Tae Kwon Do

[Jimbo]

There is a book, The Killing Art, that details the history of TKD.
Good read and lots of true stuff about the internal politics of TKD.

Very true. I read that book when it came out. I should probably pull it out and read through it again.

[GeneChing]

So they dropped the F? That makes me a little sad.

World Taekwondo Federation changes name over 'negative connotations'


World Taekwondo president Choue Chung-won (centre) and delegates pose for a photo before the 2017 World Taekwondo championships in South Korea

World Taekwondo Championships
Dates: 24-30 June Venue: Muju, South Korea
Coverage: BBC Red Button from Tuesday, 27 June
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has changed its name to World Taekwondo because of the "negative connotations" associated with its initials.

The organisation had used the previous name since it was established in 1973.

However, it felt in the "digital age" the slang of the old abbreviation was "unrelated to our organisation and so it was important that we rebranded to better engage with our fans".

The change was made before the start of the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships.

The event is taking place in Muju, South Korea.

"World Taekwondo is distinctive and simple to understand and reinforces the global nature of our sport," said World Taekwondo president Choue Chung-won.

"Our vision is taekwondo for all and as World Taekwondo we are confident we can build on our success to date and achieve that vision."

[GeneChing]

Sanda vs. TKD

Martial arts champion couple get into fight, husband ends it by swallowing wife's gold medal
BY SHANGHAIIST IN NEWS ON OCT 30, 2017 10:40 PM



Recently, a man arrived at a Xi'an hospital complaining of some chest pain, which was alleviated after doctors removed a gold medal, three centimeters in diameter, from his esophagus.
Afterward, the man explained how exactly the medal got to be there in the first place. He said that he is a Sanshou (散打) champion while his wife is a champion of Taekwondo. One night, they got into a fierce argument. After his wife smashed his trophy, he took revenge by swallowing hers.
When asked about why they didn't simply work out there differences by actually fighting, the husband answered, matter of factly, that if they fought the entire house would have been destroyed.
You can watch a Chinese news report about the incident below:

On Weibo, one online commenter pointed out that since they were both professionals, if they really did fight each other, then perhaps their problems would have been solved, because at least one of them would have ended up dead.
By Alex Tang
[Images via ChinaNews]

The vid is embedded so I couldn't c&p it easily

[GeneChing]

This article feels like the author processing a photogenic loss. I can relate. Writing is a natural place to process (I do it all the time - case & point: my post-TCEC blogs).

AIN'T THAT A KICK IN THE HEAD
What an unexpected kick in the face taught me about humility
By Roshan Bharwaney 2 hours ago
Executive development


REUTERS/ISSEI KATO
This happens to everyone, though usually it’s metaphorical.

For more than a decade, I’ve worked helping to develop thousands of leaders from around the world at programs I have run or sponsored. In that role, I am constantly learning and forced to evolve so that I can best serve my audience. My other pursuit, one that also keeps me on my toes (quite literally), is Taekwondo.

I have been practicing Taekwondo for almost 18 years and have been an instructor for about 15. Taekwondo, the Korean art of kicking and punching, is one of the world’s most popular martial arts as measured by number of practitioners. It has been an Olympic sport since 2000 and is best known for its high kicks. I have a fourth-degree, master-rank black belt.

Recently, myself and several other black-belts were asked to spar with students as part of their test to achieve black belts themselves. I was sparring one of the candidates, Frank. Frank is less experienced than I am, he’s shorter, and he had been performing other test requirements prior to our match that were exhausting and challenging. Under these conditions, it is very unlikely for a candidate to score a headshot on a taller and more experienced opponent. For the first two minutes, it had been a largely one-sided match, as is normally the case when a candidate is testing for their black belt.

And then, in front of our entire class and head instructor, I was kicked in the face by Frank. This moment also happened to be captured on camera:


COURTESY OF MICHAEL GRITZBACH
Immortalized forever.

