IN August 1976, Grandmaster Hong Sung Chon, then a 6th dan elite black belter, brought taekwondo to our shores. He was one of 100 elite black belters dispatched by the World Taekwondo Federation to propagate it until it became an Olympic sport in 2000 at the Sydney Olympics. What began as a modest, discipline-focused movement has evolved over half a century into one of the most vibrant, respected and culturally impactful athletic institutions in the nation, the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA).