Taekwondo Canada – (Ottawa, Canada) World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) announced at the Gala awards on Sunday that Song Chul Kim has been named the 2016 WTF male referee of the year, while the female referee of the year award went to Maria Merkouri of Georgia. These awards are presented annually to players, coaches, referees, and organizations to recognise their outstanding contributions to the development of taekwondo on the international level.

 

Master Kim earned the WTF Referee of the Year award after a successful and busy 2016, including a second Olympic experience in Rio. He was recognized for this award by the WTF, who formed a selection committee in order to assess and determine the most deserving recipients for 2016.

 

“I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to Master Song Chul Kim for receiving this prestigious award as the best male Referee in the world in 2016,” said Darlene MacDonald, the Executive Director of Taekwondo Canada, “He exemplifies the highest level of professionalism and commitment in and out of the ring. He is truly a positive role model and an inspiration to our Canadian taekwondo community.”

 

“This is more than an individual award, “said Darlene MacDonald, “It is representative of the exceptional quality of our referee program, the outstanding leadership that is present in Canada, and the remarkable individuals that contribute to its success. There is a large group of dedicated referees devoting their time and energy to all levels of taekwondo competition in Canada. Master Kim winning the Referee of the Year Award reflects all the hard work people in this community have been doing.”

 

 

About Taekwondo Canada

Taekwondo Canada is the national Sport Federation in Canada recognized by the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU), Sport Canada and Canadian Olympic Committee.  Together with its membership and partners, Taekwondo Canada leads the pursuit of honouring tradition, enabling excellence and building champions.