The promotion by the world taekwondo body makes Mr Lartey Otu, an employee of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the first Ghanaian to attain that feat.

He has until his promottion been a second class referee over the past five years.

Mr Lartey Otu told the Daily Graphic that he first received his P Class international referee licence after attending a course in South Africa in 1999 and moved up to the third class division in the year 2006.

“Out of 12 officiating experiences required to qualify for promotion to first class and a minimum period of five years after I was promoted to second class I made 14 officiating experiences to achieve this height,” he stated.

As part of  his refereeing stewardship, Mr Lartey Otu has  been a referee and a judge at  many taekwondo championships, namely the African Taekwondo Championships both at the senior and junior levels, African Youth Games, All African Games, World Taekwondo Championships, Youth Olympic Games, World Taekwondo Grand Prix and Olympic Games Taekwondo qualification tournaments.

He holds six Dan black belts in Taekwondo and he is presently a member of the Commonwealth Taekwondo Union Referees Committee and the vice president of the West Africa Taekwondo International  Referees Association