Pan American Taekwondo Union
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| Abbreviation | WTF |
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| Formation | May 28, 1973 |
| Purpose | Martial art and sport |
| Headquarters | Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul |
| Location |
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Region served
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Worldwide |
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Official language
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English |
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President
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Choue Chung-won |
| Website | |
The World Taekwondo Federation, commonly known by its abbreviation WTF, is the international federation governing the sport of taekwondo and is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The WTF was established on May 28, 1973 at its inaugural meeting held at the Kukkiwon with participation of 35 representatives from around the world. There are now 205 member nations. Since 2004, Choue Chung-won has been the president of the WTF, succeeding the first president, Kim Un-yong, after he retired. On July 17, 1980 the International Olympic Committee recognized the WTF at its 83rd Session in Moscow, Soviet Union. First, Taekwondo was adopted as a demonstration sport of the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea; later, on September 4, 1994 Taekwondo was adopted as an official Sport of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games at the 103rd IOC Session in Paris, France. According to the WTF, "Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, that teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind. Today, it has become a global sport that has gained an international reputation, and stands among the official games in the Olympics."
The main constituents of the WTF are the following: The General Assembly (GA); the WTF Council; the President and the Secretariat. In addition to its main constituents the WTF also encompasses other organizations that have been duly authorized or recognized by the Council and the GA and that operate under the auspices of the WTF. WTF-recognized or authorized organizations include but are not limited to the Continental Unions. The General Assembly is the general meeting of the Council and representatives of MNAs of the WTF. The GA is the WTF’s supreme decision making organ. Its decisions are final, whereas the Council consists of the President, the Vice Presidents, the Secretary General, the Treasurer and the Council members. Responsibilities of the Council are for example planning and management of WTF organization and operations and the control over the financial budget and financial reports. The President is elected by the GA from among its members for a term of four years. The President must lead and represent the WTF; concurrently lead the GA and the Council as its chairman, and preside over meetings and other activities as well as designate official duties to Vice Presidents on an ad-hoc basis for the betterment of the development of the sport of taekwondo and the WTF operations. Furthermore, the President appoints the chairmen and members of the WTF Committees. Lastly, the Secretariat of the WTF is installed at the location of the WTF headquarters for the execution of the secretarial affairs and duties of the President and the Secretary General.
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