THE Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA) has been suspended pending the formulation of a new constitution to get the national body back on its feet.
Sports Commissioner Datuk Nik Mahmud Nik Yusof said the suspension was necessary to allow the setting up of an ad hoc committee of the various stakeholders in the sport to meet and resolve the long-running MTA saga.
"This is merely a procedural matter to allow for the formation of the ad hoc committee and settle matters pertaining to the constitution and membership," Nik Mahmud said.
"It has been agreed by all the parties involved and letters of appointment for the ad hoc committee will be sent out this week."
MTA has been embroiled in a leadership dispute for almost two years and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakub late last year directed Nik Mahmud to bring all factions together to resolve the issue by the middle of this year.
The committee will comprise representatives of MTA, rival bodies the Malaysian Taekwondo Federation and the Malaysian Taekwondo Club Association, National Sports Council and the Sports and Education ministries.
Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar will chair the committee, which has been given three months to resolve all issues.
"We received the approval from the minister to set up the ad hoc committee last week. We are looking at a period of three months to conclude the process," said Nik Mahmud.
"The first meeting will likely be held sometime next week where they will discuss the new constitution, application of new members and the holding of an election to elect new office bearers."
New Straits Times - Malaysia
Malaysian Taekwondo having suspend charges
Taekwondo fair fights
The NYU Sport Taekwondo Club is known for giving its members a beating, but that’s part of the appeal. Besides being a healthy, legal and safe way to kick and punch other students, the team prides itself on teaching discipline, teamwork and commitment.
Founded 20 years ago by Master Mark Lesly, the taekwondo team has become one of NYU’s largest club sports, with 55 current members. Many students credit taekwondo for learning values they will carry for the rest of their lives.
“You gain a lot of discipline and philosophy on how to live your life,” Stern junior Michael Jiang said. “It sounds cliche, like what you see in movies, but it’s true.”
Head coach Timothy Marmo teaches his students five tenets of taekwondo, which include courtesy, perseverance, integrity, self-control and indomitable spirit. Students are also taught to bow to opponents before matches and when entering or exiting the dojang (the team’s practice room) out of respect for their master, their country and their art.
CAS sophomore Ajay Palaparty said the lessons he’s learned from taekwondo transcend the sport.
“Before joining taekwondo I wasn’t really organized, but taekwondo has taught me how to better manage my academics,” he said.
The work ethic of the team and its commitment to excellence have also prepared members to succeed in the arena. Last year, NYU finished third in the Division-II Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference. Despite losing key seniors to graduation last year, the team has fought hard to continue their success. They recently competed in National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships.
“We fielded seven students and brought home four medals,” Marmo said.
NYU competes in the Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference against Harvard, Yale, Columbia, West Point and other universities in the Northeast.
Part of the team’s success can be attributed to the solid dynamic and strong chemistry among teammates. Marmo describes his team as a group of friends and says going to a restaurant after practice with athletes is not uncommon.
Since collegiate taekwondo is a team sport, cohesiveness is extremely important. Athletes fight individual matches, but their victories contribute to a team score.
Tournaments and competitions are separated into forms and sparring. Athletes in forms are judged on their mastery of technique and expressiveness of movement. In sparring, however, athletes compete against one another, scoring points by landing attacks.
NYU’s taekwondo team is open to all students regardless of gender or experience; interest is the only requirement.
Isaac Kwan, the team’s co-captain, began taekwondo after seeing it on the silver screen.
“It is something I enjoyed from watching movies,” he said. “I’m a big Bruce Lee fan.”
http://www.nyunews.com/
Student of Hatfield scores high
A HATFIELD student has won a top title in the Freestyle Sport Karate Association British Open Grand Championship.
The win in the Men's Korean Patterns category is Stuart Wade's first since the World Championships in Florida last year.
And the 20-year-old 4th dan blackbelt freestyle taekwondo expert beat a world champion into second place to lift the title.
A delighted Wade explained: "The category that I won was a technical section, not sparring (fighting).
"It involves performing a set of traditional taekwondo techniques (collectively called a 'pattern') towards numerous imaginary opponents, in front of a panel of judges."
