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thedragonopen

@thedragonopen

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ITF Taekwon- Do Tournament
@thedragon_tapilatu, @johanndesilva & @tim_kool
Save the date: 12th of september 2026.
📍Assen, The Netherlands 🇳🇱

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A month ago these were still in the camera.

Dragon Open 2026, Assen. 230 athletes, 35 clubs, one day.

Photos by @ajsaphotography.

#dragonopen #itftaekwondo #taekwondo by @thedragonopen

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4 days ago

A year out, almost to the day.

Dragon Open 2027: Saturday 25 September, Groningen. Registration opens 1 March.

#dragonopen2027 #itftaekwondo #groningen by @thedragonopen

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9 days ago

The full set.

Eight frames from 12 September. Tag yourself, tag your club, save what you want. Clubs are welcome to repost anything here.

All photos by @ajsaphotography

Next one: 25 September 2027.

#dragonopen #itftaekwondo #taekwondo by @thedragonopen

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23 days ago

Put it in the calendar.

Dragon Open 2027: Saturday 25 September, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Venue announced later this year. Registration opens 1 March 2027.

Photo by @ajsaphotography

#dragonopen2027 #itftaekwondo #groningen #savethedate by @thedragonopen

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25 days ago

Adventures at The 2nd Taekwon-Do Dragon Open 2026 @thedragonopen feat. @godzillatkd and @tkdtekkers 💪 Thank you for an excellent competition, grateful for the chance to get some great reps and represent @bmoretkd @itfamerica 🙌

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#tkditf #itftkd #itftaekwondo #internationaltaekwondofederation #taekwondo by @thedragonopen

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a month ago

They do not get a medal.

40 volunteers at the desk, at the rings, in the kitchen and at the door. 36 referees who kept 230 athletes moving through the day, on time, from ten in the morning until the last final.

One schedule. It held. Thank you.

Photos by @ajsaphotography

#dragonopen #itftaekwondo #referees #volunteers by @thedragonopen

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a month ago

🥋 Dragon Open 2026 @thedragonopen

Last weekend, our De Silva TKD students competed, challenged themselves, and gained valuable experience on the mats. 💪🔥

Proud of our team!
Keep training. Keep growing. 🥋

#desilvateam #taekwondo #itftaekwondo #dstkd by @thedragonopen

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a month ago

Two weeks out from a World Cup, should your athletes be competing?

Coaches and athletes ask me this constantly. This weekend, at the second edition of the @thedragonopen I said yes. Here is why.

The Dragon Open runs a league format: guaranteed rounds against quality opposition, rather than one draw and a long drive home. That is the whole reason to go.

@hannahtkd took four rounds of patterns and a well earned silver.
@campora.lorenzo won his patterns division, his first international title, at 2nd Dan, and took silver in sparring.

In both cases we learned most from the bouts they lost. Not to anything we had not seen: to the things we have been drilling that did not come out on the day. They were disappointed at first. I was not.

Two weeks out, that is information. We know what to work on and we have time to do it. Find it out in Benidorm and it is too late to be useful.

And injuries? You can turn an ankle in class. The job is to be careful, not to wrap people in cotton wool for a fortnight and hope they come out sharp.

Medals are temporary. Mat time compounds, and we got plenty of it.

Sahyun @thedragon_tapilatu is one of my closest friends and my daughter’s godfather. I was always going to be there for him. Taking my athletes was a separate decision, and I made it as a coach.

If you have never been to the Dragon Open, go! A fantastic event, on time and a great atmosphere. I will be there for sure in September 2027 with the @desilvatkd Competition Team at full strength.

#taekwondo #coach #dragonopen taken in Netherlands by @thedragonopen

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a month ago

🐉 A PROUD MOMENT AT THE DRAGON OPEN 2026 🐉

I am incredibly proud and honoured that AETF President Master Tomaz Barada joined us at the Dragon Open 2026.

