Master George A. Tapia
- Kukkiwon Certified 6th Dan in Taekwondo
- Kidohae (Korea Kido Association) Certified 6th Dan in Hapkido
- Class A Referee, United States Taekwondo Union
- Class D Referee, United States Amateur Athletic Union Taekwondo Program
- Founder and President, Latin-American International Taekwondo Federation
- 1998 "Chief Instructor of the Year" USTU Nevada State Taekwondo Association
- 1988 European Taekwondo Champion
- 1992 & 2002 USTU National Taekwondo Champion
- Past Treasurer, USTU Nevada State Taekwondo Association
Master Tapia began practicing Taekwondo in New York City in 1978 and under GrandMaster Richard Chun he attained Kukkiwon rank of 1st Dan in 1983. Master Tapia became a student of the late GrandMaster Pong Ki Kim in 1985 and began training in Hapkido while serving as Chief Taekwondo Instructor. He was a Chief Instructor for eleven years before opening his own Taekwondo Academy in 1993. He opened his first Hapkido Academy in 2001.
Master Tapia attained his current Kidohae Hapkido Rank of 6th Dan in 2002 and Kukkiwon Taekwondo rank of 6th Dan in 2003. After the death of GrandMaster Pong Ki Kim, he became a student of his current Seniors, Taekwondo GrandMaster Chung Jong-Oh and Hapkido GrandMaster Kambiz Moghaddam.
Master Tapia moved from New York to Las Vegas in 1997. After serving as Chief Instructor for prominent local GrandMasters D.S Kim and Byong Kook Oh, he founded his own World Academy of Taekwondo and Hapkido in 2001.
In not quite three years of training his own Olympic Style athletes in Las Vegas, Master Tapia has developed a small corp of impressive young competitors. World Academy's tiny team of fighters dominate the Tournaments where they compete. The school's first National Championship Medallist is a living Testament to the Masters abilty. In only nine months, the nine year old beginner was trained and coached by Master Tapia from Novice to AAU National Bronze Medallist in Olympic Sparring.