LTF — Lebanese Taekwondo Federation

What it is

The Lebanese Taekwondo Federation governs taekwondo in Lebanon. Unusually for the region it has a precise legal origin: it was established by Decree No. 297/89 in 1989, amended by Decree No. 32/91 in 1991. The federation states that Lebanon had joined the world governing body as early as 1977, when that body also covered judo and karate.^[1]

It operates from Horch Tabet in Beirut. Its published presidential succession runs from Mohamed Al Khaleeli through Carine Lahoud — the first woman to hold the office — and Sophie Jelwan Abou Jaoudeh, to Dr Habib Zarifeh, president since 2016.^[1]

It is among the best-documented national sports bodies in Lebanon, which is why it is the Lebanese federation recorded here: its website is live and current, its constitutional history is published, and its elective general assemblies are minuted.^[2]

What is and is not on the record

A federation created by decree has a clearer legal identity than most in the region: the decree number and its amendment are the founding documents, and the presidential succession from 1989 is published rather than reconstructed. That matters, because in much of the Middle East the basic question of when a federation came into existence cannot be answered from a primary source at all.^[1]

No published national-team selection criteria could be located. The world governing body's member directory was also unreachable when this page was researched, so the federation's affiliation is recorded from its own account rather than independently confirmed. Anyone needing to evidence a Lebanese athlete's national-team status should request the call-up notice and the general-assembly or board minutes directly from the federation — which, on the evidence of what it does publish, keeps them. More on how selection is normally recorded.^[2]