governing body for the sport of taekwondo in South Africa and a member of the world governing body, World Taekwondo (WT) (formerly called World Taekwondo Federation) along with the continental governing body, African Taekwondo Union (AFTU). South African Taekwondo Federation is also registered with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC).
Chang Keun Choi
Choi Chang Keun (최창근; 崔昌根; born 1941), widely known as C. K. Choi, is a South Korean master of taekwondo, and one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, Choi emigrated to Canada in 1969, where he continues to teach his martial art.
Taegeuk Pal Jang
During the 1920s and 1930s many of the pioneers of taekwondo studied karate or Chinese martial arts in which forms practice is seen as an essential element of the martial art. When these pioneers returned to Korea after the Japanese occupation, they incorporated forms practice into their teaching. During the 1960s there were several efforts among these pioneers to unify their styles of martial art and create a consolidated set of forms. In 1965 the Korea Taekwondo Association appointed a committee of representatives from six of the Nine Kwans to develop the forms for what is now called Kukkiwon- or WTF-style taekwondo. The committee consisted of:
Taekwondo
International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF)-style taekwondo, more accurately known as Chang Hon-style taekwondo, is defined by Choi Hong Hi's "Encyclopedia of Taekwon-do" published in 1987.
In 1990, the Global Taekwondo Federation (GTF) split from the ITF due to the political controversies surrounding the ITF; the GTF continues to practice ITF-style taekwondo, however, with additional elements incorporated into the style. Likewise, the ITF itself split in 2001 and again in 2002 into three separate federations, headquartered in Austria, the United Kingdom, and Spain respectively.
Tae Soo Do
Today, the name Tae Soo Do is no longer used by Taekwondo practitioners or schools. Very few people who practice Taekwondo today will recognize the name except for its modern use with the Hwa Rang Do community. In the west, the art was always referred to as "Tae Kwon Do" (or "Taekwondo", the western form of the name), due to that the controversies that happened in Korea during the early 1960s never made their way over to the United States aside from a very select few, who chose to watch eastern culture and events closely in order to keep traditions alive and accurate.
European Taekwondo Championships
The European Taekwondo Championships are the European senior championships in Taekwondo, first held in Barcelona 1976. The event is held every two years and is organized by the European Taekwondo Union, the continental affiliate of World Taekwondo, which organises and controls Olympic style taekwondo.
Original masters of taekwondo
The original masters of taekwondo featured in the earliest demonstrations of taekwondo as a Korean martial art outside South Korea. The following table summarises demonstrations or instructional tours for which references are available.
Taekwondo at the Asian Games
Taekwondo events have been contested at every Asian Games since 1986 Games in Seoul, South Korea.
Dong Keun Park
Park Dong Keun (박동근; born "c." 1941), also known as D. K. Park, is a South Korean Grandmaster of taekwondo. He holds the title "Grandmaster," the rank of 9th "dan" in taekwondo, and was Korea's only undefeated taekwondo fighter in more than 200 International championship competition. Park introduced the martial art of taekwondo to Thailand in 1966, before settling in the United States of America, and was the taekwondo coach of both the US National Team and the US Olympic Team.
European Taekwondo Union
The European Taekwondo Union (ETU) is the official governing body for all Taekwondo matters in Europe as a regional organisation of World Taekwondo. It comprises the National Taekwondo Federations of all the European member nations and regulates all Taekwondo matters on a continental basis. The first participating countries in the ETU were Spain, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Turkey, Greece, Denmark and the UK. The first president was Antonio Garcia de la Fuente. The First European Championships of the ETU were held in Barcelona on May 22–23, 1976. After being considered only a demonstration sports event twice - in Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992 - the WTF style (Olympic Style Taekwondo) - was incorporated as a full Olympic discipline in Sydney in 2000.
Sport in Września
Taekwondo is a worldwide martial art. This style is characterized by a large number of kicks, especially the spectacular jumping techniques. Possessed a high level of guarantee the full utilization of speed and strength, they stand on the human body. Training sessions are offered at the gym at the Gymnasium number 1 st. Kosynierów 32nd Is trained by Thomas Haremza - 1 dan Taekwondo WTF, Polish Vice 2007 in the category above 84th pounds.
