Tae Kwon Do is one of the most widely practiced martial arts in the world today. Literal translation of Tae means “foot,” Kwon means “fist,” and Do means “the way.” Together it is Tae Kwon Do, the way of foot and fist.
It was not until 1945 when Korea was liberated that the roots of modern Tae Kwon Do began to spread. However by this time, Korean martial arts were predominately Japanese Karate with various techniques from Chinese martial arts.
In Korea at this time, there were many major schools (kwans). An attempt was made to unify the schools, but disagreement among them left this unresolved for many years. In 1955, another meeting was held to unite the kwans under one common name. The name chosen was Tae Kwon Do. It has been recognized as the Korean national sport since that day and has been growing in popularity every since.
In 1973 the World Taekwondo Federation was formed, which helps spread Tae Kwon Do around the globe. In 1988 Tae Kwon Do was an exhibition sport for the Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea and made its debut as an official sport for the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia in the year 2000.
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