Venezuela
WT · Kukkiwon
Venezuela es una de las grandes potencias históricas del Taekwondo latinoamericano — y la historia más desconocida del continente. Con el primer oro olímpico latinoamericano en TKD (Arlindo Gouveia, Barcelona 1992), dos bronces olímpicos adicionales y 26 medallas en Juegos Panamericanos, el país construyó una tradición de excelencia que precede a México, Colombia y Brasil. La crisis política desde 2013 truncó ese legado, pero los cimientos que pusieron cuatro maestros coreanos en 1968 siguen siendo la base de practicantes venezolanos activos hoy en más de diez países.
Pioneers
The four masters — 1968
The first day of TKD in a country that did not know what it was
Taekwondo arrived in Venezuela starting on 1 June 1968, when four Korean masters settled in different states within just two years: Ho Kwun Kang (Jidokwan) in Caracas, Chong Koo Lee in Carabobo, Chang Ok Jui in Yaracuy and Hong Ki Kim (Chung Do Kwan) in Puerto La Cruz. Ho Kwun Kang arrived in a country where there were no TKD practitioners — only karate, kung-fu and judo.
On 15 January 1972, Hong Ki Kim and his brother Hung Ki Kim — trained under GM Woon Kyu Uhm (10th Dan) — founded the Hong Ki Kim National Taekwondo School in Puerto La Cruz: the first Venezuelan TKD organisation affiliated with a world federation. The Venezuelan Taekwondo Federation (Fevtae) was founded on 17 July 1984.
“Ho Kwun Kang, 1 June 1968 — the first day of Taekwondo in Venezuela.”
· Fevetaekwondo
Golden Age
Barcelona 1992 — the first Latin American gold
Arlindo Gouveia: the first to defeat a Korean at the Games
Arlindo Gouveia completed a perfect Olympic cycle: Bolivarian Games Maracaibo 1989 → Central American Games Mexico 1990 → Pan American Championship Bayamón 1990 → Pan American Games Havana 1991 → Olympic Games Barcelona 1992. In Barcelona he won gold in -54 kg in the Olympic demonstration discipline — becoming the first Latin American to win a gold medal in TKD and the first taekwondo athlete in history to defeat a Korean at the Olympic Games.
The IOC officially recognised these medals in May 2018. Alongside Gouveia, Carlos Rivas won gold at Havana 1991 in the Pan American Games. The architect of this generation was Hung Ki Kim, who took the Fevtae presidency in 1990 and is still in office more than 35 years later.
“Barcelona 1992 — Venezuela puts the first Latin American on the summit of Olympic Taekwondo.”
· Fevetaekwondo
Continuity
Adriana Carmona — four Olympic Games
16 years of an active Olympic career
Adriana Carmona Gutiérrez (born 3 December 1972 in Puerto La Cruz) is the only Venezuelan athlete with two Olympic Taekwondo medals. She competed in four consecutive Olympic Games: Barcelona 1992 (bronze, +70 kg), Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 (bronze, +67 kg) and Beijing 2008. At the 1993 New York World Championship she won silver in +70 kg — the first Venezuelan podium at WT World Championships.
Venezuela has accumulated 26 medals at Pan American Taekwondo Games (1987–2015), placing it 6th in the all-time Pan American ranking. Other medallists: Dalia Contreras (bronze Beijing 2008, bronzes at the 2001 and 2003 Worlds), Yaneth Leal (gold Pan American 2003), Nohemar Leal, Aura Páez and Danny Miranda (Pan American bronzes in 2007).
“Adriana Carmona — 4 Olympics, 2 medals, 16 years of career. The greatest TKD athlete in Venezuela's history.”
Crisis and Diaspora
The crisis and the diaspora — TKD in exile
Over 7.7 million Venezuelans emigrated
From 2013 onwards, the political and economic crisis devastated the high-performance Taekwondo structure. The grants from the Venezuelan Olympic Committee dropped to less than one dollar per month. National-team training camps stopped being possible. Access to equipment (electronic protectors, dobok) became prohibitive, and obtaining a passport for international tournaments turned into an additional institutional obstacle.
The Venezuelan diaspora — over 7.7 million emigrants by 2024 — directly affected TKD: coaches, referees and athletes emigrated to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, Spain and the USA. Many active instructors today across LATAM bear the stamp of the Venezuelan school. Fevtae reports more than 26,000 practitioners across 24 states. Hung Ki Kim remains in office and has been vice-president of the Pan American Taekwondo Union since his election in 2021.
“Many TKD instructors active today in Colombia, Peru, Panama and Spain bear the stamp of the Venezuelan school.”
Taekwondo en Venezuela
- ›🥇 Oro Olímpico Barcelona 1992 — -54 kg (demostración)
- ›Primer latinoamericano con oro olímpico en TKD
- ›Primer atleta en derrotar a un coreano en los Juegos Olímpicos de TKD
- ›🥇 Oro Panamericanos La Habana 1991
- ›Ciclo perfecto 1989–1992: Bolivarianos → Centroamericanos → Panamericano → Panamericanos → Olimpiada
- ›🥉 Bronce Olímpico Barcelona 1992 — +70 kg
- ›🥉 Bronce Olímpico Atenas 2004 — +67 kg
- ›4 Olimpiadas consecutivas (1992–2008)
- ›🥈 Plata Mundial Nueva York 1993 — primer podio venezolano en Mundiales WT
- ›🥇 Oro Panamericanos Mar del Plata 1995
- ›Presidente de la Fevtae desde 1990 — más de 35 años
- ›Entrenó a Gouveia, Rivas, Carmona y Contreras
- ›Co-fundador (con Hong Ki Kim) de la primera escuela formal venezolana (1972)
- ›Vicepresidente Unión Panamericana de Taekwondo (2021)
- ›Reconocido por el presidente de Corea del Sur Moon Jae-In
- ›🥉 Bronce Olímpico Beijing 2008 — -49 kg
- ›🥉 Bronce Mundial Jeju 2001
- ›🥉 Bronce Mundial Garmisch 2003
- ›🥇 Oro Panamericanos Santo Domingo 2003 (plata)
Sigue explorando
La historia del Taekwondo continúa en cada dojang, en cada clase, en cada estudiante.