Original masters of taekwondo
1972 Opened the first TAEKWON-DO School in Montreal.
1973 Appointed as the first Chairman of the Technical Committee of the International TAEKWON-DO Federation. Promoted to 7 Dan black belt. Organized the World's First TAEKWON-DO Masters Demonstration, at the Montreal Forum where 27 Masters attended.
1974 Organized the World's First TAEKWON-DO Championships held at the Montreal Forum. 24 countries participated.
1975 Invented the stretching machine “the Stretchersizer”
1976 Invited as the Instructor, of the European Instructors course held in Glasgow U K.
1977 Studied Bio Physical Education at Concordia University
1978 Moved to New Westminster BC
1979 Trained 21 TAEKWON-DO instructors in Argentina including Dr Hector Marano and Pablo Trajtenberg, and with an unprecedented move, promoted several of them directly from 2nd Dan to 4th Dan Black Belts.
1981 Promoted to 8th Dan Black Belt. Elected as the Secretary General of the ITF. Appointed as the Chairman of the Merging Committee for the ITF and WTF. As Chairman of the merging committee, negotiated the merging agreement between the ITF and the WTF, that was submitted to the International Olympic Committee by Un Yong Kim, in order to have Tae Kwon- Do accepted as an Olympic sport. 
1982 Quietly resigned from the ITF and all Tae Kwon do duties, due to opposition to General Choi’s controversial political statements made in North Korea 
1991 Promoted to 9th Dan Black Belt 
2015 JC KIM`S two sons Rich Kim and Ed Kim are following in his footsteps, are currently and have been for over 30 years, teaching Tae Kwon-Do in Surrey, BC. In 1979, ranked 7th "dan", he taught and demonstrated in Argentina along with C. K. Choi, J. T. Park, and K. H. Rhee. A letter by Kim published in the July 1985 issue of "Black Belt" magazine lists his title at the time as President of the 'World Tukido Council.' He is based in Vancouver, Canada.
Taekwondo in the Philippines
Taekwondo was introduced to the Philippines through the efforts of Kim Bok Man and Young Man Park. Grand Master Bok Man Kim arrived in 1970 to continue Park's legacy of propagating Taekwondo upon the invitation of President Marcos. Bok Man Kim continued to pioneer Taekwondo worldwide and left the Philippines in 1971. In 1975, Sung-Chon Hong came to the Philippines to continue to introduce Taekwondo again. The Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) has been established by Grand Master Sung-Chon Hong. The current Central Headquarters of the PTA is at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. The PTA is a member of the Kukkiwon, World Taekwondo Federation, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and Asian Taekwondo Union. Sung-Chon Hong has devoted decades to mentoring, developing and promoting Taekwondo nationwide and worldwide, and is popularly considered the Father of Taekwondo in the Philippines.
Jun Chong
Jun Chong was born in 1944 in South Korea. At the age of eight, he began training in the country's national martial art of Taekwondo. While he won numerous competitions both nationally and internationally, Chong decided to try his hand at train in other forms of martial arts, including Hapkido, Judo, Aikido, and Boxing. Chong is currently a 9th-degree grandmaster in Taekwondo and after emigrating to Los Angeles in the 1970s, he opened his own school, which continues to operate today. He has had his share of celebrity students, including Phillip Rhee, Simon Rhee, Lorenzo Lamas, Sam J. Jones, boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, and Heather Graham.
Taekwondo at the 2015 African Games
|}
All Japan Taekwondo Association
Dojo founded in Kanagawa prefecture Kawasaki city founded in 1970s. 1999 from Japan Taekwondo Federation registered players. Originally Karate Dojo, when the chairman came to teach korea to korea at 1982, he took home the Taekwondo in the field and brought it back to Japan. The president has served as a body guard for Tanaka Kakuei.
Tang Soo Do
In 1960, Jhoon Rhee was teaching what he called Korean Karate (or Tang Soo Do) in Texas, in the United States. After receiving the ROK Army Field Manual (which contained martial arts training curriculum under the new name of Taekwondo) from General Choi, Rhee began using the name "Taekwondo". There are still a multitude of contemporary Taekwondo schools in the United States that teach what is known as "Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo". This nomenclature reflects this government-ordered kwan merger.
