List of taekwondo practitioners

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "List of taekwondo practitioners" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

This is a list of highly notable practitioners of Taekwondo than

## Grandmasters

[edit]

Main article: List of taekwondo grandmasters

### Choi Hong Hi and Original Twelve Masters of Taekwondo

[edit]

See also: Original masters of taekwondo

* Choi Hong-hi (Chung Do Kwan → Oh Do Kwan → KTA → ITF) – Founder of International Taekwon-Do Federation. While contested,[1][2] Choi is still regarded by many as the "Founder of Taekwon-Do".[3][4][5][6][7]

* Nam Tae-hi (Chung Do Kwan → Oh Do Kwan→KTA→ITF) – was a pioneering South Korean master of taekwondo[8][9][10][11] and is known as the "Father of Vietnamese Taekwondo".[8] With Choi Hong-hi, he co-founded the "Oh Do Kwan" and led the twelve original masters of taekwondo of the Korea Taekwon-Do Association (KTA).[8][12]

* Choi Chang-keun (ITF) – began his martial arts training in the South Korean army in 1956, studying taekwondo and karate.[13] Choi taught taekwondo in Malaysia from 1964, and moved to Vancouver, Canada, in 1970.[13] In 1973, he held the rank of 7th dan.[14] Choi was promoted to 8th dan in 1981 by H. H. Choi, and attained the rank of 9th dan in 2002.[13] He is still based in Vancouver.

* Choi Kwang-jo (other/Choi Kwang Do) – Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States in 1970. Choi is the founder and head of the Choi Kwang Do international martial art organization, with headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.[15][16]
* Han Cha-kyo (Oh Do Kwan → ITF → UTF) – Following a career in the South Korean military, he emigrated to the United States in 1971 with his wife and newborn daughter. After teaching taekwondo for many years in Chicago, he died in 1996.

* Kim Jong-chan (ITF) – based in Vancouver, Canada.

* Kim Kwang-il (ITF) – contributed to the introduction of taekwondo into West Germany.[17][18] He was head instructor of the ITF in West Germany, but was relieved of this duty in October 1971.[19] In 1975, Kim was ranked 6th dan.[20] He promoted Rolf Becking, head of the ITF Germany Technical Committee, to the rank of 2nd dan in 1976 in Stuttgart, West Germany.[21] Between 1974 and 1977 Kim had a restaurant in Stuttgart and had completed training as a Brewmeister prior to 1974.[citation needed]

* Kong Young-il (ITF) – Following a career in the South Korean military, Kong emigrated to the United States just before or in 1968.[22] He and his younger brother, Young-bo Kong, founded the Young Brothers Taekwondo Associates in 1968.[22] Kong was promoted to the rank of 9th dan in 1997 by H. H. Choi in Poland.[23][24] He is based in Las Vegas.

* Park Jong-soo (ITF) – In 1968, Park settled in Toronto, Canada.[25] In 1973, he held the rank of 7th dan.[14] Park and Choi went their separate ways after Choi insisted on establishing relations with North Korea during a politically sensitive period.[26]

* Park Jung-tae (ITF → GTF) – Park moved to Toronto, Canada in 1970.[27] During the 1970s, Park established the Manitoba Tae Kwon-Do Association.[28] In 1975, he was ranked 6th dan.[20] At the time, he was ranked 8th dan in the ITF[29] and in November 1984, Park was elected Secretary-General of the ITF.[30] He also held the position of Technical Chairman of the ITF.[31] Park founded the Global Taekwondo Federation (GTF) on 14 June 1990, the year after his departure from the ITF due to North–South Korean political issues.[32][33][34] He created six additional hyung to be practised along with the earlier ITF patterns.[31] Amongst those who affiliated with the GTF was Sabree Salleh in 1998.[35] Shortly before he died, Park promoted Salleh to 9th dan (GTF).[35]

* Park Sun-jae alias S.J. Park (ITF → WT) – a pioneer of taekwondo in Italy.[17][36] He introduced taekwondo to Italy around 1968.[37] In 1968, he was ranked 5th dan,[38] and in 1975, he was ranked 7th dan.[20] He was elected vice-president (Italy) in the European Tae Kwon Do Union (within the World Taekwondo Federation) at the union's inaugural meeting in 1976.[39] In 2002, he was a member of the arbitration board for the WT's World Cup Taekwondo championship in Tokyo.[40] On 15 February 2004, the Executive Council of the WT elected him as Acting President of the WT following Un-yong Kim's resignation from the presidency of the organisation.[41] He is Vice President (Italy) of the WT.[42] Park was President of the Federazione Italiana Taekwondo (Italian Taekwondo Federation) around 1998,[37] and still held the position as of 2008[43] and 2009.[44]

* Chong-chul Rhee (KTA → Rhee Taekwondo) – South Korean master of taekwondo who arrived to Australia in the 1960s.[45] He is the founder of Rhee Taekwon-Do, which is widely publicised as Australia's first and biggest taekwondo school.[46][47][48] Rhee holds the title 'World Master' and the rank of 8th dan in taekwondo.[45][46][47][49]

