A former detective of 30 years has spoken out after four of his martial arts clubs were barred from Australia’s national Taekwondo system, leaving dozens of athletes unable to compete.
James Heenan, co-owner and instructor at Heenan Taekwondo for 40 years, says an ongoing ban imposed by Australian Taekwondo has had lasting consequences for athletes across his martial arts clubs in Pakenham, Drouin, Inverloch, and Wonthaggi.
Although the original four year ban expired on 1 January 2026, Mr Heenan says applications for membership from him and his athletes were refused for the 2026 season, effectively preventing them from competing in official competitions.
Mr Heenan believes the ban stems from a letter he sent to Australian Taekwondo in 2022 raising concerns about alleged corruption within the industry.
The letter, seen by the Gazette, highlighted biased competition management, conflicts of interest among officials, intimidation, and poor governance structures, which he believes disadvantage smaller clubs and suppress complaints.
“The sanctions imposed by their office have significantly affected our operations and students,” Mr Heenan said.
“The financial impact has been devastating, and we have lost numerous school programs and opportunities.
“Despite the challenges we face, our club continues to produce contenders in various martial arts events.”
Among those impacted is 17-year-old Joshua Nicholas, a talented athlete with Down syndrome who trains at Heenan Taekwondo in Pakenham.
Joshua has competed and won at grassroots competitions, with aspirations of one day reaching the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games.
“They won’t allow Josh to compete in Para-Taekwondo events. They keep banning him,” Mr Heenan said.
“He hasn’t done anything wrong. He is just a child with Down Syndrome.”
Nicole and Stephen Nicholas, praised the positive impact martial arts has had on their son but called for systemic change.
“They want to accept some people – it’s the opposite of what Josh and others that you have in the market,” his parents said.
“Josh is like everybody else – they just take a little longer to learn things. Once he’s included, he just loves getting involved and helping.
“Even if you have a disability, you can still do things just as well. His coach tells him to not conform to what people want you to be, just be yourself.”
Australian Taekwondo chief executive officer Josh O’Brien said there was no sanction against Joshua Nicholas or any other athlete, yet declined to explain to the Gazette the reasons for the ban or the rejection of membership applications.
“To be eligible for AT competitions an athlete must be a member of an AT affiliated club,” he told the Gazette.
“James’s (Heenan) ban ended on 1 January 2026 and there’s been no extension of that suspension, or implementation of a new suspension of any kind. He hasn’t applied for membership since the ban ended.”
However in an email sent to Mr Heenan, Australian Taekwondo’s acting chief executive Ben Exton confirmed his membership applications, as well as those of his club members, were rejected for the 2026 season under clause 5.6(a) of the organisation’s constitution, which allows the board to refuse membership at its discretion without providing reasons.
“It’s clearly a personal decision,“ Mr Heenan said. “Someone at Australia Taekwondo doesn’t like me and our club.“
A spokesperson for the National Sports Tribunal said it would not comment on the matter as it may become the subject of proceedings.