And to make the day even more special, we had a wonderful surprise with the presence of Grand Master Bos. 🙏🏼

Having these two highly respected figures from the Taekwon-Do community with us meant a great deal to me personally and to the Dragon Open.

Their presence, support and passion for Taekwon-Do made an already special day even more memorable.

Thank you, Master Barada and Grand Master Bos, for being part of the Dragon Open 2026. It was truly an honour to welcome you. 🐉🥋

Respect. Friendship. Taekwon-Do.
See you at the next Dragon Open! 🔥

#DragonOpen2026 #DragonOpen #TaekwonDo #ITFTaekwonDo #AETF MartialArts TaekwonDoFamily Respect ProudMoment TheDragon 🐉 taken in De Bonte Wever Assen by @thedragonopen

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a month ago

Dragon Open 2026 did not happen by itself.

Thank you @alumio_co, @museumcafehetpomphuis, @liz__drenth, @stockroom050, @optilease, @kunsthandel_ongering and Solid Advies. You backed an international tournament in the north of the Netherlands and it ran.

Supported by @gemeenteassen, Assen Sportstad, who welcomed international athletes at De Bonte Wever.

#dragonopen #itftaekwondo #sponsors #assen by @thedragonopen

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a month ago

Samen met Sahyun @thedragon_tapilatu kijken we terug op een mooie Dragon Open 2026! 🥋🇳🇱

Als organisator vond ik het een ontzettend mooie dag. Een relaxte en sportieve dag, met prachtige wedstrijden en veel intensiteit. Zowel bij de hoge als lage banders werd er vol inzet gestreden tijdens de tul- en sparringswedstrijden.
Wat ik daarnaast erg mooi vond, was de sfeer. Mensen die elkaar lange tijd niet hadden gezien, kwamen elkaar weer tegen, deelden oude verhalen en haalden herinneringen op. Dat maakt een toernooi als de Dragon Open meer dan alleen wedstrijden.

Een bijzonder moment was de aanwezigheid van de President van de AETF. En als mooie verrassing was ook GM Wim Bos aanwezig. Daarmee waren drie legendarische Taekwondoins bij elkaar die Taekwondo in Groningen en ook internationaal op de kaart hebben gezet: GM Wim Bos, GM Wijnand Tapilatu en GM Henk Meijer. Een bijzonder moment en iets om trots op te zijn.

Als voorzitter ben ik vooral trots op de verbinding die deze dag liet zien.

Hoe mooi is het dat Taekwondoins vanuit verschillende bonden in Nederland 🇳🇱 samenkomen en elkaar op sportieve wijze op de mat treffen.

Maar ook de inzet achter de schermen verdient waardering. Vrijwilligers van verschillende clubs die opstaan om te helpen. Bestuursleden en vrijwilligers vanuit de bond die vanuit hun club of uit eigen beweging aanwezig zijn om het toernooi te ondersteunen.
Zonder deze mensen is een evenement als de Dragon Open niet mogelijk. 🐉

Daarom ben ik trots op alle Taekwondoins, clubs, bonden en vrijwilligers die zich sterk hebben ingezet voor én tijdens de Dragon Open 2026.

Samen zorgen we ervoor dat Taekwondo blijft groeien, verbinden en zichtbaar blijft. 🥋

Bedankt allemaal voor jullie inzet en aanwezigheid.
Tot volgend jaar!

📅 25 september 2027 🐉 @thedragonopen

#dragonopen #taekwondoitf #tkditf #teamwork

📸 : @carloterburg by @thedragonopen

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a month ago

That's a wrap.

Yesterday, 230 athletes from 37 clubs stepped onto the mats in Assen. Tuls, sparring, special techniques. First-timers and internationals in the same hall, all day.

Thank you to every athlete who competed, every coach who travelled, and every referee who sat through eight hours of it.

More photos this week.

#dragonopen #itftaekwondo #taekwondo #assen #netherlands by @thedragonopen

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a month ago