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Recent News
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Taekwondo Team to represent Barbados at 2023 CAC Games Confirmed
30 May 2023 Barbados will be represented by four (4) athletes and two (2) Coaches in Taekwondo at the 2023 Central American and Caribbean [CAC] Games. The Team comprises: Chioke Holder and Liana Best-Smith in Kyorugi, along with Kristin Turton and Che Wiltshire in recognized Poomsae. Having qualified the Quota spaces in four separate events, the indication confirmation came from the Barbados Olympic Association. President Turton mentioned the significance of this outing for Barbados: “We have come a long way and the athletes put in a lot of work. Not only do we have a record four athletes but two (2) of them are competing as Adult Female Black belts. This is huge for our Sport and I must commend the young ladies for their efforts. Not only that, but Barbados will be competing for the first time at this level in Poomsae or Forms which is the non-contact version of competition. Furthermore we will be contending both the Individual and the Mixed Pairs events for Recognised Poomsae. This is another big step in our development because Barbados has traditionally only competed Internationally in the Kyorugi or Sparring event. However, the members from the NADPRO accepted and undertook their respective challenges and have been rewarded with births at the CAC Level. I am very happy for them and what it represents in terms of progress for Taekwondo here in Barbados. |
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Excellent news for Barbados as World Taekwondo releases its 2022 MNA Survey
28 May 2023 World Taekwondo released the results of its 2022 MNA Survey during its 36th General Assembly on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary in Baku, Azerbaijan. Barbados was assessed a score of 29 out of a maximum 50 and was placed in the B1 category of countries. According to President Turton this was a huge deal because it showed Barbados among the best run Taekwondo Federations in the World! He mentioned, “there were only thirty-two (32) countries with a higher ranking than Barbados, of which only six (6) obtained the A1 ranking and twenty-six (26) were grouped in A2.” He went on to add further context by stating “World Taekwondo has two hundred and thirteen (213) member countries (212 at the time of the survey). Whilst 163 completed the survey, it places us very highly among other developed countries and MNAs with likely far greater resources. I must also point out that our Council had identified at least one area where we could have scored two (2) additional points by simply enabling public viewing for a pre-existing document on our Association’s Website. Had that been done prior to the survey, Barbados would have been among the A2 grouping.” President Turton expressed gratitude to his Executive Council Team, Members and all Stakeholders who have supported the organization – particularly over the past six (6) years, without whose support the organization could not have made such significant strides. He also highlighted the support from our NOC - the Barbados Olympic Association, who was there during the organization’s most trying times and continues to provide steadfast support in the TAB’s developmental efforts. |
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World Taekwondo hosts its 36th General Assembly on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary
28 May 2023 BAKU, Azerbaijan - World Taekwondo held its 36th General Assembly on 28th May 2023 – on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary in the city of Baku, Azerbaijan. President Henderson Turton once again represented Barbados at the Assembly, which brought together Taekwondo Leaders from around the World. World Taekwondo was commended on its great progress over the past 50 years by the IOC President Mr. Thomas Bach. He pointed out that Taekwondo now enjoys worldwide appeal having grown its MNA membership from just 17 some fifty years ago to 213 member National Associations. The 50th Anniversary was also commemorated with a 50th Jubilee Gala Award Ceremony which recognized the contribution of the founding MNAs, along with outstanding athletes from the past 5 Olympic Games cycles since its Olympic debut in Sydney 2000. There were a number of presentations and discussion items during the meeting including the following:
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Turton and Holder leave Barbados for Azerbaijan to compete at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships
