Proud to be members of the ITF
Dear Members,
One year ago at the 14th ITF Congress Meeting in Warsaw (Poland), I accepted the responsibility of the presidency of the ITF. In my acceptance speech (120 kB), I outlined my vision of a great future for the ITF as a modern, democratic organization operating according to the authentic Taekwon-Do philosophy conceived by our Founder, the late General Choi Hong Hi.
The goal of the ITF management team is to serve its members. In fact, the first of the Guiding Principles I listed in that speech reads:
The ITF belongs to its members; it must work for its members and with its members to provide the services they need and want.
Almost every day I receive e-mails and telephone calls from individuals interested in joining the ITF – clear evidence that TKD practitioners around the world are looking for such an organization.
Of course, it takes a lot of hard work – and I want to emphasize that I mean teamwork – to modernize the operations of an international organization, as your ITF management team has been doing over the past year. The future of the ITF is too important to be left to improvisation, so we started by laying a solid foundation. A modernized Constitution was ratified by the 14th Congress Meeting; We have introduced By-Law No. 1 as well as various policies and procedures. The mandate of each member of the team and of each of the Standing Committees was described; we defined their objectives and outlined detailed action plans.
And that was only the beginning!
Because these documents are all based on the Guiding Principles outlined in my speech (120 kB) and were written in a spirit of harmony and for the express purpose of ensuring a great future for Taekwon-Do, their usefulness has been recognized by ITF-affiliated organizations, which have started to apply them in their operations. I am very pleased to see that it is becoming almost automatic for everyone to turn to those fundamental documents when they have an enquiry or a problem situation.
Our goal is to have all ITF-affiliated organizations working in harmony for the good of the ITF and all its members.
The ITF is a unique TKD organization, unlike any of the others in that it is run on democratic principles. We can all be proud to be members of the ITF, proud because of:
- the quality of ITF Black Belt degrees – Promotions must be earned according to well-defined criteria, so the quality of an ITF degree is recognized around the world;
- the quality of ITF teaching – ITF teachers are encouraged to strive continually to improve their teaching skills through participation in International Instructors Courses and other seminars. In the future, the ITF will provide additional support and tools to help them do so;
- the emphasis on teaching the Do – By exploring all aspects of the Do, we will better understand the TKD philosophy and how to apply it in our day-to-day activities. A Code of Ethics and a complete program for teaching the Do are in preparation. The goal is a more balanced, happier life;
- the quality of ITF competitions – Our goal is to improve the quality of competition: exciting venues, a challenging level of competition, umpiring that is consistent and fair, efficient on-site management, etc. The 1st World Cup in Orlando, Florida, which is coming up in November and is open to all Taekwon-Do practitioners, is just the beginning!
- the quality of advice for business development – The ITF will be providing on-going assistance to affiliated national organizations and schools for their business development projects;
- the quality of the ITF management team – Although we represent many different countries in all regions of the world, we come together to serve our members and to work for the future of our federation.
And finally, I believe we can all be proud of what has been accomplished in one year. The ITF is better organized, more efficient, and more responsive to the needs and wants of its members than ever before in its history. Working together in harmony, we will continue to strive to prove ourselves worthy heirs of General Choi.
I am pleased to announce that recently the TKD association of Hong Kong was accepted as a member of the ITF. Membership applications from the TKD associations of Japan, Russia, India and Wales are currently being processed. A warm welcome to all our new members in countries around the globe!
To sum up, I would like to repeat what I said in the conclusion of my speech (120 kB) last year:
I can assure you that each one of you will be able to find your place in our ITF.
In fact, you will find your sweet home in the ITF.
It is an honor for me to hold the office of president of the ITF, and I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to serve our organization. I encourage each one of you to participate actively in its bright future.
Master Trân Trieu Quân
Black Belt 8th Degree
ITF President
