Giannis Peros: 6th Dan.
Welsh Squad Coach.
Area coordinator for Wales.

My name is Gianni Peros and I'm currently a 6th Dan. I came to this country in 1974 and started tae kwon-do during 1975. I took my first dan in 1978. I'm the Welsh Area representative of the committee members and my responsibility is to build that area and to look after the Welsh clubs and their instructors.

I saw a few different martial arts before I took up tae kwon-do, but joining the T.A.G.B. was the best thing I ever did.

I remember that the Welsh Area had a meeting iat a hotel in Cardiff to decide whether or not to leave the U.K.T.A.. the others told me that they were either all going or all staying and I told them "I'm going!" and that was it. Since then I've had no regrets.

The T.A.G.B. has been successful because it is well run – that's all you can put it down to. This started from day one and since then, the T.A.G.B. has outgrown everyone else. There is such a good team spirit within the T.A.G.B.!

I've always envied the English crowd because we never had unity in Wales – there's always been bickering. I remember going to the 1982 European Championships and the Welsh team was a joke! I always wanted togetherness and a team spirit in Wales and now finally, we have it.

One of my happiest memories of the T.A.G.B. comes from the world championships, from the comradeship, which I'd never seen before and always wanted to have. We had lots of supporters and it was like watching a world football event with lots of spectators all waving.

My message to new students is "join us because we are the best! Look at our large and growing membership – there must be a good reason for it."