26 May 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Chioke Holder will be representing Barbados at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships in Baku Azerbaijan. Holder, who has been training with the NADPRO and hails from Robust Taekwondo Academy said he was excited about the opportunity and was looking forward to competing with the best in the World and making his country proud. This is the first time Holder will be competing at the World Championships, which is second only to the Olympic Games for Taekwondo in terms of prestiege. Holder will be guided by World Taekwondo Level 2 Coach, Master Henderson Turton, who is also his Instructor from Robust Taekwondo Academy. Mr. Turton will also represent Barbados in his Presidential capacity at the 36th World Taekwondo General Assembly to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on the eve of the World Championships. This will be the third time Mr. Turton is attending the World Championships but his second in a Coaching capacity – having last done so at the 2019 edition of the Championships and represented Barbados as an MNA Official at the 2017 edition. According to Coach Turton, Mr. Holder has been working well over the past few years and only a few months ago completed his first full year competing on the International circuit. “The experiences from last year’s Presidents’ Cup and the Qualifiers for CAC Games and Pan Am Games earlier this year will hold him in good stead. He continues to improve on every outing for Barbados and I expect nothing less than his best at this Championships, and would be pleased for him to create some history and advance out of the first round in this weight category for Barbados.” The Team left the Grantley Adams International Airport on Wednesday night and is expected to reach the city of Baku in Azerbaijan some 25 hours later via London and Instanbul. |
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NADPRO Members participate in BOA Anti-doping (Online) Workshop
20 May 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Members from the NADPRO participated in an Anti-doping Education Workshop hosted through the Barbados Olympic Association on 20 May 2023. They were Henderson Turton (Coach), Kristin Turton, Adrian Burnett (Coach) and Che Wiltshire (Athlete). The workshop was held via Zoom as part of preparations ahead of the upcoming Central American and Caribbean [CAC] Games where Taekwondo competitions will be held in Dominican Republic in July. |
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2023 PATU General Assembly convened via Zoom
7 May 2023 MEXICO CITY, Mexico - The Pan American Taekwondo Union held its General Assembly on 7th May 2023 online via Zoom. It brought together Taekwondo leaders from around the continent, as the PATU Administration led by President Juan Manuel Lopez Delgado gave account to the Assembly for its work over the 2022 year - a year for which PATU was awarded best MNA by World Taekwondo following the great and progressive works put in by that Administration. The President’s Report, Administration Report and Finance Reports were presented. Among other things the newly appointed and elected Council Members were announced following an election earlier in the day. Barbados was represented at the meeting by President Turton. |
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NADPRO hosts visiting Taekwondo Master from Sweden
6 May 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - President Turton welcomed visiting Taekwondo Master Michael Suho to Barbados and also welcomed him to training with the personnel at the NADPRO session on Saturday 6 May 2023 at the Pannex of the NCF in West Terrace. Master Suho, who is a 5th Dan Kukkiwon was visiting from Sweden and expressed his delight to have trained with the group here in Barbados where he traces back his origins. |
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Wiltshire Completes BOA Sports Administrators Course
6 May 2023 ST. MICHAEL, Barbados - Mr. Che Wiltshire, an Instructor from Barbados Taekwondo Titans, has successfully completed the Basic Sports Management Course for Administrators. The course is delivered by the Barbados Olympic Association through its arm of the National Olympic Academy of Barbados and is accredited by the International Olympic Committee. He collected his Certificate earlier today and expressed his satisfaction at having completed the course and gained valuable knowledge to support his development as an Instructor within the Association. Wiltshire expressed his gratitude to President Turton and the Executive Council for the opportunity. President Turton expressed his congratulations to Mr. Wiltshire along with other members of the NADPRO. He also pointed out that the skills obtained in the course are valuable not only in Taekwondo and in running his club, but the concepts can be applied in many other spheres and pursuits. The Barbados Olympic Association through its National Olympic Academy continues to provide steadfast support as a key stakeholder and partner for to the development of Taekwondo in Barbados. |
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Two Instructors Complete World Taekwondo online Referee Training Programme
10 April 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Two Instructors accepted registration alerts for and successfully completed the online World Taekwondo Poomsae Referee Training Programme between 8th and 10th April 2023. They were Henderson Turton and Kristin Turton, who both come from Robust Taekwondo Academy. The knowledge gained from the course will bolster ongoing efforts to standardize officiating and other technical undertakings across clubs and at National events. This followed preparations leading up to last November’s National Dan Grading, and follows the upgrading of National Coaches to World Taekwondo Level 2. |
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Wild Card for Barbados to 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile
5 April 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Today the Executive Council of the Barbados MNA accepted a Wild Card quota space from the Pan American Taekwondo Union to compete at the 2023 Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile. This followed participation in the Qualification Tournament in Brazil last month when the Team did not secure an outright place but earned valuable experience in the process. The Wild Card is for the NOC to be represented in the Men’s 87+ kg Kyorugi. This will be second consecutive cycle where Barbados is represented at the Pan Am Games following Askia Alleyne’s showing at the 2019 edition in Lima, Peru, also in the Men's heavyweight division. The Pan am Games will be held later this year in October. |
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Anti-doping Workshop hosted by Barbados Olympic Association attended by NADPRO Athlete
25 March 2023 ST. MICHAEL, Barbados - Members from the NADPRO today participated in an Anti-doping Education Workshop hosted through the Barbados Olympic Association. The workshop, which was held at the Barbados Community College, was attended by Ms. Liana Best-Smith and Ms. Renee Best. The workshop was held as part of preparations ahead of the upcoming Central American and Caribbean [CAC] Games to be held in Dominican Republic in July. |
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History for Barbados at Pan Am Games Qualifiers – Brazil March 2023
18 March 2023 CHRIST CHURCH, Barbados - Barbados dispatched a four person Team comprising Three Athletes and one Coach to the Pan American Games Qualification Tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They were Chioke Holder, and Che Wiltshire in Kyorugi; and Che Wiltshire and Kristin Turton in (Free Style Mixed Pairs) Poomsae; while the Coach was Mr. Adrian Burnett. Moreover, it was the first time Barbados had undertaken to compete in the Freestyle Poomsae Mixed Pairs Competition. Che Wiltshire and Kristin Turton accepted the challenge from President Turton earlier this year and committed themselves to preparations for competing in what was a new format to competition for the Team and Country. They rose to the occasion and made a creditable mark for Barbados. Though not scoring high enough to secure an outright birth at the Pan Am Games, the process and representation was quite significant for Barbados. As Mr. Wiltshire pointed out – “I can see the significance to the development of Taekwondo in Barbados”. Indeed Poomsae preserves much of the Art of Taekwondo and the preparations process challenged the NADPRO to break new ground. President Turton was proud of the Team’s performance and commitment made in their preparations in a relatively short time. He underscored the significance of the Poomsae showing for the advancement of Taekwondo at the competitive level, pointing out that it “clears the path for those interested in the non-contact aspect of competition to access options for representing their country”. Kudos were also extended to Mr. Leaton Watts who assisted the Poomsae Team in their choreography and creative preparations. Whilst the Kyorugi Team did not secure an outright spot for the Pan Am Games the experience was invaluable to the Team as a whole, including the Coach. |
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Barbados now has Two World Taekwondo Level II International Coaches Certified
18 March 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Barbados now has two Level II World Taekwondo Certified International Coaches. They are Mr. Adrian Burnett and Mr. Henderson Turton. Mr. Adrian Burnett successfully upgraded and qualified as a Level 2 Coach after successfully completing the training between 15th – 21st March 2023. Mr. Burnett, who serves in the NADPRO and is also the Instructor for UWI Taekwondo and Burnett Taekwondo Academy expressed satisfaction with the Qualification. He joins Mr. Henderson Turton as a World Taekwondo Level II International Coach. Mr. Turton successfully completed his refresher course last month in February, having first attained the qualification in 2020. It means Barbados has two options for persons to Coach at all WT Events except for the Olympic Games, which requires a special qualification. President Turton pointed out the significance as it allows Council an additional option for carrying athletes to high level WT International competitions for Barbados and is timely as the National Athlete Development Programme (NADPRO) continues to roll out in 2023. “This provides more flexibility and checks off another step in the 2021-2025 National Strategic plan.” Congratulations is extended to both gentlemen. |
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Joint Beach Training Session for Clubs in the Association
18 March 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The Association held a Joint Training session at Browne’s Beach. Those who turned out certainly worked in the sand but also enjoyed themselves after the official training with a few games of Dodge-ball etc, whilst others played in the water. Master Alleyne and Master Turton carried the training segments, and there was a call from participants to arrange another beach training session in short order. The session was attended by members from Robust Taekwondo Academy, Taekwondo Warriors and Williams Taekwondo Dojang. |
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Quota Spaces and a Wild Card for Barbados to CAC Games following recent Qualification Tournament
