New York: Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon was today awarded a taekwondo Honorary 10th Dan black belt by World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) President Chungwon Choue as part of celebrations marking the WTF’s 40th anniversary.
The UN Secretary-General is only the third recipient of an Honorary 10th Dan black belt and follows the late former president of the International Olympic Committee Juan Antonio Samaranch and current president Jacques Rogge, in accepting this award.
The symbolic exchange took place at the 3rd International Forum on Sport for Development and Peace in New York.
The WTF’s global campaign to promote the values of Olympism continues this summer through the hugely successful World Taekwondo Peace Corps programme. Students from the Peace Corps will be dispatched to 22 different countries, such as East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Botswana to teach taekwondo’s core skills and values to young, aspiring athletes. Since the programme was inaugurated in 2008, it has visited 93 countries across all five Olympic continents.
President Choue said:
"I am delighted to have presented UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon with our prestigious black belt. The black belt is a globally-recognised symbol of expertise across the martial arts and awarding it to the Secretary-General represents how strongly matched the WTF’s values are with the United Nations.
"We both understand the enormous value to young people’s lives by using sports to promote Olympism and a healthy lifestyle. Our approach to taekwondo is that it is a philosophy, a way of life, as well as an athletic pursuit. I think that this paves a harmonious path forward for future projects together."
In the 40 years since its establishment in 1973, the WTF has sought to promote taekwondo’s core values of self-discipline, respect and self-awareness to an ever wider audience in both developed and developing nations.
The WTF’s close relations with National Olympic Committees, International Federations and non-governmental organisations have helped it reach around 70 million practitioners worldwide.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said:
"The World Taekwondo Federation have many accomplishments to celebrate as they mark their 40th anniversary. They have become a great example of the values and objectives that are shared by the United Nations and the Olympic Movement.
"Through its sporting mission and the development activities which it runs, such as the World Taekwondo Peace Corps, the WTF has done a great job in promoting youth education, gender equality, healthy living, cross-cultural understanding and international cooperation; so that anyone who wishes to participate can reach for their dreams in life.
"I would like to take this opportunity to extend my congratulations to the World Taekwondo Federation and its president Dr. Choue on their 40th anniversary. I wish them a bright future as they continue their work in providing international cooperation and development toward peace through sport."
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