January–February: establishing Ukraine’s federation
The All-Ukrainian Taekwon-Do ITF federation was established in January 1990, led by Ihor Pai. That month, the Soviet team made its European championship debut in Davos. On 18 February, Ukrainian representatives attended the founding conference in Jūrmala, where an all-union Taekwon-Do federation was being formed.
The Ukrainian federation grew from existing training groups. Experience in karate, boxing and other martial arts helped its first athletes adapt quickly. Shared seminars and competitions gradually formed a recognisable Ukrainian school.
In Kharkiv, Volodymyr Dubtsov took charge of the regional federation, leading it until 1994. In Kyiv, Granit Li coached the generation of Ihor Chekhov and Andrii Nashchynets.
16–20 April: a major tournament in Kharkiv
Kharkiv hosted the first all-Union ITF Taekwon-Do tournament. Teams came from Ukraine, Latvia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Estonia, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and other centres. Kharkiv participants included Valerii Sokol, Serhii Kharytonenko and Leontii Pak, representing the tradition developed by Luis Carvajal and his students.
Ukraine was both a competitor and the organiser of a major meeting between schools. Hosting required trained umpires, competition areas and arrangements for teams to work together.
June–August: international representation
On 30 June, Ukrainian delegates took part in establishing a separate all-union ITF organisation. On 18–21 August, the Soviet team competed at the world championship in Montreal. The all-union federation joined the ITF during the championship, widening access to official international competition for Ukrainian centres working within that system.
The national season: the first championship in Sumy
Around one hundred athletes gathered in Sumy for the first republican championship. Participants included Valerii Sokol, Oleh Petrovskyi, Vladyslav Kim, Oleksandr Okhariev, Volodymyr Tsukanov and the Bohun brothers. Federation president Ihor Pai and Oleksandr Popov attended the event.
A domestic championship brought regional centres into a shared sporting environment. Coaches could assess their teaching methods, while athletes gained experience against strong opponents from other regions.
Tashkent: competition and new black belts
Ukraine’s representatives at the second all-Union tournament included Kharkiv athletes Oleksandr Popov, Volodymyr Radionov, Yurii Zahrevskyi, Volodymyr Tsukanov, Serhii Novikov and Stanislav Shcherbakov.
A seminar led by Korean instructor Kang Byong Mu preceded the competition. Volodymyr Radionov and Yurii Zahrevskyi received I Dan. Competition travel was also a continuation of Ukrainian athletes’ technical education.
By the end of the year, Ukraine had its own federation, experience of hosting a championship and a major tournament, internationally graded athletes and new coaching connections. These became the foundations of the following season.