The World Taekwondo Federation is the International Federation governing the sport of Taekwondo and is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations [ASOIF]. The WTF recognizes national Taekwondo governing bodies recognized by the NOC in the pertinent country, one in each country, as its members.
The World Taekwondo Federation was established in South Korea on May 28 , 1973 , at its inaugural meeting held at the Kukkiwon with participation of 35 representatives from the world.
The WTF, which only governs the function of Taekwondo competitions and related support services, should not be confused with the World Taekwondo Headquarters , also known as Kukkiwon , which is a center of learning and research of Taekwondo located in Yuksam Dong.
The WTF successfully lobbied to include Taekwondo sparring competition as a demonstration sport in the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics , and official Full Medal Olympic sport beginning in 2000.
The organisational structure of the WTF has diverisifed at various times over its more than 30 year history to incorporate the various changes, affiliations and associations over these years of growth. As of 2007 the organisation is headed up by a General Assembly made up from members of the 182 member National Associations from the five world regions it represents. This in turn consists of a WTF Council composed of an Executive Committee and various sub committees. The Executive Committee comprises a president, secretariat, and an Advisory Council. The sub committees are made up of various departments within the organisation, including a technical committee and representative committees of games, women's, legislative, financial, medical, athletic and PR areas.
Kukkiwon
Kukkiwon , also known as the World Taekwondo Headquarters, is an organization in the Gangnam-gu district of Seoul , South Korea . It was established on 1972 - 11-30 . The Kukkiwon serves as the issuing body for taekwondo dan rank (black belt degree) promotion and certification. In addition, the Kukkiwon conducts research and instructional seminars and is home to the World Taekwondo Academy, which trains and certifies Taekwondo instructors through its leadership course. The Academy is also entrusted to conduct two instructor courses by the Korean Ministry of Culture and Sports. One is the course for 2nd class coaches and the other is the one for 3rd class instructors of sports for all. Nearly 5,400 people have become instructors and coaches registered with the Korean Ministry of Culture and Sports through these courses. It is also involved in technical development and research of taekwondo, the collection of related materials, public relations and publications, and the training of coaches and students.
The Kukkiwon is the only taekwondo organization whose dan ranks are recognized by World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). The WTF governs the competition aspects of Taekwondo as the International Federation of Taekwondo of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The WTF does not issue dan ranks or black belt certifications. According to the Korean/English Taekwondo Magazine "Taekwondo People" September 2007, the Kukkiwon and the WTF are separate organizations, although the two are often confused with each other. As a result, the term "WTF" is sometimes used to refer to the Kukkiwon-style Taekwondo.
