The European Taekwondo Union (ETU) or World Taekwondo Europe (WTE) is the official governing body for all

Taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...

matters in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

as a regional organisation of

World Taekwondo World Taekwondo, called the World Taekwondo Federation until June 2017, is an international federation governing the sport of taekwondo and is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The ''World Taekw ...

. It comprises the National Taekwondo Federations of all the European member nations and regulates all Taekwondo matters on a continental basis. The first participating countries in the ETU were

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

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and the UK. The first president was Antonio Garcia de la Fuente. The First European Championships of the ETU were held in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

on May 22–23, 1976. After being considered only a demonstration sports event twice - in

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1988 and Barcelona 1992 - the WTF style (Olympic Style Taekwondo) - was incorporated as a full Olympic discipline in

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in 2000. After the

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, it was announced that European Taekwondo Union will not recognise taekwondo events organised in Russia and Belarus, and will not host events in either country. Members of the European Taekwondo Union (WTF Style) uses the Hyung#Poomsae style of teaching Taekwondo.

Main events

European Taekwondo Championships The European Taekwondo Championships are the European senior championships in Taekwondo, first held in Barcelona in 1976. The event is held every two years and is organized by the European Taekwondo Union, the continental affiliate of World Taek ...

* European Taekwondo Championships in Olympic Weights * European Kids Taekwondo Championships * European Cadets Taekwondo Championships * European Juniors Taekwondo Championships * European U21 Taekwondo Championships * European Masters Taekwondo Championships * Multi European Taekwondo Championships (WTE) * European Clubs Taekwondo Championships * European Poomsae Taekwondo Championships * European Online Poomsae Taekwondo Championships * European Beach Taekwondo Championships *

European Universities Taekwondo Championships European Universities Taekwondo Championships were the first organised in 2009 and are organised every two years. The European Universities Taekwondo Championships are coordinated by the European University Sports Association along with the 18 ot ...

* President Cup Europe (WT) * European Para Taekwondo Open Championships * European Hanmadang Taekwondo Championships

Open

* Polish Taekwondo Open * Russia Taekwondo Open * Spanish Taekwondo Open * Turkey Taekwondo Open

The 5 tenets of ETU (WT style) taekwondo

* Etiquette * Modesty * Perseverance * Self control * Indomitable Spirit

The ETU (WT style) taekwondo student oath

* To observe the tenets of Taekwondo * To have respect for instructors and fellow students * To never misuse the art of Taekwondo * To be a champion of freedom and justice * To help build a more peaceful world

Advancement

Advancing through the belts is done by a system of gradings. Gradings are typically held in 3 month cycles at regional training centres. Grading systems will typically consist of line work, patterns, theory, and sparring. Students can typically advance through the belts at a rate of 1 Kup every 3 months. Although it is possible for students who perform exceptionally well during their grading to 'double promote', this means that they gain 2 Kup instead of one. this is however not very common and is only done if the student has exhibited complete understanding of the material they are being tested on as well as control and maturity. A double promotion is not possible for a student of red belt (2nd Kup) because their instructor is not permitted to grade them for their black belt.

Belts

ETU uses the following system of belt gradings: * 10th Kup - White belt (white signifies innocence, as a student with no previous knowledge of Taekwondo) * 9th Kup - White belt with yellow tag * 8th Kup - Yellow belt (yellow signifies earth, from which the metaphorical plant sprouts forth and takes root as the foundations of Taekwondo are laid) * 7th Kup - Yellow belt with green tag * 6th Kup - Green belt (green signifies the plant's growth as skills are developed) * 5th Kup - Green belt with blue tag * 4th Kup - Blue belt (blue signifies heaven, towards which the plant is growing as training progresses) * 3rd Kup - Blue belt with red tag * 2nd Kup - Red belt (red signifies danger, cautioning the student to exercise control and warning opponents) * 1st Kup - Red belt with black tag * 1st Dan - Black belt (black is opposite to white and signifies maturity and proficiency in taekwondo)

References

External links

* {{Sports governing bodies in Europe National members of World Taekwondo