By ETU
18.01.2004
The European Taekwondo Championships 2002 took place in Samsun / Turkey from May 6th to May 10th 2002.With a number of 43 participating nations this European Taekwondo Championships have been the largest so far. Organization of the hosting Turkish Taekwondo Federation was good and the crowd in the hall produced an overwhelming cheer - especially when a turkish fighter was on the mat - as usual. With 6 Goldmedals the hostcountry took also the first place in the overall medal ranking.
Some criticism came up upon the length of the event which stressed the budget of the participating federations. ETU executives had discussions about this and will establish new rules for hosting countries in order to provide a smooth and streamlined organization in the future.
TV coverage of the semi-finals and finals gave a good impression of our sport and other media also covered the event.The opening ceremony showed some folklore activities and a traditional fashion show and a demonstration team from Chung Cheong College in Korea did not only spread information about their own tournament in July but also showed spectacular breaking tests and a funny self-defense sequence.
A well acknowledged medical symposion was organized by the ETU Medical Committee in the course of the European Championships where a number of specialists from different countries discussed medical problems in connection with Taekwondo, especially the antidoping matters.
The Euro Championships 2002 have been a success for Taekwondo and another step on the way to the next Olympian games in Athens 2004.