Taekwondo
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) also refers to the commandments of the Hwarang in the articulation of its taekwondo philosophy. Like the ITF philosophy, it centers on the development of a peaceful society as one of the overarching goals for the practice of taekwondo. The WT's stated philosophy is that this goal can be furthered by adoption of the Hwarang spirit, by behaving rationally ("education in accordance with the reason of heaven"), and by recognition of the philosophies embodied in the taegeuk (the yin and the yang, i.e., "the unity of opposites") and the sam taegeuk (understanding change in the world as the interactions of the heavens, the Earth, and Man). The philosophical position articulated by the Kukkiwon is likewise based on the Hwarang tradition.
Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo
Hwang Kee's Moo Duk Kwan schools have been the birthplace of many esteemed martial artists who today promote a multitude of different martial art systems including Tang Soo Do, Soo Bahk Do, Tae Kwon Do and more. Many practitioners with lineage back to Hwang Kee's Moo Duk Kwan schools consider each other as brothers and may attend each other's special events and tournaments. As founder of the 1st Moo Duk Kwan school on November 9, 1945 Hwang Kee is the progenitor of many practitioners worldwide and who express great admiration for him and his achievements in the martial arts.
Mohammad Esmail Azarpad
"Taekwondo entered Iran in 1970 by a Korean master Kim Soo Ryon and organized the 1st coaching class in Soldier Club and has been taught only for parachutists. While the Taekwondo Association of Army Forces was organized in 1975 ,the new activities were formed in this field of sport. In the same year, the selected team of parachutists Forces participated in the 2nd World Championships in Seoul, South Korea and gained one Bronze medal in 1976, the same team participated in the 2 Oceania-Asian Championships in Melbourne, Australia."
Martial arts
As Western influence grew in Asia a greater number of military personnel spent time in China, Japan and South Korea during World War II and the Korean War and were exposed to local fighting styles. Jujutsu, judo and karate first became popular among the mainstream from the 1950s-60s. Due in part to Asian and Hollywood martial arts movies, most modern American martial arts are either Asian-derived or Asian influenced.
The term kickboxing (キックボクシング) was created by the Japanese boxing promoter Osamu Noguchi for a variant of muay Thai and karate that he created in the 1950s. American kickboxing was developed in the 1970s, as a combination of boxing and karate. Taekwondo was developed in the context of the Korean War in the 1950s.
Chung Do Kwan
As one of Lee Won Kuk's original and first students, Uhm remains a link to the earliest days of Taekwondo. As Head of Chung Do Kwan and President of the Kukkiwon, he spent decades ensuring that Kukki Taekwondo retains the power, etiquette, high technique, manners, and Way that makes it one of the world's preeminent martial arts. He was one of the most important Taekwondo figures in Korea, and one of the most important in the history of the Chung Do Kwan.
Shūdōkan
Of the nine schools, or Kwan's (Kan) that merged to form Taekwondo, four of those schools have lineages that trace back to Toyama Sensei through three Korean men who trained in Japan while Korea was under Japanese occupation. These three men were Kim Ki Whang, Dr. Yoon Kwey Byung and Yoon Byung In. Dr. Yoon and Yoon both trained with Toyama Sensei and are both listed in his student role books as ""Shihan"." Both these men taught a mixture of Toyama Sensei's methods along with the Chuan Fa they learned in Manchuria, before the Taekwondo unification movement. At that time, they founded Tang Soo Do or Kong Soo Do schools in Korea. The first Kwan (Kan) where they worked as teachers was the Yunmookwan (later: Jidokwan). Kim Ki Whang received his 3rd dan from Toyama Sensei and had moved to the United States in the early 1960s to teach Taekwondo. Later, the Chang Moo Kwan, Han Moo Kwan and Kang Duk Won branched off from the first Kwan. This is according to Han Moo Kwan founder Kyo Yoon Lee as written in his book Global Taekwondo 2009, and, A Modern History of Taekwondo, by Won Sik Kang and Kyong Myung Lee (1999).
Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics
The quest to bring taekwondo to the Olympics began in 1974 when taekwondo was admitted into the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). One of the AAU's primary roles is to establish standards for various sports nationwide. The World Taekwondo Federation's technical standards were adopted by the AAU Taekwondo group.
British Taekwondo Control Board
GB Taekwondo holds the mandate for selecting National Team players and Olympic Team players in the UK. Since Taekwondo's inception at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, The UK has fielded several players into Olympic tournaments, such as Steve Jennings, Paul Green, Sarah Stevenson, Aaron Cook and Michael Harvey. To date, five medals have been won (Sarah Stevenson – Bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Jade Jones – Gold at the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics as well as, Lutalo Muhammad – Bronze & Silver at the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics).
South Korea
The martial art taekwondo originated in Korea. In the 1950s and 1960s, modern rules were standardized, with taekwondo becoming an official Olympic sport in 2000. Other Korean martial arts include taekkyeon, hapkido, Tang Soo Do, Kuk Sool Won, kumdo and subak.
World Taekwondo
The mission of World Taekwondo is to provide effective international governance of Taekwondo as an Olympic sport and Paralympic sport. The envisioned objectives of World Taekwondo are to promote, expand, and improve worldwide the practice of taekwondo in light of its educational, cultural, and sports values (the "Taekwondo movement") and to promote fair play, youth development, and education as well as to encourage peace and cooperation though participation in sports. Moreover, World Taekwondo wants to promote or sanction international taekwondo competitions and relating to those World Taekwondo resolves to constantly improve technical rules regulating taekwondo competitions and poomsae competitions sanctioned or promoted by World Taekwondo, including the taekwondo event of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Furthermore, World Taekwondo wants to take action in order to strengthen the unity and protect the interests of World Taekwondo and the Taekwondo Movement as well as to engage in other activities in support of the above objectives. World Taekwondo undertakes its missions and objectives in cooperation with independent affiliated organizations including World Taekwondo Academy, World Taekwondo Peace Corps, World Taekwondo Demonstration Team, Pro Taekwondo Federation, Global Taekwondo Support Federation and Taekwondo International Federation.
Original masters of taekwondo
The phrase "original masters of taekwondo" is used to describe this group of men, but does not indicate that they were the first (or original) masters in the KTA. The leaders of the nine kwans that unified to form the KTA was a different group of men who, while perhaps senior to some of those listed as "original masters of taekwondo", were practising arts with other names, such as tae soo do, kong soo do, and others. Some of those leaders resisted using the name taekwondo. The men in the present group were among the first to adopt and promote the name taekwondo.
Rhee Taekwon-Do
Rhee Taekwon-Do's position as the first taekwondo school in Australia might be challenged by the Melbourne Taekwondo Centre (originally the Shuto Karate Club), as tang soo do was one of the arts taught there. Such status would, however, involve recognising tang soo do as taekwondo retrospectively. The Melbourne Taekwondo Centre incorporated taekwondo into its name in the 1970s.
Original masters of taekwondo
C. K. Han was born on 20 July 1934 in Seoul, Korea. He trained under three martial art masters: Tae Hi Nam, Duk Sung Son, and Woon Kyu Um. Han was the first of the original masters of taekwondo to demonstrate overseas, participating in the March 1959 tour of Taiwan and Vietnam. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1971, settling in Chicago. Han founded his own organisation, the Universal Tae Kwon Do Federation, around 1980. He continued teaching taekwondo until his death in 1996.
Original masters of taekwondo
K. I. Kim contributed to the introduction of taekwondo into West Germany. He was head instructor of the ITF in West Germany, but was relieved of this duty in October 1971. In 1975, Kim was ranked 6th "dan". He promoted Rolf Becking, head of the ITF Germany Technical Committee, to the rank of 2nd "dan" in 1976 in Stuttgart, West Germany. Between 1974 and 1977 Kim had a restaurant in Stuttgart and had completed training as a Brewmeister prior to 1974.
