Children who apply for the Taekwondo Grading Examination must first pay for registration as a member of China Taekwondo Association (hereinafter referred to as China Taekwondo Association), otherwise they cannot take the examination. A few days ago, Mr. Hong, a consumer in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, questioned the requirements of Taekwondo grading examination, and the reporter of China Consumer News conducted an investigation.
If you want to pass the exam, you must pay for membership first.
Registration is only for one year at a time. The training institution said that it is stipulated that members of the China Taekwondo Association should also pay the minimum fee in 500 yuan every year. Mr. Hong’s 8-year-old son has passed the Grade 3 exam and is currently preparing for the Grade 6 (Green Belt) exam. Although he has been enrolled in an off-campus training class to learn Taekwondo for less than two years, he is already a member of China Taekwondo Association, because the China Taekwondo Association stipulates that he must register as a member of China Taekwondo Association before taking the exam. The registration fee is 50 yuan, and he only needs to register for one year at a time. In the second year, if he wants to take the exam, he has to continue to pay for registration.
Mr. Hong thinks that the entrance examination fee for Taekwondo is obviously expensive, but he can accept the training fee:
In August, 2021, the coach sent the notice of registration for the grade examination to parents, which not only specified the registration fee for the grade, but also included a special charge: "Annual registration fee of China Taekwondo Association is 50 yuan every year", and an application form for the promotion of students of China Taekwondo Association was attached.
"The examination fee below the yellow-green belt is 240 yuan, the green belt, the green-blue belt and the blue-blue belt are 280 yuan, plus certificates, registration and membership. In the past, it cost more than 300 yuan each time. The higher the level, the more expensive the college entrance examination fee. Pay for training before the exam."
Mr. Hong expressed strong doubts about the practice of having to pay for the entrance examination first, and proposed to check the relevant rules and regulations and the basis for charging. The coach of the training institution sent the official website of China Taekwondo Association to Mr. Hong and told him that relevant regulations could be found in official website. The coach said:
"Volunteer to apply for the exam, but the object of the exam must be a member. If you want to take the exam, you have to register first, which is also convenient for the association’s file management and participation in competitions. Unit members in Chengdu also have to pay fees, the minimum is 500 yuan every year, in order to keep the test sites of our grading units. "
The standard of personal membership fee is 50 yuan every year.
Official website of China Taekwondo Association shows that the standard of individual membership fee is the annual entrance examination fee of 50 yuan, and each level is 25 yuan. However, the introduction and explanation of membership fee and fees are varied.
On January 11th, the reporter logged into official website of China Taekwondo Association, and found the Measures for the Management of Ranks of China Taekwondo Association in the "Rules and Regulations", in which Article 3 "Promotion Objects" stipulated:
The Management Measures for Members of China Taekwondo Association and the Membership Fee Standard stipulate that individual members should pay membership fees according to the regulations, and the membership fee standard is 50 yuan every year. The standard of entrance examination fee is unified throughout the country, and each level is 25 yuan, which is mainly used for standard setting, system operation and maintenance, teacher training, certificates and other expenses. The training service fee is determined by the training institution according to the local actual situation and the quality of training services, and is mainly used for education, training, counseling and examination services. The promotion fee will be collected uniformly at the time of examination registration.
As a parent, the reporter of China Consumer News consulted a number of Taekwondo training institutions in Chengdu, and the other party indicated that if you want to take the exam organized by China Taekwondo Association, you must first register for membership. However, the introduction of membership fees and fees varies greatly among institutions.
"Sunshine Taekwondo" training institution claims to be a unit member of China Taekwondo Association. There are training courses from junior to senior level. The higher the level, the higher the fee. The junior 290 yuan and the highest 590 yuan must first register as members of China Taekwondo Association, and their membership fees are included in the examination fee. If they register separately, the specific standards are not clear.
Hongming Taekwondo Gymnasium is a member of Chengdu Taekwondo Association, and the grading examination is organized by Chengdu Taekwondo Association, and the Taekwondo Gymnasium has a test center. The staff told the reporter, "Members are divided into two types: members of Chengdu Taekwondo Sports Association and members of China Taekwondo Association. If you want to take the red belt or black belt test, it is recommended to take the China Taekwondo Association because the gold content of the certificate is much higher, but it is relatively troublesome. You have to register and pay, but it is only more than 200 yuan, which is not very expensive."
On January 12th, a reporter from China Consumer News interviewed Chengdu Taekwondo Sports Association. Teacher Wu of the association told the reporter that Chengdu Taekwondo Sports Association is a member of China Taekwondo Association, and China Taekwondo Association has a set of specific procedures for grading examination, requiring that it must be a member of China Taekwondo Association. The fee for 50 yuan is valid for one year, and it will have to be paid again after it expires. In addition, the certification fee for the grade examination certificate in 25 yuan will be charged, which is also the unified pricing of the Taekwondo Association of China. The specific process is:
Students’ information (such as ID card information and photos) will be submitted by the training class teacher, and then the information will be submitted by the staff of Chengdu Taekwondo Association from the uniformly distributed port, and they will become members after approval.
China Taekwondo Association clearly stated that the grading test must be an individual member, and its position will be gradually adjusted.
On January 17th, the reporter of China Consumer News called the member department of China Taekwondo Association. A staff member of the association who asked not to be named made it clear that the grading examination is a grading service provided by China Taekwondo Association, and now the grading examination must be an individual member.
"If you have this demand, you can apply for membership and then go to the examination. Specific matters can be inquired in official website of China Taekwondo Association. There are rules and regulations, and the corresponding charges are also clearly publicized in official website. "
"The problem you mentioned is also what we are considering. We are also constantly collecting these outstanding problems, and then do some feedback in order to formulate policies in line with the development of the project. This project has been developed in China for many years and has its own characteristics. Practitioners are gradually developing towards younger age, and we are slowly optimizing and adjusting according to the development situation. "