Tae Kwon Do Matters

Ricky Santiago gives a sneak preview of the new technological developments that will be unveiled at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The end goal, he explains, is the holy grail of transparency which began after the judging controversies which beset the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Filipino taekwondo jin Pauline Lopez tells “Taekwondo Matters” how she continues to train, keep in shape, and pick up where she left off from her interrupted university studies. Missing the Tokyo Olympics still rankles, of course, but Pauline is more philosophical about her loss nowadays. “I know one thing for sure is that anytime adversity comes my way, I bounce back,” she assures.

#standwithgirls #girlsgotthis #girlsempowerment #girlseducation

We interview two Gen Z taekwondo black belts, Niko Macasaet and Lucas Llarena. Niko and Lucas are among the two thousand jins participating in the first ever 2021 Smart/MVP Sports Foundation Asian Taekwondo Poomsae and Speedkicking Championships from July 10-11.

Breaking off from their 10-day quarantine at the Linden Suites Hotel, Filipino TKD Poomsae standouts Juvenile Crisostomo and Rinna Babanto talk about their martial arts passion, embrace of failure, team focus, and personal growth. One is a poker-faced introvert of few words, with a mind of steel; the other is an adventurous, socmed-savvy Cebuana, who believes in “going for it” when the window of opportunity is open.

Interview with Jeordan Dominguez, Darius Venerable, and Marvin Mori, three poomsae champions who believe in living in the moment and firing up their dreams. Get to know these young guys as they describe how they transitioned from their kyorugi days to poomsae, which is now giving them successes in the national and international circuits. Along the way, they reveal how taekwondo has improved their outlook to shape their future lives.

Interview with former Philippine team Kyorugi flag-bearer Japoy Lizardo, and his wife, world poomsae champion Janice Lagman. The most recognized Taekwondo couple in the country are now applying the lifelong lessons they've picked up from the martial art to raising their own family.

Interview with Jade Zafra, grounded PAL stewardess and taekwondo champion. She talks about winning and losing, a dream job that turned into a nightmare, teaching, family, a masters at AIM, and living life with a greater purpose.

Interview with Allain Keanu Ganapin, a Philippine martial arts para-athlete and a man with a mission. He will not let any physical disability get in his way to his dream of martial arts glory. Follow Allain's journey in this episode. 

This is our second episode of Taekwondo Matters. Expect more exciting stories up ahead.

Interview with Kurt Barbosa on his journey to realize his taekwondo dream. We tackle the origins of his first taekwondo lessons, from his long, arduous road through the taekwondo school system, palaro, and regional games to his National University UAAP championship run, from his first years with the national team and his first international matches on to Amman, Jordan, for the Tokyo Olympics qualifier. 

Join us in this interview as Kurt maps out his strategy for the coming Tokyo Olympics. 

This is our first episode of Taekwondo Matters. Expect more exciting stories up ahead.