I wasn’t going easy on him and, after the successful strike, both he and the audience erupted in excitement. In that moment, it was as though Frank won by knockout. This was a David and Goliath moment—and it wasn’t pleasant being Goliath. I was surprised and in disbelief.

After the test, I began reflecting on ego and humility. I thought about moments that humble us in our professional careers. In speeches given by many award winners and newly appointed CEOs, they say they are “humbled” by the award or appointment. The phrase has now been used so many times in acceptance speeches that it’s become almost obligatory, but do they really mean they’re “humbled?”

Humility refers to being free of pride or arrogance. People who use the phrase probably mean they feel they don’t deserve the win or appointment, but is that really the case? If they strongly believed that, would they not decline the award or promotion? Maybe they are using the phrase so they appear humble, but to say they feel honored is probably more accurate. What they’re experiencing in that moment is quite different from being kicked in the face.

Failure in front of subordinates is potentially embarrassing and our psychological defense mechanisms may activate to protect our ego, as in my case of the initial disbelief at getting kicked in the face. If I view Frank’s successful strike as a lucky shot instead of resulting from his own skill and merit or my poor preparation and focus, I close myself off from the learning opportunity.

If I had told Frank and the audience after the match that I let him score on me (which wasn’t the case), that would protect my own views of my ability and maintain the difference in hierarchy we have. But the negative effects would be to reduce his sense of accomplishment and diminish the appreciation that the audience had for him. I, too, would miss out on the opportunity to reflect on my own vulnerabilities and ego.

Experiencing failure helps us remain humble if we have the courage to reflect on the learnings instead of explaining away or making excuses for the failure. Accepting failure and remaining humble also helps keep us resilient and willing to take risks.

In the workplace, kicks to the face will come and many of us avoid them to our peril. Upon discovering a mistake in a presentation, how many of us stay silent in the hopes that no one discovers the error? Instead, it’s better for the team and work itself if we speak up and confess the error and correct it. How many times have you been in a meeting when someone uses a term you don’t know? Rather than admitting ignorance, most of us stay in the dark and miss out on the opportunity to learn and contribute to the discussion.

Mistakes will happen. You’ll be late to a meeting. You’ll call a client the wrong name. You’ll transpose numbers in a spreadsheet. You’ll have no idea what that funny acronym means. These things happen. Rather than pretend you’re immune to these human failings, why not accept the kicks to the face as inevitable? Solutions will come more quickly. Errors will be corrected on the spot. Staying humble means that you will be someone who cares more about the work than your ego. Successful leaders are resilient in times of adversity and often have histories of major successes and failures that they have learned from.

After the belt test, Frank and I gave each other a big hug. During the match, in that embrace, and at all times, we engage as equals. The rest of the team, who viewed the match, didn’t shun or look down on me. Even though I am a Taekwondo black-belt, I know I don’t have to act or be perfect. I believe I am there to help others and I want others to feel I am there to help. I’ve learned that this brings appreciation and trust. I believe I am also refining my abilities and knowledge, that there are always more things to learn and ways to keep growing.

One of my Taekwondo instructors once told me to never think of myself as a master or that I have nothing more to learn from others because, if I do, that is the end of my learning and growth. If we cease to be reflective and humble, we risk stagnating and diminishing. I have the good fortune of participating in a sport that helps keep me humble.

It’s not the first time and probably won’t be the last time I’m hit in the head—and that’s not a bad thing.

Roshan Bharwaney has worked on executive development at WPP, the world’s largest advertising group, for the past 13 years and has written a book about teaching Taekwondo.

[GeneChing]

This is one of the great contributions that martial arts gives to the world. It crosses borders and unifies.

Koreas to be united by traditional martial art of taekwondo -- again
2018-01-17 23:44
Normal FontLarge Font
SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Yonhap) -- The Korean martial art of taekwondo brought the divided Koreas together, if only briefly, south of the tense border last summer.

And it will do so again at the tail end of winter, during the Feb. 9-25 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

North Korea agreed Wednesday to send a taekwondo demonstration team of about 30 to PyeongChang, 180 kilometers east of Seoul. The team will give performances in both PyeongChang and Seoul during its stay. The two sides will decide on a specific schedule later.



