2007 News

Mr. Dalton Conducts Workshop for TAA in Buenos Aires

Master Nestor Galarraga, Chairman of the ITF Umpire Committee, invited Don Dalton to Buenos Aires to conduct a special workshop at the Monte Grande dojang which is the centre of the Taekwon-Do Association of Argentina (TAA). Mr. Dalton is the coach for ITF Team Europe and was the head coach for the Irish men’s senior team and the Irish female senior team for the ITF World Championships. Both teams won the team sparring in Birmingham. The session was attended by around 40 members, the majority of which were black belts. This included many international instructors (Germán Sánchez, Romina Galarraga, Juan Ancona, Montiel, Sergio Oyarzo, Silvia Farigu y Salvador Testa) and also many ITF world champions. The workshop had a relaxed and fun atmosphere throughout and the participants were encouraged to contribute with questions and comments. Time was spent explaining the fundamental differences between the average Northern European style of sparring and the Latin American counterpart. It was noted how many European coaches have adapted their instruction to include both systems of matsogi. The workshop concluded with some realistic self defence and some exercises to develop the “pump side kick.”

ITF Ireland Soars

2007 has proven to be a fantastic year for the ITF in Ireland. The senior Irish men’s team and the senior Irish women’s team both won their respective team sparring sections in the 2007 ITF World Championships. ITF Ireland, INO 47, was an instrumental ingredient in this success with nine of the team members coming from the IUTF. Since that time the INO has grown from two member organisations (the “Irish United Taekwon-Do Federation” and “Taekwon-Do Ireland”) to an impressive eight. Focus Martial Arts under the instruction of Mr. Darragh Bolton (4th Dan) were the first to join and were shortly followed by National Irish Taekwon-Do Association (NITA) under Mr. Jim Faulkner (4th Dan) and Mr.William Owers (5th Dan), and Elite Taekwon-Do Acadamies Ireland under Mr. Terry Donnelly (5th Dan) and Mr. Tim Forde (5th Dan). November saw ITF Ireland grow even further with the news that Master Norman Creedon (7th Dan) and the Taekwon-Do Federation of Ireland and Cork Taekwon-Do Schools under Mr. Cyril McSweeney (6th Dan) had joined. Now the Pulse Taekwon-Do Association under Mr. Ambrose Murphy (5th Dan) have also added to the strength of the organisation and there are further schools in discussion!

ITF Ireland members travelled last year to seven international competitions including events in Ghana, England (twice), Germany (twice), Argentina and Bulgaria. They also attended seminars under President Choi in England, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. The IUTF alone hosted a total of seven regional competitions and the International Irish Championships. In addition there were national Instructor, Referee workshops, as well as a number of workshops from foreign Masters and instructors such as Master Ogbourne. According to ITF Ireland President Mr. Don Dalton “We are over the moon with the quality of our new members. For example Master Norman Creedon is one of the pioneers of Irish Taekwon-Do. People like Mr. Dermot Walsh, Mr. Tim Forde, Mr. Ambrose Murphy, Mr. Cryil McSweeney, Mr. Willie Oars and Mr. Terry Donnelly were well known Irish Internationals and they have chosen to all work together for the betterment of Irish Taekwon-Do. There will be more to follow in 2008!”

2008 will be equally exciting. There will be a National Referee and Instructor training workshop on February 9 and 10. One of the world’s great ITF exponents and instructors Master Jose Maidana of Argentina will travel around Ireland conducting nine workshops at the end of February. March 28-30 will feature one of the highlights of the European calendar when President Choi Jung Hwa will conduct the only European International Instructor Course for 2008 in Ballincollig, Cork (www.iutf-tkd,com). ITF Ireland has already committed to foreign competitions in 2008 in England (twice), USA (Florida), Uruguay, Korea, Italy and Spain. The International Irish Championships are scheduled for November 1st and 2nd. We are also working on a date to bring Master Galarraga to Ireland again in October.

According to Mr. Terry Donnelly (5h Dan) “as a new member of ITF Ireland I can already see how egalitarian and mature the organisation is. Everyone is working together for the betterment of our students and the INO has the basic principle of serving the students and instructors first. We are all very excited about this new phenomenon in Ireland. 2008 should prove to be a special year for us all.

2007 has proven to be a fantastic year for the ITF in Ireland. The senior Irish men’s team and the senior Irish women’s team both won their respective team sparring sections in the 2007 ITF World Championships. ITF Ireland, INO 47, was an instrumental ingredient in this success with nine of the team members coming from the IUTF. Since that time the INO has grown from two member organisations (the “Irish United Taekwon-Do Federation” and “Taekwon-Do Ireland”) to an impressive eight. Focus Martial Arts under the instruction of Mr. Darragh Bolton (4th Dan) were the first to join and were shortly followed by National Irish Taekwon-Do Association (NITA) under Mr. Jim Faulkner (4th Dan) and Mr.William Owers (5th Dan), and Elite Taekwon-Do Acadamies Ireland under Mr. Terry Donnelly (5th Dan) and Mr. Tim Forde (5th Dan). November saw ITF Ireland grow even further with the news that Master Norman Creedon (7th Dan) and the Taekwon-Do Federation of Ireland and Cork Taekwon-Do Schools under Mr. Cyril McSweeney (6th Dan) had joined. Now the Pulse Taekwon-Do Association under Mr. Ambrose Murphy (5th Dan) have also added to the strength of the organisation and there are further schools in discussion!

ITF Ireland members travelled last year to seven international competitions including events in Ghana, England (twice), Germany (twice), Argentina and Bulgaria. They also attended seminars under President Choi in England, Bulgaria and the Netherlands. The IUTF alone hosted a total of seven regional competitions and the International Irish Championships. In addition there were national Instructor, Referee workshops, as well as a number of workshops from foreign Masters and instructors such as Master Ogbourne. According to ITF Ireland President Mr. Don Dalton “We are over the moon with the quality of our new members. For example Master Norman Creedon is one of the pioneers of Irish Taekwon-Do. People like Mr. Dermot Walsh, Mr. Tim Forde, Mr. Ambrose Murphy, Mr. Cryil McSweeney, Mr. Willie Oars and Mr. Terry Donnelly were well known Irish Internationals and they have chosen to all work together for the betterment of Irish Taekwon-Do. There will be more to follow in 2008!”

2008 will be equally exciting. There will be a National Referee and Instructor training workshop on February 9 and 10. One of the world’s great ITF exponents and instructors Master Jose Maidana of Argentina will travel around Ireland conducting nine workshops at the end of February. March 28-30 will feature one of the highlights of the European calendar when President Choi Jung Hwa will conduct the only European International Instructor Course for 2008 in Ballincollig, Cork (www.iutf-tkd,com). ITF Ireland has already committed to foreign competitions in 2008 in England (twice), USA (Florida), Uruguay, Korea, Italy and Spain. The International Irish Championships are scheduled for November 1st and 2nd. We are also working on a date to bring Master Galarraga to Ireland again in October.

