Trần Triệu Quân
Encyclopedia
Trần Triệu Quân was a Vietnamese-Canadian
grandmaster
of taekwondo
and a professional engineer. He was President of one of the three International Taekwon-Do Federation groups from mid-2003 until his death in the 2010 Haiti earthquake
. Trần held the rank of 9th dan
black belt
in taekwondo.
Trần was born on March 26, 1952, in Vietnam. He began his study of taekwondo when he was twelve years old. Trần attained black belt status by the age of 17, and was teaching taekwondo under his instructor, Kim Bong Sik. He emigrated to Canada in 1970, studying mechanical engineering at Laval University and establishing the first taekwondo schools in eastern Canada.
Apart from his extensive taekwondo activities, Trần operated Norbati Consultants Trần & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in building standards and project management for the construction sector. In 1994, Trần was imprisoned in Vietnam after a one-million-dollar sale of cotton to a Vietnamese state company, which he had brokered, fell through. He spent three years in prison before being released.
Trần was promoted to 7th dan on July 1, 1990, 8th dan on December 3, 2000, and 9th dan on December 22, 2008. He was appointed President of one of the three ITF organizations on June 13, 2003.
Trần was in Port-au-Prince
, Haiti, on business (ironically, working on improving building standards to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes), and was staying in the Hôtel Montana
when it collapsed in a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010. Upon Trần's disappearance, ITF Senior Vice-President and Grand Master Pablo Trajtenberg was named Acting President of the ITF group that Trần had led. Trần's remains were found and his death was confirmed on February 12, 2010.
Trần was married to Nguyễn Thị Mỹ. They had two daughters and a son—Joliette, Cécilia, and Nicolas—all holders of black belts in taekwondo. Apart from his wife and children, Trần left behind a son-in-law, François Beaudin; grandchildren Jasmine and Sandrine; and brothers Trần Triệu Cung and Trần Triệu Lân.
Vietnamese Canadian
Mainstream Vietnamese communities began arriving in Canada in the mid 1970s and early 1980s as refugees or boat people following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, though a couple thousand were already living in Quebec before then, most of whom were students...
grandmaster
Grandmaster (martial arts)
Grandmaster and Master are titles used to describe or address some senior or experienced martial artists. Such titles may be, to some extent, aligned to the elderly martial arts master stock character in fiction...
of taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
and a professional engineer. He was President of one of the three International Taekwon-Do Federation groups from mid-2003 until his death in the 2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicentre near the town of Léogâne, approximately west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake occurred at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010.By 24 January, at least 52 aftershocks...
. Trần held the rank of 9th dan
Dan (rank)
The ranking system is a Japanese mark of level, which is used in modern fine arts and martial arts. Originally invented in a Go school in the Edo period, this system was applied to martial arts by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo and later introduced to other East Asia countries.In the modern...
black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in taekwondo.
Trần was born on March 26, 1952, in Vietnam. He began his study of taekwondo when he was twelve years old. Trần attained black belt status by the age of 17, and was teaching taekwondo under his instructor, Kim Bong Sik. He emigrated to Canada in 1970, studying mechanical engineering at Laval University and establishing the first taekwondo schools in eastern Canada.
Apart from his extensive taekwondo activities, Trần operated Norbati Consultants Trần & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in building standards and project management for the construction sector. In 1994, Trần was imprisoned in Vietnam after a one-million-dollar sale of cotton to a Vietnamese state company, which he had brokered, fell through. He spent three years in prison before being released.
Trần was promoted to 7th dan on July 1, 1990, 8th dan on December 3, 2000, and 9th dan on December 22, 2008. He was appointed President of one of the three ITF organizations on June 13, 2003.
Trần was in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
, Haiti, on business (ironically, working on improving building standards to withstand earthquakes and hurricanes), and was staying in the Hôtel Montana
Hôtel Montana
The Hôtel Montana was a hotel in the Pétionville suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Built in 1946, the hotel was a popular four star tourist resort until the main building collapsed along with most buildings in the city during the 2010 Haiti earthquake...
when it collapsed in a 7.0 magnitude earthquake on January 12, 2010. Upon Trần's disappearance, ITF Senior Vice-President and Grand Master Pablo Trajtenberg was named Acting President of the ITF group that Trần had led. Trần's remains were found and his death was confirmed on February 12, 2010.
Trần was married to Nguyễn Thị Mỹ. They had two daughters and a son—Joliette, Cécilia, and Nicolas—all holders of black belts in taekwondo. Apart from his wife and children, Trần left behind a son-in-law, François Beaudin; grandchildren Jasmine and Sandrine; and brothers Trần Triệu Cung and Trần Triệu Lân.