| Black Belt Squad Training |
There will be a Black Belt Squad session on Saturday 31st July in Carlow from 12.30 to 3pm. All ITF Junior, Adult and Veteran Black Belts are invited. Selection for both the 4 Nations in October and the European Championships in February will begin.
Please note there will be a new childrens division introduced at the Europeans. This is for ages 10-13 and will include 1st kups and Black Belts.
Junior: 1st-3rd Dan,14-17 years
Adult: 1st-6th Dan, 18-39 years
Veteran: 1st-6th Dan 40+ years (3 classes) |
| 4 Nations Championships |
 INVITE
On 16th October 2010, the United Kingdom Taekwon-Do Association will host the annual 4 Nations Challenge between Scotland (hosts), England (current holders), Wales & Ireland.
EVENT
The event will take place in The Thistle Hotel, Glasgow and the evening will consist of a Black Tie dinner dance, with the 4 Nations Competition being the evening's entertainment in the centre ring, during the meal.
The competition is a team event and consists of team patterns, sparring and power.
The annual awards ceremony will also take place, and at the conclusion of the meal/competition, the entertainment will continue in the form of a disco until the wee small hours.
LOCATION
The hotel is located in the heart of Glasgow City Centre, just a few minutes walk from the original 'Rhee Taekwon-Do Academy', and luxury accommodation is available on site.
ACCOMODATION
There are also a number of other hotels within walking distance of the venue to suit a variety of budgets, from b&b's to 5 star hotels.
TRAVEL
Glasgow City Centre is handy also for flights into Glasgow International Airport. (15 minutes drive)
COST
Tickets prices for the dinner dance have still to be confirmed, however when tables of 10 are purchased, a discount of £10 per person usually applies.
This is a great evenings entertainment, which those who have attended previous years will vouch for.
Guest of honour will be First Grandmaster Rhee Ki Ha, ITF Senior Vice President and Founder of UKTA, RITA and AETF.
Hope to see you all there!
Photos from the last 3 years can be viewed at the following link
http://www.uktascotland.com/gallery.htm
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| Junior & Veteran ITF World Championships |
The 9th Junior and the 4th Veteran ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships will be held in the city of Minsk, Belarus, on 21-28 August 2010. There will be the Technical & Umpire and Masters’ Seminars on 22-24 August 2010 before the Championships.
Those wishing to be considered for selection please contact Mr Doyle as soon as possible as the closing date for submission of applications is 21st May 2010. Those travelling will also need a Visa. |
| Success for Ireland at Euros |
Congratulations to the RITA members who won 4 Gold and 2 Bronze at the European Championships. The event took place in Barletta, Italy where 29 countries were represented. Ms Audrey Condon from Kilmacow picked up 3 Gold medals in the Silver Class Female Veteran division winning 3rd Degree Patterns, -61kg Sparring and Mixed Self Defence with Mr Martin Mahoney from Galway and Mr Gerard Byrne from Old Bawn. Also winning Gold was Mr Stephen Doyle in the 6th Degree Patterns. In the Male Silver Class Veteran division Mr Mark Pollock won Bronze in +90kg Sparring and Bronze in Self defence with Mr Doyle, Mr Mahoney and Mr Byrne.
Representing Ireland as Umpires were Senior Master Francis Barrett, 8th Degree, Master Robert Howard, 7th Degree and Mr Floyd Keane 6th Degree,
Next up for the Irish Team is the World Junior and Veteran Championships in Belarus at the end of August and the 4 Nations Challenge in Glasgow on October 16th.
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| 4 Nations Charity Ball |
The RITA would like to thank Ms Niamh Herrity and the organisers for a great show saturday night. The annual 4 nations challenge was incorporated into a gala black tie dinner in aid of the children's charity Barnardos. Those attending were treated to some entertaining sparring matches between the countries as well as the power breaking event.
