Australian Taekwondo has thrown its support behind the "YES" campaign for the upcoming referendum on a Voice to Parliament for First Nations Australians this week.
Australian Taekwondo joins a growing number of national sports that supports the inclusion of an Indigenous Voice to Parliament and a constitutional change to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
A coalition of more than 20 of Australia's leading sporting organisations united on Friday, May 26, in support of a Voice to Parliament that saw high-profile sporting athletes, legends of the game, leaders and executives from each sport attend, including:
Australian Football League, Badminton Australia, Baseball Australia, Boxing Australia, Cricket Australia, Deaf Sport Australia, Football Australia, Golf Australia, PGA of Australia, Motorsport Australia, National Basketball League, National Rugby League, Netball Australia, No Limit Boxing, Rugby Australia, Sport Inclusion Australia, Tennis Australia, NRL Touch Football Australia, Triathlon Australia and Wheelchair Rugby League Australia.
Representatives from Australian Taekwondo attended and were joined by Chairs and CEOs of the major sporting codes. This landmark gathering of the sporting world of Australia was held in two locations simultaneously, with live crosses between both venues and representatives gathered equally in each.
Australian Taekwondo encourages individuals to make their own independent decision on the Voice to Parliament while encouraging its community to engage in conversations to learn more about what the Voice to Parliament in the upcoming referendum means to our Indigenous communities.
It has been an action-packed start to 2024 for the Australian Taekwondo National Performance Pathways program and the tangible outcomes already appear promising.
Athletes kicked off the year in full force with a four-day training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Combat Centre – a multi-sport Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Canberra.
At the age of six, Amy Tierney – now the Owner and Head Instructor at Tierney’s Taekwondo Academy in NSW – discovered Taekwondo through a lucky break. Originally from Ingleburn in the south-west of Sydney, Tierney attempted to take up boxing at nearby Campbelltown PCYC, only to be told by an instructor that “girls don’t box”.
International Taekwondo events are set to return to Brisbane in 2024, with the World Taekwondo President's Cup (Oceania) and the Australian Open confirmed for September 18-22 at Nissan Arena. Open to the world's top black belts, athletes from World Taekwondo's 212 Member National Associations are invited to attend.
