ITF

On 22 March 1966 the creator of Taekwondo, General Choi Hong Hi, convened a founding conference to establish a public body that would develop the Taekwondo movement in the world.

At this conference it was unanimously decided to give the new organisation the legal name “International Taekwondo Federation” (ITF for short).

ITF represents the martial art and sport created by its founder. At the same conference Choi Hong Hi was elected President of the International Taekwondo Federation ITF. He was re-elected president every four years until his death on 15 June 2002.

The organisation’s headquarters is in Vienna, Austria.

The aim of ITF is to spread Taekwondo throughout the world and to make it the most popular sport.

Taekwondo is a multi-event sport consisting of five disciplines:

Tul

Formal exercise patterns. Athletes compete in demonstrating formal exercise patterns. Judges assess the correctness of the technique, the speed and power of strikes and blocks, balance, rhythm and the aesthetics of the performance.

In the team event, teams perform formal exercise patterns, emphasising the synchronisation and harmony of the performance.

Masogi

Sparring. Athletes compete in sparring according to their weight category. The accuracy of strikes with fists and feet to the permitted zones with controlled contact is assessed. The most points go to athletes for powerful roundhouse kicks and jump kicks.

In the team event each team fields one athlete, and the other team fields an opponent, regardless of weight category. The team with more bouts won is the winner.

Hosinsul

Self-defence. Athletes compete in performing self-defence techniques, imitating a real fight against several opponents. The performance of compulsory technical elements, the harmony of the actions, realism and artistry are assessed.

Competitions are an important but not the only element of Taekwondo. Holders of master ranks above the fourth dan do not take part in competitions but work as instructors.

Te-Ki

Special jumping technique. Athletes compete in jumping technique in five prescribed kicks of different difficulty. The height of the board against which the kicks are performed can be adjusted with the appropriate equipment and can exceed 3 metres, depending on the difficulty of the kick.

The correctness of the jump kick and the height of the board are assessed. In the team event each team member performs only one jump kick out of the five prescribed kicks.

Virek

Board breaking. Athletes compete in breaking boards with five prescribed strikes: two hand strikes and three kicks. The boards measure 30 cm * 30 cm * 1.5 cm and are fixed in a special device. The number of boards can exceed 10. The correctness of the strikes and the number of boards broken are assessed.

In the team event each team member performs only one strike out of the five prescribed strikes.