The Northumberland University Applied Sport and Exercise Science student was judged on technical ability, speed of technique, power, accuracy, and stances.
"It is a very technical and disciplined event, a parallel from another sport would perhaps be the floor discipline in artistic gymnastics," added Wade.
The tournament attracted martial artists from throughout the British Isles.
"Testing myself in competition on a national and international level on a regular basis gives me great focus and determination to be the best.
"I have won 16 British/British Open/UK titles, two European titles and one World title.
"I aim to achieve numerous world titles under as many governing bodies as possible."
Wade added: "With the continued financial support from my sponsor 'For Goodness Shakes' (www.forgoodnessshakes.com) I aim to continue to compete on the world stage."
In the coming months Wade, who trains at Premier Martial Arts in Armthorpe, will be competing in different tournaments to qualify for the Great Britain team to compete in European and World Championships towards the end of the year.
http://www.thornegazette.co.uk/
Pakistan taekwondo to Korea
KARACHI: An eight-member taekwondo squad of Pakistan is scheduled to leave for Korea on April 5 from Lahore to undergo training ahead of the First Asian Martial Arts Games to be held at Bangkok from April 25 to May 3, a top official of the Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) told 'The News' on Friday.
"After great efforts and with the kind support of the Pakistan Sports Trust (PST), finally we have become capable to send four boys and four girls to Korea on April 5 for a fortnight training programme," the secretary of the PTF Muhammad Wasim Ahmad said.
He said boarding and lodging arrangements for the team are being made and the Pakistan team coach Bae Yoham, who also belongs to Korea, has already been sent to Korea ahead of the players so that he could make everything final and then receive the players at the Airport.
He said that the Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) will also help the Pakistan taekwondo authorities in making training arrangements for the Pakistani players.
Adding that the players would move to Thailand from Korea on April 24 to feature in the Asian Martial Arts Games. Pakistan taekwondo players have been receiving training at the Army Sports Gymnasium in Rawalpindi since January 25. The PTF secretary said that the best available players have been picked for the Bangkok Games purely on merit.
He said that Ghazanfar Ali (Army, fin-weight), Arif Mehmood (Army, welter-weight), Fahim Fawad Butt (WAPDA, fly-weight), Javed Karim (Army, light-weight), Umme Kulsoom (Railways, light-weight), Maham Aftab (Punjab, fin-weight), Asia Batool (Army, welter-weight) and Nadia Khan (Army, middle weight) are the players who have been finalized for the forthcoming mega event in Bangkok and are being sent to Korea for training.
Wasim said that all these players are the best seeds of the country and have got sufficient international exposure.
Ghazanfar Ali is a silver medallist of the International Masters NRW competition held in Germany in October last year. Arif Mehmood had also reached the quarter-finals in the Asian Qualifiers for Beijing Olympics held in Vietnam last year and the same is the case with the 15-year old Maham Aftab and Asia Batool who had grabbed gold and bronze medal respectively in the Al-Hassan International Taekwondo Championship in Jordon last August.
"Asian Martial Arts Games is like the mini Olympics. It is a tough event in which 32 countries will show their worth in taekwondo. It would be premature to say anything about the chances of any medal for Pakistan. The draw also has its role and letís see what happens but I hope that the players will deliver their hundred per cent in Bangkok," Wasim said.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/
Su Li Wen for a gold
She won the taekwondo championship in 2006 Asian Games in Doha, finished first in the 2007 Summer Universade and brought home a gold from the 2008 Asian Taekwondo Championship. But after Aug. 21 last year, Su Li-wen (蘇麗文) has been largely remembered as the national heroine who, despite falling to the ground 11 times, continued to fight until her coach carried her out of the ring in the Beijing Olympics.
Su published her first book last month. A Tough Kid (打不倒的孩子) chronicles Su’s pursuit of success over the past 18 years, based on the journals she kept while she was in graduate school. She did some of the illustrations as well.
“I hope my story can inspire people,” she said.
