Tag: wtf taekwondo

Back on the Mat

On February 20, 2023

Back on the Mat

We are pleased to announced that we are Back on the Mat after the most disruptive couple of years to our tournament circuit, and boy are we back in style.

The 3rd Global Open Championships is being held over the weekend of Saturday 22nd – Sunday 23rd, April 2023 at the Caroline Springs Leisure Center, Victoria.

It promises to be one of the biggest and most inclusive week of Taekwon-Do activities held in Australia’s 50+ year history. It all happens in Melbourne, Australia

We already have registrations from across Australia, New Zealand, India and Nepal, with messages of intent from some other countries.

The event is open for all ages, all ranks and all Taekwon-D0 practitioners.

The Global Open Taekwondo Championships will feature both ITF and WT events

Team and Individual Sparring
Team and Individual Patterns/Forms
Self -Defense demo events.

REGISTER HERE

Official Arnold Classic World Championships replacement event

The 3rd Global Open Taekwondo Championships will be the only official replacement event for the previously COVID postponed 1st Arnold Classic Taekwon-Do World Championships.

All participants who remained ‘in-credit’ from the Arnolds, will enter this event FREE OF CHARGE.. You do not need to fill in a form, simply send us your updated personal details via email (admin@globalfitness.edu.au)……… so let’s all brush off our doboks and get back on the mat for a great weekend of Taekwon-Do action.

We will even be presenting all the trophies and medals we purchased for that event at the Global Open Champs.

REGISTER HERE

VIEW COMPETITION RULES

5th ITF Hall of Fame

On the first evening of the Global Open Taekwondo Championships, we will also be holding our 5th ITF Hall of Fame Induction ceremony.

Nominate your instructors, outstanding students, peers or anybody you feel warrants nomination to the Australasian ITF Hall Of Fame.

We encourage you to not only attend, but to nominate those you feel have much a great contribution to ITF in this region. (more info: itfhalloffame.com)

Places are limited due to venue size, so be sure to book early.

Register for ITF Hall Of Fame Banquet Here

(early bird prices end Feb 28th)

Award Nominations Are Now Open

Nomination Categories include:

Lifetime Contribution Award
International Ambassador Award
Outstanding Athlete award
Indomitable Spirit Award
ITF World Championship Representative Award

Depending on the nominations received, the organizing committee will reserve the right to elevate outstanding nominees to the ‘Legend of Taekwon-Do’ category.

Success for Taekwondo at Arnold Sports Festival

By Michael Muleta

On April 1, 2018

In News

Success for Taekwondo at Arnold Sports Festival

Taekwondo was a huge success the Arnold Sports Festival Australia from March 16th – 18th, 2018.

Over 180 participants from across Australia and New Zealand took part in the seminars and championships over the 3 days.

Among those who attended included former Olympians, past and current World Champions, Taekwondo Hall of Famers and many Masters. A high quality collection of people under the one roof, along with all he future budding stars and first timers.

Seminars

Friday kicked off with Sparring seminars in ITF and WTF styles of Taekwondo, followed by Taekwondo for Self Defense, then an ITF Patterns session.

Masters Rua Kaiou, Noel Keating, Neil Cliff and Phill Zdybel conducted the sessions which were enjoyed by all who took part.

Day 1

Day 1 of the Taekwondo championships on Saturday featured ITF Sparring and Patterns for both individuals and teams.

Participants came from:

New Zealand,
Perth,
Broome,
Ballina,
Hobart,
Sydney,
Adelaide,
Mildura,
Gippsland,
Mount Gambier and
Geelong,
metropolitan Melbourne.

The day ran like clockwork with some high quality performances and top level officiating. It all made for some very exciting contests and fair results.

Day 2

Day 2 was exciting with the Sunday including a visit from Arnold Schwarzenegger and his official entourage. They enjoyed a demonstration of all the martial arts on show including Taekwondo. Arnold was very impressed, he gave an inspiring speech to all participants at the end of the demo.

The competition component kicked off after Arnold’s visit and featured WTF Sparring, Poomsae and Teams Poomsae, along with Self Defense.

There were some very good performances from the large contingent of predominantly children who took part.

Thank you to all competitors who took part and those who came along and helped out as seminar instructors, officials and volunteers.

Special thanks to Master Noel Keating and Master Neil cliff for assisting with the running of the Saturday Championships. Thanks also to Master Murat Eryurek who assisted with the co-ordination of the Sunday events. Thank you also for the hard work of Kathryn Marmara-Stewart for her assistance over the 3 days.

Thank you also to event Sponsor Global Fitness Institute in donating medals, logistics and admin support.-

– Master Michael Muleta, Arnold Sports Festival Taekwondo Organizer

FULL RESULTS

Tournament Results 18 Arnold

Taekwondo Olympics 2016

By Michael Muleta

On August 22, 2016

In News

Olympic Taekwondo 2016

So as another installment of Olympic Taekwondo comes to a conclusion, it’s time for us to once again reflect on the bigger picture that is Taekwondo.

Every 4 years the same debates roll out regarding the presence of Taekwondo in the Olympics, and many self-proclaimed traditionalists will testify that the Taekwondo on public view to the millions is not the martial art as the Founder intended.

On the flip-side, those who are indeed heavily invested in the Olympic version do not even hear or regard the arguments that resonate from the outside, as they strive to win Gold for their country.

So how can two groups of people have such polarized views on the Olympic version of Taekwondo, and one wonders whether other sports suffer the philosophical same divide.

When Taekwondo was first included in the Seoul Olympics back in 1988 as a demonstration sport, and then went on in 1996 to be a full medal sport, it was regarded as a major coup for the organizations who were involved, and the death knell for those who weren’t.

Just as we have been every four years before, the end of another Olympic campaign leaves us with more questions than answers.

The future of Taekwondo

But has it panned out that way all these years later, what has become of the public perception of Taekwondo in 2016, as we get engulfed by the popularity of MMA and UFC ?

Concerns about the standard of competition, the range of techniques used, the attractiveness to a television and live audience and hence the appeal to potential lucrative sponsors leave Taekwondo delicately poised in terms of its future as an Olympic sport.

Have Taekwondo organizations, and their member schools flourished since the inclusion of Taekwondo as an Olympic Sport ? What value was derived from the millions of dollars each nations government pumped int the sport version fo Taekwondo ?

With a large group on anti-Olympic practitioners defending their traditional, or original martial art, why do these same organizations still pin their hopes on one day being included in something they so vehemently oppose ?

Is our main concern about which organization is represented, and hence reaps the rewards of government and corporate backing, or is our primary concern what the sport/art actually looks like in the public domain ?

At this juncture nothing should be taken away from the countless hours of hard work done by the athletes and coaches themselves, as with any other Olympic Sport, they have given their all to represent their country with great pride and they only compete within the rules that govern the sport.

At the end of each games we reflect the positives and negatives of Taekwondo’s inclusion in the Olympic schedule.

2016 Rio Olympics Medal Board – Taekwondo