CHUNCHEON, Korea (KHURRAM SHEHZAD) – The World Taekwondo General Assembly gathered today in
Chuncheon, Korea and approved amendments to the Statutes which will strengthen the
organisation’s governance and enhance the sustainability of the sport.
The changes were approved by the World Taekwondo Council when it met earlier today, and
received the unanimous support of the Member National Associations (MNAs) at the General
Assembly.
They are aimed at creating a more streamlined and efficient World Taekwondo Council, providing
more support to the most active MNAs and increasing autonomy for Continental Unions.
Among the changes, the World Taekwondo Council will be reduced in size by approximately one-
third from 37 to 25 members. There will also be a larger percentage of members elected by the
General Assembly to make the organisation more democratic, with the number appointed by the
President reduced from 10 to two, and expanded pathways for strong-performing elected members.
Five vice-presidential roles will be filled by three elected members, one appointed member and the
female Council member with the highest proportion of the electoral vote. This marks a shift from the
current eight Vice-Presidents, of whom five are Continental Union Presidents holding the role on an
ex-officio basis, two are appointed and one is the highest voted female Council member.
The changes will see 14 Council members elected by the General Assembly, with a minimum of one
male and one female per continent, and one member appointed by the President. This represents a
reduction from 17 elected members and six appointed by the President.
The Athletes’ Committee Co-Chairs remain as Council members. The Secretary General and
Treasurer will maintain their positions on the Council but in a non-voting capacity to reflect their
operational roles, and the Auditor will no longer sit on the Council to increase their independence
and oversight, but will be invited to meetings.
A new Level III category has additionally been created for MNAs who have remained at Level II for at
least four consecutive years. This provides a faster pathway to replace dormant MNAs with more
active organisations where necessary.
World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue hailed the changes to the Statutes.
“The Statutes amendments represent our, and my personal, determination to be more sustainable
as a sport and as an Olympic and Paralympic International Federation. The amendments were
discussed extensively not just within the Taekwondo family, but also with Olympic IFs that are
ranked A1 in the most recent ASOIF Governance Review,” President Choue explained.
“The amendments represent my determination to change rather than be changed. As you may have
noticed, I am giving up some of the appointment powers vested in the President to help to make the
organisation more democratic and streamlined for efficiency.
“The changes approved today demonstrate World Taekwondo’s commitment to good governance
and making our sport more sustainable across all areas, and I am confident they will benefit the
global Taekwondo Family in the years ahead.”
President Choue also announced he intends to run for a final term as World Taekwondo President at
next year’s elective General Assembly in Wuxi, China.
The World Taekwondo General Assembly paid tribute to former World Taekwondo Vice-President
Grandmaster Soo-Nam Park and former World Taekwondo Council member Grandmaster René
Bundeli with a moment of silence, following their passings earlier this year.
MNAs approved the 2023-2024 Operation and Finance reports, and heard reports on the Olympic
Games and Paralympic Games Paris 2024, the Ad-Hoc Competition Rule Review Committee for the
Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028, the first review of MNA Governance and Performance and the
World Taekwondo Global Integrity Unit.
In the first review of MNA Governance and Performance, MNAs were assessed based on criteria of
governance, participation, performance, events and sustainability to compile a full report. The top
five ranking MNAs were USA, Korea, Italy, France and Great Britain.
World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo also had his term extended by a further two
years, effective from October 6.
After the General Assembly, the Opening Ceremony of the Chuncheon 2024 World Taekwondo
Junior Championships took place at the Songam Sports Town Air Dome where IOC Member Ser
Miang Ng attended. It featured a spectacular performance by the World Taekwondo Demonstration
Team, and generated further excitement for the beginning of competition tomorrow.