* Rhee Chong-hyup alias C.H Rhee (KTA → Rhee Taekwondo)– In the mid-1960s, he contributed to the introduction of taekwondo to Malaysia and Singapore.[50] He arrived in Australia in 1970 and settled in Melbourne, Australia. Rhee is in charge of Rhee Taekwon-Do operations in Melbourne.[51][52]

* Rhee Ki-ha (ITF) – widely recognised as the 'Father of British Taekwon-Do' for introducing the martial art to the United Kingdom since arriving in 1967.[53] He is also considered the 'Father of Irish Taekwon-Do'.[54]

### Other Notable Grandmasters

[edit]

* Sun-hwan Chung alias James Sun-hwan Chung (WT → Moo Sool Do) – one of the highest-ranking Tang Soo Do, Hapkido, and taekwondo grandmasters in the world.[55][56] He is founder of the Moo Sool Do (Martial Arts United) form of martial arts and is president of the World Academy of Martial Arts, LLC.[57]
* Yun Dukan (Moo Duk Kwan → Oh Do Kwan → KTA → ITF → D.A.Yun's TKD) ㅡ South Korean Taekwondo Pioneer and Grandmaster who, with the encouragement of Choi Hong Hi, introduced his style of Taekwon-Do to the United States of America in 1968 and founded the first Taekwon-Do school of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[58][59]
* Kim Ki-whang (WT)
* Sang-chul Lee (WT)
* Hong Sung-chon (WT, 9th Dan) – is an early proponent of Taekwondo in the Philippines.[60][61] He is the vice-president of the Philippine Taekwondo Association.[62]
* Sang-kee Paik (WT)
* Park Dong-keun (WT)
* Park Yeon-hwan (WT)
* Tae-hong Choi (WT)
* Brenda Sell (WT)
* Choi Jung-hwa (ITF)
* Robert Howard (martial artist) (ITF)
* Frank Massar (ITF)
* Tran Trieu Quan (ITF)
* Nguyễn Văn Bình (judoka) (ITF)
* Haeng Ung Lee (ATA)
* Kwang Sung Hwang (ITF → KATU)
* Kyongwon Ahn (WT → UTA)
* Jhoon Rhee (Chung Do Kwan → ITF → Jhoon Rhee TKD) – South Korean master of taekwondo who is widely recognized as the 'Father of American Taekwondo' for introducing this martial art to the United States since arriving in the 1950s.[63][64] He was ranked 10th dan.[64]
* S. Henry Cho (other)
* Hee Il Cho (other)
* Kim Pyung-soo (other)
* Hwang Jang-Lee (other)

## Olympic medalists

[edit]

All the practitioners listed in this section are part of World Taekwondo.[65][66][67]

* Hadi Saei – Iranian councilor and former taekwondo athlete who became the most successful Iranian athlete in Olympic history and the most titled champion in this sport by winning 9 world class titles (three olympic titles in 2000 and 2004 and 2008, two world championships titles, four world cup titles and one world olympic qualification tournament).[68][69]
* Yousef Karami[70]
* Steven López
* Hwang Kyung-seon
* Chen Zhong
* Wu Jingyu
* Jade Jones, OBE – Welsh taekwondo athlete. She is the 2012 and 2016 Olympic gold medallist in the women's 57 kg category, and the 2019 World champion, 2016, 2018 and 2021 European champion and 2015 European Games champion at the same weight. In 2012, she won Britain's first taekwondo Olympic gold medal in this category.[71] Jones was at the time the reigning Youth Olympic champion in the girls' 55 kg category, winning gold for Great Britain in 2010.
* Dana Hee \- United States taekwondoin who competed in Women's Lightweight and won gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She subsequently built a career as a stuntwoman, action film actress and model, among other things.
* María Espinoza
* Chu Mu-yen
* Servet Tazegül
* Cha Dong-min
* Joel González
* Alexandros Nikolaidis
* Huang Chih-hsiung
* Mauro Sarmiento
* Lee Dae-hoon
* Nur Tatar
* Pascal Gentil
* Rohullah Nikpai
* Milica Mandić
* Alexey Denisenko
* Maksim Khramtsov
* Vladislav Larin
* Beth Munro
* Jimmy Kim
* Lynnette Love \- United States taekwondoin who competed in Women's Heavyweight (+70 kg) and won gold medal in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and a bronze medal in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.
* Park Tae-joon \- South Korean taekwondo athlete, participated in the 2024 Summer Olympics, where he won the gold medal in the men's flyweight (-58kg) event.
* Ulugbek Rashitov \- Uzbekistani taekwondo practitioner. He won the gold medal in the Men's 68 kg event at the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics.
* Panipak Wongpattanakit \- Thai taekwondo athlete, who competed in women's Flyweight (49 kg). She won Gold in 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, as well as Bronze in 2016 Summer Olympics.

