This development is one close to the heart for me and something I have been working towards for a very long time. This project began for me in 2005, however the development was put on hold. After the 2019 election in Inzell Germany with the support of the President Grand Master Weiler the development was able to begin again.
Myself and Grand Master Weiler began with a strong action plan with the planning of the First Event of the region, seminars and training camps planned, due to the Covid-19 pandemic this development had to slow down with the new travel restrictions and lock downs and the inability to hold on the floor activities.
In order to keep this project moving I began conducting fortnightly zoom meetings to establish the Central Arab Taekwon-Do federation. Grand Master Weiler was in attendance of almost every meeting, with his busy schedule, his contribution added to the success of the development.
Due to the Native language barrier we experienced many hurdles where the paperwork was involved.
So much that I took the initiative to translate most of the ITF documentation to speed up the lodging process and the ITF Bylaws as it was of utmost importance that the newly joined Region was able to understand the way that the ITF operates, the rules and regulations and the running of the ITF as a whole.
I also began filming Arabic class training sessions online and also started a series of zoom technical Instructor training sessions, the first held on the 4th of December 2021 with approximately 40 Instructors in attendance. We had Instructors from Libya, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt join the session.
We are concentrating on teaching as much as we can until we are able to meet in person and deliver the ITF technique on the floor. My Arabic speaking background has been the key factor in the progression.
The Arab State consists of 22 Arabic speaking countries, with a population of 423,000,000 of which the ITF only had 4 of these countries before this development. We are now affiliated with Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Qatar and Mauritania and are in the process of paperwork finalisation for the other country members. We have received sports minister recognition in Libya and Mauritania which is a fantastic achievement in such a short amount of time, I will continue to work with the remaining countries to achieve this recognition for the ITF .
We have managed to achieve all of this without being able to travel. The future development in this area will be massive when we are able to travel again and assist and teach in person.
I will be travelling with the President of the ITF and Grand Master Lan to Tunisia in March 2022 to conduct a Seminar and Grading, Grand Master Weiler and myself will continue across to Qatar for a small Seminar and Grading followed by a television interview with the President of the ITF booked at this time which will stream all over the Middle East and finish the tour with a Technical Seminar and grading in Turkey with the President of the ITF Grand Master Weiler.
In July we have booked a training camp on the beach, which will be a yearly gathering for the Region.
I then head to Mauritania and Libya for a 3 day training camp and for the promotion of Mauritania as it has now been registered with the government. I will be spending some time in Libya working on developing the ITF technique as the background of these members is WT and they will require some technique adjustment.
In 2023 we are planning the First Central Arab Taekwon-Do Federation Championship in Libya with our main sponsors being the Sports Minister and one of the main Oil companies. On the 30th-31st of December 2021 Libya also hosting the first Libyan ITF Taekwon-Do National Championship with government sponsorship.
GM Michael Daher
Tips to keep #57: Master Abelardo Benzaquén
Hallo, wir bitten die Internationale Taekwondo-Föderation (ITF) freundlich, das Programm, das bezüglich der Arabischen Meisterschaft vereinbart wurde, bei der Gründung ihrer Organisation im Jahr 2023 zu respektieren.