The Umpire Meeting held by the ITF Umpire Committee with its chair GM Abelardo Benzaquén, and members GM Gordon Wallace and Sbn Saija Aalto, marked the commencement of the final preparations for the World Championships 2023 in Tampere, Finland. This pivotal gathering witnessed also the participation of the ITF Executive Board, the ITF Tournament Committee, and the ITF IT Committee, all converging to ensure the highest standards of competition.
The meeting was inaugurated with a personal thank you address of ITF President, Grand Master Paul Weiler, who set the tone for the event. His opening address resonated with the gravity of the moment.
Master Leonardo Oros Duek, ITF treasurer, took the opportunity to express gratitude to the umpires and asked them to accept a token of appreciation for their hard work in form of a brand new ITF umpire tie.
The Umpire Meeting was attended by umpires, from 34 countries (Anquilla, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, England, Finland, Germany, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Malaysia, Moldova, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Uzbekistan) with more than 100 umpires and IT umpires.
Each umpire carried their nation’s pride and the legacy of Taekwon-Do, bound by a common commitment to maintaining the competition’s integrity.
The meeting included topics like:
• Assign ring councils (9 rings, assigned Jury President, Center Referees, for sparring and pattern Corner Referees, Jury members)
• Tournament specific Protocols
• Area Layout and Access Permissions
• Championships Specific Information
• And all the info Umpires need to know about daily operation in the venue.
There will be an additional Umpire Meeting at every competition day at 8 am.
Arriving to Tampere, Finland
