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East Timor Joins WTF as 189th Member Nation

East Timor, or known as Timor-Leste, became the 189th member nation of the World Taekwondo Federation on May 18, 2009.

The Timor-Leste Taekwondo Federation, led by Dr. Lucas Da Costa, recently submitted necessary membership documents to the WTF and the latter gave the Asian country a provisional membership status, after thoroughly reviewing them.

“Pursuant to Article 4 of the WTF Rules and Regulations, the WTF recognizes the Timor-Leste Taekwondo Federation as its provisional member,” the WTF said in a letter dated on May 18, 2009 to the president of the Timor-Leste Taekwondo Federation.

Article 4 stipulates “Admittance into the WTF shall require the approval of the WTF Council and the General Assembly of the WTF. The national taekwondo associations applying for the membership of the WTF are required to present designated application documents to the WTF together with a letter of recognition from the pertinent National Olympic Committee, or in its absence, its highest national sport authority.”

It continues to say, “In addition, they are also required to hand in a letter pledging to dispatch at least two competitors, ideally one male and one female, to the WTF World Championships and the WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships.”

As a provisional member, the East Timor taekwondo body is able to send its athletes to all WTF-promoted, and/or sanctioned taekwondo events, but it has no voting right until it becomes a full member of the WTF.

The WTF will decide on East Timor’s full membership at the WTF Council meeting on June 9 in Baku, Azerbaijan, and the WTF’s General Assembly on Oct. 13, 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark on the occasion of the WTF World Taekwondo Championships.

With the joining of East Timor, the WTF membership has increased to 187 and it expects its membership may exceed the 190 mark by the upcoming General Assembly in October 2009.

Among the International Sports Federations governing the 26 summer Olympic sports, the WTF ranks among the top 10 in terms of the number of membership.