Korea
Taekwondo is one of Korea's most famous sports. It combines combat techniques, self-defense, sport, exercise and in some cases meditation and philosophy. Taekwondo has become an official Olympic sport, starting as a demonstration event in 1988 (when South Korea hosted the Games in Seoul) and becoming an official medal event in 2000. There are two main authoritative Taekwondo organizations in the world. One is World Taekwondo (formerly World Taekwondo Federation and the larger of the two) and the other is ITF (International Taekwondo Federation).
Taekwondo
In 1962 Jhoon Rhee relocated to the United States and established a chain of martial arts schools primarily in the Washington, D.C. area that practised traditional taekwondo. In the 1970s, at the urging of Choi Hong Hi, Rhee adopted ITF-style taekwondo within his chain of schools, but like the GTF later departed from the ITF due to the political controversies surrounding Choi and the ITF. Rhee went on to develop his own style of taekwondo called Jhoon Rhee-style taekwondo, incorporating elements of both traditional and ITF-style taekwondo as well as original elements. (Note that Jhoon Rhee-style taekwondo is distinct from the similarly named Rhee Taekwon-Do, based in Australia and New Zealand).
Taekwondo
North Korean Gyuksul started from Subak. Then it evolved to be like Sibak & Gwonbeop by the influence of Byungin Yoon and his art Gwonbeop taught at YMCA, which became a root of Taekwondo. Byungin Yoon's Gwonbeop different from Karate is shown by Cheolheui Park's Pasa-Gwonbeop published when he was young. Byungin Yoon's Gwonbeop influenced both Taekwondo & Gyuksul; the influence is from Muyedobotongji Gwonbeop.
Original masters of taekwondo
S. J. Park is a pioneer of taekwondo in Italy. In 1964, he visited Croatia to present seminars on his art. He introduced taekwondo to Italy around 1968. In 1968, he was ranked 5th "dan", and in 1975, he was ranked 7th "dan". He was elected Vice-President (Italy) in the European Tae Kwon Do Union (within the World Taekwondo Federation) at the union's inaugural meeting in 1976. In 2002, he was a member of the arbitration board for the WTF's World Cup Taekwondo championship in Tokyo. On 15 February 2004, the Executive Council of the WTF elected him as Acting President of the WTF following Un Yong Kim's resignation from the presidency of the organisation. He is Vice President (Italy) of the WTF. Park was President of the Federazione Italiana Taekwondo (Italian Taekwondo Federation) around 1998, and still held the position as of 2008 and 2009.
Yong Taek Chung
Yong Taek Chung (Hangul: 정용택, March 3, 1921 – November 11, 2006) was a martial artist, 9th degree black belt in taekwondo, belonging to the first Chung Do Kwan school Black Belt promotion and pupil of Won Kuk Lee. He was also the first Korean instructor in open a Chung Do Kwan school outside Korea,in Japan on 1952, and Vice president of the World Taekwondo Association.
Tommy Chang (martial artist)
Born and raised in Kyong Ki Do, South Korea, Master Tommy Chang is a Korean-Canadian world-renowned 7th degree Taekwondo and 8Th Degree Hapkido instructor and Grandmaster, actor, stunt performer, stunt coordinator and producer. With over 40 years of training and experience in Taekwondo and Hapkido, Master Chang also trained extensively in ITF/WTF TKD, Moo Duk Kwan, and Judo. He is also an 8th Degree Black Belt in Hap Ki-Do, specializing in pressure points, take-downs and grappling. His martial arts expertise also encompasses mastery of several weapons. In addition, he is a WTF-certified Master Instructor of Taekwondo and a Canadian National Referee (1st Class).
Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics
In 1986 and 1987, taekwondo was included in the following international sporting events: World Cup (1986), Asian Games (1986), All-Africa Games (1986), and the Pan American Games (1987). In 1994, the IOC adopted taekwondo as an official Olympic sport for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
Kukkiwon
In May 1973, the Korea Taekwondo Association and Kukkiwon hosted the first World Taekwondo Championships, with 200 taekwondo competitors from 17 countries in attendance. Kukkiwon has had a permanent taekwondo demonstration team since September 1974.
Taekwondo at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Taekwondo was a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. It was the second time that the sport was included in the Olympic program; it would become an official sport eight years later at the 2000 Games. A total of 64 men and 64 women competed in eight different weight classes. Each event featured a single-elimination tournament to determine the winner.