According to Mr. Terry Donnelly (5h Dan) “as a new member of ITF Ireland I can already see how egalitarian and mature the organisation is. Everyone is working together for the betterment of our students and the INO has the basic principle of serving the students and instructors first. We are all very excited about this new phenomenon in Ireland. 2008 should prove to be a special year for us all.

Irish Taekwon-Do Pioneer, Mr. Aidan Walsh, travelled to Listowel to conduct a special sparring seminar for the students of the IUTF. Even though most IUTF schools are closed in August the event was attended by around 30 members. Mr. Walsh was aided by his long time student Mr. Terry Donnelly (5th Dan). The training started with a relaxed worm up and quickley moved on to footwork. Mr. Walsh spent considerable time teaching kick drills with the kick pad and followed this with attack and counter attack hand techniques. Mr. Walsh began training in the early 1970s and was responsible for spreading the ITF all around the country. At 59 years of age he demonstrated every technique with grace, speed and power. It was truly awe inspiring to all in attendence. At the end of the session ITF Ireland President Mr. Don Dalton presented Mr. Walsh with a crystal globe as thanks for the wonderful training. ITF Ireland are now planning to hold regular seminars with one of the greatest martial artists that Ireland has ever produced.

McElligott Wins Copa America

Ms. Moira McElligott of Listowel TKD and UCD TKD can now add the Copa America to her Silver and gold from the ITF World Championships. She travelled on an IUTF sponsored trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina along with ITF Ireland President and Ireland national coach Mr. Dalton and Mr. David O' Sullivan of Tralee. Mr. O' Sullivan won two fights and was eventually beaten by the eventual winner after two extra times in the -80kg section. The eventual winner from Argentina was Juan Villa who beat ITF World Champion Corey Cain in the final. The level was fantastic (as always) and the organisation of the event was typical of the high standards set by the TAA and Master Galarraga. The Irish trio would like to thank our Argentine friends for another great week.

IUTF Dublin Host Mr. Dalton
by Jon Mackey.

December 9th saw the eagerly awaited work shop with ITF Ireland President Mr Don Dalton. 50 students from Pilsung Taekwon-Do Academies filled the Parnell Room of the Royal Dublin Hotel and waited patiently for the arrival of Mr Dalton. The event was also supported by our good friends in the GTI under Mr Fran Plunkett. With the arrival of Mr Dalton the seminar was started and after a warm Dublin welcome the warm up began. The seminar focused on sparring techniques and drills. Mr Dalton brought the students through a series of very enjoyable drills which included lead leg side kicks to back kicks, axe kicks and the transition to half facing position for punching, jumping punch drills, deceptive kicking drills, defensive guard work and much more including classical Argentinean style pad work introduced to the IUTF by Master Maidana. Mr Dalton as usual lead the seminar with fine examples of each drill, his precision, speed and eloquence in technique clearly highlighted why he is one of the most respected and sought after instructors in the ITF today. The seminar was scheduled for 2.5 hours and to the shock of everyone present the time had whizzed by unbelievably fast, a clear example of the result on time when fun is to the fore! Mr Dalton finished the seminar with some conditioning drills, working on the particular muscles needed to be fast and powerful kicker. The seminar turned into a mini squad session with an IUTF atmosphere filling the room, yells of encouragement and enthusiasm became the order of the day! Presentations A number of special presentations were made after the training. With the IUTF expansion in Dublin this year the student awards now spanned from Cabra to Finglas and Castleknock. Awards this year were presented to a number of students who have trained exceptionally hard and who have improved in different areas of Taekwon-Do training. The student of the year awards were presented to those that have excelled in their training, and who have represented IUTF Dublin at various tournaments successfully and most importantly those who have a good attitude towards training. The following individuals are those that relish the chance to train and who constantly work on self improvement. Congratulations to; Pierce O'Brien - Cabra juniors Lauren Russell - Finglas juniors Neidin Coulahan - Cabra seniors The final presentation was a presentation of appreciation and thanks. IUTF Dublin instructor Jon Mackey presented Mr Dalton with a crystal bowl, finishing the speeches Mr Mackey informed the students how Mr Dalton continuously works towards the betterment of ITF in Ireland and the expansion of the ITF through his chairmanship of the Expansion Committee. More importantly for Mr Mackey however was the guidance and tuition that Mr Dalton has provided since joining the IUTF in 2004. Mr Mackey thanked Mr Dalton for his continued support, citing that Mr Dalton is always at the end of the phone to answer any questions and offer advice, Mackey finished by saying that Mr Dalton was more than just an instructor, but more a mentor and friend. Mr Dalton accepted the crystal and thanked everyone for attending; he also paid special tribute to Mr Plunkett of the GTI who the IUTF have a new and special relationship with. The seminar attendees then applauded Mr Dalton for a really enjoyable days training

