2026 FISU America Games Selection Procedures Update for Mixed Freestyle Team
1 day
The NCTA is informing athletes of a new opportunity to represent USA in the Freestyle Team Division at the 2026 FISU America Games. Some background is below:
In March 2026, NCTA received word that the Mixed Freestyle Team Division for the 2026 FISU America Games would be canceled. The explanation given to us was “The main reason Team Freestyle Poomsae will not be included is due to recent modifications to the international regulations governing this discipline. As a result of these changes, we currently do not have judges who are properly certified under the new standards.”
The NCTA lobbied to reverse this decision but was ultimately unsuccessful.
This month on June 1, the NCTA received notice that the freestyle team division was being reinstated. We requested an explanation on the latest notice and received the explanation as follows:
“The Organizing Committee has recently decided to include the Freestyle Poomsae Team Event in the competition program. As you mentioned, and as was previously communicated, this event was initially not going to be included. At that time, one of the main challenges was that Peru currently does not have enough qualified referees to evaluate this discipline under the new World Taekwondo regulations.”
“However, following several meetings with the Technical Heads of the discipline, it was decided to add the Freestyle Poomsae Team Event, as there was significant interest from several countries that wished to participate in this modality. ”
“To make this possible and encourage greater participation, the event will be evaluated using the previous competition regulations rather than the new World Taekwondo rules. ”
“We understand that this change may have caused confusion, especially considering our previous communications, and we sincerely apologize for the delay in publishing the updated regulations and technical information.”
After some deliberation, the NCTA is opening up the opportunity for athletes to apply to compete in the freestyle team poomsae division at the 2026 FISU America Games.
To apply athletes, all athletes must meet the eligibility requirements at:
The athletes must email ncta.contact@gmail.com with the names of all athletes on the proposed team (names should be as they appear on the passports of the athletes) by Monday, June 8.
If only one team applies by Monday, June 8, and all athletes meet the eligibility requirements at the website above, that team will be named for the 2026 FISU America Games once they have met all eligibility requirements.
If more than one team applies by Monday, June 8, then each team has until Sunday, June 14 to submit a video of the team’s freestyle performance (no board breaking). The performances will be reviewed by a panel of referees.
The following criteria must be followed for a video submission:
- Video must be taken from a single vantage point.
- The camera can pan left or right but cannot zoom in or out. All five active team members must be in the field of view for the duration of the performance.
- Performance must occur on martial arts mats (i.e. puzzle mats or rolled sparring mats). Spring floors are not allowed.
- Athletes must announce their name and the current date at the start of the video.
- Athletes must provide proof of citizenship, age, and collegiate status by Monday, June 8 per the information on team trials page.
All athletes applying for this opportunity must be willing to pay $1900 for five nights in the Athlete village for the 2026 FISU America Games. Any additional nights in the village incur a $100 surcharge. Also, athletes and staff must purchase their own ticket to Lima from their hometown.
Athletes interested in competing in the team freestyle event (5 athletes + 1 alternate) should email ncta.contact@gmail.com as described above.
Coaching Application for 2026 FISU America Games
1 month
Applications to coach as part of the NCTA Staff at the 2026 FISU America Games in Lima, Peru from July 22-27 are now open. Applicants must be USATKD members and must be Safe Sport certified and background checked now and at the time of the championships. If interested, complete this survey by May 6, 2026.
Details of the trip are in the application.
US Collegiate Athletes Earn Berths on USA National Collegiate Team for 2026 FISU America Games in Lima, Peru.
2 months
by Catherine Tong
in Team
Fresno, CA, April 3, 2026 – Congratulations to the following athletes who earned a spot on the USA Team for the 2026 FISU America Games (Collegiate Pan-American Games) to be held in Lima, Peru in July. These NCTA National Collegiate Team trials were held in Fresno, CA, on April 3. The top two players in each individual division were selected for the team. Final sparring matches were not contested, so the top two players shared first place.