Rhee Taekwon-Do
Rhee Taekwon-Do was the first Australian martial art school founded by a Korean master and using the name of taekwondo. Rhee's school was also the first nationwide taekwondo school in Australia, having operated in South Australia from its founding in the mid-1960s, Western Australia from at least 1970, Victoria from at least 1970, the Australian Capital Territory from 1971, Queensland from at least 1973, New South Wales from 1973, and Tasmania from at least 1983. The first Rhee Taekwon-Do class was held in the Adelaide YMCA centre.
Daniel Trenton
Trenton now contributes to the Global sport of Taekwondo as Director of Sports for Sports Taekwondo Australia and is Director of Be Taekwondo, a martial arts and fitness centre located in Brunswick East http://www.betaekwondo.com.au. Here Daniel contributes to his local community by conducting Taekwondo and fitness training for residents located in the areas from where he was raised. He holds the rank of 6th Dan.
Moo Duk Kwan Taekwondo
The Soo Bak Do branch of Moo Duk Kwan in the US considers themselves to be the true Moo Duk Kwan school, and Moo Duk Kwan and Hwang Kee's fist logo are therefore federally registered trademarks 3,023,145 and 1,446,944 and 3,119,287 of Hwang Kee's licensed successor organizations in the US. However, for the origin of the Taekwondo branch of Moo Duk Kwan, one has to look to Korea.
Taekwondo
Ji Do Kwan - Founded in 1946 by Chun Sang Sup. Studied Shotokan karate with Gichin Funakoshi in Japan.
Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics
In 1975, taekwondo became an affiliate of the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). The GAISF promotes cooperation among various international sports federations and works closely with the Olympics movement. Five years later, in 1980, the WTF was granted recognition by the IOC. The following year, taekwondo was one of the primary events in the World Games, an international competition specifically for non-Olympic events. In 1982, taekwondo was designated an official demonstration sport for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, and for the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain.
Taegeuk Sam Jang
During the 1920s and 1930s many of the pioneers of taekwondo studied karate or Chinese martial arts in which forms practice is seen as an essential element of the martial art. When these pioneers returned to Korea after the Japanese occupation, they incorporated forms practice into their teaching. During the 1960s there were several efforts among these pioneers to unify their styles of martial art and create a consolidated set of forms. In 1965 the Korea Taekwondo Association appointed a committee of representatives from six of the Nine Kwans to develop the forms for what is now called Kukkiwon- or WTF-style taekwondo. The committee consisted of:
Nam Tae Hi
In March 1959, Nam was a member of the first Korean taekwondo demonstration team to travel overseas, demonstrating his martial art in Vietnam and Taiwan. Around this time, he was appointed President of the Asia Taekwon-Do Federation, and was also one of the founding directors of the KTA. In 1962, Nam was appointed as Chief Instructor of taekwondo for the Vietnamese army, and came to be known as the Father of Taekwondo in Vietnam. Nam designed the Chang Hon taekwondo patterns Hwa-Rang "hyung", Chung-Mu "hyung", and UI-Ji "hyung".
Kwang Jo Choi
Choi Kwang Jo (born March 2, 1942) is a former South Korean national champion in taekwondo, and is one of the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association. Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States of America in 1970. Choi is the founder and head of the Choi Kwang Do international martial art organization, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Choi Jung Hwa
Choi Jung Hwa (born 22 May 1951) is the only son of General Choi Hong Hi, who is always regarded as the founder of Taekwondo.
Won Kuk Lee
Won Kuk Lee called his art Tang Soo Do (the “way of the Chinese hand”), which was the Korean pronunciation of the Japanese words “Karate-Do” during the decade of 1920, using the Chinese character TANG (唐). All of the original Tang Soo Do schools taught the original Okinawa-Japanese Kata, dressed in the traditional kimono and taught karate with little influence from the millenary Taekyon martial arts. The peak of the Tang Soo Do Chung Do Kwan started the opening of new schools, ran by direct Won Kuk students or by their technical support and his promotional impulses. That’s how other Kuk Lee’s students established their own schools. Nam Tae-Hi Under the direction of Choi Hong Hi (Ohdokwan), Lee Yong-woo (Jungdokwan), Ko Jae-chun (Chungryongkwan), Kang Suh Chang (Kukmookwan) schools were created and developed.
