World Taekwondo chief honored at UIM Awards

World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won, right, receives the Stefano Casiraghi Memorial Award from Raffaele Chiulli, chief of Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) and Global Association of International Sports Federations, during the UIM Awards Giving Ceremony in Lausanne, Switzerland, Saturday (local time). Courtesy of World Taekwondo

By Jung Min-ho

World Taekwondo (WT) President Choue Chung-won has been honored with a prestigious award for his dedication to taekwondo and peace-making efforts through the sport.

According to the global governing body for taekwondo, Choue received the Stefano Casiraghi Memorial Award at the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) Awards Giving Ceremony in Lausanne, Saturday (local time).

Raffaele Chiulli, head of the global governing body of powerboating and Global Association of International Sports Federations, presented the award during the event, which featured a performance by the World Taekwondo Demonstration Team.

“It is an honor to receive this trophy. Mr. Stefano Casiraghi is a legend of the sport and President Raffaele Chiulli is a great friend ― someone who also strongly believes in making the world a better place through sport,” Choue said.

“World Taekwondo and Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation are committed to contributing to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Our motto is 'peace is more precious than triumph' and that is a philosophy we live by every day. We know the UIM shares many of the same values and is doing a lot of excellent work in fulfilling its social responsibility.”

Previous recipients of the award include Britain's Princess Anne, who is a member of the International Olympic Committee.

Many distinguished guests from the world of powerboating attended the event, in which the achievements of the 2019 UIM Racing Season World Champions were celebrated.

“Taekwondo and powerboating may be very different sports, but we are one people in the world of sport,” Choue said. “When it comes to contributing to peace, there is a start line and no end line ― that is all that matters.

“I hope that we can all work together toward a more peaceful and sustainable world through our respective sports.”