100 signatures reached
To: Minister for Culture Communications and Sport, and Sport Ireland
End the Funding Lockout of thousands of Irish Taekwon Do practitioners by Sport Ireland and IMAC
Currently, over 20,000 Taekwon Do practitioners in approximately 250 sports clubs across Ireland are being deliberately deprived of public funding, basic safety resources, and state recognition. Yet, one group, the ITA (Irish Taekwon Do Association) has the monopoly on all the funding!
The Irish Martial Arts Commission (IMAC) is officially recognised by Sport Ireland as the National Governing Body (NGB) for martial arts in Ireland. They represent numerous martial arts organisations including Taekwon Do, Karate, Kickboxing etc.
IMAC is responsible for distributing government funding to the various martial arts groups, including the Taekwon-Do clubs.
In Ireland, there are a number of different Taekwon-Do organisations. Most of these are members of the Irish Taekwon-Do Council, which represent approximately 250 clubs.
The ITA represent about 106 clubs. They are currently not members of the Irish Taekwon-Do Council. However, it is this organisation, the ITA, that get ALL of the taekwondo funding from IMAC!
This unfair practice began in 2020 when IMAC passed a restrictive motion stating that they will only recognise ITA as the SOLE Taekwon-Do Association member, and furthermore, they restricted all future membership to the ITA alone!
This immediately locked out all other Taekwon-Do organisations from ever receiving government funding. All funding since that date have gone to ITA!!! None of the other organisations can access funding for Garda Vetting, Child Safeguarding Courses, Female Leadership Programmes, Coaching Courses, Sports Capital Grants, etc.
Public funds should belong to the public. No single sporting organisation, such as the ITA, should have the monopoly on state resources, leaving thousands of Irish athletes out in the cold!
We are calling on the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport and Sport Ireland to intervene immediately. They must mandate that IMAC open up its democratic structures, recognise ALL legitimate Taekwon-Do organisations, and ensure public money is shared fairly among all athletes, regardless of what club they belong to.
Why is this important?
Local sports clubs are at the heart of every Irish town and village. They keep kids active, teach discipline, and foster community spirit. These clubs are the social and cultural heartbeat of local communities, for all age groups and all genders.
By allowing IMAC to enforce a strict single-entity monopoly, the Irish government is effectively penalising thousands of families who pay taxes but receive zero support in return, while a chosen few, specifically ITA clubs receive thousands in funding.
It is vital that there is Fair Play, Equal Funding, and Democratic Inclusion for every Taekwon-Do student in Ireland!
It is vital that there is Fair Play, Equal Funding, and Democratic Inclusion for every Taekwon-Do student in Ireland!