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(Released July 2009)
Ottawa athlete wins bronze at
first World Para-Taekwondo Championships in Baku,
Azerbaijan
On June 10th, 2009, the only Canadian Para-Taekwondo athlete, Ken Stasiak, 50 years old, and a third degree Black Belt from Grandmaster Tae Eun Lee’sTaekwondo School in Ottawa, brought home the Bronze medal for Canada. The event in Baku was a historic one, as it is the 1st ever World Para-Taekwondo Championships, an event that has been in the planning for over 4 years, and a prerequisite to consideration for inclusion in future Paralympic Games. This event saw competitors from 21countries across 5 continents.
Para-Taekwondo was conceived and developed by Ottawa’s Grandmaster Tae Eun Lee who has developed a framework and program tailored to Special Needs and Disabilities. Grandmaster Tae Eun Lee was a driving force to have Taekwondo included in the Olympic Games and he is currently Chairman of the WTF Para-Taekwondo Committee, leading the efforts to hopefully have Taekwondo recognized one day as an official event at the Paralympic Games. He is also an Auditor to the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), a technical delegate of many games, and is the first martial artist to be inducted in the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame.
Para-Taekwondo is for athletes who have a disability who still want to compete at an international level in Taekwondo Sparring or Poomsae (patterns). The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) is the only official governing body for Taekwondo internationally, and recognized by the International Olympic Committee. The WTF has realized the need to create a committee to provide guidance for Para-Taekwondo to see it excel as a sport, and to provide the opportunity for athletes to compete in a fair and equitable manner. The future competitions will include Sparring and Poomsae for athletes who do not participate in standard competitions. This includes athletes who have vision impairments, hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities (e.g. cerebral palsy), physical disabilities and amputations.
Bronze medal winner Ken Stasiak (who lost full use/control of his arm due to cancer) once doubted
he would be able to learn the sport but was encouraged to try it. "When my son started Taekwondo, I was intrigued by the sport, but wondered if I would be able to do it. Grandmaster Tae E. Lee introduced me to a few students with special needs and he convinced me to give it a try. Years later as an instructor, I enjoy
helping others reach their goals. Grandmaster Tae E. Lee's philosophy of "Yes, I can" and "You never fail until you stop trying" is an inspiration and a vital component of the program taught at the Ottawa school and satellite schools operated under Grandmaster Tae Eun Lee’s program. He stresses not only the physical aspects of Taekwondo, but also the spiritual, philosophical, and social aspects often missing from other fitness and martial arts programs.” Says Stasiak
“This (Baku) was an exciting experience and a tremendous honour to represent Canada at the First Para-Taekwondo championships. I would really like to thank Grandmaster Tae E. Lee for hisgreat help and personal guidance. I would also like to thank Grandmaster Lee for his great efforts organizing this event
along with the assistance of Master David Silverman and Marcel Lacasse. Thank you also to Master Dean
Gournakis with help in training for the competition.", says Stasiak. |
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