‘Taekwondo New Zealand’ member organisations Ace Taekwondo, New Zealand Taekwondo Alliance and the Taekwondo Union of New Zealand, sent a total of 12 New Zealand referees to the 49th International Referee Seminar held in Sydney during January. The seminar was organised by the recently formed Oceania Taekwondo Union and over 80 participants from Korea, USA, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Palau, Guam, Afganistan, Nepal, England, Tonga, Fiji, Kiribati, Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand attended.
Held over three days, it comprehensively covered all aspects of refereeing; the new WTF international competition rules, scoring, hand signals and interpretations. Lead by Hong Ki Kim, WTF Director of Refereeing who was assisted by Master Seng Kim from Australia, the seminar consisted of theory, practical work, and testing.
As well as being an opportunity to increase knowledge, improve skills, and gain an internationally recognised qualification, it was also a chance to meet Taekwondo practitioners from other countries away from the atmosphere of tournament competition.
Having a pool of international referees available will enable Taekwondo New Zealand to contribute more actively to Taekwondo development in the Oceania region, as well as help fulfil the goal of continuous improvement in officials’ skills at local and national tournaments.
Source: Taekwondo New Zealand
New Zealand now has 12 new WTF International Referees pictured here recently graduating at the 49th WTF International Referee Seminar in Sydney.
