The inaugural World Beach Taekwondo Championships, held on the Greek island of Rhodes, has officially been shortlisted for the "Initiative of the Year" at the 2017 Peace and Sport Awards ©World Taekwondo

The inaugural World Beach Taekwondo Championships, held on the Greek island of Rhodes, has officially been shortlisted for the "Initiative of the Year" at the 2017 Peace and Sport Awards. 

The event, which took place from May 5 to 6, was held under the auspices of Greece’s President Prokopios Pavlopoulos.

It was organised by World Taekwondo Europe, the South Aegean region and the Municipality of Rhodes, and promoted by World Taekwondo.

World Taekwondo claims the Championships opened new horizons for the sport, connecting it with new, young audiences.

The spectacular Opening Ceremony was held at the medieval city of Rhodes, a UNESCO World Heritage Centre, on May 4 and fused together sport, culture and heritage.

As part of proceedings, all the participating athletes opened up a 400 metres squared white sheet at the Bastion of the Grand Master’s Palace to celebrate the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace.

This was done in conjunction with Peace and Sport’s 2017 #WhiteCard campaign, inviting the world to show its commitment to global peace efforts.

To maximise its impact, 80 sheets were made from the original sheet and given to children in a refugee camp in Rhodes.

A white card demonstration took place at the Bastion of the Grand Master’s Palace as part of the 2017 World Beach Taekwondo Championships Opening Ceremony ©World Taekwondo
A white card demonstration took place at the Bastion of the Grand Master’s Palace as part of the 2017 World Beach Taekwondo Championships Opening Ceremony ©World Taekwondo

The winner of the "Initiative of the Year" will be revealed at the Peace and Sport Awards ceremony, which is due to be held in Monaco on December 7.

"Just to be nominated for this award is a huge honour," Sakis Pragalos, President of World Taekwondo Europe and the Rhodes 2017 Organising Committee, said.

"The first World Taekwondo Beach Championships Rhodes 2017 was a strong and powerful initiative for the world of taekwondo, and the message of peace in its Opening Ceremony should also be aligned to this.

"Our constructive collaboration with the South Aegean region and the Municipality of Rhodes fulfilled the expectations of an exceptional organisation and a totally new experience of taekwondo events.

"The white card move was the ideal way to start the new era of taekwondo."

The Peace and Sport Awards ceremony will coincide with the 10th edition of the Peace and Sport International Forum, taking place in Monaco from December 6 to 8.

The Forum is the only one in the world that brings together all the actors involved in the peace through sport movement.

This year, it is set to gather more than 600 participants from 110 different countries.