After General Choi Hong Hi left Korea, the development of taekwondo continued under the leadership of the Korean Association.
In 1972, a taekwondo development center, Kukkiwon (국기원), was opened in Seoul, and in 1973 the first World Taekwondo Championship was held there. At the same time, the World Taekwondo Federation (WT) was established to promote the style outside of Korea.
The Olympic style, developed by Kukkiwon specialists, is distinguished by its rules, terminology, and techniques — the main difference being the prohibition of hand strikes to the head during competitions.
The World Taekwondo Federation became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which allowed this sport to be included in the Olympic Games program.
In 2017, the organization changed its name to World Taekwondo (WT) and underwent rebranding.
Today, it unites 220 national federations, of which 206 are recognized by the IOC.

Taekwondo (WT) in Uzbekistan began to actively develop in the early 1990s, after the country gained independence.
This young sport quickly gained popularity among the youth thanks to its spectacle, discipline, and philosophy.

In 1993, the Taekwondo (WT) Association was established in Uzbekistan, uniting the first sections and sports clubs.
Just a few years later, the preparation of national teams began for participation in international tournaments under the auspices of the World Taekwondo (WT).

Since the late 1990s, Uzbek athletes have been participating in Asian and World Championships, where they began achieving their first victories.

In the 2000s, new branches and training halls were actively opened across the country, a system of youth sports schools was established, and taekwondo was integrated into the state sports programs.

A strong boost for the development of taekwondo in Uzbekistan was the participation of our athletes in the Olympic Games.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the country was represented by Dmitriy Shokin, Nikita Rafalovich, and Nigora Tursunkulova.
Their example inspired a new generation, and in the following years, Uzbek taekwondo athletes began winning medals at Asian Championships, Asian Games, and international Grand Prix events.

Today, taekwondo (WT) in Uzbekistan is one of the most popular martial arts.
The association unites dozens of branches across the country, with thousands of young athletes training in sports schools and clubs.
Uzbekistan consistently ranks among the strongest Asian nations in this sport, while the national team continues to prepare for new achievements at World Championships and the Olympic Games.