Briton Usman Dildar has been appointed as chair of the World Taekwondo Para Taekwondo Committee ©Usman Dildar/LinkedIn

World Taekwondo has confirmed the appointment of British official Usman Dildar as chair of the Para Taekwondo Committee until the end of the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

The British Taekwondo vice-president had been vice-chair of the Committee under former head Chakir Chelbat of Sweden.

Chelbat had led the Committee since 2019, and remains a member.

Dildar was part of the team which delivered taekwondo at the London 2012 Olympics, and served as an official at Tokyo 2020 where Para taekwondo made its Paralympic debut.

He is also the technical director of the European Taekwondo Union.

His appointment comes at a crucial time for Para taekwondo, with Dildar tasked with guiding the Committee through to Paris 2024, where the sport is set for a notable increase from three weight divisions per gender to five.

Para taekwondo debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, and is set for an increase from six to 10 medal events at Paris 2024 ©Getty Images
Para taekwondo debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, and is set for an increase from six to 10 medal events at Paris 2024 ©Getty Images

The World Para Taekwondo Championships are also scheduled for September 22 to 24 in the Mexican city of Veracruz.

Mohammed Argoubi of The Netherlands is set to serve as vice-chair of the Para Taekwondo Committee until next year's Games in the French capital.

The seven-member body is completed by Chelbat, Australia's Linda Pace, Peru's Luisa Villar Galvez, Rwanda's Placide Bagabo and Yu-Chi Huang of Chinese Taipei.

The Para Taekwondo Committee is responsible for studying the organisation of Para taekwondo competitions, developing formats for athletes of all impairments, expanding the practice of Para taekwondo and safeguarding the interests of athletes.

It meets at least once every three months.