The fact that she did not get the perfect ending she hoped, and is still paying the price for losing one of the most important games in her life — a torn anterior cruciate ligament, a fractured toe on her left foot and a wrecked triangular fibro — has not dimmed her quest for an Olympic gold.
“I just don’t believe that that was it,” said Su in an interview with the Taipei Times.
The day before she was interviewed, Su visited National Taiwan University Hospital to get a shot for her injuries.
“I always think that the day I announce my retirement will be the day I feel I have reached the limits of my capacity,” she said. “I haven’t felt that way yet.”
But Su was not always such a tenacious fighter. A skinny child who was often in ill health, Su said she took taekwondo lessons because her parents hoped she would grow stronger through sports.
The training was grueling, Su recalled, and her brother quit after only three classes. Su persevered because she enjoyed the progress she made, and the feeling she had after conquering seemingly unbeatable foes.
“After you beat one of your strongest classmates, you start setting the goal of becoming a national champion. Then you want to take the next step to an international tournament. And the next thing you know you want to enter a global contest,” she said.
Taekwondo not only gave Su a healthier physique, but also channeled her youthful energy into discipline, she said.
During junior high, however, she thought about giving up the sport because of her lackluster performance in competition.
“I was not interested in school at all, but I was not doing well in takwondo either,” she said.
“My parents thought I was wasting my time on things that might eventually get me nowhere. They wanted me to concentrate on my studies instead,” she said.
Nonetheless, she remained active in sports and even at one point played on her school’s girls softball team.
Su continued her studies at the Taipei Physical Education Junior College, Taichung Physical Education College and National Chung Cheng University, where she trained as a national team athlete.
However, as an undergraduate, she supported herself by working three jobs.
The path to the Olympics was not an easy one for Su. She failed in her bid for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, losing to two-time Olympic Gold medalist Ann Chen (陳怡安). One of Su’s contacts fell out during the fight, blurring her vision and making her lose concentration.
She lost out on the 2004 Athens Olympics after the national team picked Chi Shu-ju (紀淑如) over her.
By the time she was chosen to represent the nation at last year’s Olympics, Su was 28 and many thought she was past her prime as an athlete. Her father had also been diagnosed with terminal nasopharyngeal cancer.
The bronze medal match was a very painful process, Su said.
“I tried to figure out how to stand on one leg and score the last point,” she said. “I was in so much pain. I bit my teeth so hard that a tooth cap broke and my gums bled.”
“I hardly cried, but when I saw my opponent score, which I thought she shouldn’t have because she only hit my hand, I couldn’t help but break into tears,” she said.
Su said she watches the match on YouTube with her friends from time to time, adding that she can’t believe that it was her in the match.
Although she finished fifth in the Beijing Games, the worldwide praise she garnered won her job offers from all three of her alma maters and one from National Taiwan Normal University to teach in their sports programs.
“People think NT$3 million [her prize from the government] was a lot of money, but it’s nothing if you add up payments for taekwondo lessons, or medical bills for injuries accumulated over the years — before and after there was a national health insurance program,” she said, commenting on requests by the parents of weightlifting bronze medalists Chen Wei-ling (陳葦綾) and Lu Ying-chi (盧映錡) for Premier Liu Chao-hsiun (劉兆玄) and President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to help their children find jobs.
She said she considered herself one of the fortunate few who were able to compete in the Olympics and retire without worrying about what she was going to do next.
Many of her college classmates were working as waiters or store clerks because there weren’t many companies that would hire sports college graduates, she said.
Su accepted the offer from her alma mater in Taichung, which is now called National Taiwan Sports University, Taichung Campus, because “it has more athletes training for the national teams” and she wants pass on her experience in international competition.
Asked to comment on billiard prodigy Wu Chia-ching’s (吳珈慶) decision to apply for Singaporean citizenship because the city-state promised him more than what the Chinese-Taipei Billiard Association could offer, and golfer Tseng Ya-ni’s (曾雅妮) appeal for the government to pay more attention to her sport, Su said: “I am more concerned about whether I have done my best as an athlete than about the government resources I can get.”
