SOFIA, Bulgaria — Slavcho “Slavi” Binev, President of the Bulgaria Taekwondo Federation, linked the Bulgaria Open’s organizational growth to an idea he repeated as his central message: Taekwondo must shape people before champions, and leadership means “not hiding problems,” but solving them with determination.
En una conversación exclusiva con MASTKD, el Secretario General de la European Taekwondo Union (ETU), Antonio Barbarino, afirmó que el Campeonato Europeo Senior 2026 (G4), previsto en Múnich (Alemania), fue planificado como una edición sin precedentes por escala y proyección, con organización alineada a las normas de World Taekwondo (WT).
SOFÍA, Bulgaria — Slavcho “Slavi” Binev, presidente de la Bulgaria Taekwondo Federation, vinculó el crecimiento organizativo del Bulgaria Open con una idea que repitió como eje: el Taekwondo debe formar personas antes que campeones, y el rol dirigencial consiste en “no esconder los problemas”, sino resolverlos con decisión.
In an exclusive conversation with MASTKD, European Taekwondo Union (ETU) Secretary General Antonio Barbarino said the 2026 European Senior Championships (G4) in Munich, Germany, had been designed as an unprecedented edition in scale and projection, with organization aligned to World Taekwondo (WT) standards.
The international referee and official of the Belgian Taekwondo Federation reviewed his work in educating and updating referees, analyzed the impact of recent rule changes, and previewed how Belgium will apply the new guidelines at its upcoming events, including the Belgium Open (March 21 and 22) and a Poomsae G1 scheduled for June 7.
The 2026 U.S. Open will be held at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino (Paradise Event Center), and USA Taekwondo has distributed an operational information package with points that directly impact the planning of international delegations (MNAs), coaches, athletes, and spectators. Among the most relevant points included warnings about time changes in the United States, accreditation procedures, mandatory weigh-in windows, random weigh-ins, competition rules, institutional agenda, and logistical details within the venue.
El U.S. Open 2026 se realizará en el Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino (Paradise Event Center) y USA Taekwondo distribuyó un paquete de información operativa con puntos que impactan directamente en la planificación de delegaciones internacionales (MNAs), entrenadores, atletas y espectadores. Entre lo más relevante, se incluyeron advertencias por cambio de hora en Estados Unidos, procedimientos de acreditación, ventanas obligatorias de pesaje, controles aleatorios (random weigh-ins), reglas de competencia, agenda institucional y detalles logísticos dentro del venue.
Petar Palazov, vice president of Bulgaria Taekwondo Federation, confirmed to MASTKD that the high number of registrations forced the Bulgaria Open to move to a larger arena, which he described as “the best” and “newest” in the country. He said that the aim of the event was to consolidate an international-standard competition and, at the same time, to promote an institutional vision of “Taekwondo beyond sport,” linking performance, values, and training.
World Taekwondo (WT) officially designated Taekwondowon as the first Virtual Taekwondo Central Training Center, describing the move as a milestone in Taekwondo’s digital evolution and a strategic step to accelerate the development and global expansion of Virtual Taekwondo.
World Taekwondo (WT) designó oficialmente a Taekwondowon como el primer Virtual Taekwondo Central Training Center, en lo que definió como un hito en la evolución digital del Taekwondo y un paso estratégico para acelerar el desarrollo y la expansión global del Taekwondo Virtual.
