Oceania Taekwondo 2022 Activity Report

January – March 2022

 

1. Australia’s Linda Pace was appointed to the World Taekwondo Poomsae Committee.

 

 

2. Tokyo Paralympic Bronze medalist, Janine Watson, was elected Chair of the Athletes’ Committee.

 

 

3. Tahiti hosted a coach and referee introductory foundation course via Zoom for Kyorugi (Sparring).  It was conducted by Denzil Ray, with 14 clubs and over 50 athletes, coaches and officials in attendance.

 

 

4. Oceania Taekwondo and the Mexican Taekwondo Federation signed a cooperation agreement that will significantly benefit Oceania’s National Member Federations and their athletes.

John Kotsifas, President of Oceania Taekwondo said; “The agreement focuses on several key issues including:

  • Joint sports training activities,
  • Training camps to be held in Mexico and the Oceania region,
  • Exchange of technical knowledge,
  • Athlete and coach education, and
  • Mutual competitions.”

With the World Taekwondo Championships to be held in Cancun, Mexico later in the year, plans are also underway and it is planned to hold an extensive training camp in Mexico leading into the World Championships.

5. Oceania Taekwondo Secretary General, Stuart Lee, was appointed as World Taekwondo Technical Delegate for the 2023 Pacific Games to be conducted in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

 

 

 

April – June 2022

 

1. An open coach and referee introductory Poomsae (patterns) session was conducted by Linda Pace via Zoom.

2. The Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Samoa jointly participated in a coach and referee introductory foundation course via Zoom for Kyorugi (Sparring), conducted by Denzil Ray.

3. ONOC and OSFO Annual General Assemblies – Fiji

Oceania Taekwondo President, John Kotsifas, attended the 2022 Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) Annual General Meeting in Suva, Fiji, as well as the Organisation of Sports Federations of Oceania (OSFO) Annual General Assembly in Nadi, Fiji.  International Olympic Committee (IOC) President, Thomas Bach, was present for the ONOC conference, and he also visited Tonga and the Cook Islands as part of his visit to the Pacific.

4. Oceania Taekwondo Education (Kyorugi) Accreditation and Development Seminar for French Polynesia was held from April 30 until May 3.  This, combined with a Kyorugi sparring competition – the Taekwondo Pegase Cup – was held in Papeete with over 200 entries.  The event was used to develop new referees and coaches for Tahiti, for upcoming World Taekwondo and Oceania Taekwondo-sanctioned events, leading up to the 2023 Pacific Games and 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

5. Oceania Taekwondo President, John Kotsifas, addressed the World Taekwondo Council meeting held in Lausanne at the IOC Headquarters, which was also attended by IOC President Thomas Bach.

6. Fiji participated in a coach and referee introductory foundation course via Zoom for Kyorugi (Sparring), conducted by Denzil Ray.

 

July – September 2022

 

1. Athletes from Fiji Taekwondo Association (FTA) attended the Oceania Taekwondo online Poomsae introductory course run by Linda Pace. As a direct result of attending the course, four of those Fijian Taekwondo athletes were the first Fijian athletes to have ever participated in the G2 Open-ranked International Oceania Taekwondo Online Poomsae Championships. The team of four that took part included two athletes in G2 ranking divisions; Prabhart Praneel Prasad (Male Under 30) and Anegha Narayan (Female Under 30).

2. Oceania Taekwondo held the Online Poomsae and Para Poomsae Championships in August 2022, for the third year in a row. It was open to all nations from around the world, including those from the continent of Oceania.

3. Oceania Taekwondo conducted an Online Kyorugi Officiating Introductory Course for participants from Tonga on Saturday 16 July 2022.

4. The Tonga National Taekwondo Association (TNTA) held their first coach and referees workshop via a Zoom session.  The workshop was run by Denzil Ray, whilst three-time Olympian, Pita Taufatofua, also took time out of his busy schedule to supporting the workshop.

5. Tongan Olympian and Oceania Taekwondo Union council member, Pita Taufatofua, was recognised by the IOC for his contribution to sport and his humanitarian initiatives. Pita was invited to Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, by IOC President, Thomas Bach, to be presented with an award recognising him for his athletic and Olympic achievements.

Pita is a three time Olympian having competed in Taekwondo in Rio 2016, cross country skiing in Pyeong Chang in 2018, and again in Taekwondo in 2021 in Tokyo. This is an amazing achievement for Pita and Taekwondo in general. It is also a significant achievement for Oceania sport – no other Taekwondo athlete has been recognised in this way.

6. A number of important world-ranked events were held in Papeete, Tahiti between September 30 and October 2:

            • President’s Cup – this was a G2 world ranking event, where athletes can gain points towards their world ranking and Olympic qualification.
            • Tahiti Open – this was also a G2 world ranking event.
            • Oceania Championships – this was a G4 world ranking event.
            • Poomsae (Patterns) event – this was a G4 ranking event (non-Olympic discipline).

In addition to these international events, further events were held for cadets and juniors.

The events saw hundreds of competitors from within the Oceania region and throughout the world.

The attendance of many Oceania athletes to these events was made possible as a result of development grants provided by ONOC and administered by OSFO. Our deepest thanks and gratitude is extended to ONOC and OSFO for the financial assistance provided to assist us to host these international events and to ensure our Oceania athletes had the financial means to attend the events.

7. ONOC/OSFO-supported Regional Training Camps

Both prior to and after the events, a high-performance training camp was held in Tahiti for senior and junior athletes. The training camp was led by three-time Olympian, Mr Dong Min Cha.  He won an Olympic Gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, competed at the 2012 London        Olympics, and won a Silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.  Oceania athletes were fortunate to have the benefit of being trained by one of the best Taekwondo athletes in the world!

Again, this camp was only made possible because of the assistance from ONOC and OSFO.  Thank you!