African TKD Association established

The History since 2008

The ITF Board of Directors decided in 2007 under the leadership of our late President GM Tran Trieu Quan to develop the ITF in Africa. I was appointed to start this project in Ethiopia and the first seminar was conducted in June 2008. Many seminars followed in the years after e. g. 3 IIC’s, 2 Kids Courses and many other technical seminars (pattern, sparring, self defence and umpire).

Other country representatitives participated in the years after e.g. Kenya, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Uganda, South Africa, Djibouti and South Sudan and could start to establish the ITF in their countries (many of them joined us from ITF Chang Ung and some of GTF and WTF).

The Seminars

400 red- and blackbelts participated from August 2nd to August 4th at pattern, sparring, self-defence, Kids, step sparring and umpire seminars and due to the good work of the team (Masters McNairn and Santaniello, Subums Enander and Morris and Mr. Olsson and myself) we could devided the big number of participants into severeal groups and could work more effective and successful.

The Plan

In the 9th year of hard working in Africa it was the plan to establish the African Taekwon-Do Federation = ATF. It was the right time to do so because this will have a big impact on the further development on the African Continent for both: the ITF and the African Member Organisations.

The Historical Meeting

On August 5th, 2016 the 2nd African ITF Continental Meeting was held at SAREM International Hotel as a Constitutive Meeting at Addis Ababa with the participation of 9 member countries of our ITF (in alphabetical order):

Djibouti represented by Mr. Bahdon Omar
Ethiopia represented by Mr. Wogayehu Behailu
Kenya represented by Mr. William Wamweya
Madagascar represented by Mr. Tafita Rakotoarisoa
Mozambique represented by Mr. Alexandre Mabjaia
South Africa represented by Mr. Bert Gey van Pittius
Tanzania represented by Mr. Said Kenedy
Uganda represented by Mr. Robert Ojiambo
Zimbabwe represented by Mr. Richard Mashanje

Special Guests:

Mr. Hailu Minretayew – Representative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports

Mr. Kebede Ejegu – Secretary General oft he ITF Umbrella Organisation =

EITF

GM Paul Weiler – ITF Senior Vice – President

Master David McNairn – ITF Scotland

Master Ernesto Santaniello – ITF Italy

Sabum Niklas Enander – ITF Sweden

Sabum Jonathan Morris – ITF France

Boosaboom Olsson – ITF Sweden

David Karanja – South Sudan

Sabum Getachew Shiferaw – EITA Vice-President

Sabum Yigebawal Cheru – EITA Treasurer

Sabum Yosef Geleta – EITA Board Member

Sabum Elias Kumel – EITA Umpire Committee Chairman

Mr. Anteneh Belay – EITA Interpreter

Mr. John Arnold – Tanzania

Mr. Kharam Ramadhan – Uganda

Mr. Nevermindone Sherenione – Zimbabwe

Mr. Joshua Nhantave – Mozambique

The atmosphere was fantastic and with every moment it was clear that the African representatives are „really brothers and sisters in TKD“.

The Decisions

African Taekwon-Do Federation Constitution was approved
African Taekwon-Do Federation = ATF was established
African Taekwon-Do Federation Board of Directors was elected:

President: Mr. Wogayehu Behailu (Ethiopia)

Vice-President: Mr. Robert Ojiambo (Uganda)

Secretary General: Mr. Bert Gey van Pittius (South Africa)

Treasurer: Mr. Tafita Rakotoarisoa (Madagascar)

Member: Mr. Bahdon Omar (Djibouti)

Honorary President: Mr. Tamrat Feyessa (Ethiopia)

The first Board of the ATF (from left to right): Mr. Tamrat Feyessa (Honorary President – Ethiopia), Mr. Tafita Rakotoarisoa (Treasurer – Madagascar), Mr. Bahdon Omar (Board Member – Djibouti), Mr. Wogayehu Behailu (President – Ethiopia), Mr. Bert Gey van Pittius (Secretary General – South Africa), Mr. Robert Ojiambo (Vice-President – Uganda).

The ATF will be registered in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa) and the new elected President will proceed to the Ministry of Law with the complete paperwork to apply for it.

All participants oft he African Taekwon-Do Federation Constitutive Meeting on August 5th, 2016

at SAREM International Hotel Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).

History Repeats

The number 9 was a very important number for our beloved Founder General Choi Hong-Hi. 50 years after the establishment of the ITF in 1966 with 9 founding members again 9 countries were the founding members of the ATF and for the first time in ITF history a Continental Federation has been established on the African Continent.

The 5th African Cup on August 6th and 7th

For the first time only blackbelts were allowed to participate. More than 300 competitors from 10 African Countries participated plus France and again Jamaica!

The organiser did a wonderful job including the referees and one of the highlights was the opening ceremony.

EITA improved a lot since the 1st African Cup and the tournament became better and better.