Monday, December 20, 2004

MALAYSIA: Golden debut for Noornadia in South-East Asian meet

BY LIM TEIK HUAT
KUALA LUMPUR: Youngster Noornadia Norrizan looks set to earn a place in the national squad for the Manila SEA Games next year after bagging a gold in the South-East Asia Taekwondo Union (Seatu) championships in Indonesia last weekend.

The 18-year-old won the women's senior bantamweight competition in her debut in the championships and turned out to be the only Malaysian gold medallist.

Malaysia also bagged three silvers and two bronzes in the senior competitions.

The silver medallists were Noornadia's twin sister Noordiana (light-heavy), Che Chew Chan (women's heavyweight) and Rusfredy Tokan (men's flyweight).

Athens Olympics exponent Elaine Teo failed to bag the flyweight gold medal and had to settle for the bronze. The other bronze medallist was men's featherweight exponent Syed Taufiq.

In the junior (14-17 age-group) competitions, Malaysia won four silvers and six bronzes.

The silver medallists were Koh Jen Li, Nurul Afiqah Harun, Syahiran Ahman and Nurul Ashfalina. The bronze medallists were Nik Izzat Hanafi, Hue Siow Ching, Adriana Syamin, Noviq Sondig and Logaraj Arumugam.

National coach K.M. Rajendran said that Noornadia's victory came as a pleasant surprise because she was on the comeback trail after undergoing a knee surgery.

“She did win a gold in her first competition in the Malaysian Open in July. But the Seatu championships were of much higher standards and she certainly performed very well for a debutant. She should be good for the national team for the Manila SEA Games.”

Rajendran also felt that the juniors were on the right track.

Noornadia and company will be looking to impress the selectors further in the National Inter-Club Championships, which will be held at the Uniten Hall (Universiti Tenaga National) in Bangi from Dec 20-21.

The gold medallists in the 16 categories of competition will be included in the national training squad for the SEA Games.

Source from http://www.thestar.com.my

MALAYSIA: Head of Malaysia Taekwondo Association Visits WTF

Ho Kam Phaw, newly elected President of the Malaysia Taekwondo Association (MTA), paid a courtesy call on WTF Secretary-General Dong-Hoo Moon at his office in the WTF headquarters Wednesday (Dec. 15) and exchanged views on wide range of affairs related to Taekwondo.

Chin Mee Keong, chairman of MTA, Rajendran Mariappen, secretary-general, Dhanaraj Rasiah, national team coach, accompanied MTA president in his meeting with the WTF Secretary-General.

Source from: http://www.wtf.org

MALAYSIA: Ho Kam Phaw Elected President of the Malaysia Taekwondo Association

Mr. Ho Kam Phaw was unanimously elected President of the Malaysia Taekwondo Association in the Extraordinary General Conference on Dec. 7, 2004, held to fill the position vacated by retired Gen. Tan Sri Mohd Ghazali Seth.

The lineup of other major position holders is as follow: Deputy President Datuk Mohd Nazim Tun Abdul Razak; Vice President Tuan Haji Long Bin Abdul Rahman; Vice President Henry Toh Yew King; Vice President Rosli Bin Ismail; Chairman Chin Mee Keong; Vice Chairman Peter Kang Teong Kheng; Vice Chairman Wong Koon Hoong; Vice Chairman Lim Chong Tiam; Secretary-General Rajendran Mariappen; Assistant Secretary-General Yeap Swee Bee; Treasurer Wajdi Bin Mohamad.

Source from : http://www.wtf.org

Monday, December 13, 2004

MALAYSIA: National Taekwondo Body Shut Affiliation to Clubs

SPORTS Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said may be a strong advocate of developing an active club structure but the Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA), based on advice from the Sports Commissioner’s office, shut affiliation to clubs at their extraordinary general meeting (EGM) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The decision to rescind the clubs' associate membership with MTA, however, could sound the death knell to one of the most thriving and productive club structures in the country.

But as far as MTA chairman Chin Mee Keong is concerned, the association was merely following advice from the Sports Commissioner's office in amending their constitution.

"The clubs were described as associate members by MTA, but the Sports Commissioner's office advised against doing this," said Mee Keong after the EGM and flag handing ceremony to the national team for the Asean Taekwondo Championships in Jogjakarta.

The two-day championships begin on Saturday.

"In adhering to the advise, all clubs will now be affiliated to the respective State associations.

"We have amended our constitution to reflect this and will be asking our State affiliates to do the same to accommodate the clubs." Azalina is a keen supporter of the club structure to enhance grassroots development, and even assured active clubs of direct funding as long as they are able to meet certain requirements.

In fact, even the Sports Advisory Panel, headed by FA of Malaysia (FAM) vice president Datuk Seri Dr Ibrahim Saad, recommended that active clubs be given voting rights and a say in determining the leadership of the association.

Timesport have also led the call for active clubs to be granted voting rights while State associations should no longer view voting rights as their divine right.

MTA have some 40 clubs affiliated to them and an inter-club competition that is almost on par, in terms of quality, with the national championships and have been a constant supplier of talent to the various national squads.

For the Asean championships, MTA will be sending two squads (seniors and juniors), comprising 21 exponents. From the total, 14 exponents are products of clubs.

MTA's youth championships have also been dominated by clubs with Bangsar Taekwondo and Fitness Centre (BTFA) winning the overall title for the third consecutive time last year.

Mee Keong, however, refused to blame the State associations for the lack of quality exponents coming through their system.

"All these clubs were under States last time but decided to operate independently. This is why most of the national exponents are from clubs. "The Sports Development Act also states that associate members can only be from individual members, and they cannot be accepted as full members.

"As such, we have to re-term the clubs, and one way is for them to be affiliated to the States." And deny the clubs a say in determining the leadership of the national association.

