Advanced Taekwon-Do Europe ATEU was established in 2011 as an independent, business-oriented alternative to leading Taekwon-Do organizations. At the first ATEU congress held in Sofia, Bulgaria with the participation of GM James Lim, the representatives of the Bulgarian Taekwon-Do Federation BUTF and Advanced Taekwon-Do Norway ATN are committed to promote Advanced Taekwon-do.
In the past, BUTF works with the International Federation /ITF-V/ and the European Federation /AETF/. BUTF is the only organization in Bulgaria that develops Taekwon-do as a martial art without a sports and competitive focus. To realize its innovative ideas in 2010 BUTF headed to Advanced Taekwon-Do .
Advanced Taekwon-Do Europe ATEU together with BUTF organized and conducted three seminars with GM Lim in Bulgaria in 2011, 2013 and 2017.
In 2015, Master B. Atanasov was elected president of the organization.
The overlap of BUTF’s functions and vision with those of the ATEU, as well as BUTF’s desire to distinguish it from the sport of Taekwon-Do (taekwondo), led to the idea of uniting BUTF and ATEU.
In 2017 ATEU merged with BUTF, as a step forward in the development of Taekwon-Do, allowing Advanced Taekwon-Do to be promoted as a modern martial art.
Since 2018, ATEU has been issuing international certificates for black belts in Taekwon-Do. Certificates are accompanied by an organization badge and plastic card. The first recipients are the participants in the general exams of ATEU in the summer and winter of 2018.
At the end of 2019, Mario Iliev was promoted to VI Dan and received a certificate from the President of the organization.
In 2020 (Covid lockdown) ATEU successfully conducted the first remote black belt test.
In 2022, Mario Iliev was promoted to the rank of Master VII Dan and took over the activity of Chairman of the Board of Instructors in the new structure of ATEU.
The book “Advanced Taekwon-Do – Modern Martial Art” was published by ATEU in 2022. It is the result of the joint efforts of two Taekwon-Do masters with over 30 years of experience in martial arts. The author is B. Atanasov, technical consultant and editor is M. Iliev.
Since 2023, ATEU has been collaborating with OpenITF and EvolutionaryITF. Cooperation with both organizations increases the competitiveness of ATEU as an alternative Taekwon-do organization developing the martial art of Taekwon-Do style Chang Hon.
In May 2023, the “Open Advanced Taekwon-do seminar 2023” was successfully held with host Senor Master Malcolm Jones VIII of Open International Taekwon-do Federation (OITF).
In 2024, Advanced Taekwon-Do Europe ATEU expands its activities with three new styles:
- NO-NOSENCE SELF-DEFENCE – a system of applied and effective self-defense techniques.
- KunGekDo – Korean kickboxing combines both Western boxing and Eastern martial arts. The term “Kun Gek Do” means “The Art of Attacking and Hitting”.
- Taekkyon is a hand-to-hand combat system, self-defense skill, martial art and a form of dynamic Qi Gong. Today, Tae Kion is officially recognized in Korea as a valuable cultural heritage under No. 76.
The new styles at ATEU necessitated an update of the organization’s mission, which is now “Innovative development of Korean martial arts, with a focus on Taekwon-Do”.
ATEU maintains contacts with international organizations and Grand Masters developing martial arts around the world. ATEU masters and instructors participate in international events, maintaining a high and up-to-date level of knowledge and skills in martial arts.
