The ITA AGM took place on Sunday January 26th 2014 in the Horse & Jockey Hotel, Thurles, Co. Tipperary. ITA instructors from all over Ireland representing our 96 clubs attended the meeting.

During the meeting the ITA Calendar for 2014 was finalised, which you can find here: http://www.taekwondo.ie/events/ita_calendar_of_events-95.html. 2014 is set to be another very busy year for the association with several important national and international events planned.

ITA President, Master Kenneth Wheatley VII Dan, opened the meeting. Master Barry was then presented with his 7th Dan certificate following his recent promotion. Master Wheatley paid tribute to all board members and all members of the standing committees of ITA for their continued dedication to the association and for volunteering their time.

Master Wheatley listed the highlights of the year for ITA and made reference to the 2013 review of activities.

2013 has been another excellent year of growth and success for our organisation, the ITA now has almost 100 schools across Ireland, with many schools opening due to initiatives by the board of directors in line with our strategic plan.

Some of the big highlights of 2013 included:

• Hosting another very successful IIC with the ITF Technical Committee which was attended by 130 black belts from 15 countries
• 3 very successful national tournaments each with over 500 competitors taking part
• Our national team achieving fantastic success. At the Euros in Sweden Ireland finished in 5th place with 18 medals, 5 gold, 7 silver and 6 bronze. At the World Championships Ireland finished in 2nd place overall with 10 Gold, 6 Silver & 11 Bronze medals. This shows that Taekwon-Do in Ireland is continuing to improve and our athletes are leading the way on the international stage.
• 2013 also saw ITA gain the status as NA (National Association for the ITF and AETF in Ireland)
• 2013 saw our number of International Instructors increase, most notably with newly promoted VI Dans and a new Master Pat Barry promoted to 7th Dan.

During the meeting each of the standing committee chairpersons gave a report on the activities of 2013 and the plans for the year ahead. It was also an opportunity to review the ITA Strategic Plan which is ½ way to completion. There are 108 key objectives in the plan, 38 objectives are now complete and a further 18 objectives are currently being progressed. Some priority items for the future include; branding and merchandise, PR & marketing, sponsorship, expanding social media, education & training on items such as: disability, inclusion policies, Long Term Athlete Development, programmes for older participants, review of expansion packages etc.

The AGM is also the forum for electing the board of the association and the standing committees. The following were democratically elected by the General Meeting:

Board of Directors:

• President – Master Wheatley
• Vice President – Mr Mark Buckley
• Secretary General – Mr Stephen Ryan
• Treasurer – Mr Kevin Kinsella
• Directors (4):
• Mr Stephen Cooley
• Master Pat Barry
• Mr Adrian Byrne
• Mr Adrian O’Mahoney

Tournament & Umpire Committee

Mr. Adrian Byrne decided after 11 years on the T&U committee to step down. The ITA Board acknowledged Mr Byrnes work over the last 11 years and his vision and drive to bring ITA tournaments onto such a high level and as the main developer of our software and scheduling system. The following were elected:

• Umpire Chairperson – Master Pat Barry
• Vice Umpire Chairperson – Mr Niall Jones
• Tournament IT Coordinator – Mr Stephen Ryan
• Tournament Administrator – Ms Laura Ryan
• Tournament Director – Mr Mark Buckley

Four (4) Trustees

• Mr Richard Forde
• Mr Gerry Mooney
• Mr Ross Smith
• Mr Andrew Butler

Business Development Committee

• Mr Tim Forde
• Ms Laura Ryan
• Mr Jamie Rigney
• Mr Leonard Coughlan

Coaching officers (2)

• Mr. Adrian Byrne
• Mr Terry Donnelly

Technical Director & 2 Technical Committee Members

• Master Wheatley
• Mr Niall Jones
• Mr Stephen Ryan

The following officers were apointed by the ITA Board of Directors:

• Public Relations (national events): Mr Carl Smullen
• Public Relations (international events): Mr Hong Looi & Ms Sabina Mason
• Insurance: Mr Brian Coughlan
• Anti-Doping: Ms Sabina Mason
• Young People’s Advisory Committee: Mr. Jamie Rigney, Mr Paul Delea & Ms Annie Kinsella
• Youtube Channel Moderators: Mr. Richard Forde & Mr. Edward Dillon

The National Team Coaches and Management for the ITF Ireland taekwon-Do team were also updated with 2 new appointments in early January prior to the ITA AGM. Mr. Gerard O’Rourke was appointed as the new assistant manager and Mr. Luke Laffan as an additional assistant coach.

For a full list of ITA Officers including those in Irish Martial Arts Commission Roles follow this link: http://www.taekwondo.ie/information/committees-54.html.