(MENAFN - Times of Oman) Oman has become the 190th member nation of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), the world's taekwondo governing body. The WTF approved Oman's new membership at its General Assembly held in Tijuana, Mexico on March 2.
With the addition, the WTF has a global membership of 190, ranking among the top 10 International Sport Federations. The WTF targets to raise the figure over 200 in a few years.
The Oman Taekwondo Committee (OTC) headed by Brig. Gen. Ali Salim Al Sinani submitted necessary membership documents to the WTF Secretariat on January 4, 2010.
Pursuant to Article 4 of the Rules and Regulations of the WTF, the WTF granted the OTC a provisional membership status.
The General Assembly, which took place at the Grand Hotel Tijuana, also approved the revised WTF Rules and Regulations.
The new regulations stipulate the operation of the WTF World Para- Taekwondo Championships and special events for the promotion of taekwondo, such as professional taekwondo events.
The participants in the General Assembly received progress reports from the organizing committee for the taekwondo competition of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, the 2011 World Taekwondo Championships, and the 2nd World Para- Taekwondo Championships to be held on May 11 in St. Petersburg, Russia. They were briefed by Mr. Dai-soon Lee, chairman of the Taekwondo Promotion Foundation and WTF vice president, on the preparations for the curriculum of the World Taekwondo Academy at the Taekwondo Park in Muju, Korea.
A day earlier on March 1, the WTF Council voted to decide on the host sites for three of its major events in 2010 and 2011. China won the right to host the 2010 WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships in Urumqi, the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on July 25-30, 2010. China outvoted Senegal to earn the honors.
Azerbaijan beat the United States to earn the right to host 2011 WTF World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament for the 2012 London Olympic Games in Baku, while Uzbekistan grabbed the right to host the 5th WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships in Tashkent this year as it outvoted Vietnam.
With its full membership, Omani Taekwondo players can participate all Taekwondo tournaments officially organized by the WTF.
