Taekwondo Peace Promotion in Focus at SportWorks Talks

World Taekwondo (WT) President and Chairman of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) Chungwon Choue presented a SportWorks Talks webinar on Sept. 17, 2020 on how Taekwondo has been used as an effective tool for social development and peace.

More than 700 people from around the world registered to attend the webinar. During the presentation, Choue discussed how WT has supported the global peace movement. Choue’s dedication to global peace can be traced back to his late father, Young Seek Choue, who in 1981, successfully proposed that the 36th United Nations General Assembly adopt Sept. 21 as the International Day of Peace.

Choue launched the Taekwondo Peace Corps in 2008 to send coaches and volunteers around the world to help young people in developing countries and promote cross-cultural respect. Over the last 10 years, more than 2,000 volunteers have touched the lives of thousands of young people around the world through the Taekwondo Peace Corps.

The next peace initiative was the creation of the THF which was formally established in 2016. The THF has launched projects in Jordan, Niger, Turkiye and Rwanda, with a flagship Humanitarian Taekwondo Center constructed in the Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan.

The third peace initiative Choue described was Taekwondo Cares, a sport development program. Taekwondo Cares is focused on grassroots development and provides aid for WT’s member national associations.

WT launched a successful crowdfunding campaign for its Great Champion Scholarship to help Lebanese children affected by the devastating explosion in Beirut.

Within weeks, the global Taekwondo family raised USD10,000 to assist them with their tuition and Taekwondo fees, and also collaborated with the Asian

Development Foundation to donate USD30,000 to aid recovery efforts in the city.

“Through Taekwondo, we promote values such as inclusiveness, respect, tolerance, courtesy, and integrity,” Choue said. “On the mat, we are competitors but we play fair. Off the mat, we are friends.

“The children we have reached had no place to call their home, and some of them had witnessed war and tragedy. They had lost hope and dreams but through Taekwondo, they found a way to be inspired again

“Achieving peace is not a task just for World Taekwondo, but is the responsibility of every international sports federation in the Olympic and Paralympic family.”

Choue also touched on the work WT has done for the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Following the presentation, Choue answered an array of questions from the webinar participants on WT’s various projects and efforts to promote peace.

Countering Violent Extremism via Sport

World Taekwondo (WT) President Chungwon Choue was among the roster of distinguished and expert speakers who took part in a high-level, online meeting on Sports Values for Preventing Violent Extremism on Sept. 18, 2020.

The event was organized by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT). Choue was speaking on a session entitled “Understanding contemporary forms of extremism and shaping international policies to tackle them through sport.”

He was joined by an array of notable speakers from the world of sport including world-famous football manager, José Mourinho, IOC Member Sari Essayah and former Dutch National Team footballer, Edgar Davids.

Speaking via video during the meeting, Choue spoke of the role that WT and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) have played in combating extremism and promoting peace through sport. From the Taekwondo Peace Corps, and the Taekwondo Cares sport development program, to the THF projects across Jordan, Turkiye, Djibouti, Nepal and Rwanda, WT has supported thousands of young people in need over the last decade.

President Choue said:

“‘Peace is More Precious than Triumph’ is a motto, a way of living that was passed down from my late father, Young Seek Choue. Sport has a powerful role to play in creating a civilized society. As an Olympic sport, I am always thinking about how we can contribute to human society. Through Taekwondo, we promote values such as inclusiveness, respect, tolerance, courtesy, and integrity.’’ Choue detailed how WT is contributing to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Taekwondo was the first combat sport in the Olympic Games to allow the wearing of hijab in Beijing 2008. At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Taekwondo was the only sport to send equal number of male and female international referees. In 2019, WT was one of the first International Sports Federations to sign the U.N. Sport for Climate Action framework, and has been recognized by the International Olympic Committee for taking concrete action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at WT World Championships.

The virtual meeting was organized by the UNOCT in partnership with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), and the International Center for Sport Security (ICSS).

It featured discussions between senior United Nations officials, member states and international organizations representatives, policymakers, and sports personalities committed to the fight against violent extremism.

The event was held to build on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Security Council Resolution 2419 (2018) on Youth, Peace and Security. The resolution recognized the “growing contribution of sport and culture to the realization of development and peace in the promotion of tolerance and respect as well as the contributions sport and culture make to the empowerment of youth and women, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives.”