태권도跆

World Taekwondo

Argentina

WT

Taekwondo arrived in Argentina in the second half of the 1960s, brought by Korean immigrant masters who settled in the Flores neighborhood of Buenos Aires — epicenter of the largest Korean community in Latin America. What sets Argentina apart is its blend of Asian heritage and South American passion: the sport grew organically from the Korean community's academies into a high-performance program that peaked with Sebastián Crismanich's Olympic gold at London 2012 — the only one of its kind in the history of Argentine sport. After Crismanich, a new generation led by Lucas Guzmán carried the Argentine flag to two consecutive Olympic Games (Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024), consolidating Argentina as a regional WT powerhouse.

SCROLL

1965–71

arrival of the first Korean masters

1978

founding of AAT (later CAT)

Olympic medal — Gold London 2012

Pan American medals Lima 2019

Pan American medals Santiago 2023

2.000+

active academies in the country

先

1965 – 1978

Pioneers

The Pioneers — Korean masters in Buenos Aires

The Korean community as the engine of Argentine TKD

Taekwondo arrived in Argentina through the Korean immigration wave of the 1960s and 1970s. The first masters — almost all newly arrived immigrants — opened their first academies in the Flores and Floresta neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, an area that would become Argentina's 'Koreatown' with an estimated community of 40,000 to 50,000 people. The first formal academies are documented around 1971.

The sport grew in a difficult political context: the 1976–1978 military dictatorship did not slow its expansion, and TKD was one of the few sports that remained active and organised throughout that period. In 1977, Oscar del Prado became the first documented national champion, a milestone that drove the institutionalisation of the sport.

“Argentina was one of the first South American countries to organise formal Taekwondo competitions.”

先

先First, pioneer

創

1978 – 1995

Institutional

Institutionalisation — From AAT to CAT

From Olympic recognition to nationwide expansion

On 20 July 1978, the Argentine Taekwondo Association (AAT) was founded as the first national organising body. In 1985, the organisation received official recognition from the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) at its Seoul General Assembly, and in 1986 it was recognised by the Argentine Olympic Committee (COA).

With this institutional backing, Argentine TKD entered its first phase of national expansion: during the 1980s, the sport spread to the provinces of Córdoba, Mendoza and Rosario, and a federative structure across all 24 provinces began to consolidate. The body would later adopt the name Confederación Argentina de Taekwondo (CAT), affiliated with World Taekwondo and the COA, with presence in all 24 provinces and over 2,000 academies.

“The 1986 COA recognition was key to accessing ENARD funding and professionalising the competitive programme.”

創

創Creation, founding

展

1995

Pan American Host

Mar del Plata 1995 — Argentina as Pan American host

The first major catalyst for Argentine TKD

In March 1995, Mar del Plata hosted the XII Pan American Games — the first and only event of its kind that Argentina has organised. The Games gathered 42 nations and over 5,000 athletes. Taekwondo was on the official programme, and Argentina took advantage of home conditions to win 10 medals in the discipline — its best Pan American haul up to that point.

Patricia Santana was one of the standout local athletes, adding a bronze medal. The event left permanent sporting infrastructure in Mar del Plata and projected Argentine TKD at regional level. It was the greatest catalyst of TKD popularity in Argentina before Crismanich's Olympic gold.

“The 1995 Mar del Plata Pan American Games were the greatest catalyst of TKD popularity in Argentina before the Olympic gold.”

展

奧

2004 – 2016

Olympic Gold

The Crismanich Era — London 2012 Gold

Argentina's only Olympic medal in TKD

Sebastián Eduardo Crismanich, born on 7 December 1985 in Buenos Aires, marked the highest point of Argentine Taekwondo. He competed in three Olympic Games: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, and London 2012. Under coach Gabriel Tarifeno's direction, in the London final he defeated Iran's Mohammad Bagheri Motamed to claim the -80 kg gold medal — Argentina's first Olympic Taekwondo medal.

The impact was immediate: enrolment in academies in Buenos Aires and Greater Buenos Aires multiplied. Crismanich announced his retirement on 2 July 2016, without qualifying for Rio. After retiring, he founded academies in Corrientes and Buenos Aires, became president of the Corrientes Taekwondo Federation, was named Olympic torchbearer in Florianópolis (Rio 2016), and joined the COA Athletes' Commission.

“London 2012 gold remains the only Olympic medal in WT TKD in Argentine history.”

奧

奧Olympic, greatness

新

2016 – Hoy

New Guard

The Post-Crismanich Generation — Lucas Guzmán and the new guard

Three medals in Lima, three in Santiago, two Olympic Games

After Crismanich's retirement, the generational handover was led by Lucas Guzmán (Merlo, Buenos Aires, 1994). At Lima 2019 he won Pan American gold in -58 kg, and that same year he took bronze at the Manchester WT World Championships. At Tokyo 2020 he reached the bronze medal bout but finished 4th. At Santiago 2023 he added Pan American silver, and at Paris 2024 he represented Argentina at his second consecutive Olympic Games, announcing his retirement in April 2025.

Alongside Guzmán emerged a new generation: Giulia Sendra (-49 kg) won bronze at Lima 2019 and Santiago 2023, while José Luis Acuña (-68 kg, Neuquén) added bronzes at both Pan American Games, gold at the Rio 2025 G2 Open, and is targeting Los Angeles 2028. Argentina collected 3 Pan American medals in both Lima and Santiago, confirming the strength of the post-Crismanich programme.