In this file photo taken June 24, 2017, South Korean President Moon Jae-in (fourth from L, back row) poses with taekwondo demonstrators from South Korea and North Korea after the opening ceremony of the World Taekwondo (WT) World Taekwondo Championships at T1 Arena in Muju, North Jeolla Province. (Yonhap)


Last June, during the World Taekwondo (WT) World Championships in Muju, 240 kilometers south of Seoul, North Korea sent a demonstration team for a total of four performances, including during the opening ceremony of the world championships. The taekwondo practitioners from the North belonged to the International Taekwondo Federation (ITF), a separate taekwondo entity from the WT.

The WT and the ITF have different sets of rules, and the WT is the only taekwondo body recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). But that hasn't prevented the two organizations from making efforts to work together.

Most notably, they signed a landmark agreement in August 2014, titled "Protocol of Accord," which outlined areas of mutual cooperation. And ITF sent its delegation to Muju last summer to honor the agreement. It was the first instance of inter-Korean sports exchange under the new Moon Jae-in administration in the South.

During the ITF team's visit, Moon called on North Korea to participate in the PyeongChang Olympics and expressed his hope for a joint Korean team.

The WT was scheduled to pay a reciprocal visit to Pyongyang in September but the trip never materialized, amid a series of North Korean military provocations.

The North's nuclear test and missile launches also threatened to derail plans for a joint taekwondo demonstration by the WT and the ITF during the PyeongChang Olympics. But the mood changed for the better at the turn of the year, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered to send an athletic delegation to PyeongChang in his New Year's message.

The two Koreas met eight days later, exchanging ideas on North Korean athletes' participation and also on visits by taekwondo practitioners and an art troupe.

On Wednesday, they settled on the size of the taekwondo team, which will be tasked with bringing the Koreas closer.



In this file photo taken June 24, 2017, taekwondo demonstrators from North Korea break bricks during the opening ceremony of the World Taekwondo (WT) World Taekwondo Championships at T1 Arena in Muju, North Jeolla Province. (Yonhap)

jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)

Thread: Winter Olympics
Thread: Taekwondo

[GeneChing]

This guy

redefines stud

2016 GETTY IMAGES
DATE 09 FEB 2018
PYEONGCHANG 2018
TONGA’S TAUFATOFUA COMPLETES SWITCH FROM TAEKWONDO TO CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

ONLY THE SECOND WINTER OLYMPIAN IN TONGA’S HISTORY, PITA TAUFATOFUA IS SET TO JOIN AN ELITE CLUB OF ATHLETES TO COMPETE AT THE SUMMER AND WINTER GAMES, HAVING REPRESENTED HIS COUNTRY IN TAEKWONDO AT RIO 2016.

In a reinvention worthy of a Hollywood script, the Tongan taekwondo athlete will compete as a cross-country skier at PyeongChang 2018.

Having rejected movie offers and modelling contracts after his eye-catching displays in Rio, the Australia-born 34-year-old – who had never seen snow until two years ago – becomes just the second athlete from the Pacific nation to qualify for a Winter Games.

Taufatofua had to battle through four Olympic cycles before becoming Tonga's first Olympic taekwondo competitor at Rio 2016, so making it to “PyeongChang was simple by comparison.”

“It still feels quite strange actually being here, because it took me 20 years to get to Rio, and just one year to get here,” the former youth worker said. "It’s just an honour. I mean, how many countries in the Pacific get to go to a Winter Games?”


GETTY IMAGES
FLYING THE FLAG FOR TONGA

As he did in Rio, Taufatofua will carry Tonga's flag at the Opening Ceremony as the country's sole athlete at the Games. But he will certainly be opting for warmer clothing at the PyeongChang Olympic Stadium than he did in Rio.

