The training was conducted by Jun Cheol Yoon, an instructor from the World Taekwondo Federation and the chairman of World Taekwondo referees
Kibaha. Out of 30 participants, 10 coaches have successfully passed an internationally recognised Taekwondo coaching course.
The course, held at the Olympafrica Centre in Kibaha, Coast Region, was conducted by Jun Cheol Yoon from the World Taekwondo Federation.
Dr Yoon, who also serves as the Chairman of World Taekwondo referees, said he was impressed by the steady improvement in technical skills and tactics among the coaches during the training.
“Passing or failing depends on performance, but I must commend all the coaches for their effort. Each one of them fought hard from day one, even after I warned them about the toughness of the training. Right now, every graduate is in pain, but it is productive pain.
You are not leaving here the same as you came—your technical and tactical levels have improved,” said Dr Yoon. He added that in the first week he observed that each trainee had unique strengths that could contribute to the development of Taekwondo.
Of the participants, 10 coaches managed to pass the entry-level stage of the program, which was organized by the Tanzania Olympic Committee (TOC), sponsored by the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity (OS) and coordinated by the Tanzania Taekwondo Federation (TTF). TTF President Ramoudh Ally described the achievement as a major boost for the sport’s growth in the country.
“If these 10 qualified coaches each establish a Taekwondo club in their areas and recruit 30 players, we will gain 300 new athletes. That’s a promising start for the development of our sport,” said Ally.
He encouraged the coaches to reach out to the Federation for support with training equipment if needed. Ally said that the ultimate goal is to prepare the next generation of Taekwondo athletes capable of qualifying for the 2032 Olympic Games, through short-, medium- and long-term plans.
For those who did not meet the passing grade, Ally assured that arrangements would be made for them to access additional international courses through the World Taekwondo Federation. “We will issue an update soon, as the goal is to increase the number of certified coaches.
Those who passed will be issued national coaching licenses while awaiting approval of licenses from the World Taekwondo Federation,” he said.
Closing the program, TOC Vice Chairman Henry Tandau urged the graduates to apply their knowledge for the betterment of the sport.
“We must ask ourselves, where will Taekwondo be 10 years from now? If you have a vision and work towards it, such as preparing for the 2032 Olympics, you can achieve it,” he said.
Tandau, however, cautioned that the success of only 10 coaches is not enough. He urged them to pursue higher levels of qualification. “You must be ambitious.
Whenever I attend major tournaments, I don’t see many Tanzanian coaches or referees. We must organize ourselves. Without proper planning, you cannot progress,” he stressed.
One of the graduates, Janeth Oscar from Dar es Salaam, expressed appreciation for the training program, which was delivered by Grandmaster Yoon alongside Master David Samson.
“The program was transformative. We will put the skills we have gained into practice, although Taekwondo still faces challenges such as a shortage of equipment and lack of modern training halls,” she said.
During the course, Dr. Yoon highlighted Rashid Yahaya Rashid as a coach who displayed exceptional performance.
