As part of that process, the CTU held two successful Commonwealth Championships (Brisbane, 2006; Winnipeg, 2008) with a third planned in Chennai, India, in January 2011. The CTU met Commonwealth Games Federation officials in 2004 and sent a delegation to the WTF in 2005. (Right) The WTF President and Secretary-General were very supportive of the project. In January 2010, the WTF submitted its bid for inclusion in the Games. The CTU assisted with improving the bid application.

The WTF sent four delegates (Mr Philippe Bouedo, Chairman, WTF Games Committee; Dr William Darlington, CTU Secretary-General; Mr Usman Dildar, UK Coordinator, WTF; Mr Anthony Ferguson, President, Caribbean Taekwondo Federation) to a meeting of the CGF Sport Committee in London, on Monday 7th June.
As part of the application, Dr Darlington (left) produced and delivered the main part of the WTF presentation, which had the CGF panel entertained as well as informed.

All the team members contributed. Mr Dildar, for example, effectively addressed CGF concerns about gender equality by pointing out that taekwondo is the only sport where Iran sends a full female team!
 

As a result, on 14th June, the WTF received word from Mr Mike Hooper, Chief Executive Officer of the CGF, that taekwondo is now a Category 2 Commonwealth Games sport!

At the moment, only kyorugi has been accepted but the Commonwealth Taekwondo Championships, the World University Summer Games and the World University Taekwondo Championships all feature poomsae so the next step is to campaign for poomsae too.

Category 1 (compulsory) sports (Athletics, Swimming, Badminton, Boxing, Field Hockey, Lawn Bowls, Netball, Squash, Rugby Sevens and Weightlifting) are included in all Games.
Taekwondo skipped Category 3 (developing sport) and jumped straight to Category 2 (optional sports) to join Archery, Basketball, Cycling, Diving, Gymnastics, Judo, Shooting, Table Tennis, Tennis, Triathlon and Wrestling. Host cities can choose up to seven Category 2 sports for any Games.

The events for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow have already been decided, but in Glasgow, we will be in an ideal position to lobby the next host city. The two bidding cities for 2018 are Gold Coast (Australia) and Hambantota (Sri Lanka) and taekwondo is popular in both countries…!

(Dr Darlington’s PowerPoint presentation can be downloaded here.)
(Photographs courtesy of Mr Dariush Rouzbahani of the London Taekwondo Academy.)

Arrive

The first thing which is clear, NO WAR!! But as yet the economy is not good.  Indi and Shelton pick me up but no Rath which is very strange indeed as he has always been here.  At this present time he is on his officer course (Sri-Lankan Army)

Just as always, I feel I have come home.  I always feel apprehensive, as the weeks slowly approach to coming here.   I am scared that I may have lost my passion for Lanka as it has been a whole year since I was here last.  I should not have worried.  It is exactly the same feeling and the same passion that I have for this place like all those years before.

I love this place; even the car ride seemed less traumatic than normal.  Reaching Lala‘s was just great for me.  Small changes, but nothing to destroy its natural beauty,  infact  many things to enhance its natural beauty. 

After settling in, sorting phones, I was ready for my one and only chill and sleep on the beach time.  No sleep for over 15 hours even gets to me!!

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