Taekwondo is the art of self-defense that originated in Korea. It is recognized as one of the oldest forms of martial arts in the world, reaching back over 2,000 years. The name was selected for it’s appropriate description of the art: Tae (foot), Kwon (hand), Do (art). The introduction of Taekwondo in the United States began during the 1950’s when a handful of pioneering master instructors traveled to America to spread the art. Throughout the next few decades Taekwondo grew in popularity, not only as a martial art, but as an international sport. In 1973, Korea hosted the first Taekwondo World Championships. In that same year, the World Taekwondo Federation was established as the international governing body for the sport aspects of Taekwondo. Today the WTF counts 120 separate countries as its memebers, representing 20 million practitioners. These numbers earn Taekwondo the distinction of being the most practiced martial art in the world. Taekwondo first gained acceptance as an Olympic sport when it appeared as a demonstration event in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. Taekwondo became a full medal sport competition beginning in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics.
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