The International Irish Championships

The 2007 edition of the International Irish Championships was organised by Patricia Dalton (V) and was held in Neptune Stadium, Cork, City in November. This year’s event featured 194 black belts on the Saturday with colour belts competing on the following day. The full international flavour of the event was evident by the fact that 60% of all black belts were foreign. There were multiple associations featured from England, Germany, Netherlands and Italy while Scotland, Belgium, Northern Ireland and Wales were also represented by large contingents. The International Irish Championships has now become Europe’s premier annual Taekwon-Do competition. The foreign contingent was particularly strong in the lady’s sections. Silvia Farigu of Italy was the only black belt to win both tul and matsogi in the entire competition. Her performance of Moon Moo thrilled the large crowd in attendance. Lea Fendt (GTI) of England put up an excellent performance in a large light weight section by beating Ireland’s Laobhaoise Keane in a well contested final. The ladies heavyweight section was dominated by England with Claire Kershaw eventually taking the gold medal.
Ireland did especially well in the men’s sections. Most of the sections had over 16 competitors. Harum Oezuemir (Lyong Ho Germany) beat last year’s champion James Stack (Ireland) in the Microweight section. Ireland dominated the Lightweights with John O’ Connor beating his Listowel club make John Spence in the final. The middleweights was another all Irish affair with Stephen Edwards (Tralee) beating Leon Brydone (Athlone) in a tactical encounter. The men’s heavyweight section was the largest. Tralee’s David O’ Sullivan beat Hendry Blok’s of the Netherlands after extra time. The Hyperweight final also went to extra time with three time champion (-80kg) Tim Kool of the Netherlands eventually beating seven time champion Sean Keane in a pulsating match. The Kool family had further celebrations with sister Corina Kool winning the lady’s middleweight sparring. Ireland won three of the five black belt patterns sections (Maxine Hand; Greg Lechmar and Mark Philpott) while Italy (Silvia Farigu) and Netherlands (Emiel Kloor) landed the other two divisions.
The Celtic Team Cup: The junior sections of the Celtic Cup were all Irish finals. The IUTF boys and girls defeated their INTA rivals in two friendly but hard fought finals. The age advantage of the IUTF teams was critical as most of the IUTF juniors had a two year advantage over their INTA opponents. Each bout was competitive and closely fought and both groups were left with a feeling of mutual respect and friendship at the end. Sadly the IUTF senior ladies team had to pull out due to injuries. This left a spirited battle between Master Brown’s Scottish team and team England (GTUK). As with all Scottish-English encounters this proved to be close and hard fought with both sides giving 100%. In the end, team Scotland took the gold to the delight of their large group of supporters.
The men’s section of the Celtic Cup featured eight teams. England (GTI, MWTA, IUTF England), Germany, Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland (IUTF, Focus) all entered strong selections in the prestigious event. Team IUTF featured three members of the Irish team which won team gold in the ITF World Championships, while MWTA featured the current ITF world Hyperweight champion Richard Belle amongst others. In the end these two teams won through to the final and after five bouts the result was a draw! It was Richard Belle who sealed the victory for the English visitors with another fine performance by one of the ITF’s new stars. The crowd of over 1500 gave a standing ovation to both teams. TF Ireland President Mr. Don Dalton said afterwards “This year had been unbelievable for Ireland. Ireland’s men’s team Ireland’s women’s team both won the team sparring in the ITF World Championships in Birmingham. It showed how the various organisations can work together for the benefit of the country. IUTF black belts competed in Ghana (funded), Agrentina (funded), Germany (funded), and England (funded). They also travelled to compete in Bulgaria and Germany on other occasions. Our members have had the opportunity to train under President Choi in England, Bulgaria and the Netherlands and we have run 10 IUTF competitions in 2007.
It has been a fantastic year. We already have a plan of action for 2008 which will live up to our high standards. One of the greatest highlights will be the International Instructor’s Course under President Choi Jung Hwa at the end of March. We have trips planned for England, Korea, Germany, Uruguay, USA and Italy. Master Maidana will conduct a series of ten workshops in February and Master Lecca will conduct a workshop after the black belt sparring in next year’s International Irish Championships. We are also planning to host Master Galarraga for a number of workshops and an International Referee Course. I would like to thank all the associations, both national and international, for supporting the International Irish Championships. I would like to pay special thanks to the referees and judges who worked so tirelessly throughout the weekend and to the IUTF instructors who have helped make this event a must in the European Taekwon-Do calendar.”

Male Matsogi:

Female Matsogi:

Grand Master Choi Seminar In the Netherlands

Mr. Dalton travelled to the Netherlands to attend the President Choi International Instructor Course in October. He was met at the airport by Master Sanders and preceded directly to the venue. Having promptly changed President choi entered to a rapturous applause from the large Dutch contingent which included Master Steve Zonfeld amongst others. Practitioners travelled all the way from Canada, Norway and Germany to avail of the opportunity to train with one of the worlds leading martial artists – a rare living legend! President Choi was assisted by Master Parm Rai who is special assistant to the ITF President as well as Mr. Brazil (4th Dan, Canada). Mr. Dalton was truly honoured to be asked by GM Choi to also assist in the course. In addition to the three day training GM Choi (along with Master Saunders, Master Rai, Mr. Brazil and Mr. Dalton) met scholar and Grand Master Dr. He-Young Kimm, who is president and founder of the World Han Mu Do Association. According to Mr. Dalton “It was a real honour to be in the presence of these two great men. It was a historic meeting of huge importance. For me, it is a dream to have the opportunity to learn so much from President Choi. It is a privilege that I will never underestimate or take for granted. Thank you Grand Master Choi for this great gift.”

IUTF Support GST in Clonakilty

Great Southern Taekwon Do held the West Cork Championships on the 21st of October in Clonakilty, County Cork. There were around 30 competitors from the IUTF in action and the event was finished at 3.00pm. Mr. Diarmuid McSweeney won the men’s black belt tul and won a silver medal in sparring. Mr. David O’ Sullivan of Tralee won the men’s black belt sparring. The Ballyvourney club instructed by Mr. Dalton had 10 competitors in action and they won an amazing 19 trophies. The IUTF will continue to support GST events in the future due to the fair and impartial judging and the efficient running of the event.

IUTF Leinster Championships.

The 2007 Leinster Championships were held in Cabra, Dublin in October. The event was organised by Mr. Jon Mackey, Mr. Terry Donnelly and Mr. Jim Faulkner. The competition had almost 250 participants and was still finished at 3.00pm (with a 10.30am start!). IUTF Dublin was successful in the men’s and ladies black belt patterns when Mr. Mackey and Ms. Maxine Hand both won their respective section. In the sparring Ms. Hand again won gold in the ladies lightweights while Ms. Moira McElligott of Listowel and UCD continued her good form with gold in the heavyweights. Athlone’s Mr. Leon Brydone won the men’s lightweight black belts while Mr. Diarmuid McSweeney of Ballyvourney won the heavyweights. ITF Ireland and the IUTF are expecting to make this event even bigger in the years ahead with a target of 300 participants for 2008. Watch this space!!

IUTF Win At The WKA Kickboxing World Championships

2007 continued to be a golden year for the IUTF following their successful participation in the WKA Kickboxing World Championships which were held in Karlsruhe , Germany from Aug 25th to Sept 2nd.The trip was organised by WKA Vice President, LC, Ms. Patricia Dalton. Mr. Shane Fitzgibbon, Mr. David O’ Sullivan and Mr. Leon Brydone added to their ITF World Team gold medal win with a further team gold in the continuous sparring section. They were also joined by their Birmingham team mate Mr. Colin O’ Shaughnessy and were part of a huge Irish contingent of about 200 people. There were over 2000 in total at the even competing in the various divisions e.g. light contact, semi-contact, full contact etc. Ms. Moira McElligott also won a silver medal in the ladies team sparring to add to her gold and silver from the ITF Worlds. Mr. Fitzgibbon made it to the semi-final in the -80Kg section. After powering through his pre rounds, he dominated the scoring over his Belgian opponent throughout the semi final only to receive an incredible split decision against him, leaving all onlookers stunned. Click here to see the match.

