In order to strengthen cooperation in sports and cultural domains across the Turkic world, the "Turan Martial Arts and Hapkido Union" has been officially established under the term presidency and hosting of Kyrgyzstan.
Grandmaster Şükrü Kınataş, President of the World Hapkido Association (WAHA) who introduced hapkido to Türkiye, stated in an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA): "Hapkido representatives from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan came together in Kyrgyzstan and founded the 'Turan Martial Arts and Hapkido Union.' Here, we aim to support each other and grow stronger together in this field."
Kınataş noted that the primary goal is for Turkic states to carry out joint events, exchange visits, and support each other across all sports and cultural platforms. Emphasizing their vision to expand the union in the near future, he expressed their intention to include Turkmenistan, Hungary, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), and Tajikistan in this federation structure.
Leadership Structure and Recognition by the OTS
Explaining that the leadership structure was established during the founding assembly, Kınataş announced that Nazira Uteshova was appointed as interim term president, while the position of Secretary-General was entrusted to himself representing Türkiye.
Kınataş underscored that joint initiatives will be conducted to secure legal status for the Union and obtain official accreditation and backing from the Ministry of Culture, Information, Sports and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Organization of Turkic States (OTS).
"Hapkido Resonates with Turkic Heritage and Defense Reflexes"
Highlighting the global standing of Hapkido, Kınataş emphasized: "The traditional Korean martial art of hapkido is an essential and comprehensive discipline. Currently categorized among non-Olympic defense disciplines, bringing it under the unified banner of the Turan States will play a pioneering role on the path towards Olympic recognition."
Remarking on how naturally hapkido aligns with ancient Turkic warrior traditions and defensive reflexes, Kınataş added: "For instance, we see equestrian games in the World Nomad Games. Within the martial art of Hapkido, there is traditional archery, swordsmanship, and weapon defense techniques. It is an indispensable discipline that armed forces, police, and security units should master."