On Sunday 23rd, during the second day of the ITF Unions World Championship, the Adaptive Taekwon-Do
competition for people with disabilities was held,
organized and directed by Master Salvador Testa VIII, author of the Taekwon-Do for Everyone program.
32 competitors (with 24 different pathologies and divided into 6 groups) participated in Individual Pattern and
Integration Duet.
They were judged and scored by specialized referees. With a central location, prime time and the presence, from start to finish, of ITFU President GM Don Dalton, the competition became a celebration for the competitors, their families, the spectators and the ITFU authorities.
Everyone was awarded with a medal for participation, the champions of each of the 6 categories received a second medal and the Over All champion received a third one.
GM Don Dalton was in charge of rewarding and
congratulating each and every one of the 32 competitors. They were part of a genuine competition, not an
exhibition, where they were strictly judged (according to their specific disability) on what they can do, not what they can’t.
Competitors with Down syndrome, (person with) mental condition , congenital hypothyroidism, sensorineural hearing loss, blindness, subnormal vision, congenital
glaucoma, conductive hearing loss, bilateral hearing loss with cochlear implants, spastic hemiplegia, refractory
epilepsy, congenital forearm amputation, congenital heart disease, flaccid paraplegia, Asperger’s syndrome, autism, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, congenital arm amputation… all of them where judged on their particular abilities in Taekwon-Do.
“I am sure that Taekwon-do for Everyone helps us to build a better world, 15% of the world population is diagnosed with a permanent disability, with this tool we can build a fairer and more equitable world with integration and
inclusion”, said Master Salvador Testa and added, “mission accomplished, we are no longer invisible”