In the junior -45Kg category, a bronze medal was won by Loughrea student, Jason Daly. Jason trains with Mrs. Sandra Doyle and has had a great year in the Irish competition circuit. Jordan Dalton won silver in the -25kg section. He was unlucky to loose by split decision. There was gold however for Tralee ’s Naoimi O’ Brien who beat a Welsh opponent in the final of the -40kg section. In the seniors Ms. Lucy Wolf (from MWTA) won silver in the -60kg section having beaten some excellent opponents along the way in her first Kickboxing world championships. Many of the Irish competitors commented on how well the whole trip was organised by Mrs. Dalton. The hotel accommodation was fantastic and nothing was left to chance. The competition was very well run and the standard was extremely high. We are all looking foreword to next year’s worlds in Disneyland , Florida

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Mr. Aidan Walsh Conducts IUTF Workshop

Irish Taekwon-Do Pioneer, Mr. Aidan Walsh, travelled to Listowel to conduct a special sparring seminar for the students of the IUTF. Even though most IUTF schools are closed in August the event was attended by around 30 members. Mr. Walsh was aided by his long time student Mr. Terry Donnelly (5th Dan). The training started with a relaxed worm up and quickley moved on to footwork. Mr. Walsh spent considerable time teaching kick drills with the kick pad and followed this with attack and counter attack hand techniques. Mr. Walsh began training in the early 1970s and was responsible for spreading the ITF all around the country. At 59 years of age he demonstrated every technique with grace, speed and power. It was truly awe inspiring to all in attendence. At the end of the session ITF Ireland President Mr. Don Dalton presented Mr. Walsh with a crystal globe as thanks for the wonderful training. ITF Ireland are now planning to hold regular seminars with one of the greatest martial artists that Ireland has ever produced.

Amazing Ireland : ITF World Champions 2007

Team Ireland made history at the National Indoor Arena, Birmingham , by winning both the ladies senior team sparing and the mens senior team sparing. In addition, the junior girls team (coached by Mr. Mick Whelan) won a bronze medal in sparring and a silver medal in power breaking. The junior boys team (coached by Mr. John Riordan) won a bronze medal in sparing. Team Ireland had five competitors in the finals of the sparring. Ben Halpin of East Coast easily won the boys hyperweight sparing, in a section where he completely dominated all his opponents. David O' Mahony of Taekwon-Do Ireland and Emer Curran (IUTF) won silver in the junior sparring while Moira McElligott (IUTF), and Claire O' Sullivan (IUTF) all won silver medals in the senior sparing. There was also a breakthrough in the individual patterns with Claire O' Sullivan (IUTF) and Shane Fitzgibbon (IUTF) both winning bronze medals in the 3^rd and 5^th dan categories respectively. There were many bronze medals won in what turned out to be an amazing week for the country; Laura Cremin (East Coast) won bonze in senior sparring (-70kg), Ciara Aucion (East Coast) won a hyperweight bronze medal. Sean Keane (IUTF) won a bronze medal in the hyperweight mens sparring. He was unable to continue due to a serious cut as a result of the dip foam pads. Greg Lechmar (IUTF) fought his way to a bronze medal in a huge middleweight section. In the juniors, Maxine Hand (IUTF) and John Spence (IUTF) also won bronze medals in individual sparring. An amazing total of 5 team medals 13 individual medals.

Ladies Team Gold:

The ladies team consisted of Claire O’ Sullivan (IUTF), Laura Cremin (East Coast), Moira McElligott (IUTF) Ciara Aucion (East Coast), Blaithin Lynch (IUTF) and Norma Carroll (IUTF). According to team captain Claire O’ Sullivan “We knew that we had the difficult side of the draw with England and Argentina both standing in our way. However we had a great self belief and wonderful team bonding and team spirit and this drove us forward through the difficult obstacles in our path.” Ireland faced England in the quarter finals. After four bouts the match was evenly balanced with two wins each. Moira McElligott of Listowel and UCD was the key member in defeating the “old enemy,” by winning against Stacy Weatherer. There was no quarter given against Weatherer, who was best overall competitor from the Korea World Championships…..Victory…. and the semi finals. Laura Cremin was to be the hero in the Ireland-Argentina semi final match. After five bouts the score was tied and Ms. Cremin was selected to go out and take the victory for team Ireland . After two frantic minutes the result was a draw, after one more frantic minute the result was still a draw. The match would go to first point. Both competitors seemed to attack at the same time……one blue, two red, one draw……..the winner….Ireland. It was complete bliss. The team final was held on centre stage. Both teams ran along the red carpet enveloped by strobe lights. The atmosphere was electric. The ladies team went on to easily beat the Japanese team in the final by a score of three to zero. Moira McElligott, Laura Cremin and Claire O’ Sullivan put on an excellent display of aggressive attacking Taekwon-Do which their Japanese opponents had no answer for. The Irish lady’s victory gave a great boast to the men’s team who were about to also take centre stage.

Men's Team Gold:

The omens were good for team Ireland with a buy through the first round. The team consisted of Shane Fitzgibbon (IUTF), Mark Philpott (IUTF), Colin O’ Shaughnessy (TKD Alliance), Sean Keane (IUTF), David O’ Sullivan (IUTF), Leon Brydone (IUTF). The bad news came that one of Ireland ’s best competitors Colin O’ Shaughnessy would be unable to compete due to being knocked out with the shin of his opponent in the individual hyperweight section. More devastating news came when the current ITF European Hyperweight champion Sean Keane suffered a huge gash across the eye in his hyperweight semi final. Now the team had to face Canada . At two nil up Mark Philpott was selected to go out.  It was like David and Goliath as the 5 foot 7 inch Irishman faced his towering opponent. Mr. Philpott used the side kick to great effect, scouring effectively and put the team into the quarter finals against England . Sean Keane returned with the aid of some serious bandages and duly won the first bout. This was followed by wins from Leon Brydone and David O’ Sullivan as the Irishmen defeated their English opponents. Now Mr. Keane could no longer compete and as a result the Irish team would face the current world champions ( Netherlands ) with only four competitors. The Irish juggernaut would not be halted however and a victory of three to one placed the team into the final against an excellent Argentinean side. The team was buoyed by the exciting news that Colin O Shaughnessy would return for the final having had a two day rest. Team Argentina put out the first competitor (one of their strongest) and he was faced by Irelands David O’ Sullivan. The Tralee man tore into his opponent knocking him off the podium a number of times. It was relentless and the victory strengthened the confidence of the Irish team. Shane Fitzgibbon’s victory was very different. It was a chess match against Aristides Polopilli with Fitzgibbon winning the final critical point in the closing seconds. Leon Brydone showed massive spirit in his bout when he was knocked out by a reverse turning kick. He got up and continued to attack until the end. Though loosing by a narrow margin the crowed showed its appreciation with a standing ovation. It was all down to the final bout with two victories each. Colin O Shaughnessy showed true courage to go out under unbelievably stressful circumstances and went on to dominate his opponent. Ireland had achieved the dream……Champions of the World.