Earlier on in the day England won the Team Patterns section after beating Wales and then Scotland in a very close final. Scotland had beaten Ireland with a very good performance of the 3rd dan pattern "Sam-Il". In the sparring which was performed after the dinner Ireland again drew Scotland. First to spar was Mr Richard Barber from Stillorgan who lost out to the much taller Mr Andy Adam. Next out was Mr Martin Mahoney from Galway who had to face Mr Alan Rafferty. In an exciting match Mr Mahoney came back from a slow start to just about do enough to win the spar with some clean scoring combinations towards the end. Mr Krzyzstof Misiewicz also from Galway faced Mr Tam McMillan in the third bout. In a brusing heavyweight encounter which got both the Irish and Scottish supporters up on their feet shouting, Mr Misiewicz got the decision in another close match giving Ireland a 2-1 lead. Needing just one more win Ireland sent out their captain Mr Floyd Keane who was competing in his first event in over a decade. He was against the young star of the scottish team Mr Armin Gohsrich. Using his years of experience Mr Keane was able to rack up the points against the younger opponent giving Ireland a 3-1 win.
Ireland then faced England in the Final with the crowd, many of whom had never even seen Taekwon-Do before, at this stage in full voice. Once again Mr Barber went out first for Ireland to face Mr Paul Hutchings. With only a few seconds gone the Englishman was disqualified for excessive contact after knocking out Mr Barber with a heavy punch. Fortunately Mr Barber wasn't too seriously hurt and was able to get back on his feet after a few minutes. Mr Mahoney was next out against the 6'8" Mr Greg Bagwell who used his height advantage to keep his opponent frustrated and gain the win making it 1-1. Mr Misiewicz faced off against the experienced former World and European Champion Mr Ricky Dewinton. Mr Misiewicz was able to use his power advantage to get the upper hand early in the fight causing the Englishman to change tactics to a more counter attacking spar. Unable to get close enough to score clean points Mr Misiewicz lost out in a very close fight giving England a 2-1 lead. Needing to get at least a draw in the fourth spar Mr Gerard Byrne was sent out against the much bigger Mr Tom McCabe. In an exciting match the English competitor was able to get the win giving them a 3-1 lead and also the 4 Nations Cup with two wins from the three events.
The last event was power breaking in which Ireland had to come ahead of Scotland to finish in 2nd. Mr Richard Barber Punch to brick, Mr Mahoney Knifehand to tiles, Mr Misiewicz Side piercing kick, Mr Conor McCormack turning kick and Mr Floyd Keane with reverse turning kick managed to beat the Scots score by 1 point to give Ireland the Silver medal. England finished off their impressive display winning the Breaking giving them a clean sweep of 9 points. |
| Revised ITF Tournament Rules |
At the recent 19th Congress held in ST. Petersburg, russia on 13th October there have been some amendments to the current ITF Tournament Rules. These include clarification on Team patterns, new scoring and fouls in sparring and changes to the Power and Special technique formats.
Click here to download the full list of changes. |
| Squad Training |
Members of the Irish Team preparing for the World Championships and 4 nations at Squad Training in the Athlone Regional Sports Centre.
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Members of the Irish Team preparing for the World Championships and 4 nations at Squad Training in the Sanovitae Gym, Liffey Valley.
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| Funding for International Competitors |
The Masters’ Council has recently been asked to review the RITA’s position on financial support for Irish international competitors. The Masters’ Council has decided that future international competitors will be funded based on their track record and potential. The details of this policy are currently being developed and will be presented at the AGM at the end of the year. While this policy is being developed, the Masters’ Council has agreed to pay €500.00 towards the estimated costs of flights, accommodation and entry fees of the Irish team members competing the World Championships in Russia in October. |
| XVI World Taekwon-do ITF Championships |
 The XVI World Taekwon-do ITF Championships will be held in the city of Saint-Petersburg, Russia on October 12-17, 2009. There will be a Technical, Umpires and Masters Seminars on October 11-13, 2009 before the Championships. The ITF Congress will take place on October 13, 2009.