## Kickboxers and Mixed Martial Artists

[edit]

* Anthony Pettis – is a 3rd dan black belt in Taekwondo[72]
* Yair Rodríguez[73]
* Anderson Silva \- is a 5th dan black belt in Taekwondo[74][75]
* Mirko Filipović (alias Cro Cop) - Filipović began formal training in taekwondo at the age of 7.[76][additional citation(s) needed]
* Rose Namajunas[77][78]
* Valentina Shevchenko[79]
* Rick Roufus
* Bas Rutten
* Edson Barboza
* Benson Henderson
* Akop Stepanyan
* Nina Ansaroff
* Keiji Ozaki
* Yuta Kubo
* Dale Cook
* Uriah Hall
* Jung Chan-sung (alias The Korean Zombie) – started training in Taekwondo when he was in the South Korean Navy.[80]
* Conor McGregor [citation needed]
* Dennis Siver
* Mayhem Miller
* Michael Page – Page describes his discipline as a "hands down kickboxing style" created from a "mishmash" of taekwondo, karate, and kung fu styles competing under a points scoring ruleset.[81][82][83] Page was scouted by the Great Britain Taekwondo team to train and qualify for the Olympics but turned it down to pursue a professional combat sports career.[84]
* Thanh Le \- one time holder of ONE Featherweight World Championship. He has been training in Taekwondo since his infancy, as his father ran a Taekwondo Gym.[85]
* Cung Le[86]
* Ali Atienza \- A Filipino former athlete turned newscaster and politician who became the second Filipino to win a gold medal in the Asian Taekwondo Games. He earned a fifth degree black belt in 2021

## Celebrity practitioners

[edit]

* Chuck Norris \- while primarily known as Tang Soo Do practitioner, as well as having devised his own martial arts system,[87] Norris was awarded 8th Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo in 1997 - being the first American to receive such honor.[88]
* Michael Imperioli \- American actor, writer, director and musician, best known for his role as Christopher Moltisanti in the HBO crime drama The Sopranos (1999–2007). He and his family are avid practitioners of Taekwondo.[89]
* Jean-Claude Van Damme
* Sarah Michelle Gellar
* Jessica Alba
* Criss Angel
* Phil Mickelson
* Jackie Earle Haley
* D'Brickashaw Ferguson \- former American football offensive tackle who played ten seasons for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He is a brown belt in taekwondo.[90][91]
* Dave Mustaine \- American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth. Mustaine holds a black belt in taekwondo and was made a Goodwill Ambassador of the World by the World Taekwondo Federation in 2007.[92]
* Michael Jai White \- American actor who has black belts in various martial arts, including Taekwondo.[93][94]
* Joe Rogan \- According to Black Belt Magazine, Rogan started competing in taekwondo tournaments at 15 and claimed his U.S. Open title four years later.[95][96]
* Katheryn Winnick[97]
* Sean Patrick Flanery
* Rick Yune
* Will Yun Lee
* Evan Rachel Wood
* Willie Nelson
* Patrick Swayze
* Ryan Phillippe
* Gackt
* Lorenzo Lamas
* Emmanuel Lewis[98]
* Mackenzie Foy[99]
* Noah Ringer
* Monsour del Rosario \- Filipino actor, martial artist, producer, and politician who studied taekwondo under Hong Sung-chong, earning an eighth degree black belt. He competed in 1985 World Taekwondo Championships and 1986 Asian Games (both held in Seoul, South Korea), earning bronze medals each under lightweight division. He also earned both gold medals each in 14th and 15th Southeast Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia respectively. He also competed in 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, reacheing the quarterfinal round.[100] He soon established his career as an actor (mainly in action movies) and politician. Additionally, he also practiced Tang Soo Do before switching to taekwondo.
* Jerry Trimble
* Young Kun Kim (alias Y.K Kim) – received a taekwondo black belt at age 13, making him among the youngest in Korea to do so. At first he studied and taught taekwondo in Korea. In 1976 he moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina and taught taekwondo there. In 1977 he moved to New York City. In 1978 he moved to Orlando, Florida and opened Y.K. Kim's TaeKwon-Do, his first taekwondo school.[101] Known also for the 1987 cult movie Miami Connection, which Y.K Kim produced and starred in.[102]
* Phillip Rhee \- South Korean-American martial artist, actor, director, screenwriter, and film producer, most famous for his role in the Best of the Best movie series.[103][104] While primarily known as a Hapkido practitioner, he also holds a black belt in Taekwondo.[105]
* Simon Rhee
* Gary Daniels[106][107]
* Scott Adkins
* Dick Wei
* Donnie Yen \- Hong Kong martial artist and actor. As the son of a Chinese martial artist, he primarily trained Kung Fu in his youth however learnt Taekwondo as well as other martial arts in his teenage years. He has achieved a 6th Dan Black Belt[108]
* Adrian Paul
* Brenda Song
* Akshay Kumar \- obtained a black belt in Taekwondo while in India.[109]
* Ariel Winter[110]
* Tiger Shroff[111]
* Nitu Chandra \- Indian actress, model, film producer and martial artist who holds 2nd Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo and represented India in the 1997 World Taekwondo Championship in Hong Kong.
* Thomas Ian Griffith \- American actor, producer, screenwriter, musician and martial artist known for his portrayal as Terry Silver in 1989 martial arts movie The Karate Kid III and Netflix martial arts series Cobra Kai (a sequel to The Karate Kid franchise), learned taekwondo in his teens, earning a black belt when he was 18.[112]
* Sun Chien \- Taiwanese actor and martial artist worked in Hong Kong known for his Taekwondo kicks (earning him a nickname "Korean Kicker" despite the fact being not a Korean) and his career as a member of Venom Mob, a group of actors-martial artists who starred in 1978 Shaw Brothers film Five Deadly Venoms, in which he plays as Gao Ji/the Scorpion, as well as other films from that studio both with and without Venom Mob.
* Dev Patel \- a British actor known for Slumdog Millionaire and The Last Airbender, started to train in Taekwondo when he was a teenager and competed in both national and international championships, including the 2004 AIMAA (Action International Martial Arts Association) World Championships in Dublin, Ireland competing as a red belt fighting against red belt and other black belts in junior division, winning a bronze medal after losing to an Irish black belt named Niall Fitzmaurice in "a very close and tough fight" in the semifinals. Patel later earned a first degree black belt in 2006.[113]
* Ho Chung Tao \- Taiwanese Martial artist and retired actor famous from the Hong Kong Bruceplotiation era of martial arts movies.
* Rayna Vallandingham \- American martial artist, actress and vlogger known for portraying Zara Malik, a skilled martial artist and a member of the Iron Dragons dojo in season 6 of Netflix martial arts series Cobra Kai in 2024, in her acting debut. A fourth degree black belt, she earns a 13-time world championship in Taekwondo, making her a youngest black belt to do so.[114]
* Jimmy Liu Jing \- Taiwanese actor best known for portraying Wu Tsu-wei in the Netflix series Light the Night (2021-2022) and internationally as Sun Wei-Chen the American Disney+ series American Born Chinese (2023) alongside Michelle Yeoh and Daniel Wu, studied taekwondo at the age of six and later earned his black belt. He also won in many local taekwondo competitions.[1][115]
* Richard Yap \- Filipino actor, singer and entrepreneur of Chinese descent, studied taekwondo and other martial arts prior to his acting career.
* Ben Wang \- Chinese-American actor who is known for portraying Jin Wang in Disney+ series American Born Chinese, Bo in 2023 sports drama film Chang Can Dunk and the title character of Li Fong in 2025 martial arts movie Karate Kid Legends, studied various martial arts, including taekwondo.[116]

