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When Dr. Choue took over the World Taekwondo Federation, the institution was experiencing a tough moment. Most of the sports institutions around the world, including the International Olympic Committee, had deep doubts about taekwondo´s transparency and, at that time, there was already a high risk of taekwondo permanence for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
During Dr. Choue´s presidency, he has overseen the development and implementation of reforms of the WTF Statutes and Competition Rules for a more democratic, fairer, and more transparent organization and sport.
He has made efforts to diversify the WTF Council, Committees, and Secretariat in terms of gender, nationality and ethnicity.
Dr. Choue has secured important relationships with the Olympic family to build the reputation and future of taekwondo in the Olympic Games.
In nine years as president, Dr. Choue increased the number of members nations from 177 (2004) to 204 MNA´s by the end of 2012.
Recently, Dr. Chungwon Choue announced its intention to run for a new term as head of the World Taekwondo Federation and immediately many speculations of different candidates began to circulate.
In this special report, masTaekwondo.com wants to travel in time to remember year after year all the achievements and actions that Dr. Choue conducted over nearly a decade as head of WTF.
An exclusive recap of Dr. Choue´s accomplishments presented in a chronological order:
2004
- Elected as President
- Established in the FISU Universiade as optional sport
- Pushed for fair, transparent, democratic governance through calling for democratic elections
- Established the WTF Reform Fund
2005
- Reelected as President
- Establishment of the WTF-Kyunghee University Partnership Training Program for athletes and coaches.
- Headed the movement for the inclusion of taekwondo as a corps sport for the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games
- Inaugurated the first ever WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships
2006
- Inauguration of Taekwondo Day, established as September 4 of each year to commemorate taekwondo’s inclusion in the Sydney Olympic Games. The 103rd IOC Session in Paris decided to include taekwondo on September 4, 1994
- Implemented referee reform
- Inauguration of first ever WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships
- Establishment of the WTF Paralympic Committee
- Establishment of the WTF Liaison Office in Lausanne, Switzerland
2007
- Introduced Taekwondo Peace Corps
- Establishment of the WTF Ethics Committee
- Successfully increased the number of bronze medals from 1 to 2 in the Olympic Games – began in Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
- Introduction of the Protector and Scoring System (PSS)
- Inauguration of the International Taekwondo Symposium to be help on the occasion of the WTF World Taekwondo World Championships (2013 will mark the 4th edition of the symposium in Puebla, Mexico)
2008
- Inauguration of Taekwondo Peace Corps
- Establishment of the WTF Expansion Committee
- Taekwondo confirmed as a sport in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
2009
- Opening Ceremeony of the Expanded WTF Laison Office in Lausanne, Switzerland
- Introduction of the WTF World Ranking System for athletes
- Inauguration of the WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships – Baku, Azerbaijan
- First use of the PSS and IVR in WTF Competitions in the WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships and the 1st WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships – Baku, Azerbaijan.
- Founding of the World Taekwondo Federation Demonstration Team
- Founding of the WTF Global Membership System
- Inauguration of the first ever World Youth Taekwondo Camp – joint venture between the WTF and the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation (TPF)
2010
- Re-established the WTF Reform Fund into the WTF Development Fund
- Nominated for the Peace and Sport award for best Peace Program – Taekwondo Peace Corps
- Commended at the UN-IOC Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland by the UNOSDP for the WTF’s efforts in development and peace through sport –Taekwondo Peace Corps
- Successful completion of Taekwondo in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, Singapore
- Successfully attained a position for taekwondo in the World Masters Games (Torino 2013) and European Masters Games (Lignano 2011)
- Acquired the status of “Category 2 sport” in the Commonwealth Games 2011 Strengthened WTF Ethics Code in compliance with the IOC Ethics Code
- Successful display in the first ever Beijing 2010 SportAccord Combat Games
2011
- Enacted the WTF Dispute Resolution Bylaws
- Introduced and implemented brainstorming sessions between WTF Council Members, MNA Leaders and WTF officials to improve communication and create complete inclusiveness in creating the vision for the future of the sport and the organization.
- Achieved the status of a “permanent sport” in the FISU Universiade
- Establishment and implementation of the WTF Global Athlete License
- Introduced the category of Freestyle Poomsae at the WTF Poomsae Taekwondo World Championships in Vladivostok, Russia
2012
- Orchestrated an incredible display at the London 2012 Olympic Games, the most successful Olympic experience of taekwondo’s history. – the 8 gold medals available were won by 8 different nations, making it one of the most diverse and universal sports of the London Olympic Games.
- Nominated by Peace and Sport as International Federation of the Year
- Established the WTF World Cadet Championships
- Established the WTF Grand Prix Series
- Inaugurated the first ever WTF Intercontinental friendly Championships (Asia vs. Europe)
- Achieved inclusion in the first ever European Games
- Expansion of the WTF Liaison Office in Lausanne, Switzerland to the WTF International Headquarters
- Inaugurated the division of Freestyle Poomsae at the WTF Poomsae Taekwondo World Championships in Tunja, Colombia
- Enactment of the WTF Medical Codes and Bylaws on Anti-betting and Corruption
2013
- Successfully lobbied for inclusion of taekwondo as a core sport for the 2020 Olympic Games proposed by the IOC Executive Board
- Restructured the WTF Development Fund to ensure more funds were available for specialized development programs.
- Collaborated with the Olympic Council of Asia to establish the WTF-OCA Joint Youth Camp to be held in Thailand, Singapore
- Organized the WTF Poomsae Task Force to develop the future of the Poomsae discipline of WTF taekwondo.
Exclusive masTaekwondo.com
This is an excellent and complete report, as in many places people do not know all the achievements that Dr. Choue has made through these years of hard work. I am convinced that during the next elections his continuity as WTF Leader will be reconfirmed and we will all be able to continue working, and enjoying the sucess and achievements still to come. I am very proud of being part of the WTF Council and I wish him the best and much success. I send my congratulations to Dr. Choue for an excellent job done.
Maria Borello
WTF Council Member
Guatemalan Taekwondo Federation
Trinidad and Tobago has already sent its endorsement for Dr. Chungwon Choe to continue as the Leader of the WTF, on its path to development, and to a place of permanence on the Olympic Program. It would be impossible in the extreme for any objective person, knowing what he has done, to think otherwise.
Anthony Ferguson
I had met Dr Choue for the first time in 2003, one year before he had been elected to the presidency of the WTF, and he had given me a preview about the future prospects he had for Taekwondo.
10 years later, we can all aknowledge the achievements Dr Choue has made, he held his promises,and TaeKwonDo has become a worldwide fair and transparent sport, while establishing committees that worked hard day and night to get to the point where we are right
TaeKwonDo has risen to the highest summits thanks to Dr Choue . I wish him more success in his future endeavors, and like my fellow collegue has written, we are proud of being part of the WTF council under his presidency.
Respectfully,
Carine Lahoud
WTF council member
ATU vice president