IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL BLACK BELTS!!

Check in and Weigh in for all Black Belt competitors will take place at KAL TIRE PLACE on Friday, May 5th from 4:00pm to 6:00pm and again on Saturday, May 6th from 7:30am to 8:00am PDT 

Black Belt Card:

All Black Belts, all ages, must be certified with ITF headquarters. 

All Black Belts must show their ITF Black Belt registration card at the Weight Check/Check-in (see
below). A photocopy of the Black Belt certificate showing name, rank and date information as well as the
name of the ITF President is acceptable. Any Black Belt without appropriate proof of certification in the ITF
will be disqualified with no refund of event fees.

Black Belts not competing in sparring MUST check-in and show ID to confirm Black Belt status. Failure to do
so will result in disqualification. 

 Official Weight Verification Procedures can be found at https://itftkd.sport/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Official-ITF-Rules-of-Competition-Version-2022v2.pdf 

BLACK BELT WEIGHT CATEGORIES:

Standard ITF Black Belt Weight categories will apply.

Note: Coaches please be careful to enter your Black Belt competitors’ weight correctly in your SportData club account so the correct category can be assigned if there is
merging.

**IMPORTANT NOTE for this Nationals**:  

Because this is a Selection Nationals used to select the members of the Canadian National Team going to the ITF World Championships in Finland (September 2023), ALL PRE-JUNIOR, JUNIOR AND ADULT BLACK BELTS must register for the weight class they intend to enter for individual free sparring at the 2023 World Championships.  At the weight check they must qualify for this weight class and no other.

Category Merging for Black Belts:

Free Sparring

Any Black Belt sparring category, including Pre-Junior, Junior and Adult, may be merged if there are two or less competitors, they will always be merged within
the same age group.  This is to ensure there are no competitors alone in their category and improve competition for the athletes.  Seeding points will be awarded regardless of which category the athletes compete in.  Refer to CTFI Team Manual for full details of Seeding point system.

Patterns

Black Belts in Pre-Junior, Junior and Adult Patterns categories will not have any
merging so they can collect seeding points for their patterns category.  NOTE: Competitors who are alone in their category do not automatically win a gold medal. They must perform their pattern in front of the judges as if in competition.  Competitors who score a Zero for both their pattern performances will not receive a medal.

Black Belts Senior and Veteran may have categories merged with a different rank.  Patterns performed will be for the lower rank of the two competitors in the ring when their competition begins. (e.g. if a 3^rd dan is matched with a 4^th dan, only 3^rd dan patterns will be used, but if a different match in the same category sees 2 4^th dans competitors, 4^th dan patterns will be used).

Weight Verification:

All Black Belts (all ages) must have their weight category verified at the weigh-ins. Weigh-in procedure will follow ITF World Championships rules. Black
Belts must present their Black Belt certification card at the weight check.

Black Belts in Super Senior (age 36-45) and Veteran (age 46+) categories must be within +/-3kg of their stated weight or they will be disqualified.

Pre-Junior, Junior and Adult Black Belts (age 12-35) must fall within their registered weight categories or they will be disqualified.

Weight checks will be available on Friday May 5, 2023 at the host hotel from 4-6 pm and at the tournament venue on Saturday May 6, 2023 from 7:30-8:00 am.

Black Belt Age Categories:

Black Belt Age Categories of this event:

Pre-Junior             age12-14

Junior                    age15-17

Adult                     Age 18+

Senior                   Age 36+

Veteran                 Age 46+

Note: Black Belts age 36+ may choose to enter the Senior Age 18+ category. This will result in a higher entry fee. Categories for Black Belts age 36+ may be merged if there are less than three competitors.

Valid Age for Category:

ITF standard age categories will apply to all Black Belt competitors in Pre-Junior, Junior and Adult age groups.

The valid age for all competitors during the competition is the age at which they enter the year.   To calculate this age, use the following formula:

Year of competition – Year of birth – 1 = Competitors valid age during the competition

Examples:

1.    Year of competition 2023 – Year of birth 2005 – 1 = 17      This Competitor is only allowed to compete as a Junior

2.    Year of competition 2023 – Year of birth 2004 – 1 = 18       This Competitor is only allowed to compete as a Adult

3.    Year of competition 2023 – Year of birth 2010 – 1 = 12       This Competitor is only allowed to compete as a Pre-Junior

Black Belts Competing Up:

Exact circumstances under which “Competing Up” is allowed are detailed in the current CTFI Team Manual, which is available on the “Resources and Downloads” page of the CTFI web site (refer to Appendix A).  Coaches must register competitors for their normal category then make an email request to the Tournament Director to compete up. Please note the new Age Qualification rules and categories listed above

Colour Belt Age Categories (excluding TKD Kids):

Minimum age is 6 years old. As per CTFI competition rules, the appropriate age division for all competitors will be determined based on the age of the person on the first day of the Tournament –May 6, 2023.  Please note that Colour Belt age divisions with less than three people may be merged with other groups.  Best effort will be made
to create categories that are close in rank and age.