Through a letter sent to WTF President Dr. Chungwon Choue, the IPC said:  “We have the pleasure to inform you that the IPC Governing Board has approved your application for membership to the IPC.” “Hereby we confirm that the WTF has been granted the status of provisional member of the IPC,”

 

According to  the IPC Constitution, full membership requires the approval of the IPC General Assembly, which will hold its meeting next November 15, 2015 in Mexico City.

 

MasTKD got in touch with the Director of the WTF Para-Taekwondo Department, Olof Hansson who works in the Lausanne office in Switzerland, and told us:   “The provisional membership is a stepping stone to become a full member of the IPC. The IPC Governing Board has reviewed WTF’s application for full membership during their meeting in June and given the WTF a provisional membership status. The final decision of WTF’s full membership status will be made by the IPC General Assembly in Mexico City in November”.

 

When asked about what would be the difference for the athletes, coaches and fans of the Para-Taekwondo if the WTF finally gets the Permanent Membership, Hansson said:  “Being accepted as a full member of the IPC would mean that WTF fully becomes a part of the Paralympic family and it means that WTF is the only IPC recognized World Governing Body for the sport of Para-Taekwondo. After the inclusion of Para-taekwondo on the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic program becoming a full member of the IPC is an important step for the future as it will help in the relation between the National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) and the WTF recognized MNAs”.

 

On the other hand, Olof Hansson was recently in Bonn, Germany holding a series of meetings with the CPI:  “These meetings are held each year between the IPC and the International Federations (IFs). It is a great initiative taken by the IPC to invite the IFs once a year and provide the possibility to meet with all the different departments, sort out issues and get feedback on projects, development and ideas” said Hansson during the exclusive interview with MasTKD.

 

Regarding the recent reorganization in almost all WTF Departments and Divisions, Hansson said:  “With the WTF Council’s enactment of the Para-Taekwondo Bylaw the WTF now has an organizational structure for Para-taekwondo. Work is currently ongoing to fill all official positions with qualified persons to lead Para-Taekwondo over the coming years to fulfill the vision for Para-taekwondo set by the WTF and President Choue”.

 

“Finally, I would like to point out that the WTF expects participation in this year’s 6th WTF World Para-Taekwondo Championships in Samsun, Turkey to break all previous records” concluded Hansson.

 

MasTKD  Team
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