## Honorary Black belts

[edit]

* Barack Obama – studied taekwondo from 2001 to 2005, when he served as a junior senator in Illinois. In 2009 Obama was awarded honorary black belt by then-South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak.[117][118]
* Arnold Schwarzenegger[119][additional citation(s) needed]
* Vladimir Putin (WT) – Was awarded 9th Degree Black Belt by World Taekwondo in 2013.[120] World Taekwondo stripped Putin's Honorary belt after the instigation of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[121][122]
* Donald Trump (WT) – was presented with the honor by Lee Dong Seop, the president of Kukkiwon, on November 22, 2021. This event drew public derision, due to Trump's general negative image and his generally perceived lack of fitness required for the martial art.[123][124][125]
* Zlatan Ibrahimovic – was awarded an honorary black belt in 2010.[126]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Lacson, Therese (2023-06-15). "Daniel Wu and Jimmy Liu on 'American Born Chinese' Wirework Fight Scenes". Collider. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
2. ^ Son, D. S. (1959): Letter in Seoul Shinmoon newspaper (16 June 1959) Retrieved on 20 September 2007.
3. ^ International Taekwon-Do Federation[usurped] (Headquarters Korea which is officially recognised by Korean Government on 24 June 2009).
4. ^ International Taekwon-Do Federation (under Choi Jung Hwa, based in the United Kingdom). Retrieved on 15 January 2008; updated version retrieved on 9 October 2010.
5. ^ International Taekwon-Do Federation Archived 20 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine (formerly under Trân Triêu Quân; now under acting President Pablo Trajtenberg, based in Italy). Retrieved on 15 January 2008; updated version retrieved on 9 October 2010.
6. ^ International Taekwon-Do Federation Archived 23 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine (under Chang Ung, based in Austria). Retrieved on 28 January 2008; updated version retrieved on 9 October 2010.
7. ^ General Choi (ITFNZ) Archived 21 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 15 January 2008.
8. ^ a b c World Taekwon-Do Alliance: Grand Master Nam Tae-hi Archived 2010-01-19 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 22 February 2009.
9. ^ Grandmaster Van Binh Nguyen, IX degree Archived 2010-01-17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
10. ^ Burdick, D. (1990): A history of Taekwondo Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
11. ^ Van Binh Self Defense Academy: History of Taekwon-Do Archived 2010-03-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 8 January 2010.
12. ^ A tribute to the original masters Archived 2010-05-25 at the Wayback Machine (c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011.
13. ^ a b c Tae Kwon Do Pioneers: Grand Master C. K. Choi Archived March 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 5 January 2010.
14. ^ a b International Taekwon-Do Association Slovenia: ITF history Archived 31 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
15. ^ Choi, H. H. (1972): Taekwon-Do: The Korean art of self-defence. Mississauga: International Taekwon-Do Federation.
16. ^ A tribute to the original masters Archived 2010-05-25 at the Wayback Machine (c. 2007). Retrieved on 13 June 2007; link has expired, as at 1 July 2011.
17. ^ a b Hawkins, P. (2004): An interview with Grandmaster Lee Yoo Sun Archived 2011-07-15 at the Wayback Machine Totally Tae Kwon Do, 5:9–15.
18. ^ Kampfsportclub Dojang 78: Wir über uns Archived 12 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine (in German). Retrieved 15 January 2010.
19. ^ Taekwondo Homepage: Geschichte des Taekwondo (in German). Retrieved on 5 January 2010.
20. ^ a b c Derby School of Taekwon-Do: Forty years of Taekwon-Do in the United Kingdom Archived 2013-01-14 at archive.today Retrieved on 13 January 2010; link updated on 25 January 2012.
21. ^ International Taekwon-Do Federation Deutschland: Rolf Becking Archived 19 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in German). Retrieved 5 January 2010.
22. ^ a b Young Brothers Tae Kwon-Do Institute: History Archived 16 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 29 January 2010.
23. ^ World Taekwon-Do Alliance: Grand Master Kong Retrieved on 22 February 2009.
24. ^ Pioneers of Taekwon-Do: Grand Master Kong Young-il Archived 14 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 13 January 2010
25. ^ Grand Master Jong-soo Park: Biography Archived 11 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 22 February 2009.
26. ^ Gillis, A. (2003): Tiny master Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Toro, June–July 2003:100–107. Retrieved on 31 January 2010.
27. ^ TaeKwonDo Times: Taking the Wheel – More with Grandmaster Linda Park Retrieved on 14 February 2009.
28. ^ Global Winnipeg Taekwon-Do: About Our Club Retrieved on 17 February 2009.
