Taekwondo body investigating 'sparring' incident

Source: The Manila times

MANILA, Philippines: The Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) said it is aware of an incident involving one of its practitioners at a school in Bulacan.

"In our Philippine Taekwondo community, the safety and well-being of our students and coaches are always our highest priorities," the PTA said in a statement on March 27. "The PTA has been notified by this incident and we have initiated our primary investigation, working closely with our Officers and Regional Directors".

"Rest assured that we are taking matters seriously," the PTA added. "We are working within our jurisdiction in determining the facts of the events to ensure accountability within our community."

While the memo does not mention it, the incident occurred during training at the Jesus is Lord Colleges Foundation (JILCF) that involved a student, who was a yellow belt with the varsity team, facing off against a black belter in a sparring session.

Yellow belts in taekwondo are usually at the beginner level, after the white belt, while the black belt is the highest level in the sport.

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A video showed the 17-year-old absorbing a kick to the face from the black belter and in another video, she said she almost died after taking the beating.

Meanwhile, a team statement said this was a mere accident and said they were affected by sensationalizing the issue.