Germany
WT
Germany has Europe's largest WT Taekwondo community, with over 60,000 federated practitioners grouped into 18 regional associations under the Deutsche Taekwondo Union (DTU), founded in 1981. Taekwondo arrived in the country between 1964 and 1966, brought by Korean masters such as Bum-I Lee, recognized as the "Father of German Taekwondo", and grew into an Olympic powerhouse with medals at Sydney 2000 and London 2012. Germany has hosted two WT World Championships and four European Championships, consolidating itself as the continental circuit's organizational benchmark.
Pioneers
The Pioneers — Taekwondo arrives in West Germany
Bum-I Lee and Korean masters plant the seed of Europe's largest TKD community
Taekwondo entered West Germany between 1964 and 1966 through Korean masters sent on demonstration missions by General Choi Hong Hi. In 1965, the General himself visited West Germany on a sports diplomacy tour, laying the groundwork for the later founding of the ITF in 1966. That same year, Bum-I Lee emigrated to West Germany and began teaching Taekwondo; the German martial arts community remembers him as the 'Father of German Taekwondo'. At the same time, masters J.S. Park and Woo-Kang Kim also settled in the country.
The first documented club, TV Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was founded in 1964 — the oldest in all of Germany. In 1968, Taekwondo was recognised as a formal discipline within the Deutscher Judo Bund (DJB), and that same year the first National Championship was held in Munich. This arrangement under the judo federation would remain the norm for more than a decade, until the establishment of an independent federation in 1981.
“Bum-I Lee — recognised as the 'Father of German Taekwondo' — began teaching in West Germany in 1966, becoming the cornerstone of the pioneering community.”
Champions
First continental powerhouse — the champions of the 70s and 80s
Müller and Schulz take Germany to the world podium on home soil
With the organisational framework consolidated within the judo federation, the German competitive scene grew rapidly. Rainer Müller became the symbol of that era: between 1976 and 1979 he won every title available, claiming the European Championship in 1978 in Munich and the World Championship in 1979 in Sindelfingen — both on German soil, in the -73 kg category. He was the first German to win a WT world title. Richard Schulz completed the pair: four consecutive European Championship titles in the -78 kg category (1978, 1980, 1982, 1984).
On 13 August 1981, the Deutsche Taekwondo Union (DTU) was officially established as an independent body, the legal successor to the Taekwondo section of the DJB. In 1984 Germany hosted the European Championships in Stuttgart — the second continental event on German soil. At the Seoul 1988 Games, Taekwondo was a demonstration sport and Germany participated with a full team.
“Rainer Müller — world champion on home soil (Sindelfingen 1979) — the first world title for Germany in the history of WT Taekwondo. He passed away on 10 August 2023, aged 69.”
Olympic Debut
The Olympic debut — Sydney 2000 and the first official medal
Faissal Ebnoutalib opens Germany's Olympic medal tally on Taekwondo's debut
After years of waiting, Taekwondo made its official Olympic debut at the Sydney 2000 Games. Germany arrived with three athletes and returned with the first official Olympic medal in the history of German Taekwondo: Faissal Ebnoutalib won silver in the -80 kg category, losing the final to Cuban Ángel Matos. Born in Morocco, he arrived in Germany in 1990 and became the face of German Taekwondo at the turn of the century.
In 2003, Germany hosted the World Championship in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The event was a great success: three German athletes reached the world podium (Mohamed Ebnoutalib silver, Thucuc Pham bronze, Erdal Aylanc bronze). It was the largest German haul at a single World Championship.
“Three German medals at the home World Championship (Garmisch 2003) — the most brilliant collective result in the history of German WT Taekwondo.”
Olympic Generation
Helena Fromm and Levent Tuncat — the Games generation
Olympic bronze in London 2012 and three consecutive European gold medals
Helena Fromm (born 5 August 1987) was the great female standard-bearer: she won gold at the Rome 2008 Europeans (-67 kg), bronze at the 2007 World Championship in Beijing, and Olympic bronze in London 2012 (-67 kg) — Germany's second official Olympic medal in Taekwondo. Levent Tuncat (born 29 July 1988, Duisburg) was the male figurehead: three-time European Champion — Riga 2005, Bonn 2006 and Rome 2008 — and Olympian in Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016.
At the 2006 Bonn Europeans, which Germany hosted for the third time, Tuncat embodied the continuity of the tradition of great champions on German soil. His career was defined by resilience: after the end of a 20-year relationship with his coach, he relaunched himself and qualified for Rio 2016.
“Helena Fromm — Olympic bronze in London 2012 (-67 kg), Germany's second official Olympic medal in the history of German Taekwondo.”
New Generation
Ela Aydin, Konstantinidis and German Taekwondo today
Gold at the European Games and the DTU as the continent's largest WT community
Ela Aydin (born 12 January 1999) became the new female figurehead: six medals at European Championships across the U15, U21 and senior categories, and in September 2022 she won bronze at the Paris Grand Prix — the first German woman to win a medal at a WT Grand Prix. Iordanis Konstantinidis (born 10 June 1998, Dachau) delivered the best recent male result: champion at the 2022 European Games in Sofia (-63 kg) and bronze at the 2019 World Championship in Manchester.
In 2026, Germany will host its fourth edition of the European Championships, once again in Munich (BMW Park) — 48 years after the first. The DTU brings together more than 60,000 active practitioners across 18 Landesverbände and remains the largest WT Taekwondo organisation in Europe by membership.
“With over 60,000 practitioners and four European Championships hosted, Germany is the largest WT community on the European continent.”
Taekwondo in Germany
- ›🥇 Campeón del Mundo 1979 (Sindelfingen, -73 kg) — primer título mundial WT para Alemania
- ›🥇 Campeón de Europa 1978 (Múnich, -73 kg)
- ›Tres veces Campeón Nacional Alemán
- ›In memoriam — falleció el 10 de agosto de 2023
- ›🥈 Plata olímpica Sydney 2000 (-80 kg) — primera medalla olímpica oficial del TKD alemán
- ›7 veces Campeón Nacional Alemán
- ›Hermano de Mohamed Ebnoutalib (subcampeón mundial 2003)
- ›🥉 Bronce olímpico Londres 2012 (-67 kg) — segunda medalla olímpica del TKD alemán
- ›🥇 Oro Campeonato de Europa Roma 2008 (-67 kg)
- ›🥉 Bronce Campeonato del Mundo Pekín 2007
- ›Olímpica en Pekín 2008
- ›🥇 Tres títulos europeos: Riga 2005, Bonn 2006, Roma 2008
- ›Olímpico en Pekín 2008 y Río 2016
- ›🥉 Bronce Juegos Europeos 2015
Keep exploring
The history of Taekwondo continues in every dojang, every class, every student.