Once a referee has reached National 1st class and has fulfilled the national requirements, and if the minimum international requirements are met, the referee can apply to the National Referee Chairperson, to get Taekwondo Canada’s Presidential approval to attend an international referee seminar.
IR seminars are held a handful of times per year, around the world. The referee will have to get the president’s signature on the application and send it to World Taekwondo. Then the referee will have to:
a. Fly at their own expense to the country in which the seminar is being held.
b. Arrange and pay for accommodation and food during the seminar.
c. The seminar is four days in length and consists of:
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Lectures on the competition rules, emergency situations, discussion on events and how to handle problem situations
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Scoring instruments practice by watching videos
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Hand signal practice
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Physical practice
d. Testing on the final day, noting a fail in any one of the following will result in an unsuccessful referee, consists of:
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Written test (minimum 75% to pass)
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Interview in English to test the language skill (pass or fail)
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Video scoring practice (minimum 75% to pass)
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Blood pressure test (pass or fail)
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Eye test (pass or fail)
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Colour blindness test (pass or fail)
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Physical test (speed and footwork agility) (Pass or fail)
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Hearing test (pass or fail)
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Practical test (situational, with or without players) (minimum 75% to pass)
To become an International Referee, you will need to:
1. Patiently await appointments and invitations to events around the world.
2. Travel at their own expense, leaving family, jobs, and clubs behind.
3. Remain current on the often changing and ever fluid rule interpretations.
4. Attend refresher courses every couple of years, noting the same testing requirements to perform and meet the minimum test scores indicated above are required.
5. Share knowledge at home and mentor referees for growth, development and an ongoing succession plan.
