The Irish Taekwon-Do Association (ITA) summer black belt examination took place on Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th June in Quin Taekwon-Do Club, Co. Clare.

The weekend commenced with a technical seminar led by the ITA Technical Committee which was attended by 35 people. At the black belt testing a total of 22 candidates were promoted. Three achieved 3rd Dan Black Belt, five 2nd Dan and fourteen 1st Dan. The examiners panel on Saturday was Master Wheatley 7th Dan, Mr. Pat Barry 6th Dan and Mr. Mark Buckley 6th Dan. The panel on Sunday was again chaired by Master Wheatley with Mr. Stephen Ryan 5th Dan, Mr. Adrian Byrne 5th Dan, Mr. Donal O'Donoghue 4th Dan and Mr. Hong Keat Looi 4th Dan. Ms Anne Marie Kinsella 4th Dan was the narrator on both days.

The preparation and adherence to the ITA syllabus showed as candidates achieved the high standard required. This was the first year that the ITA has set a new milestone with the black belt testing going paperless. Candidates' scores for each section were collated in our new bespoke Black Belt Examination Programme, which means that each candidate and their instructor receive specific feedback and a detailed printout on performance in all areas. It also speeds up the correlation process after the examination. The examiners made themselves available for feedback with each candidate after the examination in order that the exam also serves as an opportunity to learn via immediate feedback. We would like to thank Mr. Ryan and Ms. Cullen and their team at Quin for their hospitality and for a very enjoyable weekend.