MASTKD ESPAÑOL

Angelo Cito wants to expand opportunities within Italian Taekwondo and strengthen the sport’s capacity to grow internationally. In an exclusive interview with MASTKD in Paris, the President of the Italian Taekwondo Federation (FITA) and a World Taekwondo Council member outlines the goals of integrating the traditional sector and argues that the future demands daily work, a willingness to change, and professionals equipped to face growing competition among sports.

“Now is not the time to relax, but to relaunch,”

says Cito, who also expresses his sympathy for WT President Chungwon Choue and his family following the recent death of Choue’s wife.

Opening the Door to Build the Future

The interview follows MASTKD’s September 27 report on the process of bringing traditional Taekwondo associations into FITA. An initial meeting held the previous day at Rome’s “Giulio Onesti” Olympic Preparation Centre brought Cito together with organizations affiliated with FITAE-ITF to advance the creation of a Settore Tradizionale, or traditional sector, within FITA.

Cito now explains the thinking behind that initiative. As Italy marks 60 years of Taekwondo, he considers securing and consolidating the sport’s place in the Olympic programme the greatest achievement of those six decades. He also recalls that the journey required organizational and technical decisions that were not universally understood at the time.

From that perspective, he believes the time has come to offer an opportunity to practitioners who, because of historical circumstances, remained outside sporting institutions connected to the Olympic movement.

“Today, I believe the time is right to include those who, for historical reasons shaped in the past by international geopolitics, now find themselves outside the sporting institutions recognized by the IOC and National Olympic Committees, often not because of their own choices, but because of decisions made by those who came before them,” he explains.

His proposal would allow practitioners to join the federation’s movement while continuing to practise their preferred form of Taekwondo, alongside a dedicated pathway for those interested in the Olympic discipline.

“I want to give them an opportunity: to become part of our movement, practise the Taekwondo they prefer, and create a structured technical pathway for those who want to practise Olympic Taekwondo,” he says.

For Cito, the focus is on the next generation:

“I have great respect for history, but I believe that today we should not ask ourselves what Taekwondo was, but what it will be in the next ten or twenty years. And what we can and want to build for our young people.”

His answers clarify the vision behind the opening, but do not specify timelines or implementation procedures for the new sector.

Italy’s Success: Daily Work and the Courage to Change

Asked about Italy’s international success, with athletes such as Vito Dell’Aquila and Simone Alessio, and the challenges ahead of Los Angeles 2028, Cito offers a concise answer linking sporting preparation with institutional leadership.

“People often think there are secrets. The only thing that matters is work, carried out seriously and every day, both technically and in terms of governance. And having the humility and courage to change when you realize that something is not working.”

The institutional dimension also forms part of MASTKD’s continuing coverage of FITA. In April 2026, MASTKD reported that Italy had taken first place in World Taekwondo’s ranking of Member National Associations, an assessment covering governance, participation, performance, events and sustainability.

Greater Professionalism to Attract Investment

Cito’s outlook on international growth revisits a central theme of his exclusive MASTKD interview during the Rome Grand Prix in June: the need to make Taekwondo an experience capable of attracting audiences, media and sponsors.

In Paris, he places particular emphasis on the people responsible for delivering that development.

“We need more and more people who bring a high level of professionalism to their work. It is people who make the difference,” he says.

Cito notes that Taekwondo operates in a complex sporting environment, competing with organizations that possess substantial resources and can offer significant opportunities to their athletes.

He acknowledges WT’s work in making Taekwondo a global sport and praises President Choue’s comprehensive vision. At the same time, he believes that development must continue, with activities streamlined and made sustainable while maintaining the highest standards.

“That is achieved through the right people and ideas, capable of attracting others and convincing them to invest in us. Now is not the time to relax, but to relaunch.”

Sympathy for Choue and Responsibility in Leadership

In the final part of the interview, Cito expresses his sympathy for Choue and his family following the death of his wife, whom he knew personally.

“A kind person, capable of building extraordinary human relationships. We will all miss her,” he recalls.

Discussing the atmosphere within the international Taekwondo family, he says the movement has demonstrated its ability to come together in difficult times. He also offers his view on the responsibility of its leaders:

“Anyone who, throughout our history, has tried to take advantage for personal gain has always been defeated, and I am certain that this will also be the case in the future.”

Cito does not identify any individuals or specific incidents in making that assessment.

As FITA President, a WT Council member and an ETU Vice President — the roles he cites in his answer — he says he carries out his responsibilities in service to Taekwondo. Rather than presenting a message to the entire movement, he prefers to share his vision with those who care about the sport at every level, in the hope that it may be useful.

His closing words sum up that priority:

«Taekwondo above all!”

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