Men’s Individual Recognized Poomsae
Sung Hyun Eric Gun – Rutgers University
Bomin Kim – Duke University
Women’s Individual Recognized Poomsae
Yuri Kim – University of California, Merced
Aahana Mulchandani – Smith College
Men’s Individual Freestyle Poomsae
Sung Hyun Eric Gun – Rutgers University
Landon Her – University of California, Irvine
Women’s Individual Freestyle Poomsae
Allison DeGuzman – California State Univeresity, Fullerton
Gian Legaspi – Bakersfield College
Mixed Pair Freestyle Poomsae
Kaitlyn Reclusado – Menlo College & Sung Hyun Gun – Rutgers University
Mens’ -54kg
Arian Canete – University of California, Los Angeles
David Yehe-Nara – University of Connecticut, Stamford
Women’s -46kg
Caliana Fonseca – California State University, Northridge
Yusleny Rangel – Edmonds Community College
Men’s -58kg
Melvy Alvarez University of Connecticut
Prahchomvong Thay California State University, Fresno
Women’s -49kg
Maggie Shiba – University of Utah
Monique Villasenor – San Antonio College
Men’s -63g
Donovan James Eugenio – University of Washington
Cole Noretto – Seattle University
Women’s -53kg
Gaia Castillo – University of California, Riverside
Audrey Kohlman – Cornell University
Men’s -68kg
Justin Fredricks – State University of New York, Old Westbury
Jordan Panotes – South Puget Sound Community College
Women’s -57kg
Caitlyn Cox – San Antonio College
Grace Shiba – Weber State University
Men’s -74kg
Celso Chua – California State University, Fresno
Noah Shanafelt – Kent State University
Women’s -62kg
Christina Chimal – University of California, Riverside
Kayla Shanahan – Stony Brook University
Men’s -80kg
Barron Mosteller – Diablo Valley College
Devin Cornell – California State University, Fresno
Women’s -67kg
Chloe Chua – California State University, Fresno
Men’s -87kg
Marvin Cardona Lopez – Tacoma Community College
William Smith – University of California, Los Angeles
Women’s -73kg
Sydney Merrill – Brown University
Men’s +87kg
Nicholas Carlo – Menlo College
Abou Sow – University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Women’s +73kg
Alena Viana – University of North Carolina, Charlotte
For full results, please see the 2026 Team Trials page at https://ncta-usa.com/wordpress/2026-ncta-team-trials/
Notice of Removal of Team Freestyle Poomsae Division at 2026 FISU America Games
3 months
Dear NCTA Athletes and Coaches:
The NCTA received the following notice from the local organizing committee of the 2026 FISU America Games:
“It has been decided that the Team Freestyle Poomsae division will not be included in the championship. In other words, the team modality will be withdrawn from the competition for FAG Lima 2026.
“The main reason Team Freestyle Poomsae will not be included is due to recent modifications to the international regulations governing this discipline. As a result of these changes, we currently do not have judges who are properly certified under the new standards.
“Providing the required training and ensuring certification would take additional time. Given how soon the championship will take place, the Taekwondo Coordinator for FAG Lima 2026 has advised that it would not be feasible for the current judges to complete the necessary training and meet the updated qualification standards in time.
“An alternative would be to hire certified judges from Europe or Asia; however, this option unfortunately falls outside the event’s allocated budget.”
NCTA and UniUSA are appealing this decision and requesting that the tournament be run with prior versions of the international rules before the recent modifications (board breaking in particular). However, in the meantime, we recommend not registering for this event at this time. If the event is reinstated, we will open registration for this event again. Any current registrations for this event will be refunded.
We know that this is frustrating for athletes, coaches and family, but we are doing all we can to give you all the opportunity to compete and will keep athletes and coaches up to date in a timely manner.
Best regards,
Dan Chuang
NCTA President
UPDATE – March 26, 2026
Unfortunately, the organizing committee of the Games has confirmed the decision not to include freestyle team in the Games despite the appeal of the USA Delegation. Their response is below:
“Thank you for your message and for following up on this matter. We truly appreciate the interest and commitment of your federation and athletes regarding the Freestyle Poomsae discipline.
“After careful consideration, we regret to inform you that the Team Freestyle Poomsae category will not be included in this sporting event.
