Taekwondo Canada Successfully Hosted IR Seminar

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Taekwondo Canada successfully hosted the World Taekwondo (WT) International Referee Seminars (IRS) and International Refresher Courses (IRRC) at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown Hotel in Burnaby, BC from May 6 to 13, 2018.

The 37th Poomsae IRS & the 35th Poomsae IRRC ran from May 6 to May 9 and attracted a total of 92 participants from 12 countries and regions. The 102nd Kyorugi IRS & the 116th Kyorugi IRRC ran from May 10 to 13 and welcomed a total of 121 participants from 24 countries and regions around the world.

Speaking on the seminar, World Taekwondo Referee Chair Songchul Kim was pleased with the success of this event. 

“It was a successful event with the participants very engaged. Some key components of this IR Seminar were the new rules and interpretation sessions, medical information sessions, and scoring system practicing sessions,” said Kim. “WT approved a series of changes to its Competition Rules in April. The new rules will be implemented at the WT Grand Prix Rome in June. The new rules serve the purpose of promoting fairness and transparency of the game, as well as bringing more excitement in high-level competitions. We want to make sure that Taekwondo will stand out among other martial arts in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. The better player always wins the game.”

In this IR Seminar, a physical training portion was also being tested for the first time.

“We invited a couple of professional physical trainers and introduced a new physical test during the seminar. Referees were taught how to warm up and stretch properly. The physical training component was short but very intense,” said Kim. “For high-level competitions, the athletes use state-of-the-art training methods and facilities, why not referees? We have to be in great shape to follow the matches and make immediate best judgments. Being fit can help to cope with nerves, boost the stamina and help to minimize misjudgment.”

“I want to give a shout-out to everyone who worked extremely hard behind the scenes,” said Carla Anderson, Taekwondo Canada Executive Director. “They carried out their jobs with dedication and high energy. By their professionalism, we continue to stand out as an international event host.”

During the seminar, Taekwondo Canada and Tourism Burnaby received Appreciation Awards from World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue for their dedicated service and contribution to the successful organization of the IR Seminars. 

The results of the IR Seminar will become available within the next month. 

 

The following awards were presented during the event: 

Best Performance – Poomsae IR Seminar

Barbara Marian (CAN)

Best Performance – Poomsae IR Refresher

Ricky Wu (CAN)

Best Participant – Kyorugi IR Seminar

Ruxandra Rodgers (CAN)

Best Performance – Kyorugi IR Refresher

Daniel Park (CAN)

Nubia Elizabeth Segundo Flores (MEX)

World Taekwondo Appreciation Awards

Wayne Mitchell, Tony Kook, Carla Anderson, Darryl Elyk, Jennifer Scott

 

The following WT personnel were in attendance:

Mr. Songchul Kim (CAN), WT Referee Committee Chair/Technical & Development Committee Vice Chair

Mr. Philippe Buedo (FRA), WT Education Committee Chair/Technical & Development Committee Vice Chair

Dr. Dae Hyoun Jeong (KOR), WT Anti-Doping & Medical Chair/WT Technical & Development Vice Chair

Mr. Mustapha Moutarazak (NED), WT Poomsae Committee Vice Chair

Mr. Raymond Te-Yi Hsu (USA), WT Poomsae Committee Member

Mr. Eric Wah (CAN), WT Referee Committee Member/PATU Referee Chair

Dr. Jungseok Yoo (KOR), Director of Education Department

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