Taekwondo in Sri Lanka

[Anchor Lead]

In Sri Lanka, with a population of some 20 million, 30,000 people practice the Korean martial art of taekwondo. It’s said that taekwondo is an essential part of traini
ng for police officers and soldiers there. Take a look.

[Pkg]

Here is Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, a nation dubbed the pearl of the Indian Ocean. Many Sri Lankan soldiers and police officers are seen at a taekwondo competition held in the country hosted by the Seoul-based World Taekwondo Headquarters. The tournament also serves to select national team athletes. This is because the Sri Lankan police force and military changed their mandatory self-defense martial art from Japanese karate to Korea's taekwondo about 10 years ago.

[Soundbite] (Sri Lankan Air Force, National Athlete) : "I've been training really hard from 4 years ago. I learned from a Korean coach and was able to win matches."

Receiving favorable response by the military and police, taekwondo has since been spreading to ordinary citizens and major universities in Sri Lanka.

[Soundbite] (Sri Lankan Police Commando) : "Taekwondo helps to boost physical strength to handle special forces missions but also helps in terms of self-discipline. Taekwondo itself is a way of discipline and cultivation."

More recently, taekwondo teams and demonstration teams led by Sri Lankan locals have been emerging, reflecting the popularity of the sport.

[Soundbite] Lee Gi-soo (Sri Lanka Taekwondo Federation) : "I've been training government officers (military, police) since 20 years ago. Through free classes, I've become close with them and have forged relationships."

A Korean government project to promote taekwondo in Sri Lanka began 20 years ago, thanks to which a Korean Wave in sports has flourished in the Southeast Asian nation.