AETF reporter
Norbert Érseki

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Europe has now a new Grandmaster appointed by the International Taekwon-do Federation. Previous Master Paul Weiler - ex-president of the Taekwon-do Federation in Germany, pioneer for ITF in Africa - has been promoted to the 9th degree, granting the title of Grandmaster to him. GM Weiler was appointed his new rank on the AETF European Championships 2015 in Scotland by GM Pablo Trajtenberg - President of ITF. On Saturday evening, the competition was stopped for the short announcement, where GM Weiler was given the certificate of the promotion by GM Trajtenberg.

For the occasion I spoke to the newly appointed Grandmaster on the last day of the European Championships, you can read the short interview below.

• Norbert Érseki: Have you expected it? Did you know that you will get a promotion here?
  GM Weiler: the only thing I knew was that the German federation has sent the application some weeks ago, but I did not expect to have it here.

• When did you have your previous promotion to 8th degree?
  It was in 2007 also in October. it was on an IIC: after the IIC I took the grading together with Master Ferrando.

• Apart from your new title, will anything else change in your life?
  My life will not be changed. No. I am still trying to follow my project in Africa which is for me very much important. the degree for this project is not important. Work is important - to be with the people.

• How are things going in Africa?
  So far maybe you know that we have 8 countries working with us. We have started in 2008, so this means that we had a new country in almost every year. In 3 weeks I will be in Ethiopia again, for an IIC and   for the Kids Course, and   I expect 2 more countries at least participating - and   then I want to sit together with them to discuss: Djibouti and   Zambia. Djibouti is on the horn of Africa, and   Zambia is on the southern part.

• How did the countries join? Did they have Taekwon-do previously? Or they just liked our martial art and   they started from scratch? How does it work in Africa?
  It is a mixture of first of all different Taekwon-do styles. for example WTF is presnt in Kenya and   Uganda, so in their case you start almost from zero: they are not used to the ITF techniques. In some countries we have only one existing club: no federation, no structure, but you have some enthusiastic people who want to work with us, for example Djibuti and   Zambia. Mozambique came from the GTF, so they are a little bit used to the ITF techniques, but more or less they have no structure. We have also of course some ITF groups from the Chang Ung group joining us, for example in Madagascar, South Africa and   even Ethiopia, which is now the biggest group in Africa.

• When did you start practicing Taekwon-do?
  I started in 1972, at the Cologne University. I was a football player before. I did boxing and   karate for a while, but then I saw Taekwon-do. In the early days of Taekwon-do in Germany, it was very strange to see the people doing their exercises in their white doboks, it was so exotic. I loved it right away, and   since that time I have been practicing it.

• What was the point in your life when you became aware that you want to do something bigger, you are meant for doing something in your country or for Taekwon-do?
  ITF in Germany went down for many years because of mismanagement. and   when you take into consideration that ITF Germany was a founding member of the ITF 1966, one of the nine founding members. In 1982-83 the federation almost disappeared. Some of my Taekwon-do friends told me that we need to do something. But we needed a person who will go first. so I thought, because I loved Taekwon-do, I started with some friends to do some re-organization for Taekwon-do in Germany: new constitution, new structure, and   so on. the real start was in 1989. We started with almost 150 members - it was almost nothing - and   I have finished 18 years later as Taekwon-do President in Germany with around 5000. it was not only my work, but I was the leader of the team.

• What was your biggest achievement in Taekwon-do?
  For me it was very much important to organize the European Championships - first time it was in 1995 in Cologne, my hometown. In that time we had 27 countries participating. and   of course the World Championships in 2005, Dortmund. There we had 57 countries with competitors and   4 other countries only with representatives. it was not long after the split of the ITF, so it was a really big achievement. and   I was also involved in the translation of the TKD Encyclopedia from English to German. and   then of course my project in Africa which I love very much.

• What are the next steps for you?
  The next goal would be to build a team - younger people should be involved - I already have some people in my mind who should be in the team, and   maybe next year we can establish the African Taekwon-do Federation like we have AETF for Europe.
  The mentality of the African people is of course different from the European mentality and   it is a challenge (*laughs softly*) to say the least.

• Thank you very much for the interview!

We wish good luck to Grandmaster Weiler in his projects!