EVOLUTION OF TAEKWONDO FROM SPIRITUAL AND CULTURAL PRACTICE TO A MARTIAL SPORT

ABSTRACT The evolution and development of each system follow the dynamic pace of everyday life, technological progress, consumer’s interests and needs satisfaction, adaptation to modern socio-economic conditions, and other important factors. The aim of the present study is to track peculiarities in the evolutionary development of taekwondo from spiritual and cultural practice to a martial art. The object of this study is the system of Taekwondo WT. The subject of our research are the stages in the development of Taekwondo WT, transformations in the legal framework of the World Taekwondo Feder-ation, and some specific and essential aspects of the system. The evolutionary stages in the transformation of Taekwondo WT, proposed by the author, are part of a wider concept related to its institutionalization. Various literature sources and key documents of the World Taekwondo Federation from different periods of the system were studied through the application of content analysis. The results indicate that Taekwondo WT is a system with a wide range and consumer interest. The inclusion of WT taekwondo as a major sport in the Olympic Games not only attracts more users, but also leads to dynamic transformations in the legal framework of the World Federation, to the implementation of technical devices to increase objectivity in competitions and to the launch of new products and services. In addition, different approaches are being adapted to increase the audience’s interest in WT taekwondo events, as well as different practices by sport clubs are being applied to meet the needs of the consumers. The reviewed WT taekwondo system, its current state and stages of development, clearly outline a departure from the ancient ideology and philosophy of the martial arts at the expense of a global scale and scope, leading to today’s typical goals - segmentation, meeting different consumer needs, achieving high sports results, more people involved, easy accessibility, etc.