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http://www.taipeitimes.com/
8 medals for Taekwondo player
Taekwondo is strictly a club sport, but at a national competition held at Brown University from March 21-22, there was no shortage of fierce competition. Tufts was right in the middle of it, sending 13 competitors to the 34th National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (NCTA) Championships, with eight of them coming away with medals.
The event features over 350 competitors from over 80 schools, reaching as far as Stanford and UC Berkeley, which are known for their martial arts programs.
Gold medalists in sparring included senior blue belt Aaron Schumacher, freshman green belt Hyomi Carty and junior yellow belt Jonathan Loh. They won the first gold medals at Nationals for any Tufts martial artist. Groups were broken up by weight class and belt type, from white/yellow to green/blue to red and black.
"I didn't expect that I'd do this well," Loh said. "It was a very pleasant surprise. I landed my first headshot ever in a tournament.
"The final was intense," he continued. "My opponent was a lot better than the guys I faced in the early rounds, but the match was cut short because he sustained an injury. If I had the chance, I'd like to go against him again. I'd like to know how well I would've fared."
Schumacher also represented the Jumbos well, demolishing most of his opponents en route to his top finish.
"Schumacher completely didn't let anybody stand in his way," coach Michael Harb said. "There was only one match where they didn't need the mercy rule. He won 7-0, 5-0, 8-0, 7-3, so he completely outclassed four opponents ... As a whole, I was more than satisfied."
While the team was well-prepared going in, the team managed to exceed its own expectations.
"Coach Harb was actually shell-shocked," Schumacher said. "He was really speechless. When any one of us won a gold or silver or bronze, none of us were surprised because we had confidence going in, but overall as a team, we were absolutely surprised."
The rules for color belt sparring include three one-minute rounds, with one point being scored for body blows and two for headshots. The first to 12 or a seven-point margin takes the match.
"I was expecting the competition to be pretty tough, but I'd trained hard and put in my best effort," said Carty, who has been practicing taekwondo for four years. "The coaches trained us pretty well, and I ended up doing really well.
"I sparred in three different matches and won two by seven-point gaps," Carty continued. "The third was pretty intense. It was the finals, so [my opponent] was also very good, and we were fighting up until it was 11-11, and it was about to go into overtime ... so whoever scored the next point was going to win. I ended up getting a kick in the head on her."
Tufts earned four other sparring medals, including silvers from sophomore yellow belt Noriko Aizawa and freshman white belt Marcell Babai, who both lost in the finals by a single point.
"Noriko Aizawa is a yellow belt, so she's a beginner," Harb said. "She weighs maybe 90 pounds, and the little thing fought in the thin-weight/flyweight competition with girls a head bigger than her. And she fought like nobody's business. She did not back down from of any of her competitors and went all the way to the finals, narrowly losing 7-6. But that was only because she was competing immediately after the semifinals. The poor thing was exhausted."
Tufts also won three medals in form for the color belts. Form is a set sequence of moves judged on accuracy and the power of the techniques. The art form and beauty of moves contrast the other side of sparring, according to Harb. Junior blue belt Matthew Davenport took home the lone gold, while Aizawa and sophomore red belt Peter Yeh came away with their second silver and bronze medals of the day, respectively.
"Every year we get a couple new incoming freshmen who are black belts, but the core of the team is definitely the lower belts," Schumacher said. "It's a sustainable thing you can really see grow over time. Matt Davenport came in ... as a bumbling oaf. Now he's better than a lot of other people and is very light on his feet. He's 10 times more flexible than I am, but I was 10 times less when he came in."
Thanks to four total color belt gold medals, the Jumbos ranked third as a team, trailing only MIT and Brown, who both brought over 40 people to the competition.
"In all the other tournaments we go to, you'll have lower belts competing against upper belts," Schumacher said. "But the way the belts are divided at Regionals is not the same way as Nationals. When you're fighting higher belts, you'll inevitably get better, since you're fighting people better than you are. Having that success against them gives me confidence."
