The events at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown Hotel took place over seven days of action with kyorugi and poomsae taekowndo both covered.

A total of 121 participants from 24 countries were involved with the kyorugi sessions while 92 people from 12 nations were represented at the poomsae discussions.

"It was a successful event with the participants very engaged," said World Taekwondo referee chair Sungchul Kim.

"Some key components of this seminar were the new rules and interpretation sessions, medical information sessions, and scoring system practicing sessions.

"World Taekwondo approved a series of changes to its competition rules in April. 

"The new rules will be implemented at the Grand Prix in Rome in June. 

"The new rules serve the purpose of promoting fairness and transparency of the game, as well as bringing more excitement in high-level competitions. 

"We want to make sure that taekwondo will stand out among other martial arts in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. 

"The better player always wins the game."

Physical training was held at the seminar for the first time.

"We invited a couple of professional physical trainers and introduced a new physical test during the seminar," Kim added.

"Referees were taught how to warm up and stretch properly. 

"The physical training component was short but very intense.

"For high-level competitions, the athletes use state-of-the-art training methods and facilities, why not referees? 

"We have to be in great shape to follow the matches and make immediate best judgments. 

"Being fit can help to cope with nerves, boost the stamina and help to minimize misjudgment."

Burnaby hosted the World Junior Championships in 2016.

During the seminar, Taekwondo Canada and Tourism Burnaby received appreciation awards from World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue for their "dedicated service and contribution to the successful organisation" of the seminars.