(ATR) "Peace is more precious than triumph." The concluding message was printed on a banner in front of Pope Francis and thousands of others in St. Peter's Square following a demonstration by World Taekwondo.
Pope Francis has previously supported the federation’s humanitarian efforts through the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation. Last May, Pope Francis received an honorary 10th dan black belt.
Athletes from North and South Korea stood together behind a similar banner in June 2017 at the WT Championships.
In a statement WT president Chungwon Choue said, "At World Taekwondo, we take our social responsibility very seriously and we are committed to using taekwondo for peace and social cohesion."
ITTF Features Mixed Doubles for First Time on World Tour
Teams composed of both genders will compete for the first time on one of the biggest stages in the sport of table tennis.
ITTF announced mixed doubles events will be a part of six World Tour events in 2018. Competitions are also scheduled for the 2018 Grand Finals and every event in 2019.
The discipline has a long-standing history within the sport.The 55th mixed doubles event at the World Table Tennis Championships will be in Budapest in 2019.
The China Open, taking place this week in Shenzhen, is the first World Tour event to feature mixed doubles.
Tokyo will see 16 teams compete in the event’s Olympic debut in 2020.
FIS Dedicated to Eliminate Foul Play
The International Ski Federation set clear expectations for its future after announcing new governance reforms.
The appointment of Global Sports Investigations (GSI) will provide a whistleblowing hotline and an independent ethics office to FIS. These changes are designed to maintain integrity for competitions and eliminate any corruption.
GSI is a combined effort formed in 2017 between Quest, an investigative firm, and The Sports Consultancy, a legal advisory. GSI is composed of lawyers and consultants who monitor sporting bodies and provide recommendations on potential decisions or inquiries.
FIS council member Patrick Smith stated, "This measure sends a clear message that FIS is totally committed to its stated ‘no tolerance’policy against all aspects of unethical behavior; including doping, corruption, manipulation of competitions and safeguarding against harassment and abuse."
Homepage photo: World Taekwondo
Written by Jeffrey Farek
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