Egyptian martial-artist Mohamed Shaaban has become the youngest committee head at the World Taekwondo. He takes over as head of the Competitions Committee, promoted from deputy head of the technical committee. Shaaban, 39, started his career at Al-Zohour Club and quickly booked his place as a member of the Egyptian national team between 1996 and 2004, participating in a series of championships. In 1996, he entered his first international championship in Holland, then a number of World Cups in 2000 (France), 2001 (Vietnam) and 2002 (Japan). In 1999 he also participated in the World Championship. After retiring as a player in 2004, he decided to come back in 2012 but this time as an official. He started his administrative career at the Egyptian Taekwondo Federation in 2012. He then became director of the national teams, inspiring Egypt to a series of trophies and medals, including Hedaya Malak's bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. In 2015, Shaaban started his career at the WT as deputy head of the technical committee. Quickly progressing and with persistence and hard work, Shaaban gained the confidence of the WT members. “Shaaban is an example of a talented and hardworking Pharaoh as he was able to learn and progress very quickly, Shaaban's previous head Philip Boidu said. “He is very clever and punctual and adores taekwondo so such personalities are a wealth as they will give a helping hand to promoting the game in the future.” Taekwondo is a Korean martial art based mostly on kicking, with competitors often engaging in full-contact bouts using protective gear.
