Choue asks UN, IOC for help

World Taekwondo body pushes for Sport Peace Corps

By Nam Hyun-woo

World Taekwondo Federation President Choue Chung-won has called for international organizations to lend greater support for launching the Sport Peace Corps, which is aimed at promoting peace through sports and helping young people better understand different cultures.

In a keynote speech at the 2015 Turkmenistan International Sports Media Forum on April 3, Choue said the initiative had values that were aligned with those of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United Nations, and there was a great potential that peace could be promoted all around the world through the Sport Peace Corps.

“Since I took over as president in 2004, I have strongly believed in the principle that sport should act as a vehicle to promote friendship, respect and peace,” Choue said. “As an Olympic sport organization, we have been committed to working with the IOC to promote the Olympic values throughout the world.

“Sport can bring hope and inspire people from the most deprived countries and communities. As we have seen under the IOC’s leadership, we are stronger when we are united and I humbly call on the IOC, the U.N. and all international federations to unite behind the Sport Peace Corps.”

The taekwondo federation has been seeking to expand its World Taekwondo Federation Taekwondo Peace Corps (TPC) program as the Sport Peace Corps, which includes all other Olympic sports, in cooperation with the IOC and the United Nations.

The TPC was launched in 2008 as a pilot program of the Sport Peace Corps and has sent a total of 1,300 volunteers to more than 100 countries, with the establishment of the World Taekwondo Peace Corps Foundation in the following year. According to the federation, the program was designed to instill positive values and discipline in young people, as well as provide help to the needy. The program has also served as an opportunity for many taekwondo practitioners here to have rare experiences.

“The TPC is a platform where young athletes can not only improve their taekwondo skills, but also open their minds through cultural exchanges, and broaden and deepen their knowledge of the world, so that they can be a force to promote peaceful coexistence among the world’s nations and peoples,” Choue said in the speech.

Launching the Sport Peace Corps has been one of the key initiatives of the taekwondo federation. Choue first unveiled the plan in September 2007 and has reiterated the potential of the program at several international forums.

The federation said that it has had several rounds of discussions with the IOC and the U.N. about supporting the initiative.