Grand Master Tran Trieu Quan
Sadly the remains of GM Tran have been identified in the rubble of a Port-au-Prince hotel, his family announced in a statement Saturday morning.
An engineer and entrepreneur, GM Tran was also a Taekwondo Grand Master and president of the International Taekwon-do Federation.
He was a very wise man, with lots of knowledge, not only about Taekwondo but about life. In a sad irony, GM Tran was in Port-au-Prince on a World Bank contract to improve the country's building standards.
Master Tran was also a survivor of Vietnam's brutal penal system. In 1994, he was jailed in his native country over a commercial dispute. Following a one-day trial, he received a life sentence. He had to fight other inmates who threatened his life. He was chained 14 hours a day but this made him stronger in body and also in mind.
He was released after pressure from Canada and a massive outpouring of sympathy in Quebec City, just months before Vietnam was to host the Francophonie summit. GM Tran would later say that Taekwondo gave him the strength to survive his ordeal.
GM Tran first learned Taekwondo when he was a teenager in wartime Vietnam. South Vietnam was one of the first countries where Taekwondo was introduced, through South Korean troops deployed there during the war.
By 17, GM Tran had earned a black belt and was teaching Taekwondo in his highschool, under the tutelage of one of the martial arts' pioneers, Lieutenant-Colonel Kim Bong Sik. The war exacted a heavy toll on GM Tran's family. His eldest brother died in a B-52 bombing in 1968. His parents and of four of his nine siblings died as boat people after their boat disappeared at sea in 1977.
GM Tran had been living in Quebec City since 1970 after studying mechanical engineering at Laval University. He opened several Taekwondo schools, organized tournaments and was active in making the martial art popular in Quebec. He became close to General Choi Hong Hi, the founder of Taekwondo,who was also living in Canada. After Gen. Choi died in 2002, GM Tran succeeded him as president of the International Taekwondo Federation.
“He was dedicated to introducing Taekwondo among the poorer communities of the world, to give young people the hope to achieve in life and attain happiness,” his family said in its statement.
GM Tran is survived by his wife Nguyen Thi My and two daughters and a son, Joliette, Cecilia and Nicolas, all of them Taekwondo black belts. GM Tran's remains will be returned to Canada on Sunday, on Lunar New Year, traditionally the most festive time for people of Vietnamese ancestry. A private funeral will be held Feb. 20, but a public service is expected in March.
Our thoughts are with his family, always. Taekwon.
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Traditional ITF - Tae Kwon-Do
The Academy teaches traditional ITF Tae Kwon-Do as taught by Grand Master General Choi Hong Hi 9 th degree (1918 - 2002), founder of Tae Kwon-Do.
Taekwon-Do translated literally means
"Tae" stands for jumping or flying, to kick or to smash with the foot
"Kwon" denotes fist, chiefly to punch or destroy with hand or foot
"Do" means an art or way
Classes and programme's within the Academy are age specific, allowing the instructors to allocate the correct amount of time to every area of development specific to that age group, the Academy has classes available in both Junior Tae Kwon-Do and Adult Tae Kwon-Do.
Progressing through the syllabus is by a hierarchal coloured belt system. There are six belt colours, ranking from the lowest , white, then yellow , green , blue , red to the coveted black belt. Each colour with exception of black , has two levels of grade, making ten in total.
The junior curriculum, white belt to black belt is based on training a minimum of 2 nights a week and covers all aspects of TKD, fundamental movement, fitness, reflex, speed and Tae Kwon-do philosophy.
Each student receives their own specific training plan. Which maps out what is required to progress to the next stage of the programme. Our goal is to ensure that all students reach their goal of Black Belt
Tae Kwon-Do Grading Promotions
Gradings in Tae Kwon-Do are done so that the students can distinguish senior from junior grade, black belt from Instructor. Gradings are reward for hard work, both mentally and physically, that the student has demonstrated over the weeks and months. Tae Kwon-Do is a martial art for all ages and sexes and therefore it would be unfair to adopt one grading standard for all therefore our grading system is split into three categories, Junior, Standard and Executive.
Age is no excuse ! Mr Richard Baker 2nd degree age 75 and Dr Edward Moore 2nd degree age 70 both from Dunbar's Black Belt Academy, Inverness are shining examples who train daily.
We are a Black Belt Academy
Because we care about our martial art we believe it should be taught in the proper way and for the proper reasons. We are a Black belt Academy. If you join us your aim should be to become a black belt, it’s within your grasp, all you have to do is apply yourself and we will help you on your way. If you are a parent you would want your child to get through all of the key stages at school wouldn’t you? If you went to university you would want to get a degree don't you? When you join us you are joining to become a Black belt - it's only then that you will have the basic knowledge of Self Defence, and it's only then that you will begin to understand what General Choi aimed to achieve when he designed Taekwon-Do.
In Taekwon-Do you are a beginner until you get a Black Belt. From 1st to 3rd Degree you are a novice! 4th Degree and above and you are an expert. At 7th degree you become a Master.
We teach self defence - everything else, the discipline, fitness, confidence are by- products of learning what we hope you will never have to use - the ability to stop someone from hitting you and then making sure they don't try again.
Child Safety
We take safeguarding children very seriously. All of our Instructors have enhanced disclosures through the Criminal Records Bureau, and they are renewed every three years. Safety is another very high priority for us. Our Instructors all have first aid qualifications, but more importantly we believe in safe training practices and thorough risk assessments to make sure the risk of injury is minimised.
And we have experience - lots of it! Master Dunbar has 30 years experience having trained with General Choi himself several times and keeping up to date by attending International Seminars at least once a year. Our Instructors also attend National Seminars each year to keep their knowledge and training as fresh as possible.
We look forward to you visiting our studios soon. Call now for your FREE intro class
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