29. ^ IIMA: Bernie Korent Retrieved on 16 February 2009.
30. ^ Taekwondo Legacy: The Founder – Biography (p. 9)[usurped] Retrieved on 17 February 2009.
31. ^ a b Global Taekwon-Do Federation: Style Retrieved on 3 February 2010.
32. ^ Younglai, R. (2002): Obituary of Grand Master Park Retrieved on 14 February 2009.
33. ^ Global Taekwondo Federation: GTF Archived 2009-04-02 at archive.today Retrieved on 14 February 2009.
34. ^ NP Tae Kwon Do Academy: History of Global Tae Kwon Do Federation Retrieved on 14 February 2009.
35. ^ a b "World of Grand Master Dato' Dr. Sabree Salleh: Chronology in Martial Arts and Taekwon-Do Training". Archived from the original on August 22, 2008. Retrieved 2009-02-17.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Retrieved on 17 February 2009.
36. ^ Lee, K.-M. (2000): Taekwondo on the world stage Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Koreana: A quarterly on Korean art and culture, 14(4):20–23. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
37. ^ a b Fumarola, M. (c. 1998): Taekwondo Magazine: Il Taekwondo in Italia Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian). Retrieved 18 January 2010.
38. ^ Sport & Recreation in Croatia: Taekwondo Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 17 May 2010.
39. ^ Anonymous (1977): "European Tae Kwon Do Union inaugurated at first European meet." Black Belt, 15(1):11.
40. ^ World Taekwondo Federation: 2002 World Cup Taekwondo (2002). Retrieved 22 April 2010.
41. ^ World Taekwondo Federation: History (2009). Retrieved 17 May 2010.
42. ^ World Taekwondo Federation: Council (2009). Retrieved 17 May 2010.
43. ^ Roma 2008: European Taekwondo Championships (24 April 2008). Retrieved 20 May 2010.
44. ^ Kang, S.-W. (2009): Choue re-elected as WTF head The Korea Times (14 October 2009). Retrieved 20 May 2010.
45. ^ a b An interview with World Master Chong-chul Rhee, 8th Dan, the Father of Australian Taekwon-Do Archived 2007-07-03 at the Wayback Machine Australasian Fighting Arts (March 1985). Retrieved on 13 June 2007.
46. ^ a b See the Martial Arts section of the Yellow Pages telephone directory from any Australian state capital city since at least the 1980s.
47. ^ a b See the back cover of Australasian Fighting Arts since at least 1995, including volumes 17(6) from 1995, 18(4) from 1996, and 19(1) from 1997.
48. ^ Rhee Taekwon-Do: Brisbane and Sunshine Coast Regions Archived 2009-09-13 at the Wayback Machine (c. 2009). Retrieved on 1 August 2009.
49. ^ Rhee Tae Kwon Do: Mildura/Sunraysia Region (c. 2009). Retrieved on 1 August 2009.
50. ^ Anonymous (2007): "In the words of a master: GM Rhee Ki Ha, 9th Dan." Australasian Taekwondo, 16(3):50–54.
51. ^ Anonymous (2005): Crunch time for students Archived 6 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Latrobe Valley Express (29 August 2005). Retrieved 5 January 2010.
52. ^ Rhee Taekwon-Do (Victoria): Training centres and times Retrieved on 5 January 2010.
53. ^ Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha, 9th Dan Archived 15 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 29 July 2007; link has expired, as at 25 January 2010. New version Archived 20 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine retrieved on 25 January 2010.
54. ^ Republic of Ireland Taekwon-Do Association: Grand Master Rhee Ki-ha, 9th degree black belt Retrieved on 30 January 2010.
55. ^ "The Official Taekwondo Hall of Fame – List of Instructors". Taekwondo Hall of Fame.
56. ^ "The Greats of Taekwondo – Grandmaster Sun-hwan Chung". Taekwondo Hall of Fame.
57. ^ "Sun-hwan Chung Biography – Chung's Black Belt Taekwondo & Hapkido". Archived from the original on September 7, 2014.
58. ^ Hawkins, Phillip (May 2004). "Grandmaster Yun Dukan a Seoul Survivor". Taekwondo & Korean Martial Arts Magazine. pp. 14–17.
59. ^ Easley, Saul (May 2014). "Being the Ground Floor Grandmaster Dukan Yun" (Issue #199 ed.). Tae Kwon Do Times Magazine. pp. 24–25.
60. ^ Master Monsour under GM Hong's tutelage
61. ^ Young Senator Poe under GM Hong
62. ^ Born on 03 MAY 1945
63. ^ Grand Master Jhoon Rhee returns home to serve as Youngsan Univ.'s Chair Professor The Seoul Times, September 2004. Retrieved on 28 July 2007.
64. ^ a b Kang, S.-W. (2008): Taekwondo grandmaster lectures at Yonsei University The Korea Times (10 January 2008). Retrieved on 26 January 2010.
65. ^ Hartman (2000). "History of Taekwondo: Road to the Olympics". TKD Tutor. Archived from the original on March 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-25. (Link has expired, as at 28 February 2010.)
66. ^ "Breakthrough deal to allow N. Koreans to compete in Olympic taekwondo competitions". English.yonhapnews.co.kr. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
67. ^ "introduction". World Taekwondo Federation. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
68. ^ "Saei Bonehkohal, Hadi".
69. ^ "18th ATU Championships -Zheng Zhou, China – April 26–28". Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2008.