12 March 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Barbados Taekwondo has secured the following four (4) spots for the 2023 CAC Games further to our recent trip to Costa Rica in the following events:
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Taekwondo Team Wins Three Medals in Heredia, Costa Rica
27 February 2023 HEREDIA, Costa Rica - Congratulations are extended to members of the Barbados Team who won three medals between them on their recent trip to Costa Rica! Bryce Turton won Gold in Kyorugi competing in the 6-7 Dragons division for Boys at the Infants Championships; whilst Che Wiltshire captured Bronze in the Men's Individual Recognised Poomsae at the Pan Am Series, and Liana Best Smith had Bronze in the Women's Kyorugi also at the Pan Am Series. There were a number of other noteworthy results from the trip including the following:
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Eight (8) Person Delegation to Heredia, Costa Rica for CAC Games Qualifiers, Pan Am Series and Infants Championships
- 15 February 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - Eight persons from the Association, including five (5) competitors, will be in Heredia, Costa Rica over the coming days to participate in three competitions:
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6th Annual Get Ya Feet Wet Championships 2023 returns to Physical Competition
28 January 2023 ST. MICHAEL, Barbados - The Annual Get Ya Feet Wet Championships returned to physical competition, featuring competition in three (3) formats:
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Expansion of Taekwondo Schools Programme at Sharon Primary
17 January 2023 ST. THOMAS, Barbados - Another Taekwondo program in the Primary Schools got underway on 17 January 2023. This time it was at Sharon Primary School in St. Thomas, which became the fourth school within the current undertaking. The SPS program is led by Master Turton, Chief Instructor of Robust Taekwondo Academy. It is part of the National Association's strategic drive to expand the development of Taekwondo within schools in Barbados and provide more quality activity options. to parents for their children. Master Turton, who is also President of the National Association mentioned that "it will provide a fun, challenging and structured activity option for both girls and boys to pursue". It will have elements of both competitive and non-competitive aspects as well as both non-contact and contact elements. So there is something for everyone. Apart from the traditional Discipline, Self control ad self-esteem building benefits, Mr. Turton also mentioned that especially for young children it provides several additional developmental benefits and exposures such as:
The first session was well-attended with keen interest and follows a Taekwondo interactive session during the school's "Hype Day" in the previous Term when children at the school participated in Taekwondo as part of the Ministry of Education's mandate to have a physical activity Day in the schools. From all reports the children had a good time and are looking forward to Training in Taekwondo at their school. |
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Taekwondo NADPRO (re-) Launched
7 January 2023 BRIDGETOWN, Barbados - The Taekwondo Association’s National Athlete Development Programme (NADPRO) held its first training session on Saturday 7th January 2023. The programme is a strategic effort to ensure the best athletes available to the National Federation are in regular training for competition to enhance and maximize their prospects for success when representing Barbados. Previously there was a group of athletes identified and categorized as “Emerging Athletes” and “Developing Athletes” and supported for development. However the Pandemic gave rise to a number of challenges and the personnel involved was revised. The NADPRO carries a reaffirmed commitment and more robust structure. Further to the Annual Joint meeting of Club Heads and the Executive Council, it was determined that the programme will be active four days weekly for training. Scheduling between Coaches and Athletes will be agreed upon. However, Saturday mornings will make use of the allocated one hour slot from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. at the Pannex of the National Cultural Foundation in West Terrace; whilst Sunday afternoon sessions will be held at the Tudor Street Dojang. Programme participants for the 2023 calendar year are as follows:
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2022 Annual Joint Meeting of Club Heads and the Executive Council
29 Dec 2022 ST. JAMES, Barbados - The Annual Joint Meeting of Clubheads and Executive Council members was held on 29 December 2022 at the "Pannex" of the National Cultural Foundation in West Terrace St. James. The meeting successfully secured a number of major outcomes, including the following: 1. Reviewing the Strategic Objectives for the development of Taekwondo over the 2021-2025 Quadrennial. 2. Outlining of the 2023 Calendar of Events for Taekwondo in Barbados 3. Mandate for the Technical Committee to oversee convening of major Dans National Grading – particularly for National Third Dan Instructors to have opportunity to become Masters. 4. Launch of the NADPRO – National Athlete Development Programme 5. Short listing persons for duty on Constitution Review Committee |
