SEOUL, Korea (Jun. 20, 2025) – Dr. Chungwon Choue, president of World Taekwondo and chairman of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), uses the occasion of World Refugee Day on June 20 to consider the ten-year journey to build an inclusive, healthy, and accountable society via Taekwondo, as shown most recently by the 3rd Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in Jordan.
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The trip starts here.
“I declared at the United Nations headquarters on September 21, 2015, International Day of Peace, that World Taekwondo (WT) would be establishing the THF to use Taekwondo as a facilitator for empowering refugees and displaced individuals around the world,” said Dr. Choue.
World Taekwondo established two significant initiatives the next year in 2016: Taekwondo Cares for underprivileged communities and the THF. Although the two programs catered to different stakeholders, their goals were the same: to make Taekwondo a sport for everyone.
Primary undertaking
The THF’s flagship initiative is the Humanitarian Sports Centre, which was first established in Jordan’s Azraq Refugee Camp as the Taekwondo Humanitarian Centre. At the age of 14, Syrian refugee Wael Fawaz Al-Farraj became the first person in the camp to get a Taekwondo black belt in 2017. With the support of Olympic Solidarity, he would later get a Refugee Athlete Scholarship to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Yahya Al Ghotany followed in his footsteps by being the first refugee from the Azraq camp to compete in Taekwondo at the Paris Olympics in 2024. At the Opening Ceremony of the Games, Yahya reached another milestone when he was chosen to be the male flag bearer for the Refugee Olympic Team.
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Paralympic Games – Historic Medal
The first medal for the Refugee Paralympic Team was achieved in Paris through Zakia Khudadadi, an Afghan refugee who fled the Taliban to compete in Tokyo 2020 and subsequently won a historic bronze medal in Paris 2024. This was another significant milestone brought about by Taekwondo’s inclusive nature and World Taekwondo’s collaboration with the Olympic Refuge Foundation and the Terrains d’Avenir in Paris.
Dr. Choue: “Zakia’s tale is really motivating since WT and the THF had been collaborating with the International Paralympic Committee and governments behind the scenes to assist her flee Afghanistan after the Taliban seized control, in time for her to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Indeed, during that challenging time, we assisted numerous Taekwondo athletes in their successful asylum applications.
Sports give us hope and aspirations.
“The THF has grown even larger than I could have expected,” Dr. Choue said. We have more than ten sports federations from the Olympic and non-Olympic worlds collaborating with the THF as a result of my appeal for action at the Sport Accord Convention in 2018.
The Humanitarian Sports Centre in Azraq has hosted the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival since 2023, starting with the initial induction with wrestling in 2019 and culminating in the establishment of the Hope and Dreams Refugee Taekwondo Championships in 2022. So far, Taekwondo has been accompanied by Baseball5, Badminton, Basketball 3×3, and Handball. The international federations of rowing and weightlifting have pledged to provide equipment to the refugee camps.
Young refugees were approaching me at the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival in May to tell me they can’t live without sports. The capacity of sport to instill a sense of hope and purpose in people’s lives, especially those of young people, is what President Choue said.
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New beginnings
The THF will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2026 by unveiling a new vision: renaming the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival, which was formerly a Taekwondo program, as a collaborative sports venture under a unified brand.
“I think it is time to consider renaming the THF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival to the SHF Hope and Dreams Sports Festival,” said Dr. Choue. Under a unified brand, I hope to see the other international federations take a more leading role in promoting their respective sports to the refugees and displaced people. Harmony brings glory. The Sports Humanitarian Foundation is represented by the acronym “SHF.”
The THF founder also has a particular message for Thomas Bach, the current IOC President, and Kirsty Coventry, the future IOC President.
“I learned a lot from IOC President Thomas Bach,” Dr. Choue said. “Change or be changed” may be his phrase, but it has also become a mantra for me over the last ten years.
President Bach was a real advocate for advancing Olympism through sport. Kirsty Coventry, the incoming IOC President, is another Olympic and World champion who is passionate about the Olympics. I hope that Taekwondo and our humanitarian endeavours may continue to flourish in the years ahead.
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He is one of the top 100 martial artists in Bangladesh and among the top 20 referees in Bangladesh.
Ehatasamul Alom is an esteemed Taekwondo 3rd Dan Black Belt with over 15 years of experience in this dynamic martial art. Born in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, Ehatasamul’s journey with Taekwondo began at the tender age of seven. His passion led him to compete at national and international levels, where he has bagged numerous awards and honors. He is also a member of the Taekwondo National Referee Panel.
With a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from the prestigious Rajshahi University, Ehatasamul has a deep understanding of the technical and scientific aspects of martial arts and some other martial arts.
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