Tribune News Network
Doha
President of World Taekwondo Federation Dr. Chungwon Choue expressed his confidence in Qatar’s capability to host the 2036 Summer Olympic Games, citing its "success and distinction in hosting major sporting events.”
"Qatar has great expertise in hosting major events, especially the Asian Games, which it hosted in 2006, and the FIFA World Cup 2022,” Dr. Choue said in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA).
He reflected on his first visit to Qatar in 2006, during the Asian Games, and noted, "I was impressed by the excellent organisation. The Games were highly successful by all standards.”
Dr. Choue, who is also the chairman of Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, praised Qatar’s "outstanding and exceptional” organisation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
"It was the event that was widely praised. Qatar has demonstrated it is more than capable of hosting an event of the Olympic Games’ scale,” he said.
He emphasized that "most of the tournaments organised by Qatar were exceptional and achieved tremendous success on all levels.”
Dr. Choue expressed a belief that Qatar’s taekwondo infrastructure and experience make it well-prepared to host international taekwondo competitions, saying: "Hosting one of the World Taekwondo Championships or the World Taekwondo Grand-Prix would not be difficult for Qatar.”
He also noted the "significant development of taekwondo in the Middle East and GCC countries” and highlighted the regional importance of tournaments like the Fujairah International Open Taekwondo Championship, which will hold its 11th edition next year and is "one of the major open tournaments globally.”
He also pointed to Saudi Arabia’s recent organization of the first-ever World Taekwondo Women’s Open Championships, saying, "All these tournaments will encourage the development of taekwondo in the Middle East.”
The World Taekwondo chief also expressed pride in his collaboration with President of the Qatar Olympic Committee HE Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, working to "make sports a tool for positive social impact,” especially in supporting vulnerable communities and refugees.