"We expected to do well on an individual level, since we face good competition in tournaments, but I was surprised we did so well as a team since we sent so few people," he continued. "I was pretty confident because we have a lot of experience in these other tournaments, and I know I'm well coached because Coach Harb is one of the best in the country. He always pushes me and tells us to keep working harder, so a lot of our success can be attributed to him."
Tufts did not have the same success in the black belt competition, as Augustine Pyo (LA '08) and senior Austin Worth were eliminated in the quarterfinals, though black belt medical student Anastasia Kazimirova earned a bronze in both form and sparring. There was greater competition in the black belt fields, as only the more dedicated martial artists were likely to travel from around the country.
Tufts only sent two team members to Nationals in Texas last year, but the proximity of Brown allowed for a greater turnout.
"It was at Brown, so our travel costs were down, and [the Tufts Community Union Senate] allocated us funds for the competition and travel expenses, which really helped," Harb said.
Overall, the Nationals experience gave the team a chance to see how it measured up against competitors outside of its league.
"We were stoked," Harb said. "We had a bunch of students come down with us and just help support and cheer the rest of them, which made a big difference. Some people gave up their spring break. Austin Worth came back early so he could compete. Everyone gained experience. We've had success in our league, but now we saw how we can fare against schools around the country, and we really took it to them. It's a testament to the program we've been running."
http://www.tuftsdaily.com/news
Enjoy Taekwondo
To chip in with the government's efforts to improve the country's national brand value, the Culture Ministry says it will be doing its part by promoting Korean culture to the world.
First, the ministry plans to integrate the names of global institutes that provide information on the Korean language as the King Sejong Institute by next year. A head office for the institutes is scheduled to be built by 2011.
This is aimed at making it easier for non-Koreans to recognize the name and to gain improved access to language education. In line with this plan, the ministry says it will also establish an integrated Korean language education system called "u-King Sejong Institute." The system will offer online lectures and information on Korean in a number of foreign languages by the end of this year and support an international network of qualified teachers over the next three years.
Meanwhile, the ministry also plans to globalize Korea's national sport, taekwondo, through its "Enjoy Taekwondo" project. As part of this project, the ministry will back the development of taekwondo-related content such as video games and movies.
By 2011, a hall dedicated to year-round demonstrations of the martial art will be constructed and tour packages will be developed to attract more interest internationally. The ministry says it will send more taekwondo instructors overseas and develop an online manual.
http://english.chosun.com/
Life alters with Taekwondo
When Veiko Kreis speaks of his son through his thick Estonian accent, a frequent glimmer of pride flashes in his pale blue eyes.
"His life is harder than the others," Veiko said. "He must keep me happy, and he can't lose, because he's the master's son."
The big, burly Kreis, a fourth-degree black belt, is master of the USA Taekwondo Center in Fort Myers and the head of one of Southwest Florida's first families of tae kwon do.
His wife, Inga, who runs the front desk, is a second-degree black belt. His daughter, Krislin, who is off at college studying to be a photographer, is a fourth-degree black belt.
And his son, Chris, is a third-degree black belt who recently won the Florida State Championship in the 14- to 17-year-old division for forms in Tampa. The win qualified him for this summer's Junior Olympic Taekwondo Championships in Austin, Texas.
"You just become accustomed to it, when you do it over and over again," Chris said. "It becomes your life."
Chris' success is just the latest example validating two key choices that his family made 16 years ago.
The first was to leave their native Estonia behind for America. The Cold War that had pressed Veiko into service with the Soviet Union Army for two of the longest years of his life was over. So was the Soviet Union itself, freeing Estonia from its position as a satellite country in the then-USSR.
The decision to emigrate was easy for the young couple, who had at least a few well thought-out reasons for heading west.
"To live the American dream," Inga said with a warm smile.
"Nice warm weather," Veiko added.
The second decision was Veiko's. He had no doubt he wanted to transform the childhood joy he had experienced learning karate into his new trade in his new country. But he also wanted to teach his young daughter self-defense, and karate seemed a shade rough.
And so his attention fell on tae kwon do, South Korea's meditative equivalent of Japan's more aggressive karate.
He was a quick study.
"Since I had the basics, the kicking and punching came easy, though the styles and forms are different," Veiko said.