The Team chosen to represent the Republic of Ireland at the ITF World Championships in Russia are:
Martin Mahoney 2 Dan, Galway
Gerard Byrne 1 Dan, Old Bawn
Conor McCormack 1 Dan, Galway
John Egan 1 Dan, Old Bawn
Joseph Beadle 1 Dan, Master Howard Dojang
Krzyzstof Misiewicz 1 Dan, Galway
Accompanying the team will be:
NGB Officials:
Senior ITF Master Robert J Howard, 8th Degree, NGB President
Senior ITF Master Anthony Phelan, 8th Degree, NGB Vice President
Ms Valerie Keane, 6th Degree, NGB National Secretary
Umpires:
Master Robert G Howard, 7th Degree
Mr Mark O'Donnell, 6th Degree
Ms Deborah Manning, 4th Degree
Coach:
Mr Stephen Doyle, 6th Degree
For more information visit www.taekwondo2009.com |
| 3 Gold and 1 bronze at European Championships |
Congratulations to the Irish competitors who won 3 Gold and a Bronze at the European Championships in Slovenia. Ms Audrey Condon won Gold in the Female Veteran Silver Class -61kg Sparring, Gold in the Female Veteran Silver Class 3rd Dan Patterns and Bronze in the Veteran Female Power. The mix self defence team of Ms Condon, Mr Martin Mahoney and Mr Gerard Byrne also won Gold in their division. The competitors were coached by Mr Stephen Doyle 6th Degree. Senior Master Barrett 8th Degree led the Umpire delegation with Mr John Jacob and Mr Floyd Keane both 6th Degrees.
Click here for some photos |
| Czech Training Camp |
RITA Black Belts Mr Martin Mahoney 2nd Degree, Mr Gerard Byrne and Mr Joseph Beadle both 1st Degrees recently travelled to the Czech Republic to take part in the Czech National Team's final training camp before the European Championships. The trio were accompanied by National Coach Mr Stephen Doyle 6th Degree. The camp was in the little town of Brandys-nad-Llebem and lasted 5 days. Not only did they get to train with World and European Champions but also had one to one instruction from the head of the ITF Technical Committee Senior Master Hwang Ho Yong 8th Degree.
Click here for some photos |
 Black Belt Squad |
| ITF Ireland |
 The RITA would like to announce the formation of a new acting body for the purpose of International Competition for students from ITF Registered Organisations and Schools within Ireland, as recognised by the International Taekwon-Do Federation. Membership is accepted freely for any Irish national body affiliated to the ITF, with Schools / Instructors operating in Ireland.
From 2009 any student who wishes to compete for the ITF Ireland National Team must register first. All forms and documention along with further information will be found on the new ITF Ireland website which will be online soon. www.itfireland.ie will be the address when live.
The Constitution was adopted at the 1st Annual General Meeting of ITF Ireland held on Saturday 27th September 2008 at the Lucan Spa Hotel, Dublin. With the first exceutive board comprising of the following members:
President – Senior Master Howard
Chairperson – Senior Master Phelan
Treasurer – Senior Master Phelan
Secretary – Ms Valerie Keane
Head Coach – Mr Stephen Doyle |
| Gold for Ms Condon at World Championships |
 Congratulations to Ms Audrey Condon from Waterford for winning two Gold and a Silver at the World Veteran ITF Taekwon-Do Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Ms Condon won Gold in the silver class (40-49) -61kg Sparring, Gold in the Power Breaking and Silver in the 3rd Dan Patterns.
This was an amazing achievement for the former World Champion who 21 years ago won a Gold and Silver at the 1987 World Championships in Greece. It was made even more special for Ms Condon as accompanying her on the long trip to Uzbekistan was her Instructor Mr John Jacob 6th Degree and her former Coach Senior Master Francis Barrett 8th Degree both from Waterford who represented the RITA as Umpires. During her Gold Medal win in the Sparring Ms Condon was cheered on from the stands by Ms Valerie Keane 6th Degree and members of St Marks Taekwon-Do School.
