ZEN Martial Arts & Fitness Captures Ambassador Cup

The annual National Taekwondo Kyorugi Championships were staged over two weekends on 24, 25 and 31 August and 1 September 2013. The event which attracted over 800 participants saw many firsts. 

First, the title of the tournaments had been changed to include the Ambassador Cup which was sponsored by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea as the challenge trophy to recognize the top team.  This support from the Korean Embassy is symbolic of the strong ties it has with the Singapore Taekwondo Federation (STF).

Second, officials, referees, coaches and players on the final day of the competition were given the opportunity to experience the latest practices of the sport with the introduction of Protector Scoring System (PSS) and Instant Video Review (IVR). The STF received many positive feedbacks and it looked like the PSS and the IVR will be a normal feature for the championships.

Third, for the first time in almost 20 years, ACME Taekwondo, which had made the top position in the competition its exclusive place, was toppled.  Zen Martial Arts & Fitness under the leadership of Brian Peh showed that it was possible to overcome the stronghold of ACME.

With sound strategies and quiet confidence, Zen netted 17 gold, 7 silver and 8 bronze medals to put ACME into second place.  ACME collected 14 gold, 14 silver and 7 bronze medals.  J H Kim (Bukit Timah) under the guidance of Lai Han Seng took the third spot with 7 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals. 

Brian received the Ambassador Cup from His Excellency Ambassador Suh Chung-ha, Embassy of the Republic of Korea.  Ambassador Suh, who was given a rousing welcome by the crowd on arrival, was impressed with the competition and demonstration.  The demonstration was specially arranged for him.

Said an elated Brian: “I have many people to thank for the success of Zen.  They are: STF President Mr Milan Kwee and all the senior instructors for your guidance; Mr Tan Cheng Hui, my instructor, for giving me the fire for the sport; Mr Darren Lee for his unselfish technical advice since the formation of Zen; Mr John Ho for his strong encouragement for me to take my chance; my friends, especially Polo Teo and Baoling, for helping me in giving the players an excellent foundation to develop their skills which bear fruits in the competition; and last but not least, my team comprising Ms Irene, Ms Evonne, Mr Matthew Yap, Ms Jip, Mr Ronn, Ms Xanthe, Mr Willam, Mr Rayner, Ms Girlene Tan, Ms Winnie, Ms Kimberly, Mr Nicholas, Mr Tan and Mr Cheng and all parents for the hard work.  I am sorry if I miss anyone.  But I would like to conclude Zen cannot do it without its well-wishers.”

Trophies were also awarded to the following for their outstanding performance.

The STF would like to put on record its appreciation to one and all, especially Ambassador Suh, for making the event a resounding sucess.

Please see the attached for more results.

(Photographs courtesy of Mr Jensen Chua)