A taekwondo statue unveiled at Olympic Museum in Switzerland

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of World Taekwondo and to express the hope for everlasting companionship between the Olympics and taekwondo, a taekwondo statue was unveiled at the Olympic Museum.

On Wednesday, the statue unveiling ceremony took place at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland. The event was attended by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach, World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won, and Kim Jae-youl, a member of the IOC. Among the 35 Olympic sports (28 summer and seven winter sports), only 10, including taekwondo, athletics (Track and field), and soccer, have statues installed in the Olympic Museum.

In his congratulatory speech, Bach said that this showcases taekwondo’s robust standing within the Olympics and on the global stage. “Taekwondo used to be consistently discussed for removal when sports were considered, but with drastic reforms and the strenuous efforts of the global taekwondo community, we have turned a crisis into a new opportunity,” World Taekwondo President Choue Chung-won said.

The 2023 Olympic Cup has been awarded to the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) for contributing to world peace through the sport. The organization is implementing a program to teach taekwondo to displaced refugees affected by war or natural disasters. The program aims to help refugees find new hope in life by learning the moves and spirit of taekwondo.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com