The USA Taekwondo Center was up in no time, and Krislin was its star pupil. Just a few years later, Chris, the new addition to the brood, was quickly carving out his own niche.
"Chris was like 3 years old. He was too young, so I trained him at home," Inga said. "He would practice with broomsticks, and then he was a yellow belt, orange belt, he was making videos of himself - it was incredible."
Meanwhile, business was taking off, with the Kreis family taking its show on the road, breaking boards and bricks with heads and hands at local events and winning over new converts with its sales pitch.
"It's a sport parents can do," Inga said, before Veiko quickly cut in.
"In other sports, you have to sit on the sideline," he said, glowing with excitement. "Here you can do it with your kids.
"... And the parents, they say, 'Thank you so much. I've seen a big change in his attitude and his grades.' They say, 'If you don't get good grades, we'll tell master Veiko.'"
More than a decade after the Kreises' leap into tae kwon do, Chris, a 15-year-old freshman at South Fort Myers High, has become the family's brightest star. He's got his spot in the Junior Olympics for forms, the art's more graceful side, and wants to add a berth in the combative sparring side by qualifying next month in the National Qualifier in Orlando.
"Sparring interests me more," Chris said, "because that's the Olympic style. One of my biggest goals is to go to the Olympics."
Chris is excelling in competition, but he's no longer the primary focus of Veiko and Inga.
For more than an hour as they sit in the front lobby of USA Taekwondo and discuss their wonderful American adventures, parents and children form a steady stream in and out of the center, all devoted to the Kreis clan and the gift they've shared with Southwest Florida.
They're all part of the Kreis family now, and there are no regrets for the Estonian immigrants as they look back over the new life they chose nearly two decades ago.
"For us, it's about giving back," Inga said. "It's not about us anymore, it's about the children.
"They've all become our family."
http://www.news-press.com/
Fruitful years of Taekwondo club
Pulse Taekwondo Club is celebrating their first anniversary since it was founded by John Lockwood 12 months ago at Almondbury Sports Centre.
And during that short space of time, his members have rewarded his efforts by returning from both domestic and international competition with a haul of medals and trophies.
“Our success is unmatched by any other WTF Taekwondo club in Huddersfield in just one year, and we have medals from competitions in Holland, as well as British National and International events,” said Lockwood, who is a BTCB 4th Dan black belt.
Sponsored by PJ Colours, a company who have bought the club some mats which can be used both in training or competition, Pulse also hold sessions at St John’s Church, in Lepton (Tuesday) and Brockholes Village Hall (Thursday), although Almondbury is the main venue on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Classes are open to anyone aged five years upwards, and anyone interested in learning Taekwondo, either to just get fit or to compete, can get in touch with Lockwood on 07946 021666
http://www.examiner.co.uk/
Exponents taekwondo fighter
THE target of 600 exponents has been met and its all systems go for the 4th Nestle Koko Krunch Junior Taekwondo Championships at the Kuala Lumpur Badminton Stadium in Cheras on Saturday.
The fifth and final coaching clinic was held in Taman Klang Jaya, Klang yesterday with 200 exponents attending.
The clinic, which gave an insight to exponents on what to expect during the championships, was conducted by coaches from the Malaysia Taekwondo Clubs Association (MTCA).
"It promises to be another exciting affair based on how quickly the 600-target was met.
"In fact, we had to limit the number of entries per team to accommodate more clubs as the response following the launch was overwhelming," said an MTCA spokesman.
An annual affair since 2006, Saturday's championships will see 40 clubs and districts competing.
"There will be 10 weight divisions each for the boys and girls and some divisions will see as many as 40 competing for honours.
"What makes it remarkable is the fact that all 10 weight divisions in the girls will also see keen competition."
Launched by National Sports Council director general Datuk Zolkples Embong on March 11, the five coaching clinics saw a total 1,000 exponents participating.
"The clinics will prove useful to the exponents as the championships are meant as exposure for young exponents, some of who will be competing for the first time."
Saturday's championships will be followed by a leg in Muar, Johor on May 16. Three coaching clinics will be held prior -- in Muar, Batu Pahat and Johor.
