World Taekwondo Extraordinary Council Meeting Takes Place in Chuncheon

The first World Virtual Championships will be held in Singapore in 2024, and the World Taekwondo Council met on August 18 to mark several important milestones, including the approval of the Implementation Agreement with Chuncheon on the relocation of the World Taekwondo headquarters.

On the first day of the Gangwon-Chuncheon World Taekwondo Cultural Festival, the Council met in a hybrid style. IOC Vice President Ser Miang Ng attended the meeting, in addition to the Council members.

The first-ever Olympic Esports Week (OEW) in Singapore saw Virtual Taekwondo produce the event’s most memorable moments, which led to the establishment of the World Taekwondo Virtual Championships. Dates for the inaugural tournament in Singapore in 2024 will be determined later.

The Council also approved the Implementation Agreement on the Relocation of World Taekwondo’s headquarters at the meeting. Following a thorough proposal and review procedure, Chuncheon was chosen for the agreement because of its significant Taekwondo legacy and good ratings for the evaluation criteria of sustainability, appropriateness, facility infrastructure, and anticipated effect.

The World Para Taekwondo Open Challenge from 2024 to 2026, the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team Championships, and the World Taekwondo Octagon Diamond Games were also given to Chuncheon. Chuncheon Mayor Donghan Yook and World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue signed the host city contract.

To guarantee that the athletes’ voice is heard at the highest level within the organisation, the World Taekwondo Council welcomed co-chairs of the Athletes Committee Wu Jingyu and Cheick Cisse as ex-officio members.

The World Taekwondo Safeguarding Initiative, which was introduced by the organisation in 2018 as a strategic follow-up to the Hammamet Declaration on Safe Sport, was also reported to the Council. A total of 13 officials from World Taekwondo’s leadership and Continental Unions will participate in the IOC Safeguarding Certification programme as part of the Safeguarding Initiative.

The next World Taekwondo Council meeting will take place in Muju, Korea, on May 11, 2024.