This latter point especially is one that really makes you sit up and take note when reporting on a Para-sport competition.

Despite countless stories that would have X-Factor fans weeping into their evening cup of coffee, the athletes I encountered in Moscow did not see their stories as a reason to take sympathy. These athletes don't want the world looking at them and feeling sorry for them. They want to compete as any other athlete would. To show the world they have lived through the pain, the suffering, and now they just want an opportunity to compete in a sport they love, and be recognised for their truly remarkable talents.

This is what made the World Para-Taekwondo Championships such an incredible event to be a part of.

It marked the first time Para-taekwondo athletes had competed in a World Championships dedicated specifically for them - the four proceeding Championships had taken place as somewhat of an add-on to other able-bodied competitions leaving these athletes as a kind of afterthought in the grand scheme of the weekend's events.

Now obviously this may be a smart financial alternative to having two separate events, or make sense logically due to the burden of hosting an event that may or may not gain significant participation.

But, as Para-taekwondo continues to grow, and looking back on the weekend's action, it is obvious to me that having this competition dedicated solely to these Para-athletes brings out the best not only in the athletes, but everyone involved in the event.

Take the Opening Ceremony for example. This must have been the most bizarre, exciting and simple unbelievable experience I've had in recent years.

The Opening Ceremony was a simply unbelievable experience with the whole venue turning into something of a night club as Russian band Diskotaka Avaria blew the roof off the Dinamo Sport Palace with a thunderous performance ©ITG



Opened by Russian band Diskotaka Avaria, we were treated to a thunderous performance of guitar, saxophone, keyboard and drums. This sounds pretty normal I know. Now add in a lead singer who can only be described as "absolutely and categorically insane" and you have an inkling into the performance that ensued.

As the band continued to pump up the crowd, a group of volunteers began to form a "mosh pit" on the side of the combat area, with a swarm of athletes quickly joining to form a party-like atmosphere inside the Dinamo Sport Palace.

More and more athletes surged to join the antics leading to a full on night club experience and what must be there first ever conga line to dance its way through a Championships' Opening Ceremony.

As I sat there, mouth wide open in pure disbelief, I couldn't help but be sucked in by the complete and utter joy that was like toxic inside the room. Just through this ceremony you could see what the Championships meant to the athletes in attendance. At last they had been given an event where the focal point was on them. They were no longer an afterthought but the stars of the show and it was not an opportunity they were going to let slip by.

The rest of the Championships followed in a similar fashion. Each and every competitor looked simply ecstatic to be in Moscow. Cheering on their teammates or fighting with the commitment and dedication expected of a World Championships.

Something that really shone through at the Championships was the pure enthusiasm seen from every athlete participating at the event ©ITG



It also put the athletes in what was probably a unique situation which is that they were of the majority for once. Even in this day and age there seems to be some kind of a stigma attached to athletes with a disability that leaves them working twice, even three times as hard to fit in to a society that, despite constant claims otherwise, doesn't seem to truly understand how incredible their sporting achievements are.

Even after the successes of London 2012, or the increasing popularity of Para-sport, I feel Paralympians are still not treated with the respect and appreciation they deserve.

These are people who have faced so much in their lives and, as explained by members of a number of teams, still treated like second class citizens.

Despite breaking through hurdles that some of us would not even dream of, they have come out the other side, a smile on their face and a fierce determination to complete a life above and beyond their wildest dreams.

Take the athlete from Britain for example, Amy Truesdale. European champion, four time world silver medallist and even national champion in able-bodied taekwondo, yet she was still the sole athlete from the UK to make the trip to Russia. Now, I'm no expert on the matter, nor will I pretend to be, but I find it hard to believe Great Britain, a region that has seen the likes of Jade Jones, Lutalo Muhammad and Mahama Cho break through its ranks, does not have the tools to help develop the Para-taekwondo scene and produce a team that can push for world titles at a major Championships.

Obviously, the pure fact that taekwondo is not yet on the Paralympic programme brings complications in itself. I'm in no doubt that nations would be much more willing to work together with a sport like taekwondo should the opportunity of a Paralympic medal sit blissfully at the end of the rainbow. But should it really take the hope of winning medals to convince organisations to push for development in a sport? Does it not make sense to first push for grassroots development in order to lead to further success in the future?

The desire to have Para-taekwondo included on the Paralympic programme stems from WTF President Chungwon Choue (left) who has been the driving force behind the sports development in his 10 years at the helm of the governing body ©ITG



Anyway, back to the Championships.

I felt truly lucky to be given the opportunity to visit this outstanding event which, in my opinion, was a real turning point in the world of Para-taekwondo.

Not only was it the first to be held separate from another taekwondo event; it was also the first to run for two-days, the first to include a poomsae competition - an event exclusively for athletes with an intellectual disability - and the first to incorporate the newly ratified classification system which puts the sport more in-line with the International Paralympic Committee's rules and regulations.

It also saw a record number of countries attend, 37, and marked the first time the competition was held in a country for the second time, with Russia hosting the second World Championships in St Petersburg in 2010.

All these factors and historic moments for the World Takewondo Federation showed the dreams and desires of its President, Chungwon Choue, the real driving force behind the sport's inclusion in the Paralympic Games.

After meeting and speaking to Choue on a number of occasions, it is obvious of his desire to see the sport make the programme for 2020 and after spending four days watching their efforts to make the sport more appealing to the IPC, I truly believe it deserves its spot amongst the elite of Paralympic Sport.

Paul Osborne is a reporter for insidethegames. To follow him on Twitter click here.