OFFICIAL INDUCTION · NEW JERSEY, USA · AUGUST 15, 2026
Taekwondo Hall of Fame®
Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. Habib Zarifeh — President of the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation — inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame® with its highest honor, in recognition of more than three decades of service to taekwondo as athlete, national champion, coach, and federation president.
DR. HABIB ZARIFEH — TAEKWONDO HALL OF FAME® INDUCTION CEREMONY, 2026
A LIFETIME IN TAEKWONDO — HONORED IN THE UNITED STATES
On August 15, 2026, in the State of New Jersey, the Taekwondo Hall of Fame® conferred its Official Induction — Lifetime Achievement upon Dr. Habib F. Zarifeh (Lebanon), in a certificate signed by Hall of Fame President and Founder Gerard E. Robbins. The distinction was decided by a high-level committee of internationally recognized taekwondo authorities.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is regarded as the Hall of Fame’s highest individual honor. It recognizes figures who, over 25–30 years or more, have contributed to the development, preservation, and promotion of taekwondo in multiple capacities — competitor, coach, trainer, and elected leader. Dr. Zarifeh’s career spans every one of those roles.
The 2026 induction ceremony, held in New York and New Jersey, honored an international class of taekwondo greats — among them, posthumously, the legendary American martial artist and actor Chuck Norris, who received the same Lifetime Achievement Award. Lebanon’s flag stood in that company.
CHUCK NORRIS — LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT, HONORED POSTHUMOUSLY IN THE SAME 2026 CLASS
OFFICIAL INDUCTION CERTIFICATE — LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT — DR. HABIB F. ZARIFEH, LEBANON
CAREER TIMELINE — THREE DECADES OF SERVICE
1993 — 2007
Member of the Lebanese national taekwondo team
1999 — 2007
National team captain and champion of Lebanon
2007 — 2010
National team coach — Youth Olympic bronze, Singapore 2010 (Michel Samaha) and qualification to the London 2012 Olympic Games (Andrea Paoli)
2010 — 2016
President of the National Coaches Commission
2016 — PRESENT
President of the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation — three consecutive elected terms. Lebanon hosted the 2021 Asian Taekwondo Championships; Laetitia Aoun reached the semifinals at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games; Lebanese athletes qualified repeatedly for international Grand Prix events and won medals at Asian Games and World Championships.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD — NEW JERSEY · USA · 2026
AN HONOR FOR LEBANON
The Lebanese Taekwondo Federation described the induction as an international recognition of the level Lebanese taekwondo has reached — and a tribute to every administrator, coach, referee, and athlete who carries Lebanon’s name onto the world stage. The distinction stands as motivation to keep raising the discipline, developing Lebanese talent, and strengthening Lebanon’s presence in the sport’s greatest arenas.
“This award belongs to Lebanon — to our athletes, our coaches, our referees, and every family that believed a small country can stand among the giants of this sport.”
ABOUT DR. HABIB ZARIFEH
Dr. Habib Zarifeh is President of the Lebanese Taekwondo Federation and Taekwondo Hall of Fame® Lifetime Achievement inductee (2026). In his medical career, he is Head of Oral Surgery at CMC Hospital Beirut — Clemenceau Medical Center, Johns Hopkins International affiliated — holder of an MSc in Laser Dentistry from RWTH Aachen University, Germany, founder of Smile Infinity® — a trademark registered worldwide, present in 12 countries across 4 continents — and co-founder of Ferrari Dental Clinic. Inventor of four internationally registered trademarks: Smile Infinity®, Smile Lift®, ZEvolution®, and One Day Implant®.