THE KOREAN SYNDROME OVERCOME

Azerbaijan's national tae kwon do team has turned a new page in its history. We are talking about the world team championship at the Sports Palace which saw the host team win bronze medals. What matters is not the result, but victory over the Koreans, the world's tae kwon do leaders, who were kept off the podium by our athletes.

One step from the final

Azerbaijan's path through the tournament was not an easy one - after being defeated by the Russians (2-3) at the outset of the team stage, our team then beat the tae kwon do players from Brazil (4-1) and Italy (5-0), achieving the best result of the teams that took second place in the subgroups. This allowed our national team to join the strongest eight and play 'above themselves'. The Koreans, Azerbaijan's opponents in the quarterfinals, were regarded as the tournament favourites. However, the hosts demonstrated will, technique and high class in their match with the founders of tae kwon do. These fights could have provided a scenario for a follow-up to the famous 1980s movie "Best of the Best", with Eric Roberts: the injury to Samir Aydinov (54 kg) who overcame the pain to beat Dong Kyun Kim with plenty to spare, 16-7, and the course of the decisive fifth bout, which was decided in extra-time, with Ramin Azizov (+82 kg) turning out to be stronger than Sang Hun Lee for the golden point.

It is notable that Ramin had replaced two-time Olympic participant, Rasad Ahmadov, who had health problems following the match with the Russians. The coaches decided not to take a risk and brought in the reserve, who did not fail them. On the whole, the inexperienced youngsters looked quite good compared with their more experienced team-mates, specifically world championship bronze medal winner Tavakkul Bayramov, who did not win a single fight in the World Cup. Continuing the story of the competition, the team must have given their all in this match, because their semi-final against the Turks did not go so well; the host team losing ahead of time to the team from the shores of the Bosporus, who went on to win the cup. In any case, the host team can add their victory over Korea to their account. What is more, the tournament clearly showed that the national team now has promising young sportsmen who are capable of doing well. We should make special note of Aydinov, as he did not lose a single fight at the World Cup, as well as Azizov, who was mainly "to blame" for the victory over the Koreans. The team also include Rovsan Mammadov (63 kg), who is only just gaining experience, as well as Ilkin Sahbazov (72 kg), who is almost regarded as a veteran at the age of 22. So, the team has potential enough and just needs to realize it.

The team achieved this result without going to tournaments: this year the adult team participated in only one tournament in Iran, putting the emphasis on team practice sessions. In any case, following the World Cup, the national team will have the opportunity to gain more experience; they already have to brace themselves for the second half of the season, specifically for the summer world championship in Copenhagen.

Unfortunately, the women's team failed to follow the men's example at the World Cup in getting through the group stage. Having lost to Greece and Brazil, the team ended their appearance at the preliminary stage, which shows that they still need to hone their skills. It would seem that the first step towards this is the appointment of the former world champion, Niyamaddin Pasayev, who has completed his career, to the post of main coach of the women's team.

It must be remembered that the World Cup was preceded by the first World Paralympic Championship which was also held in Baku. Azerbaijan's national team were at their best here, winning one gold, two silver and three bronze medals. The principal hero was Cahangir Bayramov (+80 kg) who beat Israel's David Ben-Elisha in the final.

Our results at the Paralympic Games were really impressive, especially as the team included not only sportsmen who had engaged in tae kwon do, but also some who had performed recently in other disciplines. We are talking about the athlete Aleksandr Polishchuk, who has participated twice in the World Paralympic Games and won. After some relevant training sessions, he learnt the skills of martial arts and reached the final of the world championship in the 80 kg weight category. Although he lost to Turkey's Bayram Kayan in the decisive fight, Aleksandr can proudly add the second place to his list of honours.

Another silver medal was won by Rahman Alakbarov (68 kg), who lost to France's Nicolas Saez-Manzanares in the final. The bronze winners were Rovsan Qahramanov (58 kg) and Vuqar Adisirinov (80 kg). In the 80 kg division, Bayramov met no match - he went smoothly through the tournament and gained a decisive victory over Israel's Ben-Elisha. Thus, the Azerbaijani team won medals of all colours, setting a good example to participants in the following World Cup.

Innovations from the WTF

The organisation of the contests was highly appreciated by the leadership of the World Federation (WTF) and its president, Chungwon Choue. It is significant that the organization granted Azerbaijan the status of a regional centre of tae kwon do in view of the first class base and energetic work of the national federation. It was notable, too, that during the World Cup in Baku, innovations to the schedule of WTF contests, electronic jackets and video replays, were applied for the first time in Baku. "Refereeing will become more transparent and, what is more, in many sports, 'electronics' has proved itself. In the event of an appeal, the sides can always watch video replays. We are actively introducing this innovation which is gaining more and more support," said Chungwon Choue.

He also clarified the prospects of tae kwon do as an Olympic programme. "Currently, the Inter-national Olympic Committee has identified 26 sports which will be represented at the Games in 2016, including tae kwon do. The autumn session of the IOC in Copenhagen will identify a further two sports to be represented in the Games. So there is no need to worry about the prospects of tae kwon do," said the

President of the World Federation. He said that by number of member states, the WTF is second only to FIFA. Currently, the World Federation includes 189 states and it is expected to accept two others soon, while 70 million people are engaged in the sport around the globe.

At the same time, while talking about the national team's chances of winning medals at the Olympic Games, the WTF president asked Azerbaijani fans not to lose heart. "Our sport is developing at a high rate, and even Afghanistan has produced winners at the Games, while Mexico has won two gold medals. So everything lies ahead," said Chungwon Choue. His remarks were supported by Azerbaijan's Minister of Youth and Sports, Azad Rahimov, who stressed that Azerbaijani tae kwon do players have every possibility of achieving a good result. "In two Olympic tournaments in a row, our sportsmen fell one step short of the medals. What is the reason for this? It is difficult to give a clear answer because Azerbaijan's tae kwon do federation is one of the most exemplary. The national team has a wonderful complex, the sport is actively developing in the country's regions and the coaches are working hard. Perhaps, it is necessary to toughen the system of selection for the national team or engage new specialists," the minister said.

The First Vice-President of the National Federation, Fuzuli Musayev, said after the contest that the national team are not far behind many of the favourites. "We have promising young people who will replace the current leaders. So the team is being renewed," he explained. It seems that the process of renewal has just begun and now the guys need to gain international experience and find their feet among the strongest teams. This might take years, but the victory over Korea in the World Cup certainly gave our sportsmen additional belief in their power.