After the Opening Ceremony in Rio, images of Taufatofua – oiled up, shirtless and wearing a traditional Tongan skirt at the head of the country's tiny delegation – went viral on social media, thrusting him into minor celebrity.

Eighteen months on, Taufatofua presents a much leaner figure than the muscular martial artist who competed in the 80kg division. After Rio, he rejected various offers of modelling gigs and film roles, choosing instead to ponder his next big challenge.

He opted for the gruelling discipline of cross-country skiing because it was the “hardest” thing he could think of doing.

TRAINING ON SAND

With no snow in Tonga or near his Brisbane base in Australia, Taufatofua's training regimen began with running on sand dunes with wooden planks strapped to his feet.

“We had to mimic being on snow while not being on snow,” he said. “We’d strap pieces of wood to our feet and run on the sand just to get the balance and some sort of glide.”

Taufatofua's cross-country skiing adventure may only be a brief interlude before he refocuses on taekwondo, a sport that has given him six broken bones, three torn ligaments and hundreds of hours of rehabilitation.

Indeed, he is already thinking about the possibility of a third successive Olympic appearance at Tokyo 2020.

“Taekwondo and skiing, now they’re all in my blood,” he said. “I may go for the magic three [in Tokyo]. It’s never been done [by a Tongan] before.”

Thread: hTae Kwon Do
Thread: Winter Olympics

[Marie_Flowers88]

It is a GREAT SPORT to do but it is not great for self-defense

[GeneChing]

Halifax taekwondo grandmaster suspended over caning
Neither the student nor the student's parents complained about the incident
By Anjuli Patil, CBC News Posted: Mar 12, 2018 7:08 PM AT Last Updated: Mar 13, 2018 4:59 PM AT


Woo Yong Jung is head instructor and owner of Woo Yong's Taekwondo Academy. (CBC)

Anjuli Patil
Reporter
Anjuli Patil is a reporter and occasional video journalist with CBC Nova Scotia's digital team.

A Halifax taekwondo grandmaster has had his coaching credentials at local and national taekwondo events suspended after he struck a 17-year-old student with a bamboo cane in early January.

Woo Yong Jung, head instructor and owner of Woo Yong's Taekwondo Academy on Kempt Road, caned the student in front of numerous members of the club, but neither the student nor the student's parents complained. The Maritime Taekwondo Union (MTU) issued Jung's suspension.

"Master Jung has done a tremendous amount to advance the study of taekwondo in Canada. He is the only grandmaster in Atlantic Canada and has been teaching for 30 years. This isolated incident is, unfortunately, being blown way out of proportion," Jung's lawyer, Jason Gavras, told CBC News in an email.

2 investigations

The union said in a news release issued Monday the caning incident, as well as a second alleged incident are being investigated.

The initial incident was reported Jan. 15. The second incident is in relation to Jung's subsequent behaviour at the National Taekwondo Championships held in Ottawa the weekend of Feb. 15-18.

"It is not part of what taekwondo has as part of its principles, its tenets," said union president Douglas Large. "We do not, as masters and instructors, use corporal punishment."

The results of the investigations will be handed over to an independent discipline panel for review and possible additional sanctions, the union said in a news release. Sanctions range from dismissal of the complaint to permanent expulsion from the union.

No police charges

Gavras said Jung, the student who was disciplined and his family are "quite surprised that this matter has become a story."

"They consider it largely a non-event and closed long ago," Gavras said. "This entire matter is the result of a very botched process conducted by a small, informal group of people within the MTU and one anonymous complainant."

Halifax Regional Police investigated the incident, but did not lay any charges.

"The youth did not require any medical attention and did not suffer physical injuries," Const. Carol McIsaac told CBC News in an email.

Gavras said Jung believes this is a case of his competitors trying to damage his reputation because of his success in producing champions. Jung himself won a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

Parental support for Jung

When Large was asked by CBC News if he was impartial in this incident, he said he's not involved in the investigation or any of the procedures and processes underway.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Woo Yong Parents Association said he supports Jung.

