I am horrified.

I've been training in tae kwon do (mainly at my beloved and much-missed school, the DC Self Defense Karate Association) for over 20 years now. I take it quite seriously — not because I'm an Olympic-level athlete or anything, but because I've learned so much from it. Yes, fitness, strength, and some badly needed coordination, but also focus, a thirst for perfection, a much higher tolerance for detail work, teaching skills, leadership skills, self-acceptance — I could go on and on. That's what tae kwon do has given me.

Imagine, then, my shame to see that someone, ostensibly a tae kwon do black belt, actually hauled off and kicked a referee in the face when a decision went against him. He has dishonored us all.

One of the most valuable aspects of tae kwon do (one, just to be clear, that it shares with many other martial arts) is its emphasis on courtesy. Whether or not you feel comfortable within hierarchies, I don't think you could deny the value of courtesy to everyone. For some reason, this guy's flouted his teaching, or his teachers have failed him. Or both. And he has used the strength, skill, and focus he got from tae kwon do to lash out in spite and egotistical rage and damage someone whom all his training should have taught him to respect.

The sooner tae kwon do is removed from the Olympic games and returns from being a sport to being an art, the better.