Monsour del Rosario earns rare taekwondo award in Seoul

Makati Rep. Monsour del Rosario (Photo from his Facebook page)

Makati Rep. Monsour Del Rosario was just conferred the 2017 Award for a Proud Taekwondo by Kukkiwon, the sport’s governing body, last Dec. 7 in Seoul, South Korea.

The award is the highest accolade bestowed by Kukkiwon to individuals who have contributed to the development and spread of taekwondo domestically and internationally. The award was presented in an elaborate ceremony at the World Taekwondo Headquarters.

Del Rosario has earned the unprecedented distinction of becoming the first and only non-Korean to earn this citation.

Since the award’s creation in 2005, it has been historically dominated by Koreans, an unsurprising tradition as taekwondo is Korea’s national sport.

This year, there were 11 awardees who were chosen through a highly rigid selection process conducted by a committee of taekwondo grandmasters from around the world.

Hundreds of nominees from 209 participating countries were vetted and thoroughly scrutinized in order to come up with a handful of taekwondo fighters worthy of the award.

Del Rosario’s selection was sealed by his bemedalled taekwondo career.

He has played an instrumental role in developing and propagating the sport from the grassroots to the national and international levels. Also, thanks to his action star status, he has been widely credited for raising the profile of Taekwondo in the Philippines.

He likewise gained praises for his leadership as secretary general of the Philippine Taekwondo Association and his service as taekwondo ambassador.

Besides all his athletic recognitions, he still keeps track of his job as a public servant and legislator in Congress.

In interviews after receiving his award, Del Rosario proudly dedicated his record feat to the Filipino nation.

“I’m proud to share this honor with my fellow Filipinos.” he said. “I hope this award will inspire them to strive hard and to never give up on their dreams.”

“As one of the pioneers of taekwondo in the Philippines, I’m proud to have witnessed the development of the sport in the country. And I thank Kukkiwon for recognizing my contribution to this remarkable growth.” /atm