The Ghana Taekwondo Federation (GTF) has begun a five-region awareness campaign aimed at introducing more schoolchildren to Taekwondo, with about 500 pupils from 10 private schools participating in the launch in Kumasi.
The campaign, being held under the theme “Promoting Taekwondo Awareness, Discipline, Fitness and Youth Development,” will cover the Ashanti, Northern, Upper West, Bono and Central regions.
It is designed to increase participation in Taekwondo, identify young talent and promote the sport’s wider benefits, including discipline, physical fitness, self-defence and confidence. The GTF said the initiative formed part of efforts to deepen its talent pipeline and take the sport beyond competitive circles.
Launching the campaign in Kumasi, GTF President Frederick Lartey Otu said the Federation wanted to broaden the role of Taekwondo beyond competitive sport.
“The future of Taekwondo in Ghana lies not only in producing champions, but also in producing disciplined, responsible and confident young people,” he said.
Mr Otu said the programme would introduce Taekwondo to more schools and communities while creating opportunities for promising young athletes to progress from school and community programmes to regional and national competition.
He said the success of the initiative would depend on collaboration among schools, parents, teachers, coaches, sports authorities and Taekwondo associations.
Education and sports
The Executive Director of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS), Obenfo Nana Kwasi Gyetuah, used the occasion to call for a change in the way sports are treated in the education system.
He said sports should not be regarded as an activity that came after academic learning but as an important part of developing children.
“For too long, we have treated sports as something children do after the real learning is done. Sports teach discipline, focus, respect, resilience, teamwork and leadership. These are not extras. They are the very foundation of the transformed learner Ghana needs,” he said.
He said Taekwondo could support both physical and character development because it required discipline, focus and self-control.
Obenfo Gyetuah urged schools and parents to give sports the time and resources needed to enable children to participate meaningfully.
“When we change the language, we change the priority,” he said. “When sports become the main curriculum for transformation, we will raise children who are not only academically sound but physically strong, emotionally balanced and morally grounded.”
NSA support
The Ashanti Regional Director of the National Sports Authority (NSA), Nana Gyaama Dakwa, pledged the Authority’s support for the campaign and encouraged more schools to participate.
She said Taekwondo could help children develop physical fitness and mental alertness, while also equipping them with self-defence skills.
“When the kids know how to defend themselves, especially the ladies, I think it will be of much help to them,” she said.
The launch featured demonstrations by schoolchildren and Taekwondo practitioners, including Poomsae, or forms, and self-defence techniques.
The GTF National Executive Board also presented uniforms and equipment to the Ashanti Regional Taekwondo Association to support training and development in the region.
The event was attended by school proprietors, teachers, parents, coaches, Taekwondo officials and representatives of the NSA and GNACOPS, including the Ashanti Regional Director of GNACOPS, Edward Akanzu Ise.
Taekwondo, a Korean martial art and Olympic sport, has been practised in Ghana for decades, but it remains less popular than football, boxing and athletics.
The GTF has in recent years intensified efforts to take the sport to schools and communities in a bid to widen its talent base and produce athletes capable of competing at regional, continental and international levels.
The five-region campaign is expected to build on that push by exposing pupils to the sport early and encouraging schools to incorporate Taekwondo into their extracurricular activities.
Federation officials say the involvement of private schools is critical because of their large pupil populations and existing sports infrastructure.
