South Australian Taekwondo instructor Louie Dimou was recently inducted into the Australasian Martial Arts Hall of Fame.
On the weekend of August 16-18, he was recognised for his 40+ years of contribution to martial arts.
The Port Pirie native told Neos Kosmos that it is surreal talking about his induction.
“It was so over so overwhelming and it was an honour to be amongst so many great martial artists and to be acknowledged into a Hall of Fame,” he said.
“I never ever dreamt of being even nominated let alone being inducted.”
Dimou has come a long way from watching martial arts movies with his uncle Spiro, one of the original students of Rhee Taekwondo in Port Pirie in the early 1970s.
“I never ever thought that I would get this far in my martial art life.”
On the weekend Dimou and the other inductees gave a demonstration of their discipline and held some training sessions.
The night of the Hall of Fame, the inductions and gala night, were held at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Adelaide.
Dimou was only one in his respective class from SA, and the first ever from regional SA.
His new master, fellow Greek Spiridon Cariotis will also be heading over to Port Pirie from Melbourne next month to conduct a grading of Dimou’s students.
“He’s going to hold a couple of seminars himself while he’s up and I’m working towards being graded to my next belt in the next couple of years under master Cariotis, and that will be recognised internationally.”
