Source: Korea News
Senate passed... State of California enacts 'Taekwondo Day' on September 4
By Hong Hee-jung
A resolution (ACR 1) was passed by the California State Senate to establish September 4 as 'Taekwondo Day' every year. Following the passage of the Assembly on June 17th, today (15th) California Senate also passed, and from this year on, September 4th is celebrated as 'Taekwondo Day' every year.
'Taekwondo Day' was created to commemorate the 4th of September (1994 International Olympic Committee General Assembly) when Taekwondo was adopted as an official Olympic sport. First established by the World Taekwondo Federation in July 2006, the 'Taekwondo Day' proclamation ceremony was held on September 4th of that year at the Olympic Park in Korea.
California is the first state in the United States to establish a 'Taekwondo Day'. It was first proposed by State Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk Silva and later Assemblyman Choi Seok-ho joined as a co-sponsor.
ASM Quirk-Silva said, "I hope that the establishment of Taekwondo Day will become an opportunity for more people to practice Taekwondo and enjoy the benefits of becoming healthy both physically and mentally." She added, "As Taekwondo, which people around the world enjoy together, is a martial art that originated in Korea, I hope that they will also respect Asians including Koreans."
Wi-Jin Park, Director of the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, who held a support letter writing campaign for 'Taekwondo Day' across California, said, "It was rewarding to have Taekwondo, a proud cultural heritage of Korea, recognized legally for the first time in the United States." "This Taekwondo Day To commemorate the enactment, we plan to invite world-class Taekwondo demonstration teams to conduct demonstration performances in Los Angeles and San Francisco. “We plan to support Taekwondo classes in as many schools as possible from the fall semester,” he explained.
The Consulate General of Los Angeles and the Consulate General of San Francisco also toured consulates and received signatures from many people in support of 'Taekwondo Day', and several Korean groups and many Taekwondo studios in major cities also supported the 'Taekwondo Day' support signature campaign.