The ITF World Championship – Alcan Québec 2007 was set in beautiful old Québec City, from May 31st to June 3rd. The Organizing Committee collaborated with the Canadian Taekwon-Do Federation International (CTFI) in the making of this event sanctioned by the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF).

The Organizing Committee, led by Master Trân Triêu Quân, had won its bid to organize the XVth ITF Senior World Championship in Canada back in 2003 at the ITF Congress in Warsaw. Two years later, at the Congress in Dortmund, the merge of the XVth Senior and IXth Junior World Championships was approved. This new formula gave the opportunity to all the delegations to travel with both elite teams to this unforgettable event.

There are three main areas where the Organizing Committee has found success.

First, the quality of the set up of the Indoor Stadium at the Laval University was very professional. All the equipment that was used was of very high standard, such as the lighting equipment, sound systems and the giant screens. Also, the technologies that were used during the Championship, such as the breaking machines and the electronic scoring systems for patterns and sparring, appeared to be very efficient. Also, the only sparring gears allowed were from Top Ten, which are of the best quality available on the market. We had also very good comments on the artistic and acrobatic performances during the opening and closing ceremonies. One other thing is the website of the Championship that was very useful throughout the registration process and for communicating important messages from the Organizing Committee to the delegations from around the world.

Second is the finance of the championship. The Organizing Committee has successfully kept a very tight budget that caused no deficit, but no profit was made either. The total budget was of 1.1 million of amrican dollars. The financing came from both public and private sources, from the registration fees and from the packages sold, and from the spectators’ entrance fee. Such an important budget allowed the Organizing Committee to make the program of the week more complete than ever, with a dozen of complementary activities such as the Hall of Fame Banquet (ITF Awards) and the Farewell party.

Third is the media coverage of the Championship. The media from all around the world were reached with press releases and news feeds. A website was also modernized specifically for media so they could easily find all the news and the results regarding the Championship. Many newspapers and TV stations visited the stadium throughout the week.. The competitors had the great pleasure to see their fellows on the cover of two important newspapers. Also, many local athletes were interviewed for local news on TV and radio.

To give to the Championship even more visibility, a team of 10 cameramen worked tirelessly throughout the week so that the tournament could be aired live on the Internet by webcast. For a first experience, the Organizing Committee is very proud of the results and have faith in the future of this technology for upcoming world events. Furthermore, TV producers spent their week taking action shots and interviews to make three broadcasts for national television. These very high quality programs will air in Canada starting on July 14th and are also available to every national association to help promote the ITF around the world.

The Championship itself was a great success and met the expectations of the Organizing Committee. The level of competition was very high and the organization was of very high quality. A total of 851 competitors from 52 countries participated. Unfortunately, around17 delegations could not attend, as they were unable to obtain Canadian visas.

Most countries arrived in Canada on May 28th and 29th and could enjoy the very nice weather and the various activities planned for this wonderful Taekwon-Do week.

 
 
 
 
 
 

On the 30th, it was possible for all the delegations to go and train on the competition site from 8 am. All the competitors appreciated this amenity and took this opportunity to meet with friends from other countries. Meanwhile, a press conference was held at the Indoor Stadium, where the Board of Directors and some of the ITF most elite competitors were presented to the regional and provincial media.

On May 31st was the first day of competition. All the individual patterns, team patterns and traditional sparring events were held. On the evening, the opening ceremony brought a few surprises to the attending crowd with a performance from a Native cultural dance group and a very impressive showdown from an acrobatics team.

On the 1st of June started the free sparring competition for all morning. The matches ran smoothly, as some rings were equipped with electronic scoring devices, which made it possible to keep up with the schedule. In the afternoon was the ITF Congress, and in the evening, the ITF Hall of Fame Banquet (ITF Awards) was held at Quebec most deluxe hotel. In a very emotional moment, Master Bos was honoured for his great achievements during his mandate as Chair of the Tournament & Umpire Committee.
Click here to see the winners of this fantastic night or download the information about the winners (PDF file, 31 kB).

On June 2nd, the remaining individual free sparring divisions filled the whole day. In the evening, many finals took place in the centre ring with music and light effects. The vibrant and exciting atmosphere was palpable as the competing athletes gave a terrific show in front of a thrilled audience. Many surprising results came along the way, as the new scoring system was used for the first time at a world championship.

The final day of competition was very exciting with team sparring on every ring, and team power and special techniques on ring 7. The crowd became very enthusiastic fanatic when Canada Senior male team reached a decisive final 5th match against Argentina. Finally, the closing ceremony brought a sober farewell to all the competitors, umpires and staff, and announced the various awards for best competitors, teams and countries of the championship. Poland came once again on top, with Argentina and New Zealand trailing just behind. Click here to see the final standings. The next World Championship will be held in Argentina 2009, and it was also announced that the 2011 World Championship would take place in Auckland, New Zealand.

In a final effort to make this trip unforgettable, everybody gathered for a huge farewell party, where the very notorious DJ Dan Desnoyers lit the University arena on fire and made sure everybody finished their trip to Canada on a great note.

17 years had passed since the last World Championship in Canada, and it seemed very enjoyable for the new generation of competitors to discover this beautiful country.

See the Final Results of the World Champ website at http://www.itfwcquebec2007.com/public/anglais/resultats.php.