Tae Kwon Do master S. Henry Cho will be among five recipients of the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award from the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. The awards will be presented on May 10 as part of the National Physical Fitness and Sports Month which, since 1983, has been observed in May.
Sihak Henry Cho is a 9th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do who pioneered the sport in the United States 50 years ago when he opened the first permanent Korean Karate (later changed to “Tae Kwon Do”) school in New York City. He has been personally teaching there since then. Grandmaster Cho has also helped spread the popularity of Tae Kwon Do and martial arts in general by staging and producing the All American Open Tae Kwon Do-Karate-Kung Fu Championships for 46 years. Cho was inducted into the U.S. Tae Kwon Do Grandmasters’ Society Hall of Fame with a Pioneer Award in 2006. He has also been inducted into Black Belt Magazine’s Hall of Fame as Man of the Year in 1971). In 1970 he received a People’s Honor Decoration from South Korean President Park Chung Hee.
Other winners of this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award are American Athletic Union President and CEO Robert “Bobby” Dodd, Ph.D., sports and military trailblazer William G. “Bill” McNamara, researcher and obesity warrior James F. Sallis, Ph.D. and American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Vice President of Programs Judith C. Young, Ph.D.
The President’s Council on Fitness Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) Lifetime Achievement Award is given to individuals who have greatly contributed to the advancement or promotion of physical activity, fitness, sports and nutrition-related programs nationwide. Winners are chosen by the members of the President’s Council based on the span and scope of an individual’s career, the estimated number of lives they have touched, and the impact of their legacy.
“The efforts of our 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients have significantly contributed to our nation’s development of a more profound focus on overall quality of life in relation to health,” said PCFSN Executive Director Shellie Pfohl. “These five individuals have led the way in catalyzing our mission, devoting their entire careers to promoting fitness, sports and nutrition.”
PCFSN promotes healthy lifestyles through fitness, sports and nutrition programs and initiatives that educate, engage and empower all Americans. PCFSN is a committee of volunteer citizens appointed by the President who serve in an advisory capacity through the Secretary of Health and Human Services. For more information about PCFSN, visit www.fitness.gov. For more information about the President’s Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program or the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award, visit www.presidentschallenge.org.
