First President´s Message for 2009

Recently, after meeting the requirements according to the ITF rules, I was promoted to the highest rank level in ITF Taekwon-Do, 9th degree, and given the title of Grandmaster. This is a very important moment in my Taekwon-Do career and a great honor for me and for my family.

First I would like to express my sincere appreciation:

• to Grandmaster Van Binh, Chair of the ITF Masters Promotion Committee, for his invaluable and constant support over the years,
• to the jury of the ITF Examination Board that recognized my efforts to continue to learn and perfect ITF techniques, and
• to the members of the ITF Board of Directors for their trust in my leadership of the organization.

Since my promotion, I have received numerous congratulatory e-mail messages from many different parts of the world. ITF members and others wanted to share with me their positive reactions about the news of my promotion. I was very touched to receive these personal messages, and I know they will be a precious source of encouragement as I continue to serve the best interests of the ITF and its members. This experience has shown me that our individual achievements can have a positive effect on others, even if we do not know all of them personally, when we are all working to promote the true martial arts spirit.

Over the last six years, the ITF has made enormous progress in developing all four facets of Taekwon-Do: as a sport, a martial art, a way of life, and a tool for social development. Our members very much appreciate our customer service orientation, democratic structure, the absence of political influence, and our emphasis on fair and transparent operations. As a result, ITF membership around the world continues to increase significantly every year.

I sincerely hope that in the near future the confusion about the different factions in the ITF will be resolved as Taekwon-Do people, the media, and the general public clearly see from the evidence which is the true and legitimate ITF organization.

My second mandate as president of the ITF will come to an end in 2011 and, although I am extremely honored to be the second elected president of the ITF, following our Founder General Choi Hong Hi, I do not intend to be president for life. When I was asked to take on this responsibility, I did so because I believed it was my moral responsibility to serve the ITF, to lead it through difficult times, and to transform it into a professional martial arts organization operating according to the rules of good governance while continuing to show respect for the authentic martial arts spirit. It was a formidable challenge, and I have to admit that it has not always been easy!

Since 2003 I have been using the President’s Messages posted on the official ITF Website to express my values and ideas and to promote positive changes in the organization. I firmly believe that the best way to change our organization is to provide the information and tools that our members need. With better knowledge and guidance, our organization and its members will evolve quite naturally and will be recognized as the true Taekwon-Do organization.

My greatest dream for Taekwon- Do is that in the future the ITF will have good senior Korean Grandmasters as senior advisors to the organization. When this is achieved, the structure of the ITF will be complete. This will make me very proud as we will be showing respect for our history and benefiting from the wisdom of our seniors.

Some of our priorities for the ITF in 2009 are:

• to strengthen the application of democratic practices at all levels,
• to put in place medium-term plans for the operations of the ITF, particularly for development in Asia and Africa,
• to support the implementation of the program for teaching the Do, level 1, to provide our members with basic knowledge about the Do and the benefits of applying the Do through the five tenets of ITF Taekwon-Do: courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit.

One of my personal goals for this year is to finish my book titled:

The Do, a way of life!
From ancient philosophy and wisdom to everyday warriors in the modern world.

On the subject of teaching the Do, I invite you to take a look at the latest version of my presentation about the introduction of the teaching of the Do for ITF members. Please click here to view the presentation (New Version for the Presentation Of The Do by Grandmaster Tran Trieu Quan, dated January, 23rd, 2009).

In closing, I would like to offer to you and your family as well as to all ITF members and friends an Oriental wish:

May all of your thousands of wishes be realized during the New Year 2009!

Thank you once again for the confidence you have shown in my leadership.

Grandmaster Trân Triêu Quân
ITF President
Quebec City (Canada) – January 6th 2009