Thomas Bach Presented with Taekwondo Humanitarian Trophy

MUNICH, Germany – Thomas Bach, Honorary President for Life of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Chair of the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF), was presented with the Taekwondo Humanitarian Trophy by World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue on May 14 during the European Taekwondo Championships 2026 in Munich, Germany. IOC Member Samira Asghari also attended the Championships and joined the occasion.

Bach became the second recipient of the trophy in recognition of his exceptional leadership and longstanding commitment to refugees and displaced communities through sport. During his presidency, the IOC strengthened global support systems for refugee athletes and further advanced the role of sport as a force for hope, inclusion and peace. Through the Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF), the IOC has also provided significant support to integrate refugee Taekwondo athletes into elite competition, committing more than USD 500,000 to support 15 senior and junior refugee athletes on their pathway to the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games and the LA28 Olympic Games.

World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue said:

“This year, we are celebrating two very special milestones – the 50th anniversary of the European event and Dr. Bach’s 50th anniversary of winning his gold medal in Montreal. It is a very special “50 and 50” celebration, and I am very happy to present the Taekwondo Humanitarian Trophy in your home country.”

His support for the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) has been especially meaningful and sets a gold standard for humanitarian collaboration. Under Bach’s presidency, the IOC awarded the Olympic Cup — the Olympic Movement’s highest distinction for an organisation — to the THF in recognition of its efforts to empower refugees around the world through Taekwondo. Bach praised the THF as an organisation that embodies the humanitarian spirit of Olympism by bringing hope, education and opportunity to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

Bach noted that World Taekwondo, under the leadership of Choue, was the first international sports federation to join the IOC’s initiatives into the humanitarian area, thus marking a historic shift in how sports federations can engage with each other in response to global crises.

Thomas Bach said:

“Sport is about humanitarian efforts, and therefore we always have the responsibility to care for human beings, for athletes, for their education, and for their values..Dr. Choue was a great partner of mine and of the Olympic Movement. In particular, through his work with refugees, he became the first international federation president to join our efforts to bring refugees to the Olympic Games. This is why I am so grateful to him, and since then, we have become like brothers.”

The first-ever recipient of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Trophy was H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, who received the award for his generous financial contributions and continued support for the THF’s humanitarian initiatives for refugees worldwide.

MAS: Media About Sport.
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