Brasil
WT · Kukkiwon
Brasil tiene la mayor colonia coreana de América Latina — más de 50.000 personas concentradas en el barrio Bom Retiro de São Paulo —, terreno fértil para que el Taekwondo se transformara en una disciplina masiva. La Confederação Brasileira de Taekwondo (CBTkd) fue fundada en 1973 y se afilió a la WTF en 1975. Los Juegos Olímpicos de Río 2016 fueron el momento más alto, con la medalla de bronce de Maicon Andrade en casa. Tania Oliveira, primera medallista olímpica brasileña en Sídney 2000, abrió el camino para una generación que hoy proyecta a Brasil como potencia continental.
Pioneers
The pioneers — São Paulo's Korean community plants TKD
Bom Retiro and Liberdade as the technical epicentre of Brazilian Taekwondo
Taekwondo arrived in Brazil between 1969 and 1971 through the first Korean masters who settled in São Paulo, in the Bom Retiro and Liberdade neighbourhoods — the epicentre of the largest Korean community in Latin America, with over 50,000 people. The cultural density of that community allowed the discipline to move quickly from a handful of informal dojangs to a recognisable national structure.
In 1973 the Confederação Brasileira de Taekwondo (CBTkd) was founded, and two years later, in 1975, the entity formally affiliated with the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), establishing itself as the governing body of Brazilian WT TKD. By the 1980s, more than 1,000 academies were active across the country — an expansion without parallel in Latin America.
“Bom Retiro, São Paulo — the largest Korean community in Latin America was the original engine of Brazilian Taekwondo.”
Federation
The Confederação Brasileira de Taekwondo (CBTkd)
The governing body headquartered in São Paulo
The CBTkd, founded in 1973 and affiliated with World Taekwondo and the Brazilian Olympic Committee, operates from São Paulo and estimates over 500,000 active practitioners across Brazil. It is the largest national federation in Latin America by volume, and its presence in all 27 Brazilian states gives it a reach that no other regional body matches.
The grading system, Dan exams and participation in the WT circuit are all articulated around the CBTkd, which organises the annual Brazilian Championship and selects national delegations for World Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic cycles. Its federative structure also channels the training of national referees and coaches.
“CBTkd — governing federation of WT TKD in Brazil, the largest Taekwondo organisation in Latin America by volume.”
First Olympian
Tania Oliveira — the Brazilian Olympic pioneer
Bronze in Sydney 2000: the first Brazilian Olympic medal in TKD
Tania Oliveira wrote the first Olympic chapter of Brazilian TKD in Sydney 2000, when Taekwondo debuted as an official Olympic sport. Competing in the women's +67 kg category, Oliveira won the bronze medal — the first Brazilian Olympic medal in the discipline and a milestone that opened the way for all subsequent generations.
Her achievement had an immediate impact on the spread of Brazilian TKD: enrolment in academies in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro grew significantly between 2000 and 2004. Oliveira is remembered as the Olympic pioneer of national TKD, with a record that became a reference for the athletes who would follow her at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
“Tania Oliveira — bronze Sydney 2000 (+67 kg): the first Olympic medal in Brazilian TKD history.”
Rio 2016
Rio 2016 — Maicon Andrade and bronze on home soil
A packed arena in Barra da Tijuca and the most emotional moment in South American TKD
The Rio 2016 Olympic Games provided a massive boost to Brazilian Taekwondo. The Barra da Tijuca Olympic Park venues were among the best in the world for the discipline, and the Brazilian crowd — known for its intensity — turned TKD into one of the most popular events of the Games.
Maicon Andrade won bronze in -68 kg (adjusted to the Olympic weight category of the time), repeating the podium that Tania Oliveira had achieved 16 years earlier. His medal was one of the most emotional moments in South American TKD: the packed arena cheering on the Brazilian athlete became an iconic image. Post-Rio, academy enrolment grew by an estimated 40% nationwide.
“Maicon Andrade's bronze at Rio 2016 — with a packed Brazilian arena — was the most emotional moment in WT TKD in South America.”
New Generation
Milena Titoneli and the post-Rio generation
The generational handover towards Los Angeles 2028
After Rio 2016, the generational handover in Brazil was led by Milena Titoneli, who reached the semifinals at Tokyo 2020 (women's -67 kg) — one of the best recent Brazilian results. Titoneli has projected Brazilian women's TKD to consistent competitive levels, keeping alive the Olympic tradition started by Tania Oliveira.
The CBTkd national programme is focused on the Los Angeles 2028 cycle, betting on the new categories and on the development of poomsae as an Olympic discipline. Brazil maintains a constant presence at the LATAM Grand Prix and the Pan American Games, where it has collected medals in multiple editions since 1999.
“Milena Titoneli — Tokyo 2020 semifinalist: the face of the post-Rio generation.”
Taekwondo en Brasil
- ›🥉 Bronce olímpico Sídney 2000 (+67 kg) — primera medalla olímpica del TKD brasileño
- ›Pionera del TKD femenino brasileño de élite
- ›Referente para las generaciones de Río 2016 y Tokio 2020
- ›🥉 Bronce olímpico Río 2016 (-68 kg) — segunda medalla olímpica del TKD brasileño
- ›Olímpico en Pekín 2008, Río 2016 y participaciones múltiples
- ›Símbolo del impulso post-Río al TKD brasileño
- ›Semifinalista olímpica Tokio 2020 (-67 kg)
- ›Referente del TKD femenino brasileño moderno
- ›Generación post-Río que proyecta el ciclo Los Ángeles 2028
Sigue explorando
La historia del Taekwondo continúa en cada dojang, en cada clase, en cada estudiante.