The Taekwondo is one of the youngest oriental martial arts, and its story started with the opening of the Chung Do Kwan in Seoul in 1944.
Ki Ha Rhee
When Rhee served in the South Korean military forces, he came into contact with Choi Hong Hi and learned taekwondo in the 35th Infantry Division. Rhee was a key figure in the introduction of taekwondo across the world, contributing to demonstrations in many different countries. He later taught taekwondo to the US 8th Army and, in 1964, travelled to Singapore, where he trained Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel at RAF Changi. Through the late 1960s and 1970s, Rhee was a key member of the taekwondo demonstration teams that accompanied H. H. Choi around the world.
Taekwondo
In 1973 the KTA established the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF, now called World Taekwondo, WT) to promote taekwondo as a sport. The International Olympic Committee recognized the WT and taekwondo sparring in 1980. For this reason, the Kukkiwon-defined style of taekwondo is sometimes referred to as "Sport-style" taekwondo, "Olympic-style" taekwondo, or "WT-style" taekwondo, but the style itself is defined by the Kukkiwon, not by the WT, and the WT competition ruleset itself only allows the use of a very small number of the total number of techniques included in the style. Therefore, the correct term for the South Korean government sponsored style of Taekwondo associated with the Kukkiwon, is Kukki Taekwondo, meaning "national taekwondo" in Korean.
Taekwondo at the 2012 Summer Olympics
A total of 128 athletes from 63 nations competed in taekwondo at the London Games. Only six nations brought four athletes: Egypt, Great Britain, Korea, Mexico, Russia, and the United States.
British taekwondo practitioner Aaron Cook was involved in controversy relating to selection for the games. Although ranked number one in the world, Great Britain decided to send Lutalo Muhammad, ranked 59th. Cook appealed the omission claiming that he was overlooked because he stepped outside of Britain's training program and found his own coach, but the World Taekwondo Federation found that no rules were broken during the selection process.
Yun Mu Kwan
Yun Mu Kwan (연무관, the 'Hall or Institute for Martial Study') is the name of a now all but forgotten Korean karate (Kong Soo Do) style, one of the original five styles or "kwans" that arose in Korea after World War II in emulation of the karate systems practiced in Japan and Okinawa. It was begun by Korean karateka Chun Sang Sup, after his return from Japan, where it is generally thought that he studied Shotokan karate under the direct or indirect tutelage of that system's founder, Gichin Funakoshi, an Okinawan educator who first brought karate to Japan from the Ryukyu Islands (annexed by Japan in the nineteenth century). Chun taught at the Yun Mu Kwan for only a few years before disappearing during the dislocations of the Korean War which began in 1950. Many of his former students eventually began training again at a different location under different teachers and under a new name: Jidokwan (meaning the 'Hall or Institute for Wisdom's Way'). The Jidokwan was subsequently rolled up, along with most of the other Korean "kwans" into the newly systematized Korean national combat sport of "Taekwondo" (meaning "Foot Fist Way") in the mid 1950s. This new, unified Korean martial art emphasized different training and fighting methods than did the older Japanese karate styles from which it was derived, including stressing higher, fancier kicking and more acrobatic movements. Unlike the other kwans, however, the "Yun Mu Kwan" name disappeared very early in the history of Korean karate and so was never formally consolidated into the new Korean national sport of taekwondo—although some practitioners of Korean karate today still make use of the name. Most, but not all, have adopted the techniques, training methods and competitive rules which characterize modern taekwondo.
Taekwondo Federation of India
Taekwondo was included as a discipline for the first at the 1985 National Games in New Delhi. The TFI organized a special taekwondo demonstration by Korean "taekwondokas" for then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi at the Prime Minister's residence on 17 March 1986. Gandhi was impressed by the demonstration and agreed to "extend all possible help" to the TFI. The Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports officially recognized the TFI as the national governing body for taekwondo in 1988.