Senior team coach Don Dalton afterwards said “This was destiny. Both our teams had to come through very difficult circumstances and they proved their character throughout the championships. This memory will live with us forever. Many neutral countries were cheering and supporting us and this also demonstrates how popular our competitors are because of the way they conduct themselves. They have done our country proud. I would also like to thank all the various organisations and instructors who worked so well together over the week. It just goes to show what we can achieve when we are one….and remember- this is only the start!!!!”

IUTF Colour Belts Win

The IUTF had three competitors travel to the ITF World Kup Championships which coincided with the ITF World Championships. Cillian Gorman and Philip Tongue of UCD won a gold and silver in their respective sparring sections. Their excellent performances are an indication of the excellent work carried by instructor Ms. Blaithin Lynch. Jordan Dalton (age 8) was one of very few colour belts in the event to win gold in both sparring and patterns. He had four bouts in each section and had to beat a very tough Croatian in the final of the matsogi (after extra time). Well done to all.

U.C.D. - Dr. Falvey Cup

April saw the unveiling of the newly established "Dr. Falvey" cup by the UCD club. Dr. Pat Falvey is a student of Mr. Dalton and founded UCD TKD way back in 1995. He dedicated years to the clubs development, working hard to build the club up from nothing.The event saw a team competition between UCD and Trinity.

UCD Fighters -Trinity Fighters

1-Jamie Keating (Win) 1-Kevin O'Sullivan ( 2-Cillian Gorman (Win) 2-Cormac Hampson (Green Tag) 3-Catherine Moriarty (Loss) 3-Ciara Aucoin (Black Tag) 4-James Sunderland (Win) 4-Alec Dent (Red Belt) 5-Alex Semenov (Loss) 5-Richard O'Dwyer (Blue Belt)

Fighting kicked off at about a quarter to six, with Kevin O'Sullivan (green tag) taking on Jamie Keating (yellow tag) in a points bout, consisting of 2 x 2 minute rounds (with a 1 min break in between). Both fighters sparred well, with Jamie narrowly winning thanks to some well placed body kicks.

The second bout saw Cillian Gorman facing off against Cormac Hampson (both Green tags) in a continious bout. Cillian used his jump punches and kicks well, domining the ring, and taking the roundIn the third bout of the night, Catherine Moriarty faced off against Ciara Aucoin (both black tags). Moriarty (nursing a heart condition), punched well, but both fighters received numerous warnings for low kicking. Through greater aggression Ciara Aucoin took the first round. In the second round, an exhausted Catherine fought back, but it wasn't enough against her healthier opponent.In the third men's fight of the night UCD's James Sunderland took on Trinity's Alec Dent. James (using techniques similar to Trinity's Simon Duignan) evaded and countered his taller and heavier opponent. After losing the first round, James altered his approach, fighting more aggressively and using his powerful kicks to control the area, force his opponent out to the edge of the ring, and eventually taking the bout.

In the penultimate fight of the night, Alex Semenov came up against Richard O'Dwyer. This fight was more about pride than trophies, with both fighters giving it their all (as shown by the amount of warnings given). Richard took the first round, using his powerful kick and punch combinations to dominate the area. But in the second round Alex fought back. Not letting his opponent bully him, Alex fought to the last second, constantly blitzing O'Dwyer (despite being winded numerous times, and taking a bad shot that broke his nose). In the end, the round was a draw, with Trinity narrowly winning the bout.
The last fight of the night saw Green tag Cillian Gorman faced off against Blue belt Richard O'Dwyer. Cillian won the fight convincingl. O'Dwyer had no defence against the Soul-Eater's constant flurry of kick and punch combinations.

Over all UCD won, which was a nice start to the newly established Dr. Falvey cup.

Open Bulgarian Championships and President Choi Master Class

The IUTF recently supported the first ever seminar conducted by the President of the ITF, Master Choi, Jung Hwa in Varna city Bulgaria . The event ran by the Bulgarian ITF attracted man Taekwon-Do practitioners from across Bulgaria and Eastern Europe including Moldova . The seminar was warmly received by the students who were taught about the theory of power and sine wave application by the president. President Choi asked IUTF Chairperson, Mr. Dalton, to teach the morning session which was based around sparring. Master Choi conducted the second session and was assisted throughout by the IUTF/ITF Ireland president Mr Don Dalton and Mr Chris Reid of Canada .

Senior Examination

After the seminar a senior examination was scheduled, during which Ms Patricia Dalton and Mr Jon Mackey both took part. The two IUTF members was honoured to have the opportunity to test under the President of the ITF and performed to a very high standard. The participants demonstrated their ability in free sparring, one step sparring, self defence techniques and power breaking. Mrs. Dalton received the highest marks in the test and was promoted to 5^th Dan. Mr. Mackey was promoted to 3rd Dan and said-
"it was an absolute honour having Master Choi at the examination table, all the training had well and truly paid off. The second honour of the day was having my instructor on the panel. Mr Dalton's continued guidance and training has helped improve my technique and development as an instructor. I would like to thank him for the time he spent in the run up to the grading helping me with my preparations; he is a truly inspiring instructor - thank you!"

Bulgarian ITF Open

The Bulgarian ITF open took place on the Sunday following the seminar, with guest of honour Master Choi Jung Hwa. 3 competitors from the Irish squad took part. Jon Mackey took bronze in the senior black belt patterns section. Mr. Mackey and Mr. Sean Keane met in the final of the +80kg senior male black belt sparring. Both competitors are well known for having tough battles every time they meet and this one was no different. From the off they wowed the crowd with their style of heavy contact and counter sparring. In round 2 Sean Keane stepped up the pressure and landed some nice hand shots as Jon Mackey scored with some well planned axe kicks. At the end of the bout the crowd applauded the two as Sean Keane the current ITF European champion was declared the winner. Both were congratulated by the present foreign coaches who were impressed by their 'classical ITF style of sparring.' Jordan Dalton (age 8) also won one gold and one silver in the under 12s colour belts patterns and sparring.

It wouldn't have been an IUTF trip if we didn't experience the local customs and culture! The last few days were spent sight seeing and taking it easy. On that note a special thank you should go to our good friends in the Bulgarian Traditional Taekwon-Do Federation, Mr Tudor Todorov, Mr Alek Milanov and Mr Nikolai Bakardzheiv who organised the weekend and looked after us with true Bulgarian hospitality. Here's looking forward to next year!

