The American Taekwondo Association unveiled a new installation Wednesday morning ahead of an inaugural martial arts summit in Little Rock.
The organization has deep roots in Arkansas, setting its headquarters in the capital city in 1977.
ATA CEO Taekwon Lee said his father, the late Eternal Grand Master H. U. Lee, drew inspiration from the region.
"Little Rock and the state of Arkansas have played a significant role in the global martial arts industry. Eternal Grand Master chose Little Rock because he believed in the strength and character of the community. And also he liked the license plates back then, when it said, 'Land of Opportunity.'”
In 1983, Grand Master Lee established a unique style of taekwondo which he called Songahm Taekwondo. It has since grown to become the world’s largest centrally administered martial art.
Lee says the style was shaped by Arkansas’ natural landscape.
"'Song-' means pine tree. And if we all went to civics class in elementary school, we know that that's Arkansas' state tree, and it symbolizes resilience and growth. '-Ahm' means rock, inspired by Arkansas' granite terrain, and it symbolizes stability and strength.”
The vision wall unveiled at the H.U. Lee International Gate and Garden in downtown Little Rock details the organization's history and its founder. It also honors the ATA Masters who played a central role in shaping the organization and garden.
This weekend, the American Taekwondo Association will honor the legacy of its founder with the inaugural H.U. Lee Classic.
Lee said the international event will bring more than 1,000 instructors, students and their families to the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
"Highlights include the Songahm Summit, five stars edition, which is a workout for all ATA students to train, with not just five of the top high-ranking grand masters, but almost 20 living grand masters in the ATA. We also have team sparring competitions, children's', teenagers', adults' and masters' competition over the weekend.”
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. was presented with an honorary black belt from the organization.
He reminisced about his time training at the ATA while growing up in southwest Little Rock and spoke about the city’s legacy supporting the organization.
"This is about tourism, this is about economic development, but this is about a longstanding partnership that really started with some of my predecessors that are here with me today. From Mayor [Sharon] Priest and to Mayor [Jim] Dailey, I share my appreciation to the two of you all, for the great work and leadership that you have always done and been a part of this process”
For more information about the H. U. Lee Classic, visit ATAmaritalarts.com.