70. ^ "Yousef KARAMI". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
71. ^ "Jade Jones gives Britain first taekwondo gold". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 June 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
72. ^ Rousseau, Robert (December 26, 2010). "Anthony Pettis, Lyoto Machida, and More Proving That The Traditional Martial Arts Can Help In The Cage". Fighters.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
73. ^ Hernandez, Jose. "UFC 211: Yair Rodriguez – 2017 Is My Year". Youtube. UFC – Ultimate Fighting Championship. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
74. ^ Francisco Junior (4 June 2012). "Nomeado embaixador, Anderson Silva mostra arrependimento por deixar modalidade" (in Portuguese). ahe!. Archived from the original on 2 February 2015. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
75. ^ FIGHT! Magazine Staff. "Biography". FIGHT! Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
76. ^ "'Ajde Mirko, dosta je bilo, 11 je sati. Do kad ti misliš udarati?'". 24sata. Retrieved 6 January 2021.
77. ^ "Rose Namajunas | UFC". UFC.com. 14 September 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
78. ^ "Rose Namajunas: To survive is to find meaning in the suffering". MixedMartialArts.com. 2013-02-10. Archived from the original on 2015-11-10. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
79. ^ "Valentina Shevchenko Talks Cross Sport Success; Signing to Legacy MMA". Wombat Sports. February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
80. ^ "Jung Chan Sung profile" (in Japanese). Sengoku-official.com. Archived from the original on March 14, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
81. ^ "Technique Talk: Michael 'Venom' Page goes from freestyle to 'Six30' kickboxing". mmafighting.com. 2 November 2014.
82. ^ "Venom Page Tells 411: "I'm Hungry For My Bellator 140 Fight"". 411mania.com. 17 July 2015.
83. ^ "Michael Venom Page: The UK'S Breakout MMA Star Takes Point-Fighting to the Cage". fightland.vice.com. 12 August 2016.
84. ^ "Bellator 144's Michael Page: The Real MVP". combatpress.com. 21 October 2015.
85. ^ Jake Skudder (5 July 2022). "Thanh Le exclusive: ONE Featherweight champ talks taekwondo having a 'bad rep'". GiveMeSport. Retrieved 22 November 2022. "One of the biggest elements of Le's combat sports history is his time training in his father's taekwondo gym, and we discussed his love of the discipline and how he wants to change perceptions of it."
86. ^ Marc Zirogiannis (1 July 2019). "Cung Le's Roots are in Taekwondo". Taekwondo Life Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
87. ^ Wedlan, Candace A. (October 2, 1996). "Body Watch; Kicking Old Habits; Chuck Norris found he couldn't eat just anything after he hit his mid-30s. These days, TV's top ranger feasts on veggies, fowl and fish. And he tries to keep his distance from peanut clusters". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 19, 2018. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
88. ^ Haney-Withrow, Anna (2012). Tae Kwon Do. Cavendish Square Publishing, LLC. p. 18\. ISBN 9780761449409. "One of the most famous practitioners of taekwondo is an American, Chuck Norris. In 1997, Norris became the first American to be awarded an eighth degree black belt in taekwondo"
89. ^ DOBNIK, VERENA (28 January 2007). "Imperioli: Tae Kwon Do Changed His Life" – via washingtonpost.com.
90. ^ "Board of Directors".
91. ^ "D'man Behind D' Name". Sports Illustrated. April 10, 2006. Archived from the original on October 21, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
92. ^ ""Taekwondo Changed My Life" Says Megadeth Leader Dave Mustaine". wtf.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
93. ^ "Male Celebs Who Practice Martial Arts", Jet magazine, Sept. 24, 1903, at pp. 38-39.
94. ^ Pollard, Edward. "Michael Jai White Ignites Black Dynamite". Black Belt Magazine. Archived from the original on January 2, 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-27.
95. ^ "Joe Rogan Owes His Success to Taekwondo, Thai Boxing and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – Black Belt Magazine". Blackbeltmag.com. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
96. ^ Hyson, Sean. "The Martial Arts-Inspired Joe Rogan Fighting Workout | Men's Journal". Mensjournal.com. Retrieved 2022-06-25.
97. ^ "Vikings – Katheryn Winnick Conference Call". SpoilerTV. March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 1, 2015.
98. ^ "Emmanuel Lewis: As the Pint-Size Webster, He Reached New Heights". People. 28 November 1994. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
99. ^ "Mackenzie Foy's Instagram is Proof She Was Destined to be a Disney Princess".
100. ^ h346vr. "Official Website of Monsour del Rosario III". Official Website Monsour del Rosario III. Retrieved 2024-11-23.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