Master Ogbourne/Mr Black Seminars

The IUTF were honoured to host two of the Taekwon-Do greats in June for workshops in Kerry and Cork . Lifelong friends Master Mark Ogbourne (VII) and Mr. John Black (VI) conducted fun, friendly and informative seminars in the South West Taekwon-Do Centre and Kanturk Taekwon-Do Club. The sessions were started by Master Ogbourne and Mr. Black concluded each of them. Master Ogbourne concentrated on sparring techniques for the first section of the workshops. As a competitor Master Ogbourne won five world titles and as a coach he led England to become overall world champions in the ITF Junior World Championships in Australia . Master Ogbourne explained the cross over application of Tul into free sparring during the Saturday session. On the Sunday he conducted a squad session which was directed more towards the international competitors present. Mr. Black instructed sparring techniques, which were done to the beat of some of his favourite music. Many of the younger members present particularly enjoyed this section of the workshop and were motivated by the enthusiasm and energy of the PUMA senior instructor. The IUTF would like to thank Master Ogbourne and Mr. Black for a great weekend. They will always remain close to our heart both as martial artists and friends.

Mr Dalton conducts seminar for GST

Mr. Dalton travelled to Little Island to conduct a sparring seminar for Great Southern Taekwon-Do in May. The session, which had around 80 participants, was also attended by members of Family Martial Arts (instructor Mr. Quinn). Mr. Dalton was assisted by his student Mr. Jon Mackey of IUTF Dublin. There was a fun and relaxed atmosphere throughout the workshop. According to Mr. Dalton “We have developed a close relationship with GST over the last few years and these shows the benefits of all organisations working closely together. I would like to thank Mr. Buckley for the warm and friendly reception and I look forward to further strengthening our ties in the forthcoming years.

Country Cup: Germany

Mr. Dalton took a three man team made up of Mr. Shane Fitzgibbon (Tralee and Galway), Mr. David O’ Sullivan (Tralee) and Mr. Leon Brydon (Athlone) to Bochum, Germany for the Country Cup. The event was hosted by Mr. Toni Martella (VI Dan) and was attended by competitors from Germany , Ireland , Italy , Croatia , Belgium and the Netherlands . The three man team took a total of five individual medals and also won the team sparring event. According to Mr. Fitzgibbon “It was great to see the top class Dutch competitors in action and it will help our preparation for the upcoming World Championships which will be held in Birmingham . The real focus of these events is preparation for the Worlds and also team bonding. All roads lead to Birmingham .

IUTF ANNUAL REFEREE/UMPIRE COURSE (KANTURK, FEBRUARY 2007)

Dan grading candidates assembled in Kanturk on Sunday February 11th to complete the annual IUTF refere/umpire course under IUTF Vice-President Mr John Riordan. This course is required by all who wish to test at the IUTF dan grading.

Self-defence Seminar

Mr Patrick McCarthy 6th Dan, Chief Instructor of London Panthers Taekwon-do conducted a series of self-defence seminars for the IUTF. Mr McCarthy began training in his home town of Cork in the early 70's and introduced Taekwon-do to Kerry in 1981. Mr McCarthy regularly conducts seminars for the IUTF, he possesses a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of martial arts training. In these seminars Mr McCarthy focused on chokes and pressure points as well as close quarter blocking and countering drills. These seminars are always well received by Instructors and Students alike and this year was no exception.

Black Belt Grading

This years black belt grading was held in Kanturk, Cork. The test took place after the weekely squad training and many of the applicants demonstrated their attitude twords training by taking part in the grueling training session before hand. The Athlone club, run by Ms. Mary Mannion was especially well represented with all of her students passing the difficult exam. There were five applicants for 3rd Dan. Mr. John McCarthy (Charleville). Mr. John Roche (Tralee), Ms. Triona Daly (Tralee), Ms. Claire O’ Sullivan (Caherciveen/Mary Im.) and Mr. Diarmuid McSweeney (Ballyvourney/UCC/CIT). Their exam lasted for a very intense 90 minutes. Every pattern was examined, breaking, special technique, step sparring, fundamental movements, free sparring, pad work, sparring combinations and theory.

The best grading award for black belts was given jointly to Ms. O’ Sullivan and Mr. McSweeney while Mr. Paul O’ Sullivan of Mallow TKD won the best red belt test. Eoghan Doyle from Galway TKD won the best score for juniors.

IUTF Intervarsities/WKA Trials

University College Dublin Taekwon Do Club under the instruction of Ms. Blaithin Lynch was the host of a double hitter weekend in April with the holding of the IUTF Intervarsities and WKA Trials for the upcoming world championships. The intervarsities were well attended this year with new competitors representing the Mary Immaculate TKD Club run by Ms. Claire O’ Sullivan. The UCC club brought over 30 entrants and there was a fantastic rivalry between them and the home club of UCD. Many members had the opportunity to compete in the following day’s WKA trials for the upcoming World Championships which will be held in Germany in August. The men’s -75kg sparring section in light contact was especially enthralling with Shane Lynch of Dublin kickboxing harrowingly beating Athlone’s Leon Brydon in the final.

IUTF Competitor of the Year Awards

The IUTF annual Black Belt awards and Competitor of the Year Awards was presenter in Blarney, Cork in February. The junior Competitor of the Year went to Mr. Diarmuid McSweeney of Ballyvourney TKD. Mr. McSweeney’s greatest success was in the ITF European Championships were he won a gold, silver and two bronze medals. He now acts as a instructor at the UCC and CIT clubs. The ladies Competitor of the Year award went to Ms. Claire of Sullivan of Caherciveen TKD. Ms. O’ Sullivan was crowned European Champion at the ITF European Championships at 58kgs. She was ITF junior World Champion from South Korea in 2004 and now instructs at the Mary I Club in Limerick. Mr. Sean Keane of Charlevile won the men’s award. He was three times on ITF Team Europe, ITF European Champion (Hyperweight), International Irish Championships champion at +80kgs, and won a silver medal at WKA World Championships. Mr. Keane now instructs the LIT Club and has now won the award three times. The night was finished off with a special presentation to Mr. Mark Philpott for his outstanding work and loyalty to the IUTF over the last 10 years.

GST Championships in Clonakilty

The IUTF supported the recent GST Championships in Clonakilty, Cork with a large contingent of juniors. The strength of the association was demonstrated by the fact that on the same weekend the IUTF also supported the INTA event in Dublin. Our competitors had great success in the well attended competition with the Coachford club doing particularly well. The IIUTF would like to thank Mr. Buckley for another friendly and well organised tournament.

