MAKEOVER

Taekwondo Federation Drops 'WTF' Acronym as Name

Over the “negative connotations” of the slang abbreviation.

The World Taekwondo Federation has rebranded itself to avoid the “negative connotations” of the “WTF” acronym. The organization, which will now be called World Taekwondo, has been known as the World Taekwondo Federation since 1973 but said the rise of social media and the popular “WTF” abbreviation complicated matters. “In the digital age, the acronym of our federation has developed negative connotations unrelated to our organization and so it was important that we rebranded to better engage with our fans,” president Chungwon Choue wrote on the organization’s website. In today’s world, he said, “we must always evolve and adapt to stay relevant and appeal to young and modern audiences.” The new name was announced just in time for the World Taekwondo Championships, which kicked off in South Korea on Saturday.