"We're rather surprised and rather bewildered by the whole situation," said chairperson Byron Kendall. "There was a decision that was made by a family, a decision on discipline and how to discipline a young man to try to correct some difficult behaviour and that decision involved Master Jung."

Kendal said he has "absolutely no concern" about the safety and security of his six- and nine-year-old children when they're in the care of Jung.

Large said he's been practising taekwondo for nearly 20 years and this is the first time he's heard of caning in the sport.

"It's not what I teach in my practice, it's not what anyone that I know outside of this incident would ever do," said Large.

Gavras said Jung's discipline was "entirely in keeping with his cultural tradition and training and the student, having studied in Korea, was fully aware of this and doesn't see it as a problem."

Back when I taught kids, I had a few parents pull me aside and tell me it was okay if I needed to beat their kids for discipline. I never did. Beat your own dang kids. That wasn't what you hired me for.

Thread: Busted Martial Artists
Thread: Tae Kwon Do

[Jimbo]

When I studied Shi-to ryu karate as a kid, if you made the same mistake more than a couple times, or were goofing off, our Japanese sensei would make you stand at attention and he'd smack you on the front top of your head with a middle-finger fist. Not hard enough to injure you, but enough to smart. Back then, most of us took it for granted that's the way things were done in MA. We'd just take it and continue on with barely a second thought about it. He also kicked or struck some of the adults. It was a non-issue.

For myself, I may not have adminstered corporal punishment as a part of teaching, but I can see why some old-school MA teachers might have (within reasonable limitations, of course).

[GeneChing]

Olympic taekwondo coach Jean Lopez banned for sexual misconduct with a minor
Nancy Armour and Rachel Axon, USA TODAY Published 11:56 a.m. ET April 4, 2018 | Updated 9:04 p.m. ET April 4, 2018


Jean Lopez is the coach for his brother, Steven Lopez, who is taekwondo’s biggest star and the most decorated athlete in that sport. USA TODAY Sports
(Photo: Eileen Blass, USA TODAY Sports)

Jean Lopez, the older brother and longtime coach of two-time Olympic taekwondo champion Steven Lopez, has been declared permanently ineligible after the U.S. Center for SafeSport found him guilty of sexual misconduct and sexual misconduct involving a minor.

The decision reached Tuesday brings resolution to an investigation that began with USA Taekwondo three years ago and was turned over to SafeSport when it opened in March 2017. Three women who spoke with USA TODAY Sports have described sexual misconduct by Jean Lopez dating back to 1997, and one of those women filed a complaint with USA Taekwondo in 2006.

“This matter concerns a decades long pattern of sexual misconduct by an older athlete/coach abusing his power to groom, manipulate and, ultimately, sexually abuse younger female athletes,” SafeSport said in its decision obtained by USA TODAY Sports.

“Given the number of incidents reported over a span of several years and by multiple reporting parties, most of whom have no reasonable motive to fabricate an allegation – much less multiple, distinct incidents – of misconduct, the totality of the circumstances clearly shows a recurrent pattern of behavior on the part of Jean."

More: Lopez brothers, Olympic taekwondo royalty, hit with sex abuse allegations

More: USA Taekwondo athlete allowed in Rio Olympics training gym after ban for sexual misconduct

SafeSport published Lopez’s name in its database Wednesday morning, noting the decision is subject to appeal and not yet final.

Jean Lopez could not be reached for comment Wednesday. George Weissfisch, who served as Lopez’s advisor through the process, did not respond to an email from USA TODAY Sports.

USA TODAY Sports reported the allegations against Jean Lopez in June, as well as separate allegations of sexual misconduct against Steven Lopez. In an interview with USA TODAY Sports last spring, Steven Lopez denied the allegations.

Steven Lopez is taekwondo’s biggest star and the most decorated athlete in that sport. He is a five-time Olympian with gold medals in 2000 and 2004 and a bronze in 2008, as well as five world titles.

