On July 19, 2016 the All-Ukrainian Taekwon-Do Union (hereinafter – the AUTU) celebrated the 10th anniversary from the day of the organization foundation!
On July 19, 2006 a group of admirers of General Choi Hong Hi’s level of excellence, registered a public organization called All-Ukrainian Taekwon-Do Union in the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine for the purpose of Taekwon-Do development and promotion in Ukraine. As long ago as 2007 the newly formed organization was granted a status of an official representative of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) and the All-European Taekwon-Do Federation (A.E.T.F) in Ukraine, which has been maintained till the present time.
To date, the AUTU has its own establishments in 15 regional centers, with 42 Taekwon-Do clubs in function, of over 2,500 Taekwon-Do practitioners.
The training process is carried out by 58 coaches in accordance with the approved training programs. Quality assessment of the AUTU instructors’ performance and determination of a level of skill of Taekwon-Do practitioners are conducted at certifications, taking place twice a year, led by the AUTU Attestation Committee Chair Oleg Solovey, VI dan.
The AUTU devotes special attention to preparation of the qualified umpires. At present, under the guidance of the International Class Umpire Iryna Kuznetsova, V-dan, the AUTU umpire department is formed, which consists of 79 of the most prepared Taekwon-Do practitioners. Chair of the AUTU umpire department Iryna Kuznetsova regularly attends international umpire seminars, and then she shares the acquired skills with Ukrainian umpires.
Over the last decade of the AUTU operation, there have been held 8 Ukrainian championships, 7 Ukrainian Cups, 24 international Taekwon-Do tournaments and 134 regional tournaments.
The AUTU pays special attention to the all-round development of coaches and the improvement of their skills at Taekwon-Do. In the past three years, Ukraine played host to seminars run by the Taekwon-Do grand masters, such as Grandmaster Willem Jacob Bos (Italy), Ung Kim-Lan (Germany), Master Jerzy Jedut (Poland) and Tomaz Barada (Slovenia).
For the purpose of improving the level of excellence, the AUTU coaches regularly attend IIC international coaching courses, held by Grandmasters of the International Taekwon-Do Federation.
The AUTU instructors at the IIC-2016 courses (Warsaw, Poland) |
Every year athletes and coaches of the Union take part in world and European official Taekwon-Do competitions, according to the results of which they win gold, silver and bronze medals on a regular basis. The Ukrainian National Taekwon-Do Team, led by the Head Coach Oleg Solovey, became tree times known as the most powerful in Europe in the team competitions, and in 2015 the Ukrainian National Team took second place in the team sparring at the World Championship in Italy.
Every year the Ukrainian Taekwon-Do practitioners put a lot of effort to extend the influence of Ukrainian Taekwon-Do at the global arena. The history of Ukrainian Taekwon-Do is marked in golden letters with the name of the legendary Kateryna Solovey, two-time World Champion and nine-time European Champion. Because of hard work, Kateryna became known in the world and Europe. Every year the influence of the Ukrainian Taekwon-Do extends thanks to the bright victories of the athletes who became history of the AUTU, namely: Iryna Kuznetsova, Tetiana Voitovych, Dzvenislava Tokareva, Yuliia Yatsukevych, Remzi Smailov, Artem Belov, Ihor Maksymenko, Vasyl Voitovych, Andrii Pasichnyk, Anatolii Korobko, Ivan Hryshchuk, Vitalii Solovey, and Danylo Demchyshyn.
During summer holidays the AUTU organizes and conducts the recreational and sports camps at the seaside or in the mountains. Considering the AUTU activity, it organized 28 camps where the athletes from European countries and all over the world also had the opportunity to participate.
“Everyone who takes up Taekwon-Do is on the side of the good and justice, having no feeling of fear. And all of this is thanks to the mighty power and invincible spirit that everyone gets by being engaged into this amazing art of self-defense called Taekwon-Do. By our hard work and victories we make a personal contribution to the development of the sport in Ukraine and all over the world, and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle.”
I congratulate the AUTU colleagues on occasion of the anniversary of our organization! I express my thanks for your rewarding work and gained victories! I wish you strength, energy, motivation, success and creative inspiration!
Valentyn Zorba
AUTU President