Farigu and Oriolani travelled to the Republic of Argentina to participate in the World Cup in Mar del Plata and later conduct six seminars in Buenos Aires and other parts of the country. After finishing the championship on a very positive note—where Silvia Farigu once again claimed the title of World Cup Champion (bringing her total to 5, in addition to 9 golds in world championships and 23 European championship wins), Eleonora Cancedda placed third in sparring, and the other athletes of the Italian team performed admirably — we focused on the seminars organized by prestigious schools. The topics covered in the various courses were very similar. We mainly focused on patterns (training exercises, corrections, etc.), sparring, and, in some cases, prearranged sparring. The reception from the participants exceeded all our expectations, bringing together over 400 people across all the classes. It was also heartwarming to see Grandmasters and renowned Masters attend the seminars, and even more so to witness 7th Dan Masters training and sweating alongside regular students. Organizing international events may seem simple, but it requires a tremendous amount of effort, responsibility, financial investment, and time. For this reason, we must congratulate and thank all the organizers for their kindness, humility, time, and effort dedicated to this project. Below are some additional details about each seminar:
November 7 Seminar in Villa Lynch organized by the multiple champions Noelia Ferraro and Silvio Gamboa of Team Lotus (who, days earlier, hosted one of the legends of TKD, Stephen Tapilatu, for a special class). It was wonderful to share TKD with great people of a high technical level and to see our children “playing” TKD with theirs. The training lasted almost 3.5 hours, ending with a lovely dinner shared by the two families.
November 8 Seminar in Talar Tigre, organized by GM Carlos Gomez de Oliveira with excellent work also by Thiago G. de Oliveira (Hwarang Taekwondo Association). It was a great pleasure to meet so many people and feel the love with which TKD is taught. Two courses were held (one for children and one for adults), with a total duration of 5 hours.
November 9 Seminar in Vicente Lopez, organized by the National Selector and Master Marcelo Bordiez with significant support from Leandro Esposito (Bordiez Academy). It was an intense seminar, lasting almost 5 hours (one session for children and one for adults). For the adults, we worked on sparring, patterns, and touched on pre-arranged sparring. We were also honored by the visit of Rodrigo Gozzano (the most recent world champion in the same discipline, alongside his teammate Silvio Gamboa), whom we invited to share advice with all the practitioners. Many instructors, coaches, and renowned athletes of the highest level participated. One of the most beautiful aspects of the seminar was sharing the training with two outstanding Masters, Gustavo Medina and the fantastic Roberto Mata.
November 10 Seminar in Burzaco organized by Master Roberto Barrientos and Raul Alvarenga (ATRA South). It was presided over by Master Vatrano and accompanied by GM Mercado, Master Banegas, Master Rieiro, and Master Leiva, lasting approximately 6 hours. The seminar also featured an online broadcast with participants from several countries, including Taiwan, Chile, and Venezuela, making it more international than ever.We were also delighted to hear from international referee and world champion Alejandro Banega, who shared some anecdotes about his early days in traditional sparring with Master Oriolani in Rimini in 2001.
November 12 For the first time, we traveled to the province of San Juan, where we were warmly welcomed by organizer and instructor Andres Martinez (Regional Taekwondo Academy). He showed us around the city and surrounding areas before the seminar. It is worth noting that Instructor Martinez is guided by Aristides Palopolis (a well-known athlete and person). A large number of participants from various schools and provinces, such as La Pampa and Cordoba, attended. We all had fun and enjoyed the event, which helped us forget the intense heat in the region.
November 17 This was the final seminar of the tour, held in San Carlos de Bariloche. We were welcomed by Romina Gilges (ITF Taekwon-Do School Bariloche), who, in addition to promoting the event, spent time with us. The two days prior served as a rest period after the championship and seminars, allowing us to enjoy a wonderful city and its majestic mountains. The seminar lasted approximately 4.5 hours and concluded with a warm thank-you to Romina, Micaela Leporache, and the instructors. Special mention goes to the two Masters, Calderoni and Corsico, who trained alongside all the students. Thanks also to Master Alejandro Banega, the technical director of the organizing school.
Without a doubt, this was one of the most beautiful experiences for us in all our years of TKD. Returning to Argentina, one of the strongest countries in TKD worldwide, and being able to contribute a small part to its incredible practitioners is an honor. We received so much affection, courtesy, and attention from everyone. We are eternally grateful for both the warm welcome and the understanding, care, and love shown to our children, Lara and Nael. And when you add the joy of traveling with family, it becomes something unique and priceless. We hope to return next year and continue learning from all the wonderful people in Argentina.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
Silvia Farigu & Christian Oriolani, Lara Helena, Nael
World Cup 2024 Mar del Plata, Argentina
