The president of the Panamerican Union of Tae Kwon Do, Korean Chad Sok Park visited Santo Domingo and praised the development of the sport here. He commended the efforts of the president of the Federation of Tae Kwon Do, Leonardo Monsanto. He highlighted advances in the sport that led the country to place second among 42 participants in the Panamerican Championships recently held in Aruba. During his visit, he met with the Korean Ambassador in the DR who committed to lobby for assistance from Korean sport specialists. He also announced the celebration in Santo Domingo in July of the Central American and Caribbean Tae Kwon Do Championships and the Manatee Cup Open. "You need to work hard, ensure strength, preserve dignity and stay close to technological advances. If those aspects are met, I assure you that the first medal won in the 2003 Pan Am Games will be a tae kwon do medal," he told reporters from El Siglo newspaper. In the Indianapolis Pan Am Games (1987) the DR won two bronze medals, in the Mar de Plata Game (another bronze) and in the Winnipeg Games (1999) a silver and a bronze.
