JOHN KOTSIFAS - PRESIDENT OCEANIA TAEKWONDO UNION
I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to our Oceania member nations for their ongoing dedication and hard work and unwavering support throughout the 2024 year.
The 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games represented an important milestone in the development of the Oceania region. I extend the OTU’s congratulations to Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Solomon Islands that all qualified athletes for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
I know that the remarkable performances of our athletes during the 2024 games will provide great inspiration and motivation for many more athletes to achieve their dream of representing their country and Oceania at the 2028 Olympic Games. The Oceania region faces many difficult economic and geographical challenges however the 2025 yearprovides yet another opportunity for greater development and improved performances which I am confident will occur given the strong spirit and immense determination that characterises our athletes and the entire Taekwondo community in the Oceania region.
The 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Oceania (Brisbane, Australia) willbring immense opportunities for our young and emerging athletes. The challenge ahead for the OTU will be to assist out member nations and athletes with the implementation of OTU’s 2032 Step Up Strategic Plan which aims to develop athletes over the next 8 years to achieve a podium medal result in 2032. I am very confident we can achieve this goal for our region.
We have worked hard to deliver new governance, development and strategic programs in 2024 and I wish to thank all the officials, leaders and volunteers in our region for their hard work and dedication which I know will continue in 2025.
The management committee and the council will be working very hard over the next few months to implement development programs for all MNA’s in 2025. This will include training camps, referee and coach education, athlete identification programs, para development initiatives as well as assisting MNA’s to access WT development funds for equipment and financial support to attend the world cadet championships and the world championships in 2025. Very soon, we will be informing all MNA’s of our Annual General
Meeting which we expect will take place in April/May 2025.
Our new web site is now live and we have received very positive feedback from members. It continues to be developed and will also include the calendar of events for 2025. I would urge all MNA’s to view the web site and to provide the OTU with their own calendar of events and interesting stories including photos so we can publish this information on our web site.
I am also committed to addressing the recent WT council decision to remove the Continental Union Presidents from the WT council which I regard as a regressive step in CU/WT relations. This is a decision which I strongly opposed at the council meeting in late 2024. The CU’s represent a vital link between the respective continents and WT and the retention of the CU Presidents on the WT council is the most effective way the CU Presidents can represent the views and aspirations of their MNA’s within the WT decision
making process.
Our sport continues to excite and develop globally as does our strong and powerful message for peace, love, respect and friendship.
I extend my best wishes to all our member nations and their respective Taekwondo communities and wish everyone a happy, safe, healthy and prosperous new year.