101. ^ Smith, Denise L. (12 September 1988). "Grand master of daring moves Y.K. Kim keeps coming back when odds seem to mount against him". Orlando Sentinel. No. Central Florida Business p. 13. Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
* "Milestones: At age 13, was among youngest in Korea to achieve black belt in TaeKwon-Do. Studied and taught TaeKwon-Do in Korea until 1976, when he moved to Buenos Aires to teach the martial art. Moved to New York in 1977 and then to Orlando in 1978, where he opened his first school, Y.K. Kim's TaeKwon-Do."
102. ^ Ayers, Mike. "'Miami Connection' goes from flop to fame." CNN. November 8, 2012. Retrieved on December 1, 2012.
103. ^ "Plot Defeats 'Best' Karate Sequences". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
104. ^ "A BLEND OF TWO GENRES FOUND IN 'NINJA TURF'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
105. ^ Allen, Terence (1 May 1994). "Up-and-Coming Martial Arts Movie Stars". Black Belt. Vol. 32, no. 5\. Active Interest Media, Inc. p. 22\. ISSN 0277-3066 – via Google Books. "A black belt in both taekwondo and hapkido, Phillip Rhee burst onto the martial arts movie scene in Best of the Best... Rhee followed up that role in 1993, show-casing his kicking and joint-manipulation skills in Best of the Best II."
106. ^ "Daniels' "North Star" Set for '95 Release". Black Belt Magazine (February 1995 issue). February 1, 1995. p. 69. Retrieved March 9, 2023. "... A black belt in taekwondo, Daniels has 23 years of martial arts training, including background in kickboxing, ninjutsu, aikido and shaolin kung fu."
107. ^ Terrence Allen (January 1996). "Meet the Martial Arts Movie Stars of the Next Century". Black Belt Magazine (Jan 1996 issue). p. 57. Retrieved March 9, 2023. "Beginning his martial arts studies at the age of 8, he has a black belt in taekwondo..."
108. ^ https://www.mixedmartialarts.com/vault/top-5-highest-ranking-black-belts-hollywood
109. ^ AS, Sashidhar (8 September 2012). "Akshay obtained a black belt in Taekwondo". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 7 January 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
110. ^ "10 Fun Facts About Ariel Winter's Life Before Modern Family". thethings.com. September 21, 2020.
111. ^ "Tiger Shroff's 'Heropanti' earns him 5th degree black belt". The Indian Express. July 30, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
112. ^ By (1993-05-17). "GRIFFITH IS LATEST FORCE IN HOT WORLD OF HOLLYWOOD ACTION MOVIES". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2024-11-24.
113. ^ Dwyer, Michael (10 January 2009). "Mumbai millionaire". The Irish Times. Retrieved 26 March 2009.
114. ^ "Cobra Kai's Rayna Vallandingham: From world record holder to YouTube sensation". Yahoo News. 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
115. ^ Emily.Lee (2021-05-10). "從跆拳道冠軍到新生代演員 00後劉敬十年百折不屈精神在演藝圈發光發熱". 動誌 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved 2024-11-26.
116. ^ Kit, Borys (2024-02-12). "'Karate Kid' Found: 'American Born Chinese' Actor Ben Wang Nabs Lead in Sony Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
117. ^ "Obama Presented with Taekwondo Outfit". 19 November 2009.
118. ^ "S.Korea presents Obama with taekwondo 'master' belt". www.asiaone.com.
119. ^ "The Ultimate List: Celebrity Black Belt Martial Artists". 9 April 2015.
120. ^ "Putin Earns 9th Degree Black Belt, Because He's Putin". HuffPost. 13 November 2013.
121. ^ Diaz, Jaclyn (2 March 2022). "World Taekwondo strips Russia's Vladimir Putin of his honorary black belt". NPR. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
122. ^ "Official Announcement from World Taekwondo". World Taekwondo Official Site. February 28, 2022. Retrieved September 26, 2022. "World Taekwondo strongly condemns the brutal attacks on innocent lives in Ukraine, which go against the World Taekwondo vision of "Peace is More Precious than Triumph" and the World Taekwondo values of respect and tolerance. In this regard, World Taekwondo has decided to withdraw the honorary 9th dan black belt conferred to Mr. Vladimir Putin in November 2013. In solidarity with the International Olympic Committee, no Russian or Belarusian national flags or anthems will be displayed or played at World Taekwondo events. World Taekwondo and the European Taekwondo Union will not organise or recognise Taekwondo events in Russia and Belarus. World Taekwondo's thoughts are with the people of Ukraine and we hope for a peaceful and immediate end to this war."
123. ^ Ali, Shirin (November 23, 2021). "Ex-President Trump given ninth-degree black belt in taekwondo". TheHill.
124. ^ "Trump awarded honorary ninth-degree black belt in taekwondo – CNN Video" – via edition.cnn.com.
125. ^ "Trump mocked after being made honorary taekwondo black belt". The Independent. November 22, 2021. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26.
126. ^ https://www.goal.com/en/news/does-zlatan-ibrahimovic-have-black-belt/d6ue7eahgw671ovx0849h3o7v – retrieved Sept 26th, 2022

