BackCHRONICLE OF A WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

OCTOBER 2013

The Organizing Committee: Master Fabio Caiazzo, Paola Pepe, Claudia Turri, Tiziana Garofalo … indeed, 4 members ready to host 32 delegations from all over the world, in total 630 athletes, coaches, masters, managers and spectators.

A colossal undertaking, thinking better of it now, but in those days, October 2013, we hadn’t thought of what would be an unforgettable world sporting event for us!

Master Caiazzo, minutely and forcefully, allocates assignments, responsibilities, burdens and honours to guarantee the smooth running of the World Championship arrangements.  He counts on us, in spite of our inexperience, he knows how to motivate people, he wants us to brave and tackle the task with courage and fairness. We’re tied by a close friendship, which has endured for years, but now we’re a sort of a family-team, a relationship that has been no change to the friendship, indeed it is much more rugged thanks to the difficulties that we have faced together and solved together.

Initially the arrangements were elapsing quietly, but little by little, month by month problems became bigger than expected … misunderstandings, cuts and changes to the official program, various glitches, all manner of obstructions from all directions!

During these hard months before the great Event, our focal mainstay had been the unfailing phone contact with GM Choi, our only and irreplaceable point of reference. He has always stayed with us, he addressed us words of encouragement, sympathy and respect … very long “refreshing” phone calls managed by Paola, with her difficulty speaking English, but GM Choi cheered her up even for this shortcoming!  We really need to emphasize this respect, we don’t want to reverence the highest ITF membership, we want to manifest our friendship and our high regard for GM Choi … thank you, thank you, thank you!

JUNE 2014

Championship is approaching, the organization undergoing rapid growth, suppliers avoiding contracts, misunderstandings disturbing the international equilibrium, obstacles, problems … but the OC, in training and taking everything on the chin, continues the race against time, solving problems every day, every hour, every minute. The OC worked 24 hours!

Among these difficulties, however, we want to point out the respect that has made a contribution to making things easier:  friendship grown up entirely by mail with many delegations, masters, athletes, ITF managers. A boundless thanks goes to you, our dear friends, thank you for understanding, thank you for drying tears, thank you for goading on, thank you for stopping strong criticisms of our work … We’ll never forget!

JULY 2014

We’re all in Rome, delegations are arriving, emails unveil a human face, smiles, hugs, bows. We are like the Olympic circles, the five Continents are together under the ITF flag and the Olympic torch fired when GM Choi arrived.

Our stadium the Palafijlkam, Ostia Lido, shrine of martial arts which, for the first time, allows Taekwon-do art, our Taekwon-do!

Master Caiazzo is involved personally in the Opening Ceremony, a martial dance with professional dancers and his rewarded “sons”, a tumble down full of meanings … teacher of wisdom and martial arts tumbling down because of his “son”, embarrassed and fearful the first, weepy the second which falls down just opposite a world audience, just opposite his GM Choi, just opposite his old adversaries, his students … but that is life, the secret of life, a rainy day and a sunny day and continue thinking that you’re fighting for something more important than you are and dedicate your life to it!

Competitions started!

Until now, we have never witnessed such a high standard of fights and forms, from all over the world landed on the Palafijlkam, excellent Taekwon-do, watertight techniques, young white hopes of all ages and from all schools.

The wheels of the Championship have started turning thanks to a joint action between the OC and GM Nicholls, GM Galarraga, Master Maidana, Master Barat, a professional agency, and all the other coworkers. Without them our World Championship would have faced criticism, but this didn’t happen, so thank you dear friends, sincerely, thank you!

Evenings in the hotel passed quickly, all of us (the OC, athletes, coaches, masters …) were stressed and tired, no desire to socialize. In every corner of the hotel you met faces snarling with pain because of the thumps, smiling champions, paternal embraces of masters to their defeated athletes … adorable scenes, pure energy for the OC.

27^TH JULY

We have reached the end of the World Championship, on the stage the World Cup very well managed by the Italian ITF President, Master Antonio Troiano, an important ITF historical figure and our wise reference during more critical moments.

We’re getting melancholic, very very sad because the Olympic circles are melting, the great ITF family will divide again until the next World Championship.

Sadness currently forgotten thanks to the final dance party in the hotel … a world without borders of language, religion, mankind, the ITF world was dancing the same music, exchanging looks and smiles, raising glasses to victory and defeat, photos, phone numbers, facebook accounts …

So, this is the scene that will always be in our heart: the ITF celebrating, the ITF reflecting all colours, all races, the ITF embracing all of us.

Our goal has been attained!

The Organizing Committee

Fabio, Paola, Claudia, Tiziana