INTA Tournament

March 3rd & 4th saw the INTA (Irish National TKD Association) Open take place at the Sports link Complex in Dublin. With many foreign competitors and current world champions attending, the competition was gearing up to be top class. The comp started just after ten o clock with 3 full size ITF rings in operation throughout the day. The patterns sections ran first and were followed by the sparring sections later on that day. The IUTF had 9 junior competitors and 4 senior competitors taking part. 6 of them competitors were from the Pilsung ITF Academy. The competition ran smoothly throughout the day and judging was very fair, with each ring being run to ITF standards.

The IUTF students made an immediate impact with many being placed within the top 3 of each patterns section. The standard on the day was exceptional with all 3 main ITF organisations being represented, the INTA, RITA and our very own IUTF. From the Pilsung Academy, Sarah Lambe performed excellently and took silver in the green belt and blue belt patterns, Shane Bowers also performed well only to be beaten in the final by a very capable RITA student, he had to settle for silver after a fine performance of Choong Moo Tul. Paul Byrne also did well picking up silver in the yellow to green belt patterns.

After the patterns sections were complete the sparring got underway. The IUTF students performed gallantly keeping their opponents under pressure during the whole bouts. The IUTF trade mark of forward pressure and dominance was on display as many 1st places were taken! First up was Paul Byrne who battled his way in a huge section to the final where he won comfortably after a fine show of hand techniques. Sarah Lambe did well also picking up bronze in her section after putting up a good show against a much bigger opponent. A heavy kick to the back triggered off a previous injury and she was on the back foot for the rest of the bout. Neidin Coulahan returned to form as she also picked up gold in the green to blue belt sparring section dominating a large section of tough fighters. Black belt Maxine Hand won Silver in her section after winning a bout to get into the final where she met a very tough competitor from Scotland. She pushed forward relentlessly but was piped at the post for 1st place.

Jessica Flannigan from Cork made it look easy as she battled her way through a very large section of green to blue belts casting aside much larger and stronger opponents. Her strong punching and ring craft for such a young competitor drew comments from many spectators. She took Gold after a tough final in which she won with determination. Jordan Dalton also fought with spirit as he too won his section with relative ease, a constant flurry of side piercing kicks and blitz punching kept his opponents on the back foot during every bout.

On the Sunday, the senior's took place. There were 4 IUTF competitors who travelled from Limerick and Cork. The patterns sections this day were inspiring to watch as 2 world champions whereon display from Finland and Scotland. Claire O'Sullivan from Riordans TKD Schools took bronze in a very tough section which was won by a Belgian competitor. Moira MacGelligot took bronze in sparring and Niall Murphy also took bronze. The IUTF competitor of the day was without doubt Diarmuid MacSweeney from UCC. Mr Macsweeney fought out of his skin to make to the final in a very tough section which had many foreign competitors in it. His persistent drive forward and tough spirit raised many an eyebrow and punched and kicked most of his opponents out of the ring. In the final he met an equally tough competitor from the Taekwon-Do Centre in Exchequer street who matched him for strength and persistence in what turned out to be a mighty battle. Unfortunately Mr MacSweeney lost the decision on the day and settled for a well deserved Silver.

Apart from the excellent standard of the competitors, the weekend was made even more important as it was noted that the 3 main ITF groups in Ireland were here under the same roof, making friends and new contacts and enjoying each others company. A big thank you must go to the Tournament organisers, Mr Niall Jones and INTA, Masters O'Toole and Douglas and Mr Kevin Hannigan for the warm welcome.

Congratulations to all those who competed at this years IUTF Munster Championships. This years tournament was probably the largest in recent years with all sections well attended in both patterns and sparring. This year clubs came from all across Ireland to compete in a friendly environment which is typical of the IUTF's tournaments. It was a welcome site to see our friends from Taekwon-Do Ireland competing also.

Congratulations to the students of the Pilsung ITF Academy who did very well as usual! Green belt Sarah Lambe continued her recent spate of wins by taking Gold in her patterns section and Silver in sparring. Martin Moylan battled his way through the junior boys blue to black stripe sparring eventually coming out the victor in a comprehensive win against Shane Roach of Tralee in the final. Paul Byrne did well in a large section of yellow stripe to green belt patterns taking home the bronze with a solid performance of Dan Gun tul. Maxine Hand took Bronze in junior black belt sparring after a sudden death bout with Wexford's Sarah O'Connor.

IUTF Members Impress at Four Nations

The Irish team travelled to Exeter for the Four Nations event held as a special testimonial for Mr. John Black VI. The men’s team was coached by Mr. Dalton while the lady’s team was coached by Mr. Philpott. In the first round the men’s team beat Wales by three bouts to zero and the final was two bouts to Ireland and one win to England. The Ladies team fought Scotland with the result of: two wins, one loss and one draw. They then fought England and received one draw and two losses.

Togo Host ITF Workshop

Mr. Don Dalton VI, and Ms. Patricia Dalton IV, travelled to Togo, in order to conduct a special ITF Workshop and to meet and discuss the further development of the ITF in Togo with the various leaders from the West African country. They were accompanied by Mr. Michael Enedewa III, from Nigeria who greatly helped in the organisation and overall success of the trip. Mr. Enedewa has been instrumental in sponsoring many Nigerian athletes to compete internationally in 2006 and 2007, including fully funding trips to Spain, France and Ghana. Having reached Lome, the capital of Togo, after a long day’s travel, the trio were met by local representatives Mr. Sunday …………and Mr. Marcel………………….. The next day was taken up with a special workshop which was broken up into two sections. The first period was instructed by Mr. Dalton and covered the various aspects of ITF sparring. Since all of the Togolese participants were previously members of the WTF, Mr. Dalton focused on the many new techniques which are particular or are commonly used in ITF sparring. He spent time working on blocking, movement punching and particularly jumping punches. He also instructed the Togolese instructors on the importance of multiple kicking and gave them many drills and exercises which aid in developing this area.

The second part of the workshop was taken by Ms. Patricia Dalton whose father hails from Togo. She spent time on fundamental exercises and concentrated on the basic techniques necessary for the ITF Tul. This included a large section on sine wave, basic blocks and on walking stance and sitting stance punch. The session was concluded with a meeting with all the instructors and the group exchanged ideas about the future growth of the ITF in Togo. According to Mrs. Dalton “

Prelim Dan Test

Dan grading candidates assembled in Kanturk on Sunday February 11th to complete the annual IUTF referee/umpire course under IUTF Vice-President Mr John Riordan. The course covered the necessary details needed in order to progress to black belt. Each black belt grading participant will need to perform as a competent referee/umpire from 2008 onwards.

