The selection process for taekwondo referees who will officiate at the Paris Olympics has concluded with the selection of 26 referees from 5 continents, evenly split between 13 men and 13 women. The journey began in February 2023, organized by the World Taekwondo Federation, with camps that included 260 referees from a pool of 8,000 international referees to choose the best 58 for a thorough evaluation during major competitions. This evaluation also determined the classification and qualification of Olympic athletes, including the 2023 World Championships for seniors, four Grand Prix events, and five continental qualifiers. Among these, Olympic referee Daniel Khorasanjian (Chairman of the Referees Committee in Lebanon and a member of the Competition Committee in the World Taekwondo Federation) participated in six assessment tournaments, including the World Championship, Grand Prix in Rome and Paris, and the Grand Prix final in Manchester.
Khorasanjian was named among the best referees of 2023 during the annual ceremony held by the World Taekwondo Federation and the continental qualifiers in Africa and Europe, leading several matches, including finals and qualification matches across various officiating roles such as center referee, corner referee, and others. After the qualifiers, the World Taekwondo Federation selected the top 26 referees, including Khorasanjian from Asia. The federation officially announced the names at the Olympic training camp for coaches and referees. This will be followed by another camp in Monaco, exclusively for the 26 referees, to finalize their preparations before the Olympic Games.
World Taekwondo President Dr. Chung Won-shik congratulated the qualified referees and urged them to complete their preparations to avoid human errors, emphasizing that these referees are the "elite" among the qualified officials. It is noteworthy that this is Khorasanjian's third Olympic qualification, having previously officiated at Buenos Aires (Argentina) 2018, Tokyo (Japan) 2020, and now Paris (France) 2024. Khorasanjian is among the most experienced globally, having officiated in a vast number of international competitions exceeding 220, including 10 World Championships, 20 Grand Prix events, 6 finals, 4 Grand Slams, 7 Asian Games, and numerous continental championships and open international events.
In this context, the President of the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation, Dr. Habib Zreife, contacted Khorasanjian to congratulate him on qualifying to officiate at the Paris Olympics, as well as on the international officiating achievements of Lebanese referees since Khorasanjian assumed the Chairmanship of the Referees Committee in 2020. In turn, Khorasanjian thanked Dr. Zreife for the congratulations and dedicated this achievement to Lebanon in general and the Taekwondo Federation family in particular. He also expressed his gratitude to the World Taekwondo President for the appointment, the Competition Committee Chair, the Referees Committee Chair, and all involved parties.
