MAHAMA, Rwanda (May 6, 2025) – World Taekwondo President Dr. Chungwon Choue, accompanied by IOC Member Félicité Rwemarika and WT Council Member Maher Magableh, visited the Mahama Refugee Camp in Rwanda to support and encourage the development of Taekwondo in the region.

 

During the visit, Dr. Choue reaffirmed WT’s commitment by pledging to provide Taekwondo equipment, including mats, uniforms, and Virtual Taekwondo gear. He praised the young athletes' demonstration and expressed confidence in their potential to compete in Virtual Taekwondo Championships. Citing a Rwandan athlete’s silver medal at last year’s Muju Virtual Taekwondo Championships, Dr. Choue announced plans to invite one outstanding athlete from the camp to a future Virtual Taekwondo Championships.

 

Dr. Choue and IOC Member Rwemarika delivered a message of hope, encouraging the youth to pursue their dreams through Taekwondo. He also announced that the WT Demonstration Team will visit Rwanda next year, including a stop at the Mahama camp.

 

During the visit, Dr. Choue also met Para Taekwondo star Parfait Hakizimana, a Burundian refugee who competed at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and now lives and coaches at Mahama. Having fled Burundi’s civil unrest in 2015, Hakizimana has since trained over 1,000 refugee children in Taekwondo through a school he founded in the camp, with support from the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF).

 

On May 5, Dr. Choue and Maher Magableh met with IOC Member Félicité Rwemarika and Mbonigaba Boniface, a representative of the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation in Kigali.

 

Dr. Choue introduced the 3rd Hope and Dreams Sports Festival, recently held in Amman, Jordan (April 30–May 4), and presented a video recap. Inspired by the initiative, IOC Member Rwemarika expressed interest in joining next year’s 10th anniversary edition.

 

The Rwanda Taekwondo Federation reported that five refugee camps currently operate in the country, with Mahama and Kiziba each hosting around 300 Taekwondo practitioners. Dr. Choue proposed launching an inter-camp Taekwondo tournament modeled after the Jordan experience.

 

Highlighting Rwanda’s recent achievements—including a silver medal at the Diamond Game and Virtual Taekwondo Championships—Dr. Choue expressed optimism about the country's future in Virtual Taekwondo competitions.