USA Taekwondo turned over its investigation of Steven Lopez to SafeSport last year, and the status of his case is unclear. Mandy Meloon, who accused the two-time Olympic champion of rape and physical abuse, said SafeSport investigator Kathleen Smith told her last month that SafeSport was still trying to arrange an interview with him.

But Wednesday night, Steven Lopez's name was added to the SafeSport database of disciplinary records as having been placed under an "interim measure-restriction" for sexual misconduct. The decision date is listed as June 19, 2017, and SafeSport describes this category as someone whose eligibility "has been restricted pending final resolution of the matter."

It's not clear what the restriction is referring to; Lopez participated in last year's world championships, which began June 24, as well as this year's U.S. Open and national team trials.

Lopez, 39, qualified for his 24th national team at trials in February, and he told the Houston Chronicle that he intends to keep competing through the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. He did not immediately return a phone call from USA TODAY Sports on Wednesday night seeking comment.

Steven Lopez has been coached throughout his career by Jean, who also coached siblings Mark and Diana Lopez to medals in Beijing in 2008. Jean Lopez, 44, coached the U.S. team in four Olympics.

USA TODAY Sports reported in June that Jean and Steven Lopez were allowed to participate in the 2016 Rio Olympics even though both had been accused of sexual assault and USA Taekwondo had been investigating them for more than a year. USA Taekwondo never held hearings that would have brought a resolution to the cases, but the attorney who conducted the investigation was concerned enough that he alerted the FBI.

“I am relieved and excited that he will no longer be able to coach young athletes or manipulate girls in these kinds of settings,” said Heidi Gilbert, who accused Jean Lopez of sexually assaulting her in 2003 while they were at a tournament in Germany. “I am highly disappointed in the process. It seems like they handled the situation different for the Lopezes vs. other coaches.

“It just took way too long,” she added. “But I am relieved. And very excited that no girl is ever going to have to deal with him again.”

USA Taekwondo had no immediate response, citing its policy of not commenting on active cases. Jean Lopez has until Tuesday to contest the decision through an arbitrator. He has denied all of the allegations, both in interviews with SafeSport and last spring with USA TODAY Sports.

“I’ve never been inappropriate with anyone,” Jean Lopez told USA TODAY Sports.

The decision makes Lopez permanently ineligible for membership to USA Taekwondo, which would prohibit Jean Lopez from coaching Steven or any other athlete on the U.S. team.

Last month, USA Taekwondo announced a collaboration to share information on misconduct issues involving members with Amateur Athletic Union.

Lopez has spoken at seminars or worked at camps in other countries, including Argentina and Chile. SafeSport’s decision would not bar him from coaching in other countries. That would require a ban by World Taekwondo, and its rules require national federations to report misconduct complaints.

“The reach of it’s always going to be limited,” said Jon Little, an attorney who sued USA Taekwondo on several occasions and who now represents five women who said they were sexually assaulted by the Lopez brothers.

“He’s always going to be able to go to Argentina or do something. …They can’t totally stop him from coaching.”

Jean Lopez has been coaching at a gym in Las Vegas, which touts his Olympic credentials.

On its website, Legacy Taekwondo says it is the “only taekwondo training center in Las Vegas who can boast instructors that have won and coached Olympic, World and National gold medalist on behalf of the United States of America.”

The SafeSport decision comes more than a decade after Meloon first told USA Taekwondo in 2006 that Jean Lopez had sexually assaulted her at a tournament in 1997. She was 16 at the time.

While USA Taekwondo dismissed her claim at the time, SafeSport’s investigation found it to have merit.

“It’s not only myself personally, everything in the news, the #metoo,” Meloon said. “It wasn’t the right time. It was just so accepted. It was just the way things were, and now it’s just different.”

SafeSport’s investigation also found Jean Lopez had assaulted Gilbert and a third woman, with whom he had also engaged in a consensual sexual relationship with her starting when she was 17.

“This is probably one of the worst SafeSport cases I’ve ever seen,” Little said.

