World Taekwondo President visits Kyrgyzstan

On 26 March 2023 at 18:30 World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue arrived in Bishkek. He was met at the airport by the Association’s President Aleksei Pak, the Association’s organising committee and athletes of Kyrgyzstan.

The visit was a major event for the country’s taekwondo athletes, as it was Dr. Choue’s first visit to Kyrgyzstan.

On 27 March 2023 World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue met Sadyr Mamytov, President of the National Olympic Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic. For his outstanding contribution to the development of taekwondo and for his charitable work in the Kyrgyz Republic, Dr. Choue was awarded the Gold Order of the National Olympic Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic.

On 28 March the athletes of Kyrgyzstan met Dr. Chungwon Choue, member of the International Olympic Committee and President of World Taekwondo, at the Sun City sports and entertainment centre in Bishkek.

The event marked the 50th anniversary of World Taekwondo and the 30th anniversary of the Taekwondo WT Association of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The guests of honour at the ceremony were Sadyr Mamytov, President of the National Olympic Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic; Vyacheslav Khan, President of the Public Association of Koreans of Kyrgyzstan and Honorary President of the Taekwondo WT Association; Park Ki Seok, Consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the Kyrgyz Republic; Kim Jae Yong, Director of the Korean Education Centre in Kyrgyzstan; Kim Gi Su, President of the Association of Korean Citizens in Kyrgyzstan; and Master Lee Seung Gyu, representative of Kukkiwon, the World Taekwondo Headquarters, in Kyrgyzstan.

The event was opened by Aleksei Pak, member of the National Olympic Committee and President of the Taekwondo WT Association of the Kyrgyz Republic. Dr. Choue then gave a welcome speech.

Following a centuries-old tradition of the Kyrgyz people, Aleksei Pak presented the guest of honour with traditional Kyrgyz clothing as a sign of respect.

Since 1 September 2022 the Cares Program has been running in Kyrgyzstan. It allows orphans and children from low-income families to practise Taekwondo WT free of charge.

Taekwondo WT is being learned by children of the SOS Children’s Village in Bishkek and of the Ak-Suu boarding school in the village of Teploklyuchenka, Issyk-Kul Region.

The sports and concert programme featured participants of Cares Program Kyrgyzstan — children of the SOS Children’s Village in Bishkek — and the demonstration team of the Taekwondo Association of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Mannam folk ensemble and Evelina Kim and Ayana Bolotbekova, prize-winners of the K-POP festival and OST DORAMA contests, also performed.

This was followed by a ceremony at which certificates of honour from World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue were presented to members of the Taekwondo WT Association of the Kyrgyz Republic:

• Islambek Osmonov;
• Ermek Kurmanaliev;
• Vadim Ten;
• Dmitry Ponomarev;
• Aleksandr Ligai;
• Almaz Raimkulov.

Akylbek Japarov, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic and Head of the Presidential Administration, received World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue.

The two sides discussed cooperation in physical culture and sport and the development of sports medicine.

The head of the Cabinet noted that taekwondo is one of the most popular sports in the country, one that builds willpower and discipline in young people and promotes a healthy lifestyle.

On 29 March 2023 World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue visited the Issyk-Kul Region. At the Rukh Ordo cultural centre he met pupils of the Ak-Suu boarding school who take part in World Taekwondo’s charitable Cares Program Kyrgyzstan. Participants in the programme practise Taekwondo WT free of charge and are taught the principles of Taekwondo WT and a love of sport.