World Taekwondo announces 2025 Sustainability Award recipients

SEOUL, Korea – World Taekwondo is pleased to announce the recipients of the Sustainability Awards 2025, recognizing Member National Associations (MNAs) delivering meaningful impact across our three strategic Focus Areas: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Community; Health & Well-being; and Environmental Sustainability. This year’s awards followed a structured jury assessment, scoring, and online discussion to ensure a fair and thorough review.

This cycle received 10 eligible applications spanning five Continental Unions, with the majority in DEI, alongside strong entries in Health & Well-being and Environmental Sustainability.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Community

1st – Australia: Para Taekwondo Enhancement
Australian Taekwondo embedded Para Taekwondo across its system, appointing a Para Technical Lead, co-funding a Para coach, refreshing its Para Committee under Paralympic medalist Janine Watson, integrating Para athletes into national pathway camps, and launching Para-specific coach education, creating a durable, organization-wide model for equity.

2nd – Slovakia: Equal Preparation, Equal Opportunity
The Slovak Taekwondo Association systematically integrated Para athletes into national training camps alongside able-bodied teammates, normalizing equal access to coaching, preparation, and recognition while building an inclusive training culture.

3rd – Tonga: Grassroots Taekwondo Development for Youth & Communities
Tonga’s federated club–school model now reaches six government primary schools and 150+ students with near-parity participation, using Taekwondo to build inclusion, life skills, and community pride across islands.

Environmental Sustainability

1st – Malta: Kick for a Cleaner Coast
In partnership with Nature Trust Malta, the federation mobilized athletes and coaches for a coastal clean-up at Ġnejna Bay, pairing hands-on stewardship with youth education and setting a template for repeatable community-led environmental action.

Health & Well-being

Joint 1st – Bhutan: Taekwondo for Sustainable Development
A 14-week, science-informed program aligned with Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness integrated somatotype-based training, health checks, and mental-well-being elements, demonstrating measurable gains in youth physical and psychological outcomes.

Joint 1st – Slovakia (HNW_03): Mental Coaching for Athletes and Trainers
A structured sport-psychology initiative for athletes and coaches addressed stress, communication, and leadership, embedding preventive mental skills and shifting culture toward holistic, long-term athlete development.

Jury process and next steps

Following the scoring and live discussion, the jury confirmed a clear top three in DEI and category winners in Environmental Sustainability and Health & Well-being (with joint winners in Health). Looking ahead – and reflecting on the jury conversation – World Taekwondo will explore measures to raise quality and participation: introducing a minimum cut-off score, aligning more closely with the biennial MNA ranking approach, and incentivizing continued engagement.

Congratulations and case-study sharing

World Taekwondo congratulates all winners and thanks every MNA that submitted. As with last year, eligible initiatives will be profiled on the WT website so our community can learn from practical examples and adapt ideas to their local context.

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TKD: Taekwondo.
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