History of National Collegiate Taekwondo Association Championships and FISU Games.

The National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (1976) was formed in 1970 by a few collegiate martial arts instructors.

It is well known that Taekwondo plays a major role in the advancement of Oriental combative sports/arts in the United States. The National Collegiate Taekwondo Association is consistently working to promote Taekwondo in colleges and universities and to effect a better understanding of the real purpose and philosophy of Taekwondo. In the face of mounting commercialization, distortion, and misrepresentation of our ideals, we must make the public aware of the traditional values of this distinguished martial art.

It was initially impossible to hold a National Collegiate Taekwondo Championship because of the limited number of colleges and universities holding membership in the NCTA. The only annual competition was the Western Collegiate Taekwondo Championship held at the University of California, Berkeley until 1976 when Professor Jae M. Lee hosted the 1st National Collegiate Championship at Nicholls University, Thibodaux, Louisiana. Subsequent National Collegiate Championships have taken place annually.

Effective as of 1985, the scoring of these tournament has been done on the basis of team standing: the team - the cumulative point total is determined, and first place is awarded three points, second place gets two points, and third place receives one point. Under this system, the US. team earned second place honors at the 1983 1st World Championships in Seoul, Korea.

The National Collegiate Taekwondo Association will continue to promote, foster, and broaden our activities in colleges and universities by providing quality instruction and coaching for Taekwondo students. As a result, these students will be worthy to represent the United States in National and international competition, and in the Olympic games themselves in Seoul, Korea, 1988. The development of mind and body through qualified instructors and disciplined training will enhance the success of academic improvement and social progress. It is particularly important to recognize here the discipline of all those who have already been working consistently for the past ten years to secure the FISU (International University Sports Federation) sponsorship. The first FISU game was held in November, 1986 at the University of California, Berkeley. The US Collegiate team took second place.  The 2nd World University Taekwondo Championships were held in Santander, Spain in 1990 with the US team taking third place.

The University of Guadalajara hosted the 3rd World University Taekwondo Championships in 1992.  Twenty-six countries participated at this event where the United State received eight place.  The 4th World University Taekwondo Championships were held in St. Petersburg, Russia in September 1996.  The US team placed third overall.  In 1998 the 5th World University Taekwondo Championships were held in Manzanillo, Mexico with the US team coming in 6th place.  Kaohsiung, Taiwan hosted the 6th World University Taekwondo Championships in March, 2000.  The US team rose back up to 2nd place at this event.  The 7th World University Taekwondo Championships were held at the place where they began, University of California-Berkeley's Harmon Arena in June 2002.  The US Women's team took 1st place and the US team overall came in second.  The 8th World University Taekwondo Championships were held in June 2004 in Patras, Greece.  The US team came in 7th at this event.  The 9th World University Taekwondo Championships will be hosted by the University of Valencia in Valencia, Spain.