Newsletter Newsletter 1/2006 Activities 2005 ITF-Belgium

2005 began with the annual congress meeting of ITF-Belgium, on January 16th in Steenokkerzeel near Brussels. This is always the ideal moment to meet all the instructors and responsables again, to make plans for the new year and to evaluate the past year.

On February 6th there were dangradings in Lokeren.

February 12th, in Germany the Tsunami Charity Tournament was organised: 5 members of ITF-Belgium participated (plus a referee and 2 coaches), and they returned back home with 8 medals. Six days later Eddy Van Damme, chairman of the umpires and responsable for the umpire courses in Belgium, gave a course in Sint-Niklaas.

On February 20th, we had for the first time a championship for youth only (aged 6-13) in tul, sparring (league-system) and special techniques, in Steenokkerzeel. Purpose was to have a nice tournament for the children, in which fairplay and friendship were the most important issues, where our youth could learn the principles and rules of an ITF championship. The championship was a big success.

Begin March we participated at the INTA Open Irish Championships, where we won 9 medals (11 participants, 2 referees and some supporters).

March 11th an umpire course was organised again, in Namur.

Two days later ITF-Belgium participated at the Open Zeeuwse Championships in Middelburg, Holland, with 29 competitors, 5 referees and 5 coaches. Result: 15 medals.

On March 20th, we had the 15th Belgian Championships in Namur, for tul, teamtul, sparring, special techniques and power breaking, black belts as well as coloured belts, juniors and seniors.

April 1st-3rd, the "3 Days of Taekwon-do" were organised for the second time in Ghent.

At the European Championships in Italy, April 2005, the belgian delegation consisted of 23 persons (with 15 competitors and 3 umpires, coaches and supporters). For the first time, we could participate in all individual disciplines, male and female, and we also had a male and a female team. Belgium won 3 medals: 1 silver in powerbreaking and 2 times bronze (tul and sparring).

May 15th we had the Open ITF Challenge Cup in Oostakker, a championship in tul and sparring, coloured and black belts from 13 years on. Besides the schools affiliated to ITF-Belgium, some clubs from ITF-Netherlands also participated.

The World Championships in Germany in July: 14 participants, 3 umpires, a coach and a lot of supporters every day (Belgium is very near to Dortmund), and also 2 teams. For the first time, medals were won for Belgium on a WC: silver in special techniques and bronze in powerbreaking.

After the summer holidays, by the end of September, we had dangradings in Lokeren. October 1st-2nd, Sabum Jerzy Jedut, assisted by Milosz Moskaluk, gave a seminar in Steenokkerzeel: 104 participants from Belgium, Holland, Germany and Ireland, with also a visitor from Iran.

On November 13th, in Heeze (Holland), was organised the Promat Open Dutch Championships. From ITF-Belgium there were 42 competitors, 4 referees and 7 coachen, together with a bunch of supporters: 16 medals came to Belgium (there were 311 participants from Holland, Belgium, Slovenia, Ireland and Australia).

Some days later 10 persons participated at the sparringsseminar with Tomaz Barada in Dublin, Ireland.

November 27th, we had a hosinsul course in Steenokkerzeel, November 28th Bistra Dencheva was invited at the town hall of Antwerp because of her silver medal on the WC.

December 3rd, on the Dutch Top Taekwon-do Match in Tiel, Netherlands, the belgian participants won 8 medals, and we also won the trophee for the Best Female Umpire.

The day after, the third umpirecourse of 2005 was organised, in Steenokkerzeel.

Besides this, ITF-Belgium opened 5 new schools in 2005: in Ghent (Taekwon-do club Gent, Koen Hoerée), Namur (Taekwondo club Germinal, Erik Van Hoeck), Lede (Daeryon Lede, Tom Van De Sijpe), Troisvierges (Dojang Troisvierges, Hardy Viktor) and Ukkel-Brussels (ITF Brussels, Virginia Dionisi). Also, each month we had the national squad trainings: (team) sparring in Sint-Niklaas with national coach Stefaan de Ridder, (team) power/specials in Steenokkerzeel with Pascal Raeijmaekers, tul with technical director Master Vanberghen and teamtul with Johan Van Hecke in Steenokkerzeel.

There were also a lot of kup gradings the past year.

The website got a new lay-out some months ago, www.itfbelgium.be, just like the website of the national team www.itf-taekwondoteam.be.

It seems that 2006 will be as busy as 2005, and of course we hope to have the same results and expansion.

Mrs. Annick Van Driessche
President
ITF-Belgium