As we move into the final months of 2025, it’s a good moment to reflect on a busy and productive quarter across all of Australian Taekwondo’s programs. From the High Performance team competing hard at the World Championships, to community initiatives and development programs, the past few months have been filled with milestones and memorable moments. As activity winds down towards the end of the year, it’s an opportunity to celebrate our collective efforts, acknowledge the dedication of our athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers, and look ahead to the exciting plans we have for 2026.

Australia’s national team delivered an inspiring performance at the 2025 World Taekwondo Championships in Wuxi, China, competing across seven days of elite international competition. The team showcased resilience, composure and world class skill, highlighted by a bronze medal from Gaby Blewitt. Gaby fought bravely against some very good opposition, with her first three fights all going to the third round. She ended up losing to the eventual Gold Medallist, in a performance to make her country proud.

Reba Stewart, Matthew Summerfield, Aiden Stilley and Saffron Tambyrajah also achieved some good results, reaching the Round of 16. This campaign demonstrated both the strength of Australia’s current high-performance athletes and the exciting potential of those progressing through the pathway.

For many team members, it was their first Senior World Championships, providing valuable experience and exposure to the highest level of competition. Congratulations to Seokhun Lee and his coaching team, as well as Combat AUS and the Victorian Institute of Sport for their support of the Australian Taekwondo High Performance program.

Australia’s finest referees Nikky White and Diego Fernando Chiriff also had the privilege to officiate at such a high level event, a credit to all of their hard work to become very good at what they do. Nikky was involved in four medal matches, including centre refereeing one of the finals. Diego was also able to centre a final, and had a great week overall. It is always good to see

Australian Taekwondo is pleased to announce the appointment of Julie Harris to the Board as an Appointed Director, effective from October 2025. Julie brings more than 20 years of business management experience across corporate, government and research sectors, supported by tertiary qualifications in Psychology and an MBA. She is also a dedicated member of the Taekwondo community as a 5th Dan practitioner and 1st Class referee. Australian Taekwondo looks forward to the valuable expertise and perspective Julie will contribute to the organisation’s ongoing development.

Following the World Taekwondo General Assembly in China, Australian Taekwondo would like to congratulate Lauren Burns and Maher Magableh for their elected positions on the World Taekwondo Council.

Lauren and Maher will represent the Oceania Region along with the other four continental elects shaping the direction on Taekwondo around the world. We are very proud to have two respected and distinguished representatives from Australia and Oceania on such a global platform. We would like extend our congratulations to Dr. Chungwon Choue for his re-election as World Taekwondo President.

The Australian Taekwondo National Championships were held in Adelaide, South Australia. The tournament saw a record number of participants, with over 2017 event entries over the weekend. Following this event, AT is working toward establishing a National Events Committee, to ensure that future Australian Events are delivered to the standard reflective of the growing participation numbers. The Committee formation will take place over the next few months and into the new year. Our thanks to ATSA for their support in delivering the 2025 National Championships.

The Green Carpet Awards Gala was held at the Pullman Hotel in Adelaide, celebrating achievements from across the Australian Taekwondo community and recognising outstanding contribution, excellence, and leadership.

 A key moment of the evening was the introduction of the Janine Watson Para Athlete of the Year award, named in honour of a four-time para poomsae World Champion and Paralympic Bronze Medallist who is also Australia’s first Taekwondo Paralympian. Shrijana Ghising was announced as the inaugural recipient for her impressive progress and aspirations to represent Australia at the 2028 LA Paralympic Games.

Both the Community Club of the Year and Community Coach of the Year were awarded to Reza Hassani of Total Taekwondo, acknowledging his leadership in building a nationally regarded refugee program that provides access, support, and opportunity through sport.

The Laurens Burns Medal, recognising dedication and elite performance in honour of Australia’s only Olympic gold medallist in Taekwondo, was awarded to Reba Stewart following an exceptional year highlighted by double gold at the Australian Open and the Oceania Presidents Cup. Congratulations to all award recipients for their outstanding achievements and contribution to the continued growth and spirit of Australian Taekwondo.

Australian Taekwondo recently convened at the National Stakeholder Forum to collaborate on strategies that address key challenges and future priorities for the sport. Representatives from Member State Associations, National Committees, the Australian Taekwondo Board and staff, along with guests including Maher Magableh from the Oceania Taekwondo Union, Kathryn Duff from the Australian Sports Commission Play Well initiative, and Alex Mednis from Revolutionise Sport, came together to contribute insights from across the sporting landscape.

The weekend workshop involved productive discussion focused on pathways, para taekwondo, community development, medical, and governance, aiming to strengthen the long term growth and sustainability of Taekwondo in Australia. Australian Taekwondo extends sincere appreciation to all participants for their commitment and for contributing valuable perspectives that will support meaningful progress.

Australian Taekwondo Referees took part in the 3rd Referee Camp on the 22nd & 23rd of November.  The camp focused on collaborative learning with participants strongly valuing the opportunity to work alongside athletes and coaches in the unified learning environment. Lead instructor Diego Chiriff shared understanding of World Taekwondo interpretations and provided real-time feedback, along with open discussion and hands-on match scenarios. Overall, the camp not only enhanced referee capability but reinforced a broader cultural shift toward unity, professionalism, and continuous improvement across Australian Taekwondo.

The referees were joined in Canberra by the National Pathway Program for a camp focused on strengthening the skills and mental resilience of our up and coming young athletes. The camp offered valuable insight into what it takes to become a professional athlete in both body and mind, including sessions from Cristiano Arruda Gomes on training load and periodisation, and Hayder Skhara who spoke about balancing life with sports and life after sport. Athletes also gained from the extensive knowledge shared by pathway coaches from each state in attendance.

This camp marked the final preparation for our decentralised Under 21 athletes to come together before travelling to Kenya. On the last day, referees integrated into the sessions for competitive match play, creating an environment where athletes, referees and coaches could learn from one another. A huge thank you to Ali Khalil, Jerry Moraitis and Ani Smith for their dedication and hard work in bringing this camp to life.

As the year draws to a close, it’s inspiring to reflect on the progress and achievements across all areas of Australian Taekwondo. The dedication and passion of our athletes, coaches, officials, and volunteers have driven success on and off the mat, from international competitions to community classes. While activities slow down over the coming weeks, we look forward to watching our young seniors compete at the World Taekwondo Under 21s Championships in Nairobi, Kenya competing in Early December. The time zones are hopefully favourable for some evening viewing across Australia. Until next year, I would like to wish everyone in our community a great holiday period with your families and safe travels into 2026.