Published: August 11, 2025
MONROVIA – Liberia’s Taekwondo program is on the brink of stagnation after being left out of the national sports budget for three straight years, according to the sport’s top official, who is now urging swift government intervention.
Master Junior Pewee Russiann, president of the Liberia Taekwondo Federation, told The Liberian Investigator over the weekend that the lack of public funding has crippled the federation’s ability to stage annual championships and produce athletes who can compete at an elite level.
“Since I took over the federation, we’ve faced serious challenges,” Russiann said. “We have to beg people to sponsor our programs just to function as a registered federation in Liberia.”
Russiann said the federation will seek an audience with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to demand answers on why Taekwondo has been excluded from the national sports allocation, which is intended to support all athletic disciplines.
While lamenting the setbacks, he announced plans to launch a nationwide youth recruitment drive on Nov. 8, 2025. The three-month program will target children 13 and older in all 15 counties as part of a broader three-year development agenda to nurture Liberia’s next generation of Taekwondo talent.
Participants will undergo structured training led by certified coaches from Liberia and other African countries, with opportunities for overseas exposure.
“The goal is to prepare our athletes to meet modern competition standards and evolving rules in the sport,” Russiann said.
A former national athlete himself, Russiann represented Liberia in multiple international tournaments and says he is determined to ensure the sport does not fade from the country’s athletic landscape.
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