Munster Championships

This years Munster Championships was hosted by Mr. Moriarty’s Killarney school and had well over 200 IUTF entrants. The ladies black belt sparring featured an on for Ms. Moira McElligott who hails from the Listowel club and also trains with UCD. The men’s lightweights section was won by Mr. Eoin Moynihan from Ballyvourney. Mr. Marc Dowling from Tralee won a very difficult -71kg section. The men’s heavyweight section featured an excellent final between Athlone’s Mr. Leon Brydon and Charleville’s Mr. Sean Keane. The Athlone man started very well but the experienced current ITF European champion controlled the second half of the battle and took the decision.

South Kerry Friendship Tournament

Just over 100 junior members of Riordan's Taekwon-do School's took part in this tournament which was held at Colaiste na Sceilge, Cahirciveen. Students competed in individual and team pattern and sparring. This was the first tournament for many and was a great opportunity to make the break through to competition and meet and make friends with students from other areas. Special thanks to all our senior black belts for their hard work refereeing and judging throughout the day.

Mary Immaculate Club Wins Award (report from MI Society)

The Mary Immaculate Society Awards took place at the Arts and Education Ball in the South Court Hotel on Friday March 23rd. Of the 16 societies in the college the judges decided that the Taekwon Do Society had achieved most and been most active this year. To accept the award on the night was chief instructor Claire O’ Sullivan. Assistant instructors in the society are Mary-Ann O’ Brien and Julieanne McAuliffe. The club entered various IUTF competitions, held a grading and did fundraising events throughout the year. To exhibit the work of the society a short video clip of the weekly classes and a slide show of pictures from events were shown to all at the awards ceremony. Orla Banks, Manager Mary Immaculate Student Union, said “ this award is well deserved as the girls put in hours of work and effort to ensure their society was a success and the college are very proud of them”. The three instructors will go on to represent the college in the national BICS awards in Galway, April 17th.

Mr. McCarthy Seminars

Mr Patrick McCarthy 6th Dan, Chief Instructor of London Panthers Taekwon-do conducted a series of self-defence seminars for the IUTF. Mr McCarthy began training in his home town of Cork in the early 70's and introduced Taekwon-do to Kerry in 1981. Mr McCarthy regularly conducts seminars for the IUTF, he possesses a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of martial arts training. In these seminars Mr McCarthy focused on chokes and pressure points as well as close quarter blocking and countering drills. These seminars are always well received by Instructors and Students alike and this year was no exception.

ITF Workshops and Intercontinental Cup Coincide with the
50th Anniversary of Ghanaian Independence (March 6th)

The work of the ITF in Africa continued in March with a series of workshops and competitions hosted by Mr. Mohammed Mahadi, IV, (President of ITF-Ghana/Superstar Taekwon Do). The events included a series of workshops instructed by Master Ted Wolf, Master Ray Gayle and Mr. Don Dalton. They were assisted by members of the European team (Mr. Shane Fitzgibbon (IUTF), Mr. David Pixton (PUMA), Mr. Richard Belle (MWTA) Mr. Sean Keane (IUTF), Mr Kevin Guy (MWTA)) who travelled for the Intercontinental Cup, as well as Ms. Lucy Wolf and Ms. Patricia Dalton.

The first group to arrive was from Master Wolf Taekwon Do Academies and they were quickly followed by Master Gayle and Mr. Pixton. The first workshop was conducted by Master Wolf, who was assisted by Ms. Wolf, Mr. Pixton, Mr. Belle and Mr. Guy. This session focussed on sparring techniques, including kicking drills, footwork and various combination punching techniques. It was finished with many rounds of sparring where by the European contingent had the opportunity to spar in the sweltering heat with their African friends. Meanwhile Master Gayle worked intensely with Mr. Mohammed Mahadi on tul, thus insuring the maximum benefit from the Masters knowledge for the 40 participants in attendance. The session was ended with a donation of equipment to ITF Ghana from Master Wolf and Master Gayle. Later that evening the European group travelled to see the special children’s class conducted by Mr. Mohammed Mahadi. This plan was scuppered however when Master Gayle again took the opportunity to spend more time teaching the ITF Ghana President while to the delight of the children, their class was instructed by Ms. Wolf, Mr. Pixton and Mr. Guy.

The next day saw the arrival of Mr. Don Dalton, Mrs. Patricia Dalton and Mr. Shane Fitzgibbon from Ireland (the IUTF). Mr. Sean Keane was later to follow on the Tuesday flight. The following day included another workshop. The first section of this was focused on Chon Ji, Dan Gun and Do San. This was taught by Master Gayle who was assisted by Mr. Dalton. Meanwhile Master Wolf instructed Mr. Mohammed Mahadi again insuring maximum benefit for the ITF Ghana President. Mr. Dalton then taught a section on ITF sparring, which included jumping punches, lead leg kicking and multiple kicking. These workshops were attended by a large contingent from Nigeria and Togo who had travelled for the training and competitions.

The 4th Intercontinental Cup: Africa versus Europe

The Intercontinental Cup was held on Wednesday in the stifling Accra heat. The African team included two competitors two from Togo two from Ghana and one from Nigeria. The atmosphere was electric as the partisan crowd cheered on their African heroes. The European team found the hot conditions difficult to adapt to but their overall experience helped them to etch out a hard earned victory over their African Taekwon Do brothers. Team Europe Coach Mr. Don Dalton noted the great improvement in the African’s overall adoption to the ITF way of sparring; “you must consider that these competitors have changed from WTF and have made huge strides within a short time. The future looks very bright for the ITF in Africa with such dedicated members.” Mr. Mohammed Mahadi (Team Africa Coach) congratulated the European team and said that he eagerly looked foreword to a rematch next year.

This was followed by another team sparring African Challenge Cup which again featured ITF Team Europe as well as Nigeria, Togo and Ghana. Ghana first beat Togo while ITF Team Europe beat Nigeria. The 3rd and 4th place play off was won by Nigeria and ITF Team Europe went on to defeat Ghana in the Final. The day featured some inter school bouts for Ghanaian children while the senior African international competitors had the opportunity to compete in a Tul competition. The day was closed by a presentation of some gifts from the IUTF to Mr. Mohammed Mahadi and his sponsors in appreciation of their fantastic hospitality and tireless work for the ITF. Mrs. Dalton then presented $9,000 worth of new sparring equipment to the representatives of Ghana, Nigeria and Togo which was evenly given out between the three countries.

Sadly the special day also saw the departure of Master Wolf and his group who had worked so tirelessly during the previous week. According to Master Wolf: “It was a pleasure working with all the people from the UK and