“We understand the importance of this modality for your team selection process and sincerely appreciate your understanding in this regard.”
PacWest Conference Continues 3v3 Momentum at UC San Diego Tournament
3 months
La Jolla, CA, March 7, 2026 – The PacWest Taekwondo Conference hosted a regional tournament at University of California, San Diego on Saturday, March 7, 2026, continuing the region’s adoption of the 3v3 team poomsae and team sparring format ahead of the upcoming NCTA Cup at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this April.
The tournament brought together 25 athletes from two schools for the 3v3 portion of the tournament, with teams from UC San Diego and UC Riverside competing in both poomsae and sparring divisions.
Liam Blanchard, PacWest Board Member, noted:
“The 3v3 event opened up a world of collegiate taekwondo that our athletes hadn’t seen before. In both poomsae and kyorugi, athletes were ecstatic to compete in and learn more about this format that has expanded the size of tournaments all over the nation. PacWest South might’ve been the first time they had tried it, but immediately afterwards, athletes were already talking about the next tournament where they could compete as a team.”
In A-Team Poomsae, UC San Diego PA1—Kate Feng, Sharon Lee, and Alyx Wikarsa—captured the gold medal with a strong synchronized performance. UCSD PA3, consisting of Kathleen Adhinatha and Sneha Aravind, earned silver, while UCSD PA2—Anderson Lai and Achintya Rai—took bronze. In B-Team Poomsae, UC Riverside PB1—Olivia Sin, Samantha Fu, and Amy Hoang—secured the gold medal.
Nick Bayhi, member of the NCTA Tournament Committee, highlighted the energy of the competition and the PacWest region’s unique spin on the format:
“Big thanks to UC Riverside and hosts UCSD for filling out our 3v3 brackets. The Poomsae A-teams put on a clinic of 1-, 2-, and 3-person poomsae, performing Sipjin simultaneously with their opponents—a fun twist that PacWest has added to the 3v3 format.”
Team sparring divisions also produced exciting matches. UC Riverside claimed gold in Men’s A Team Sparring with UCR MA1—Aaron Choi, Edward Park, and Aric Vootkur—while UCR MA2 earned silver and UCSD MA1—Sebastian Mallari, Liam McCarthy, and Pranav Puttagunta—took bronze. In Men’s C Team Sparring, UCR MC1—Christopher Amay, Jude Jones, and Adrian Deapera—won gold, followed by UCR MC2—Lawrence Tran and Jake Fong—with silver. UCR WA1—Chaeie Kim and Ashley Chan—captured gold in Women’s A Team Sparring.
In the overall team standings, UC Riverside emerged as the tournament champion with 16 points, followed by UC San Diego with 7 points.
The tournament further demonstrated the growing excitement around the 3v3 team format within the PacWest region. With athletes gaining valuable experience in this team-based competition structure, both schools are now preparing to represent the West Coast at the NCTA Cup during the 2026 National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships, taking place April 24–26 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Results
A-Team Poomsae
🥇 UCSD PA1 – Kate Feng, Sharon Lee, Alyx Wikarsa
🥈 UCSD PA3 – Kathleen Adhinatha, Sneha Aravind
🥉 UCSD PA2 – Anderson Lai, Achintya Rai
B-Team Poomsae
🥇 UCR PB1 – Olivia Sin, Samantha Fu, Amy Hoang
Team Sparring
Men’s A Division
🥇 UCR MA1 – Aaron Choi, Edward Park, Aric Vootkur
🥈 UCR MA2 – Issei Lim, Edison Park
🥉 UCSD MA1 – Sebastian Mallari, Liam McCarthy, Pranav Puttagunta
Men’s C Division
🥇 UCR MC1 – Christopher Amay, Jude Jones, Adrian Deapera
🥈 UCR MC2 – Lawrence Tran, Jake Fong
Women’s A Division
🥇 UCR WA1 – Chaeie Kim, Ashley Chan
Overall Team Standings
🥇 UC Riverside – 16 points
🥈 UC San Diego – 7 points
