WTF president receives ‘most precious’ present from athlete

WTF President Chungwon Choue’s office in the federation’s Seoul is packed with souvenirs, gifts and treasures from world leaders and sports officials. The gifts come from every corner of the world and range from congratulatory plaques to a West Point cavalry sabre - even a family of faux lions.
Now, a new and very special gift will take pride of place in this room.
That special gift is a rectangular embroidery of hand-stitched flowers, presented to the WTF president on the sidelines of the 6th World Para-Taekwondo Championships in Samsun, Turkey, on September 17, 2015.
The presenter? None other than Ukrainian para-taekwondo wunderkind Vika Marchuk.
“It was really touching, it was the first time I have ever received a gift like that,” said Choue, clearly taken aback at the surprise gesture. “How long did it take her to make that?”
“I really appreciate Dr. Choue because he did so many things for para-taekwondo,” said the diminutive Ukrainian para-athlete. “He has put so much energy into it.”
Having suffered an extraordinarily hard life as a result of her disabilities – she was abandoned as a baby and raised in an orphanage - para-taekwondo has proven a boon to Marchuk. She has won three golds at World Para-Taekwondo Championships, and took silver in Samsun.
As a result of her sporting achievements, she has been given an apartment and a stipend by a grateful government.
Making the gift particularly precious is the amount of painstaking work that went into the stitching: Vika has only four fingers on her right hand. Answering Choue’s question as to how long it had taken her to complete the embroidery – which is her hobby - Marchuk said, “About three weeks; some days I did five hours on it, some days, 12 hours.”
Remarkably - even though he became WTF president in 2004 – Choue had never received a personal present from an athlete.
“I will put it up in my office,” said Choue. “Everyone who comes in, I will say, This is the most prestigious gift I ever received.’”