The squads: Senior: Men: Rusferdy Tokan, R. Surendran, Syed Taufiq, Wong Kai Meng, Mohamed Fazmi Nuazmi; Women: Elaine Teo, Noornadia Norrizan, Noordiana Norrizan, Chee Chew Chan.

Junior: Boys: Syahiran Ahman, Ahmad Syubli Mohamed, A. Logaraj, K. Hemaraj, Nik Izzat Hanafi Nik Zainal, Jeffrey Kiang; Girls: Adriana Noryasmin Arshad, Nurul Asfahlina Johari, Koh Jen Li, Nurul Afiqah Harun, Hue Seow Ching, Novie Sondiq.

Source from: http://www.nst.com.my

Friday, December 03, 2004

WTF Embarks on Bold Reform Mission

WTF Embarks on Bold Reform Mission
2004-12-01


WTF Embarks on Bold Reform Mission

Reform Committee to Draw Up Recommendationsfor Future of Taekwondo and WTF

The World Taekwondo Federation today launched a Reform Committee that is charged with thoroughly reviewing Taekwondo and its world governing body, and proposing recommendations to make Taekwondo more action-packed and transform the WTF into a more global and professional organization.

The 11-member WTF Reform Committee, led by Dr. Nat Indrapana of Thailand, a WTF vice president and International Olympic Committee member, will draw up recommendations, after brainstorming sessions with Taekwondo experts and officials, to help raise the interest level of Taekwondo competition and ensure that it continues to be an official Olympic sport. The Reform Committee will meet from Dec. 7 to 11 in Seoul for its first gathering.

“Reform has been a catchword in almost every sector of society in Korea, and Taekwondo is no exception,” said WTF President Chungwon Choue, Ph.D.

“Taekwondo is in a transitional period following a change in the WTF leadership,” Choue said. “Under my direction, the WTF is pushing for reform to transform itself into a more global, professional and efficient international federation, in line with the IOC’s ongoing reform efforts.”

Members of the Reform Committee make up a diverse and respected group, with seven Taekwondo leaders hailing from Asian, African, European and Pan-American regions, and four renowned and experienced leaders from outside the Taekwondo community.

Among the Taekwondo leaders on the Reform Committee are Mr. Manuel Colmenero Firvida of Spain, president of the Spanish Taekwondo Federation and member of the WTF Executive Council; Mr. Sung Chon Hong of the Philippines, a member of the WTF Executive Council; Mr. Jizhong Wei of China, a member of the WTF Executive Council; Mr. Dai Soon Lee of Korea, a member of the WTF Executive Council and president of the Asian Taekwondo Union; Mr. Ahmed Fouly of Egypt, a vice president of the WTF and president of the African Taekwondo Union; and Mr. Dai Won Moon of Mexico, a member of the WTF Executive Council.

The outside professionals are Dr. Giovanni Di Cola, a program director with the International Labor Organization in Switzerland; Mr. Andre Gorgemans, secretary general of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry; Mr. Pierre Ferrari, founding partner of Tula Communications in Atlanta, Georgia; and Dr. Emanuel Bayle, a professor in management science at the University of Lyon in France.

To achieve the goal of reforming Taekwondo across a wide spectrum of areas, ranging from competition format to refereeing, WTF Headquarters administration, financing, and marketing, Reform Committee members will be assisted by a team of about 30 Taekwondo experts.

Each of the experts will deliver a formal presentation to the Reform Committee over two days of brainstorming sessions to be held on Dec. 9 and 10. The group is made up of WTF Committee members, WTF Headquarters staff, outside Taekwondo professionals, and other specialists. The Taekwondo experts group includes Mr. Luc Sougne of Belgium, chairman of the WTF’s Public Relations Committee, and Mr. Young Tae Kim of Korea, chairman of the WTF’s Technical Committee and member of the WTF’s Executive Council.

To gather additional opinions and recommendations for the future of Taekwondo, the WTF Reform Committee sent a questionnaire to the WTF’s 177 member National Associations in early November. Those answers, along with responses to a shorter questionnaire posted on the WTF’s Web site for other interested parties around the world, including Taekwondo professors, coaches, and practitioners, will serve as an additional tool in developing reform policies.

The Reform Committee is scheduled to present its final report with a series of recommendations to the WTF in January. Their report is viewed as playing a critical role in the future of Taekwondo, both as an Olympic sport and as a vibrant and well-respected sport federation.

Members of WTF Reform Committee

ChairmanDr. Nat Indrapana (Thai)
Vice President of the WTF
Member of the International Olympic Committee

Members (10)
1. Mr. Ahmed Fouly (Egyptian)
Vice President of the WTF
President of the African Taekwondo Union

2. Mr. Dai Soon Lee (Korean)
Member of the WTF Executive Council
President of the Asian Taekwondo Union

3. Mr. Manuel Colmenero Firvida (Spanish)
Member of the WTF Executive Council
President of the Spanish Taekwondo Federation,

4. Mr. Jizhong Wei (Chinese)
Member of the WTF Executive Council

5. Mr. Dai Won Moon (Mexican)
Member of the WTF Executive Council

6. Mr. Sung Chon Hong (Filipino)
Member of the WTF Executive Council

7. Dr. Giovanni Di Cola (Italian)
Focal Person on Sport and Development at the International Labor Organization (ILO)
Universitas Program Coordinator in the International
Labor Office of the International Labor Organization

8. Mr. Andre Gorgemans (Swiss and Belgian)
Secretary General of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) in Switzerland

9. Mr. Pierre Ferrari (British)
Founding Partner of Tula Communications, Atlanta, Georgia
President of the Hot Fudge Social Venture Capital Fund

10. Dr. Emmauel Bayle (French)
Professor in Management Science at the University of Lyon, France