* v
* t
* e

Martial arts

* List of styles
* History
* Timeline
* Records
* Hard and soft

Classification

| Regional origin|

* China
* Europe
* India
* Indonesia
* Italian
* Ireland
* Japan
* Okinawa
* Korea
* Mainland Southeast Asia
* Philippines
* Russia
* Vietnam

|

Unarmed
techniques|

* Arm strikes
* Chokehold
* Punch
* Elbow strike
* Clinch
* Ground
* Headbutt
* Leg strikes
* Footwork
* Kick
* Flying
* Knee strike
* Stomp
* Grappling
* Hold
* Joint lock
* Sweep
* Takedown
* Throw
* Stand-up

Weapons|

* Duel
* Melee weapons
* Knife fighting
* Stick-fighting
* Swordsmanship
* Archery
* Shooting

Training|

* Kata
* Boxing glove
* Practice weapon
* Punching bag
* Pushing hands
* Randori
* Sparring

Grappling|

* Barróg
* Brazilian jiu-jitsu
* Judo (Para judo)
* Jujutsu
* Luta Livre esportiva
* Malla-yuddha
* Pehlwani
* Sambo
* Shuai jiao
* Sumo
* Wrestling
* catch
* Cornish
* folk
* freestyle
* Greco-Roman
* Mongolian
* oil
* shoot

Striking|

* Bando
* Boxing
* Capoeira
* Chess boxing
* Choi Kwang Do
* Dambe
* Karate
* Kickboxing
* Kun Khmer
* Lethwei
* Muay Thai
* Northern Praying Mantis
* Russian boxing
* Sanda
* Shaolin kung fu
* Shoot boxing
* Savate
* Taekwondo
* Tang Soo Do
* Tien Shan Pai
* Vovinam
* Wudangquan
* Yoshukai Karate

Internal|

* Aikido
* Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu
* Baguazhang
* Tai chi
* Xingyiquan

Full contact /
combat sports|

* Professional boxing
* Kickboxing
* Full contact karate
* Mixed martial arts
* Pankration
* Shootfighting
* Submission wrestling
* Vale Tudo

Self-defense /
combatives|

* Arnis
* Bartitsu
* Hapkido
* Kajukenbo
* Jieitaikakutōjutsu
* Krav Maga
* MCMAP
* Pencak silat
* Pencak Silat Harimau
* Suffrajitsu
* Systema
* Street fighting
* Taekkyon
* To-Shin Do
* Wing Chun
* Silat Melayu

Eclectic / hybrids|

* American Kenpo
* Angampora
* Chun Kuk Do
* Hokutoryu Ju-Jutsu
* Jeet Kune Do
* Shooto
* Shorinji Kempo
* Unifight
* Qwan Ki Do

Battlefield|

* Banshay
* Bokator
* Historical European martial arts
* Huiyen Lallong
* Jujutsu
* Kalaripayattu
* Krabi–krabong
* Krav Maga
* Mardani khel
* Marine Corps Martial Arts Program
* Pencak Silat Harimau

Entertainment|

* Fighting game
* Martial arts film (Chanbara)
* Professional wrestling
* Stage combat
* Tricking
* Wuxia

International games

| Martial arts at the
Summer Olympics|

* Boxing
* Fencing
* Judo
* Karate
* Taekwondo
* Wrestling (freestyle, Greco-Roman)
* Demonstration sports
* Budō
* Pistol dueling
* Glima
* Savate

|

Martial arts at the
World Games|

* Ju-jitsu
* Karate
* Kickboxing
* Muay Thai
* Sumo
* Former official sports
* Sambo
* Taekwondo
* Invitational sports
* Aikido
* Wushu

Martial arts at the
Pan American Games|

* Boxing
* Fencing
* Judo
* Karate
* Taekwondo
* Wrestling

Martial arts at the
Asian Games|

* Boxing
* Fencing
* Judo
* Ju-jitsu
* Karate
* Kurash
* Taekwondo
* Wrestling
* Wushu
* 2018 Only
* Pencak silat
* Sambo

Martial arts at the
African Games|

* Boxing
* Fencing
* Judo
* Karate
* Taekwondo
* Wrestling

Martial arts at the
European Games|

* Boxing
* Fencing
* Judo
* Karate
* Muaythai
* Sambo
* Taekwondo
* Wrestling

* Portal
* Outline

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template