For details, contact A. Pravin at 016-6177308 as the Muar championships are limited to 400 exponents.
http://www.nst.com.my/
Taekwondo events in University of Berkeley
Taekwondo athletes from around the world will converge on the UC-Berkeley campus for three days of competition in May. The 1st Pan-Am University Taekwondo Championship will take place May 28-29 and the 40th UC Open Taekwondo Championship will be held May 30.
Both events will take place in Haas Pavilion on the UC-Berkeley campus. For the Pan-Am tournament, doors open at 5:00 PM on the 28th and 9:00 AM on the 29th. For UC Open, doors open at 6:30 AM and the opening ceremony begins at 8:30 AM.
Taekwondo, "the way of the foot and fist," is a full-contact martial art based on ancient Korean self-defense techniques. Taekwondo athletes are noted for their powerful kicks and agile footwork. In both tournaments, athletes will compete in forms (poomse) and Olympic style free sparring (gyoroogi).
The UC Martial Arts Program is an organization devoted to bringing exceptional martial arts instruction to UC-Berkeley and the local community. Founded in 1969, it is a pioneer in martial arts instruction, hosting multiple tournaments each year and sending its taekwondo competition team to victory in nearly thirty National Collegiate Championships.
Since the first tournament forty years ago, the UC Open has grown into one of the largest and most popular taekwondo tournaments on the West Coast.
This year UCMAP expects around 700 competitors from around the world to participate.
The 1st Pan-Am University Taekwondo Championship is the culmination of efforts by the Organización Deportiva Universitaria Panamericana (ODUPA), a group of countries in the Americas promoting the development of collegiate sports. ODUPA is a part of the International University Sports
Federation (FISU). Competitors from more than forty countries have been invited to participate in the Pan-Am tournament.
For additional information:
http://www.ucmap.org/uc-open.php
http://www.ucmap.org/pan-am/
Contact:
Jessie Lougheed
145 RSF, 2301 Bancroft Way
Berkeley, CA 94720
Phone: 510-642-3268
Jessie_lougheed@berkeley.edu
Chamopion crowned at Pusat Cemerlang
The Pusat Cemerlang Negeri team of the United Labuan Taekwondo Association (WTF) was crowned the overall champion at the 30th Labuan Closed Inter-Centre Taekwondo Championship.
The team's medal haul of 5 golds, 3 silvers and 3 bronzes saw them take home the challenge trophy.
In second spot was Labuan Sport Complex Centre winning 4 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals while in third spot was Town Centre 1 (last year's champion) with 3 golds, 5 silvers and 4 bronzes.
The remaining two other spots went to Town Centre 2 with 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals followed by Masturi Centre with 1 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.
The prizes were given away by Assistant Director of Youth and Sports Department. Ronnie Boniface Ngui.
According to organising chairman, Lim Sek Ming, the objective of the competition was to select potential exponents to represent the island for next year's Malaysia Games (Sukma) to be held in Melaka.
He added that the winners would also be selected to join the Pusat Cemerlang Negeri for intensive training.
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/index.cfm
Taekwondo Olympic Champion Wu Jingyu withdraws
After cruising her way through to the semi-finals of the National Taekwondo Championship in Suzhou, Olympic champ Wu Jingyu had to pull out at the last minute on the final day because of a hand injury. The title in the 53 kilo category instead went to Kong Deping of the Beijing Military Area Command.
All eyes were on the semi-final match of the women's 53-kilo event on Sunday, as Olympic champion Wu Jingyu was set to be in the competition. This would be her first official competition since the Beijing Olympic Games last summer. But to the disappointment of her fans, Wu didn't show up for the match.
Wu Jingyu had been riding high in her game right from the start, scoring 6-0, 11-0 and 7-0 for each of the competitions on her way to the semi-final. Then suddenly came the bad news that the Olympic champion was prevented from attending by injury, giving the match to her opponent. Yu's hand had apparently become swollen from an injury that occurred during training, and was aggravated during the competition.
http://english.cctv.com/
