Dr. Chungwon Choue Meets Refugee Athletes at Tashkent 2026
During the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue met with members of the World Taekwondo Refugee Team, once again placing one of the sport’s most meaningful dimensions at the center of the international stage: Taekwondo’s capacity to serve as a vehicle for inclusion, support and hope.
During the Tashkent 2026 World Taekwondo Junior Championships, World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue met with members of the World Taekwondo Refugee Team, once again placing one of the sport’s most meaningful dimensions at the center of the international stage: Taekwondo’s capacity to serve as a vehicle for inclusion, support and hope.
The meeting included four refugee team athletes competing at the junior world event: Essa Mousa Alkhalaf in the men’s -55kg division, Mahmoud Qasim Abukhshet in men’s -51kg, Kafa Al Mubarak in women’s -55kg and Aya Morad Alahmad in women’s -68kg. Their coach, Ahmad Faisal Okaidat, also took part in the gathering.
Also present were World Taekwondo Council Member and Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation Operations Director Maher Magableh, along with World Taekwondo Secretary General Jeongkang Seo, in a meeting that carried significance well beyond the competitive context.
The athletes and their coach come from refugee camps in Jordan, including Azraq and Zaatari, and are part of the growing Taekwondo community supported through the long-term initiatives of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation.
During the encounter, Choue praised the athletes’ dedication and resilience, underscoring the idea that sport can become a real platform for transformation and international opportunity.
“To become a champion, you must continue to train hard and stay committed,” Choue said.
“If you keep working with determination, you can achieve your dreams – just like Yahya Al Ghotany, who carried the Refugee Team flag at the Paris Olympic Games. With effort and perseverance, participating at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and LA28 Olympic Games is within your reach.”
His reference to Yahya Al Ghotany pointed to one of the strongest symbols to emerge from World Taekwondo’s humanitarian structure. A refugee athlete from Azraq camp, Al Ghotany has become a clear example of what can be achieved when talent, persistence and institutional support come together on the Olympic path.
The presence of the World Taekwondo Refugee Team at Tashkent 2026 added more than competitive value to the championships. It reinforced a message World Taekwondo has consistently projected in recent years: Taekwondo is not only a high-performance sport, but also a tool for peace, integration and human development in communities marked by displacement and uncertainty.
At an event designed to showcase the future of global Taekwondo, the refugee team’s participation served as a reminder that elite competition can also carry a deeply human dimension, where stepping onto the mat means not only chasing medals, but representing stories of resilience that reach far beyond sport.
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