Taekwondo, Tae Kwon Do or Taekwon-Do is a Korean martial art involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. The literal translation for tae kwon do is "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of". They are a kind of martial art in which one attacks or defends with hands and feet anytime or anywhere, with occasional use of weapons. The physical training undertaken in Taekwondo is purposeful and fosters strength of mind through mental armament.
Choi Hong-hi was a South Korean Army general, and martial artist who was an important figure in the history of the Korean martial art of Taekwondo, albeit controversial due to his introduction of Taekwon-Do to North Korea.
World Taekwondo, called the World Taekwondo Federation until June 2017, is an international federation governing the sport of taekwondo and is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).
Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics made its first appearance as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The opening ceremony featured a mass demonstration of taekwondo with hundreds of adults and children performing moves in unison. Taekwondo was again a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Taekwondo became a full medal sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and has been a sport in the Olympic games since then.
The Asian Taekwondo Union or WT Asia is the official governing body for Taekwondo in Asia as a regional organisation of World Taekwondo.
Yongmudo, Yongmoodo or Yong Moo Do is a modern hybrid Korean martial art which combines different techniques from taekwondo, hapkido, judo, and ssireum as well as boxing and wrestling.
The Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) is the national governing body to develop and promote the sport of Taekwondo in the Pakistan. The federation is headquartered in Rawalpindi.
The Dominican Republic Taekwondo Federation, is the governing body for the sport of taekwondo in the Dominican Republic.
Para taekwondo is an adaptation of taekwondo for disabled sportspeople. The sport's main governing body is World Taekwondo (WT). New disciplines such as kyorugi and poomsae, both martial arts forms, have been developed for para-athletes. On January 31, 2017, Para Taekwondo was confirmed as a sport for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) General Assembly the same year the WT became a full member of the IPC.
Judo South Africa (JSA) is the governing body of Judo in South Africa, and a member of the world governing body, the International Judo Federation (IJF), along with the African Judo Union. JSA is also a member of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), which, alongside Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) control all organised sport in South Africa.
The South African Weightlifting Federation (SAWF) is the national governing body that oversees the sport of Olympic weightlifting in South Africa. Established in 1946, the federation is a member of the International Weightlifting Federation and the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation. SAWF is also affiliated to the African regional governing body Weightlifting Federation of Africa, and SASCOC. It organizes national championships and its weightlifters compete regularly at the African Weightlifting Championships.
South African Shooting Sport Confederation (SASSCo) formerly known as South African Shooting Sport Federation (SASSF) is the governing body for shooting sports in South Africa. SASSCo is the highest body responsible for the development and promotion of target shooting sports in South Africa. SASSCo is registered with both SASCOC and Sport and Recreation South Africa (SRSA) as the officially recognised overall federation for shooting sports in South Africa, and is also affiliated to the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) and the African Shooting Sport Federation (ASSF).
Softball South Africa (SSA) is the national governing body for softball in South Africa. Softball South Africa is responsible for the promotion and development of softball in South Africa. Softball South Africa is affiliated with the world governing body World Baseball Softball Confederation, and is responsible for the administration of the men's and women's national softball teams. SSA is also affiliated with SASCOC.
The South African Bridge Federation (SABF) is the national governing body, custodian and regulator for the card game of bridge in South Africa. SABF is affiliated to the world governing body World Bridge Federation (WBF), the regional continental body African Bridge Federation (ABF), and SASCOC.
Nigeria Taekwondo Federation is a member of the African umbrella organization African Taekwondo Union (ATU) as well as the World Association for World Taekwondo (WT).
The Italian Taekwondo Federation is the national sports governing body for taekwondo in Italy. It is a member of the Italian National Olympic Committee.
Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF) is Singapore's national governing body for taekwondo. It is affiliated to World Taekwondo (WT) and Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC). In May 2019, the STF was suspended from both organisations.
Vatican Cycling is the official governing body for the sport of cycling in the Vatican City.
