태권도跆

World Taekwondo

Chile

WT · Kukkiwon

Chile es una de las plazas históricas del Taekwondo en Sudamérica. Sus orígenes se remontan a 1976 con la llegada de los primeros maestros coreanos y a la pionera labor del Ejército de Chile, que adoptó el arte marcial como especialidad de combate. La Federación Chilena de Taekwondo nació en 1987 y desde entonces ha llevado al país a cinco Juegos Olímpicos. El punto culminante de la era moderna fue Santiago 2023, cuando Chile fue sede de los Juegos Panamericanos y obtuvo dos podios en TKD en su propia casa con figuras como Ignacio Morales, Joaquín Churchill y Claudia Gallardo.

DESPLAZA

1972

primera escuela de TKD documentada (Omar Román)

1976

llegada de los maestros coreanos — Chung Yong Taek, Oh Myung Kun, Young Soo Kim

1979

primer curso oficial de cinturones negros en la Escuela de Infantería

1987

fundación Federación Chilena de Taekwondo (Luis Galindo)

Juegos Olímpicos consecutivos (Sídney 2000 → París 2024)

Nº 8

ranking mundial WT de Ignacio Morales en abril 2023 — récord chileno

先

1972 – 1979

Pioneers

The pioneers — TKD's arrival in Chile

Korean masters in 1976 and the decisive role of the Chilean Army

The first documented Taekwondo school in Chile was that of Mr Omar Román in 1972, who introduced the discipline under his own name. The consolidation of the martial art arrived in 1976, when a group of Korean masters — Chung Yong Taek, Chun Young Kun, Kim Soo, Oh Myung Kun and Young Soo Kim — settled in Chile and began systematic teaching. Master Oh Myung Kun came from Bolivia and opened two branches (Viña Kwan and Santiago Kwan), while Young Soo Kim began teaching the general public in 1977.

The Chilean Army played a decisive role in the early diffusion. In 1978, the military institution created the Special Combat speciality and brought in Korean masters to train its soldiers. In 1979, Master Chung Yong Taek (6th Dan) led the first official black belt course at the Infantry School — a one-year programme that gave Chilean TKD a solid technical base and a substantial body of instructors trained directly under Korean methodology.

“1979 — first official black belt course at the Army Infantry School, led by Chung Yong Taek.”

先

先First, pioneer

創

1987 – 2002

Federation

The Chilean Taekwondo Federation is born

Luis Galindo, the Inter-Style Champion and the first Refereeing Manual in Spanish

The Chilean Taekwondo Federation was created in 1987, with Luis Galindo as its first president. Just one year later, in 1988, the body won the Inter-Style Champion of martial arts — an event that brought together over a thousand practitioners and positioned TKD as one of the strongest disciplines in the country.

The entity later adopted the name Federación Deportiva Nacional de Taekwondo (FDNT), officially recognised by the Chilean Olympic Committee (COCH) and affiliated with World Taekwondo. In 2002, the federation published the first Official Refereeing Manual of the discipline in Spanish, a milestone that consolidated it as a regional reference in training.

“1987 — Chilean Taekwondo Federation created under the presidency of Luis Galindo: national TKD becomes institutionalised.”

創

創Creation, founding

奧

2000 – 2024

Olympics

Chile at the Olympic Games — from Sydney 2000 to Paris 2024

Five Olympic cycles from Felipe Soto to Fernanda Aguirre, the first two-time Olympian

Chile has been present at Olympic Taekwondo since its debut as an official sport. Felipe Soto competed at Sydney 2000 (-80 kg), following the precedents of Diego Yánez and Humberto Norambuena at Barcelona 1992 when TKD was still a demonstration sport. Yeny Contreras made history at London 2012 by becoming the first Chilean woman to qualify for an Olympic TKD event; she fell in her debut 14-3 to France's Marlène Harnois in -57 kg.

At Rio 2016, Ignacio Morales (-68 kg) qualified but lost 1-14 in the first round to Turkey's Servet Tazegül, the London 2012 Olympic champion. At Tokyo 2020, Fernanda Aguirre had to withdraw before competing after testing positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Japan. At Paris 2024, Joaquín Churchill (-80 kg) suffered a controversial elimination against South Korea's Seo Geon-Woo — the initial decision favoured Chile but was reversed after a protest from the rival's coach — and Fernanda Aguirre became the first Chilean taekwondoist to qualify for two Olympic Games.

“2024 — Fernanda Aguirre: first Chilean taekwondoist to qualify for two consecutive Olympic Games.”

奧

奧Olympic, greatness

盛

2014 – Hoy

Morales Era

The era of Ignacio Morales — Lima 2019 and Santiago 2023

Pan American bronze, team silver and WT world No. 8

The new century of Chilean TKD has its own name: Ignacio Morales (Santiago, 12 August 1995), featherweight in the -68 kg category. Morales won bronze at the Lima 2019 Pan American Games by defeating American Carl Nickolas with a resounding 30-11. That same event gave Chile two TKD bronzes — the other was Fernanda Aguirre's in -67 kg.

In 2023, during the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games, the men's kyorugi team made up of Joaquín Churchill, Ignacio Morales and Aarón Contreras won the team silver medal after losing 48-16 to Brazil in the final. In the women's -67 kg category, Claudia Gallardo took bronze. Morales was also a three-time ODESUR champion (2014, 2018, 2022) and in April 2023 he reached No. 8 in the WT world ranking in his category — the best historic record for a Chilean kyorugi athlete.

“April 2023 — Ignacio Morales: No. 8 in the WT world ranking in -68 kg, a historic record for Chile.”

盛

危

2025 – Hoy

2025 Crisis

Contemporary institutional crisis

The IND suspends the Federation on the road to Los Angeles 2028

Despite the sporting achievements, the institutional framework of Chilean Taekwondo went through a significant crisis in 2025. On 30 May 2025, through document NC-01223/2025, the National Sports Institute of Chile (IND) suspended the National Sports Federation of WT Taekwondo from the National Registry of Sports Organisations, after a supervisory process initiated following complaints of regulatory non-compliance.

The board lost its legal status on 16 October 2025, and the electoral process called to renew the leadership was suspended by court order. Chilean TKD remains without renewed official representation — a scenario that directly affects planning for the Los Angeles 2028 cycle and challenges the national community to rebuild its sporting governance.