Sri Lanka Army to introduce Teakwondo Martial Art to youths in the North
Onlanka News – By Janaka Alahapperuma
A grand show was displayed at the Alfred Duraiappah stadium last Sunday on 14 August to introduce teakwondo as a martial art to Jaffna youths by the Sri Lanka Army, Security Forces Headquarters- Jaffna. A special taekwondo show was performed by Korean teakwondo instructors and the sportsmen and women of the Army taekwondo pool, including those who have won medals at international events. The introduction ceremony took place with participation of distinguished guests and a large crowd of school children.
Sri Lanka Army decided to promote teakwondo in the Jaffna peninsula and players of the Sri Lanka Army Teakwondo Association and Korean teakwondo instructors who volunteered to assist the local organizers to promote this martial art in Sri Lanka. They presented their talents in self defence, power breaking and other techniques of taekwondo which is the only martial art included in the Olympic Games.
Commander of Security Forces- Jaffna Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe attended the inauguration ceremony as Chief Guest. Mayoress of Jaffna Mrs. Y. Pathgunarasa, Additional Provincial Director of Education Mr. V.T. Selvaratnam and distinguished guests witnessed the show. The main event was followed by a one day teakwondo training session conducted for Jaffna students by the Sri Lanka Army and Korean instructors at the same venue. Nearly 300 school boys and girls attended the programme organized by the Sri Lanka Army Teakwondo Association with guidance of its chairman and also vice chairman of National Taekwondo Association Brigadier B.C.J.A.F. Rodrigo. A Teakwondo Club for Jaffna youths will be started by the Army in near future.
Earlier a two month long taekwondo course was held at the Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna with the participation of large number of senior and junior officers serving in Jaffna. Twenty one male and female officers completed the taekwondo course as instructors.
This martial art has a history of over 2000 years and originated in Korea. It was introduced to Sri Lanka in 1996 and the Sri Lankan Army is at the forefront of this martial art, producing a large number of sportsmen and women of national and international standards. Over 8000 members of the Army have followed the taekwondo course to date. Sri Lanka Taekwondo National Coach Ki Su Lee, a Korean national has been involved with promoting and teaching the sport of Taekwondo in this country for the past 13 years. He first came here as part of an initiative launched by the Korean government to popularize the sport in Sri Lanka. He started off working closely with the Special Task Force in 1997 and now is heavily involved in the Taekwondo training regiments of both the Army and Police. Most of the national team is made up of members of the Police and Army Taekwondo teams.
The overall popularity of taekwondo in Sri Lanka is very low and lack of participation on a club and school platform as being a major cause for disappointment. However now things are slowly changing though, taekwondo is getting popular among youth as a martial art in Sri Lanka. There are inter-university and inter-school competitions which are bringing younger students into the sport. According to the Sri Lanka National Coach, Lee this is a very good and positive sign of the future of the taekwondo in Sri Lanka.
Latest Headlines in Sri Lanka
- Thai vets plan to trim tusks of Muthu Raja, elephant repatriated from Sri Lanka November 22, 2024
- Sri Lanka to provide fuel-efficient vehicles for MPs to cut tax waste November 22, 2024
- 29 deputy ministers sworn in under Sri Lanka’s new government November 21, 2024
- Sri Lankan President unveils vision in 10th Parliament policy statement November 21, 2024
- Asoka Sapumal Ranwala appointed new Speaker of the Sri Lanka Parliament November 21, 2024
This is utterly stupid! Whose brain wave is this? Is the SL army now relegated to training the next wave of LTTE, funded by TNA and diasporal LTTE/Tamils and Big Mama from TN? This cras stupidity must be stopped forthwith.
Tamils are utterly ungrateful. It is ingrained in them as their second nature. They voted TNA gleefully despite having been rescued from the clutches of the brutal LTTE who held them as a human shield. TNA is LTTE proxy. They are clamouring ever more loudly now for autonomy with own military and police powers etc. They have started to rob banks, and stir up riots in the East. This is the way VP began his LTTE militancy. Why is the SL army engaged in giving free Martial arts training to the Tamil youth now? This is tantamount to training them to mount the next wave of militancy for autonomy. I hope the Hon President and Hon Defence Sec stop this nonsense immediately. Instead it is our Sinhala youth down South who should be given free military and martial arts training to meet future Tamil militancy. This is bound to happen with Tamil Nadu, diaspora Tamil and imperial West help. The writing is on the wall.
You are a racist. Do not think this way. Tamil, Sinhala or Muslim all has the same red blood. You become one of above because you perpents are so. If not you don’t know what you are at your birth. If you are in their place you will react the same way. By now we have examples. Do not act like a “donky”