Ms Condon with National Coach Mr Stephen Doyle 6th Degree started the competition with the 3rd Dan Patterns. After beating Australia in the semi-final she faced the local Uzbek competitor in the Final. Both showed excellent technique and it was very close but it was the Uzbekistan who got the result giving Ireland the Silver medal. Next up was the -61kg sparring. Once again Ms Condon faced an Uzbekistan competitor in the final after beating South Africa in the semi. It was a great display from Ms Condon who dominated both rounds of the Final to win the Gold. The power breaking event on the last day of the competition gave Ireland its second Gold with Ms Condon dominating once again.
There were over 500 competitors from 40 countries represented at the 8th Junior & 3rd Veteran World ITF Championships and the level of competition was very high. The event was also live on the National TV sports station. As usual the DPR Korea team dominated the Gold medal awards with some stunning performances but the highlight for the large crowds was the final of the Junior Male Team Sparring. After narrowly beating the Uzbekistan team in the quarter final and then Estonia in the semi, DPR Korea faced Russia in the Final. After drawing the first fight Russia lost the next two meaning they had to win the remaining two fights to force a playoff. With the locals creating a fantastic atmosphere cheering on Russia they did the impossible and won both fights. The final went to a playoff which after a display of great Taekwon-Do sparring the Russian just about deserved the win.
Slovakia will host the next Junior & Veteran World Championships in 2010 and it was announced that DPR Korea will host the World Adult Championships in 2011. |
| World & European Champion visits Ireland |
 The Current World -78kg Sparring Champion and the new -85kg European Champion Jan Mraček will be training with the Irish Squad. Jan is Captain of the Czech National team who are World and European Gold Medallists in Team Patterns. Accopanying Jan is Kateřina Čížková who is a member of the Czech female team who won Gold at the recent European Championships.
This is a great opportunity to train and spar with one of the best fighters in the World.
For more information contact the National Coach, Mr Stephen Doyle 6th Degree. Email coach@rita-itf.org or phone 087-6986491 |
| European Championships Success |
 Congratulations to David Freeman from St Marks who won a Silver medal in -57kg Sparring at the recent European Championships in Croatia. This was a great achievement as he dislocated his shoulder during the semi-final and the doctors did not want him to continue. Though in great pain he had to spar an extra time against his Greek opponent and won comfortably in the end. Unfortunately Mr Freeman was unable to contest the final due to doctors orders which meant Russia got the Gold. He was unlucky to lose out to Russia in the quarter finals of the 1st Dan Patterns. The judges gave a draw so it went to a play off pattern which the Russian won. He also got through to the final round in Special Technique and finished in the top ten.
 Martin Mahoney from Galway had no favours in the -64kg sparring. After dropping from his normal -71kg section he got the Ukrainian World Champion in the 1st round. In a competitive spar the Ukrainians experience gave him the edge and Mr Mahoney lost out. In the power event he came 10th which was a very creditable result.
The RITA would like to congratulate both our competitors who performed so well and also to our Umpires Senior Master Barrett, Master Howard and Mr O'Donnell who showed why Ireland has some of the best Umpires in the ITF.
With 700 representatives from 31 countries this was the largest European Championships so far and the competition was of a very high standard. The next European Championships will be held in Slovenia during April 2009 and for the first time will have a Veterans division.
Full results can be found on the Official Website |
| Irish win Silver and Bronze at Euros |
 Congratulations to the Irish Squad who won Silver and Bronze medals at the European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia. David Freeman repeated his Silver medal in the -57kg Sparring while the Male Team of Adam Fox, Leon McSherry, Mark Jordan, Joe Gill, Martin Mahoney and David Freeman won Bronze in the Team Patterns.
Click here for some photos. |
| Czech Summer Challenge 2008 |
The Czech National Team have invited members of the RITA to attend a unique training event from July 27th to August 3rd 2008 in Trebon, Czech Republic. This is a great opportunity to train with World and European Champions from the Czech National Team and also with other International competitors. For more information visit http://www.czechsummerchallenge.com or contact the RITA National Coach.
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National Black Belt Team Competitor Programme 2009 |
International Events
2009
12-17th May European Championships - Slovenia
13-19th October World Championships - Russia
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