The Korea Times

Refugee taekwondo athletes receive words of encouragement

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — The athletes arrived from refugee camps in Jordan, hoping to test their skills against the world’s best young taekwondo competitors. At the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, four athletes representing the World Taekwondo Refugee Team found themselves at the center of quiet attention — a reminder of how sports continue to reach across boundaries. World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won met with the athletes — Essa Mousa Alkhalaf (men’s under-55 kilograms), Mahmoud Qasim Abukhshet (men’s under-51 kilograms), Kafa Al Mubarak (women’s under-55 kilograms) and Aya Morad Alahmad (women’s under-68 kilograms) — and their coach, Ahmad Faisal Okaidat. Choue commended their progress and encouraged them to stay focused on their goals, emphasizing that discipline and persistence are what ultimately lead to success. He referred to Yahya Al Ghotani, a refugee athlete from the Azraq camp in Jordan who competed at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, as an example of how dedication can turn opportunity into achievement. World Taekwondo Council Member

Apr 14, 2026By Choi Won-suk

Refugee taekwondo athletes receive words of encouragement

Sports

World Taekwondo Junior Championships kick off in Tashkent

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — The Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships kicked off Sunday at the Olympic City complex with a ceremony featuring Uzbek cultural performances, the raising of the World Taekwondo flag and a parade of participating teams. World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won attended with Uzbekistan’s sports officials, including Sports Minister Adkham Ikramov, National Olympic Committee First Vice President Otabek Umarov and National Paralympic Committee First Deputy Chair Shakhnoza Miziyoyeva, along with International Olympic Committee members Nenad Lalovic and Dagmawit Girmay Berhane. In his remarks, Choue noted that this 30th edition of the junior championships is the first World Taekwondo event held in the new Olympic City, with 986 athletes having registered, the most in the competition’s history. He pointed to Uzbekistan’s recent Olympic and Paralympic results and its record of staging international events, and acknowledged the work of the Uzbekistan Taekwondo Association and its president, Sherzod Tashmatov, in preparing the tournament. Representativ

Apr 13, 2026By Choi Won-suk

World Taekwondo Junior Championships kick off in Tashkent

Sports

World Taekwondo president awarded honorary doctorate for sports leadership

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won received an honorary doctorate in physical education on Sunday from the Uzbekistan State University of Physical Education and Sport, recognizing his role in promoting taekwondo worldwide and advancing sports diplomacy. The ceremony, held on the opening day of the 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, brought together World Taekwondo Council members, university leaders, faculty and students. Uzbekistan State University of Physical Education and Sport President Rashid Matkarimov cited Choue’s long tenure at the helm of World Taekwondo and his humanitarian work through the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, which supports refugees and displaced communities through sport. Choue thanked the university and noted the significance of receiving the degree at an institution that helped formalize taekwondo education in Uzbekistan, calling the country a fast-rising power in the sport with “a bright future” driven by young athletes. Founded in 1955, the university has become a major training center for coaches and athletes

Apr 12, 2026By Choi Won-suk

Sports

Youth taekwondo flash mob brings energy to Tashkent ahead of Junior World Championships

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — Under the bright lights of Tashkent’s Olympic Village Square, lines of young taekwondo athletes moved in rhythm Friday evening, their collective calls echoing across the plaza. The flash mob — made up of 2,026 participants — captured the growing excitement ahead of the World Taekwondo Junior Championships. The Uzbekistan National Olympic Committee and the Uzbekistan Taekwondo Association organized the event in the lead-up to the global competition, which opens in Tashkent, Sunday. It drew members of the World Taekwondo Performance Team and thousands of aspiring athletes from local clubs. The number of performers, 2,026, symbolized the championship year and reflected the idea that taekwondo is practiced by people of all ages and backgrounds. The young athletes filled the square in tightly ordered rows, their movements rising and falling in perfect time. Each kick, block and poomsae sequence unfolded with steady rhythm as instructors guided the formations from the sidelines, giving the plaza the feel of one unified motion. The World Taekwondo Performance Te

Apr 11, 2026By Choi Won-suk

Youth taekwondo flash mob brings energy to Tashkent ahead of Junior World Championships

Sports

World Taekwondo leaders highlight Tashkent junior championship preparations

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won and Uzbekistan’s Minister of Sports Adkham Ikramov on Friday voiced confidence ahead of the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, to be held April 12-17 in the Uzbek capital. The press conference at the Museum of Olympic and Paralympic Glory brought together World Taekwondo Secretary General Seo Jeong-kang, Technical Delegate Philippe Bouedo, WT Taekwondo Association of Uzbekistan President Sherzod Tashmatov and members of the World Taekwondo Council. Uzbek athletes Omadbek Otabekov and Rushanakhon Ravshanova, who will compete in the men’s under-63 kilogram and women’s under-55 kilogram divisions, respectively, also spoke ahead of their events. Choue called the championships a milestone, noting they mark the event’s 30th anniversary and the first time an international federation has staged a major competition in Tashkent’s new Olympic City. He pointed to Uzbekistan’s rapid progress in taekwondo and acknowledged the work of the national federation, the Ministry of Sports and local organizers in

Apr 10, 2026By Choi Won-suk

World Taekwondo leaders highlight Tashkent junior championship preparations

Sports

Uzbek capital to host World Taekwondo Junior Championships

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan — Young taekwondo athletes will face one another on a global scale, as a record 986 competitors from 115 countries are expected to take part in the World Taekwondo Junior Championships from April 12 to 17 in the capital of Uzbekistan, making this year’s tournament the largest in the event’s history. The championships will be held at the Martial Arts Sports Complex in Tashkent’s Olympic City. Registration has surpassed the previous record of 963 athletes, set during the 2024 junior championships in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province. The entry list includes the Taekwondo Refugee Team, along with athletes competing under the federation flag. Competition will be held across 10 men’s and 10 women’s weight divisions, for athletes aged 15 to 17. The men’s categories range from under 45 kilograms to over 78 kilograms, while the women’s divisions run from under 42 kilograms to over 68 kilograms. For many of the sport’s rising prospects, it will also be an early proving ground ahead of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, just seven months away. The tournament i

Apr 9, 2026By Choi Won-suk

Uzbek capital to host World Taekwondo Junior Championships

Photo News

PHOTOS NASA successfully launches Artemis II moon mission

A child wearing an astronaut costume gives a thumbs up in Titusville, Fla., on the day of the launch of the next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion crew capsule, part of NASA's Artemis II lunar flyby mission, from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, April 1. Reuters-Yonhap

Apr 2, 2026By Choi Won-suk

[PHOTOS] NASA successfully launches Artemis II moon mission

Darkroom

Celebrating National Puppy Day

National Puppy Day is celebrated annually on March 23 to honor the unconditional love puppies bring, promote adoption and raise awareness about the cruelty of puppy mills.

Mar 24, 2026By Choi Won-suk