BAKU 2023 WORLD TAEKWONDO CHAMPIONSHIPS Dear colleagues, On the occasion of the 50th Founding Anniversary of World Taekwondo, I have the pleasure to invite you to Baku, Azerbaijan, for the World Taekwondo Championships and Golden Jubilee Gala Awards! The 26th edition of the World Taekwondo Championships taking place from May 29th to June 4th will be truly historic, as we commemorate the amazing achievements that we have worked so hard together for over the past 50 years. I wish to thank President Kamaladdin Heydarov and the Azerbaijan Taekwondo Federation for your generous support. At the Golden Jubilee Gala Awards on May 27th, World Taekwondo will honour the founding Member National Associations that took part in the inaugural General Assembly on May 28, 1973. In addition, World Taekwondo will honour 12 Olympians and two Paralympians who will be crowned as the best male and female athletes of each Olympic Games since Sydney 2000. The Council Meeting and General Assembly will take place on May 28th, which coincidentally falls on the 105th Independence Day of the Republic of Azerbaijan. World Taekwondo is privileged to be able to celebrate our Golden Jubilee on such an important occasion. The World Taekwondo Championships in Baku will be a key milestone in every athlete’s journey to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. In this regard, I believe that the Taekwondo family will be treated to the highest levels of technical execution, dynamism and passion throughout the Championships. Thank you and I look forward to welcoming you in Baku.