Five (5) Taekwondo Associations, Two (2) Clubs and outstanding but needy Taekwondo Athletes have benefitted from Taekwondo kits donation by Miss Ellie Elnora Regina Kennedy- Tetteh, through the West Africa initiative.
Ms Kennedy-Tetteh runs Family Taekwondo in North Carolina- USA and with the interest in helping West African countries develop in the combat sport especially ladies, has earmarked Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone to donate taekwondo equipment to with more countries to be added in the future.
Eastern Regional Taekwondo Association (with more girls), Bono Regional Taekwondo Association (more female Para Athletes), Volta Regional Taekwondo Association, Northern Regional Taekwondo Association and Central Regional Taekwondo Association received doboks, shin guards, kicking pads, belts, headgears, kicking shields, forearm guards, and gloves on Saturday, July 29, 2023 at the Korea Sports Complex.
The donation which was done during the 13th Korean Ambassador’s Cup Taekwondo Championships, also saw Maxilane Taekwondo Club, Fighters Club and needy athletes also receiving some goodies, with more of the sanitary pads going to those with more female athletes.
Present, to present the items to the beneficiaries was the vice president of the Ghana Taekwondo Federation, Charles Tsibo Cromwell, Grand Master Kim and some ex-practitioners and coaches from the various regions.
Gideon Tetteh, who distributed to these regions and clubs says, it will be an annual event and this will go to other African Countries.
“This donation did not come from me, but from Miss Ellie Elnora Regina Kennedy- Tetteh. It is her passion to see Africa Taekwondo grow and so she sent it through me to come and distribute. There are others for Liberia and Sierra Leone. This is to get West Africa Taekwondo to a level that will match up to the World.”
“This is the first set and more will come when we see people develop through this to be better for Olympic Games and others. We took consideration of ladies and the needy. We did not want the menstrual cycle to stop the ladies from practicing, the reason the sanitary pads were added and this will be bigger, year after year.” He noted.
Ms Ellie, with outstanding Taekwondo practitioners who have participated in high level events over the world aims to raise and develop female athletes, who are dear to her heart.
The development and growth of Taekwondo comes with adequate equipment, which include these kits, as the combat sport is becoming expensive.
The gesture by Miss Ellie Elnora Regina Kennedy- Tetteh, through the West Africa initiative will go a long way to sustain athletes who are thinking about giving up on the sport.
This among other support the Ghana Taekwondo Federation needs to further push the combat sport to its highest limit, as they can not do it all alone.
By: Davis Nii Attuquaye Clottey
