Taekwondo spreads to a village in Nepal

Taekwondo spreads to a village in Nepal. February. 02, 2016 07:32. by 칸디샤우르=이종석기자 wing@donga.com. "The mood here at our village is the best since last April."

Nima Lenzen Sherpa, a 16-year-old boy who lives in Kandishaour, Nepal said on Sunday, "I couldn't sleep last night because I was so excited about the news that people will come to help my dreams come true." His dream is to become a national Taekwondo player. Having started this sport three years ago, Sherpa said, "I will make my dream come true. If I'm mentioned in the news, please describe me as Taekwondo lover."

The World Taekwondo Federation visited on the day the place where Sherpa is living for a pilot project ahead of the launch of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation. The foundation will teach Taekwondo to children in the world's refugee villages and natural disaster-stricken areas across the world, while providing them with training equipment and educating Taekwondo instructors there.

Around 70 kilometers northeast of Nepal's capital city of Kathmandu, Kandishaour is part of Sindhupalchok that was hit severely by the massive earthquake in April last year. Sindhupalchok had seen more than 3,000 people die. Recovery from the earthquake is still ongoing and students are still studying at half-collapsed school buildings. "We no longer live in an age where sports is about victory," World Taekwondo Federation head Cho Jung-won said. "Sports need to instill courage and hope to people in trouble. That is the spirit of the Olympic Games."

The 12-member Taekwondo team of the federation showed demonstrations of kick motions and breaking of roof tiles on the day, and 2,000 residents applauded with cheers.

Nepal's Youth and Sports Minister Satya Narayan Mandal who attended the event said, "We are currently discussing designating Taekwondo as a national sport of Nepal." Taekwondo is currently optional in schools in Nepal but will be compulsory if designated as national sports.

The launch of the foundation was recommended by Cho and was agreed upon unanimously at the World Taekwondo Federation executive committee meeting in Mexico in last year. The International Olympic Committee is also keenly paying attention to the launch. Federation delegates have donated Kandishaour 10,000 dollars and 300 peices of uniforms.