World Taekwondo boosts training for Vietnamese coaches, athletes

VTF held the opening ceremony for the international coach training course - the 2026 national referee education program on Tuesday morning in Ho Chi Minh City.

The training course was set to run until Thursday, attracting 450 participants, including coaches and athletes representing taekwondo units nationwide.

The opening ceremony was attended by WT deputy secretary general Lee Seung Min, Yoon Jun Cheol, WT Poomsae Referee Chairman, Lee Jeng Yen, a sparring instructor, and Usman Dildar, a Para instructor.

Yoon, assisted by Nguyen Thanh Huy, vice-president and general secretary of VTF and an internationally certified S-Class poomsae referee, is responsible for introducing the new regulations.

The training program aims to enhance professional expertise among coaches, athletes and referees, ensuring fairness and professionalism in domestic tournaments.

It also serves as a platform to further integrate Vietnamese taekwondo into the global system administered by WT.

Addressing the ceremony, Truong Ngoc De, president of the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation, emphasized the crucial role of officiating in competitive sport.

“Refereeing plays a particularly important role in ensuring fairness, transparency and professionalism in every tournament,” he said.

“This course is not only about updating professional knowledge, competition rules and officiating skills, but also an opportunity for us to exchange experience and strengthen the integrity, ethics and sense of responsibility of our national referees,” he stressed.

“We strongly believe that, with the dedicated guidance of our instructors and the serious learning spirit of our participants, the program will achieve positive results, contributing to improved refereeing standards in 2026 and the years ahead."