Ahmed Al-Fouli, Egypt's World Taekwondo vice president and head of the African Taekwondo Federation, passed away on Sunday 27 September. Al-Fouli, who was an army general, had been receiving hospital treatment following a heart attack in August but his condition had since deteriorated. World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue eulogis ed Al-Fouli. “Today we lost a great man of taekwondo. Since 2001 when he became a member of the WT Council, and especially since 2004 when I appointed him as vice president of World Taekwondo, Gen. Fouli dedicated his life to elevating our beloved martial art and sport to what we are today – one of the best governed Olympic and Paralympic international sport federations in the world. “In his capacity as president of Taekwondo Africa, Gen. Al-Fouli oversaw the meteoric rise of taekwondo in the region. Five medals from Africa under his leadership at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games truly demonstrated the universality of taekwondo to the world. Taekwondo is now one of the most popular sports in Africa, and continues to produce champions on and off the mat. “But perhaps more importantly, for those of us who know Gen. Al-Fouli personally, we have lost a great friend and brother. Throughout my presidency and especially in my personal life, Gen. Fouli was one of the most trusted, trustworthy, and supportive friends that anyone could have had. “Our brother may be gone, but his contributions to taekwondo will never be forgotten. My memories of Gen. Al-Fouli and love for him as my brother will never be forgotten,” Chungwon said. As well as serving as World Taekwondo vice president Al-Fouli contributed to those less fortunate through his support of the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF). He also served as chairman of the World Taekwondo Hall of Fame Committee. World Taekwondo paid its respects to Al-Fouli by setting up a memorial at the federation's headquarters in Seoul. The memorial stood for two days and saw a number of people from the World Taekwondo family and staff pay tribute to their colleague and friend. Al-Fouli will be greatly missed but his legacy will live on and continue to benefit generations of taekwondo athletes in Africa and beyond. *A version of this article appears in print in the 1 October, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.