Celebrating 70 Years of Taekwon-Do: A 24-Hour Success

On April 11, 2025, the International Taekwon-Do Federation celebrated a historic milestone — the 70th anniversary of the founding of Taekwon-Do by General Choi Hong Hi — with a 24-hour global online celebration that united the worldwide Taekwon-Do community like never before.

The event had over 1,100 registered participants from across continents, time zones, and generations. Grand Masters, Masters, Instructors, practitioners, and enthusiasts joined in to celebrate the legacy, values, and future of Taekwon-Do.

Running continuously for 24 hours, the program featured live presentations, historical reflections, technical insights, and practice-along classes, led by an impressive roster of speakers representing the global Taekwon-Do family. Each hour of the event was framed by a performance of one of Taekwon-Do’s 24 patterns, symbolically linking the passing of time with the depth and meaning of our art.

The event was hosted live via Zoom. It was opened with a warm welcome by the ITF President GM Paul Weiler. And a bit more 24 hours later, it was again closed by the ITF President. Given the extreme long celebration combined with the world-class speakers and topics, the ITF decided inadvance to record all presentations and will subsequently upload the individual presentations to the official ITF YouTube channel. In consequence, the content remains accessible to all members of the Taekwon-Do community.

From the first presentation to the final closing words, the atmosphere was filled with camaraderie, respect, and shared inspiration. The event not only honored the rich history of ITF Taekwon-Do, but also looked boldly to the future — fostering a global conversation about teaching, innovation, and unity.

The ITF extends its heartfelt thanks to all the speakers, participants, organizers, and supporters who made this event possible. This 24-hour celebration was more than a commemoration — it was a living testament to the global spirit of Taekwon-Do.

Dear Taekwon-Do Members,

The event commemorating the 70th anniversary of the public presentation of Taekwon-Do by its founder, General Choi Hong-Hi, is now part of history—and although I am usually cautious with superlatives, this 24-hour event can truly be described as historic.

Never before has there been such an event in Taekwon-Do, featuring practical demonstrations, theoretical explanations, and discussions that encompassed all facets of this Korean martial art. National associations, groups, and individuals from all over the world took part. It clearly showed that there are virtually no limits to what can be achieved.

However, there were particular challenges, including time zone differences between continents and technical hurdles (like using the Zoom platform and video recordings). These were overcome thanks to the tremendous dedication of individuals and the organizing team.

Overall, everyone involved did an outstanding job, making it possible for us to speak of a truly historic event. Thanks go out to the following people — speakers, moderators, and athletes — who, by the way, volunteered all their contributions and efforts.

Organizing Team:

Master Philipp Lear (ITF Board Member, England)

Bsbn Martina Lenhardtova (ITF Board Member, Slovakia)

Master Adrian Byrne (Chair of the Coaches Committee, Ireland)

Sbn Daniel Schmidt (Chair of the Development and Communication Committee, Germany)

Sbn Malgorzata Rogaszewska (ITF Office, Poland)

Moderators:

Master Adrian Byrne (Ireland)

Master Florencia Manifesto (Argentina)

Master Gustavo Livon (Brazil)

Sbn Daniel Schmidt (Germany)

Sbn Gerardo Rossel (Argentina)

Sbn Iván Rastalsky (Argentina)

Speakers in order of their presentations:

Master Virginia Dionisi (Belgium)

Sbn Brendan Doogan (New Zealand)

Sbn Ariella Figueroa (Finland)

Sbn Katya Solovey (Ukraine)

Master Yong Kin Chong and Sbn See Kein Piew (Malaysia)

1st half: GM Hector Marano (Argentina); 2nd half: Master Hong Looi and Sbn Sabina Mason (Ireland)

Master Nurisa Mambetalieva (Kyrgyzstan)

Master John McIlvany (Scotland) and Sbn Struan MacCallum (Austria)

Sbn Mihai Hondru (Romania)

Master Wogajehu Behailu and Bsbn Tamrat Feyessa (Ethiopia)

Master John McIlvany (Scotland)

Sbn Roy Rolstad (Norway)

Sbn Nicholas Dusard (Jamaica)

Master Gastón Casero (Argentina)

Master Adrian Byrne and Sbn Richie Forde (Ireland)

Sbn Fernando Arrua (Paraguay)

Master Janel Gauthier (Canada)

Master Fabián Izquierdo (Brazil)

Master Joliette Tran (Canada)

Sbn Honey Ospina (Colombia)

Master Steven LeGrow (USA)

1st half: GM Marano (Argentina), 2nd half: Sbn Brigitte Morris (USA)

Master Thierry Meyour (Finland)

GM George Vitale (USA)

Pattern Performers:

Master Jaruslaw Suska (Poland)

Master Lylian Doulay (France)

Sbn Ariella Figueroa (Finland/USA)

Sbn Bo Rook (Netherlands)

Sbn Honey Ospina (Colombia)

Sbn Mira Sjövall (Finland)

Sbn Sean O’Neil (Canada)

Sbn Silvia Farigu (Italy)

Sbn Silvio Gamboa (Argentina)

Bsbn Alicja Slian (Poland)

Bsbn Brenda Trotter (New Zealand)

Bsbn Finn Martin (Ireland)

Bsbn Jemma Swinburne (Scotland)

Bsbn Leslie Gadea (Argentina)

Bsbn Mats Lind (Norway)

Bsbn Selma Li (Norway)

I wish all of you and your families a restful and joyful Easter season.

Kind regards,
GM Paul Weiler
ITF President