“Literally it went on for two decades. I guess if you’re asking me is there a difference between now and then, the answer is barely. I’m encouraged that the USOC took action against such a prominent person. However, look what it took. It took multiple newspaper stories over multiple years. It took multiple proceedings at the USOC and in other venues. It took police reports to various agencies. It took a lot for a long time for this to end. And the bottom line is that nothing should take this long.”

The Olympic movement is under heavy criticism for its handling of sexual abuse cases following revelations that longtime USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar abused hundreds of women, including Olympic champions Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas. USA Taekwondo, USA Swimming, US Speedskating and USA Judo also have been criticized for how they’ve handled high-profile or wide-spread allegations of abuse.

In January, the bipartisan House Energy and Commerce Committee asked the U.S. Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics, USA Taekwondo, USA Swimming and Michigan State to provide information on how they have handled complaints. It has since expanded its inquiry to include all national governing bodies and is awaiting responses.

The USOC has long maintained it does not have the authority or resources to investigate abuse complaints. Instead, it created the U.S. Center for SafeSport, which is charged with adjudicating all sexual abuse complaints in the Olympic movement.

When SafeSport opened in March 2017, national governing bodies were told to turn over any pending sexual abuse cases. The complaints against Jean Lopez and his brother were given to the center immediately.

Threads:
Busted Martial Artists
2020 Tokyo Olympics
Tae Kwon Do

[GeneChing]

I just heard from two reliable sources that the Father of American TKD passed away. Can anyone validate? I searched the news but maybe it's too early. Usually I don't post these unless I have a valid obituary, but today I don't have that luxury, so I hope someone else here can confirm. If this is fake news, I'll recant.

[GeneChing]

...but I just saw Masters Dennis Brown and Diana Lee Inosanto post this on their facebook feeds, and they would know. So I'm copying this off the TKD thread into its own indie thread.

[GeneChing]

THREADS:
10th Tiger Claw Elite KungFuMagazine.com Championship
Tae Kwon Do

[GeneChing]

Thousands take part in largest Taekwondo display in South Korea to promote peace
By Rachel Swatman Published 07 June 2018



A breathtaking martial arts display took place recently at the National Assembly Grounds in Seoul, South Korea, in the run up to the first inter-Korean summit.

The event broke the Guinness World Records title for the Largest Taekwondo display, with a staggering 8,212 people taking part.



Before taking on the official attempt in front of Guinness World Records adjudicator Raymond Marshall and hundreds of stewards, the group had two practice performances to perfect the routine.

The expertly-choreographed demonstration lasted for 10 minutes, with all the participants wearing traditional Taekwondo attire.



The event was organised by The National Assembly Taekwondo Federation, Brand & Company Co. Ltd. and Christian Television System Co LTD.

GuinnessWorldRecords
✔
@GWR
8,212 young and old martial arts learners and pros took part in this huge #Taekwondo display in South Korea > http://bit.ly/GWR-TaekwondoDisplay … 🥋

05:45 - 7 Jun 2018
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Taekwondo originated in Korea and the organisations wished to promote the sport and encourage peace between the neighbouring nations.

Both young and old attended the event. Their enjoyment and determination was evident, as only around 150 people out of the thousands participating were disqualified for not taking part in the display correctly within the record guidelines.


Lee Sang-min, the CEO of Brand & Company, commented: "Although the success of the Guinness World Records title has its own significance, Taekwondo – which was born in the divided country – gathered people in one place to realise that one spirit has contributed in birthing a new global, cultural sport."

"Taekwondo has played an important role in bringing South and North Korea together, with the symbol of peace for the future."

The attempt was broadcast on Korean news channel YTM and will appear in an upcoming documentary about Taekwondo in Korea.

This new record is more than seven times higher than the previous one, which was achieved by J R International Taekwondo Academy & Indian Martial Arts Academy Team in a spectacular display by 1,152 participants, back in 2016.


Largest Taekwondo display: Certificate presentation

Check out many more spectacular and impressive martial arts records on

THREADS:
Martial Arts World Records and Stunts
Taekwondo

[GeneChing]