Taekwondo in Taiwan: From the Marines to Olympic Gold – Snack 05
Taekwondo may be Korean, but few places have embraced it as enthusiastically as Taiwan. Introduced in the 1960s for the military, the fast-kicking martial art quickly spread to the wider community. Before long, Taiwan had become one of the world’s taekwondo powers; it even sent trainers to the Middle East to teach the Jordanian royal guard. But peak global glory for the island’s taekwondo fighters came at the Athens Olympics in 2004, when Taiwan won its very first Olympic gold medals.
Cover: Chen Shih-hsin (陳詩欣 / Chén Shīxīn), born 16 November 1978 is the first Taiwanese athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics. She won the gold medal in the women's 49-kilogram category in taekwondo at the 2004 Summer Olympics on August 26. Right: Chen passing down her skills to the next generation. Both images via Chen Shih-hsin Facebook page.
Below: The Olympic Flame toured the world for the first time in 2004.
Below: The logo for the sport's:
| Highest governing body | International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) and World Taekwondo (WT) |
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