Many years ago, I was reading an article written in the early 50's in an American paper about the Korean Fighting Art of Taekwondo. Much is vague now but I remember the article speaking of how devastating American troops found the art to be. Didn't mention anything about sport.
Couldn't have been an article written in the early 50s in an american newspaper because the name taekwondo wasn't used until after April 11, 1955 (mid fifties) and the first American student did not begin training until 1956, in Korea. If you still have the article, I would like to see it, because it certainly would be the first mention of taekwondo in the english language, if it were as you say, published in the early 1950s.
How about Iado or Haedong Kumdo, neither of which are a sport oriented? Their sport aspect is covered by Kendo, yet they retain the "Do". As for Aikido, I don't practice the art, nor have any knowledge of the intent of its origins other than I heard it was the hand technique taught to Samurai for self defense. Whether that's true or not I have no idea, so I'll let someone learned in Aikido enlighten me as to the origins of Aikido. How about Hapkido? Philosophical alsothen?
Iaido is not an art that is used for "self defense" but rather for self discovery, which is an expansion of the concept or philosophy that underlined the creation of arts like judo or kendo, which were also for self discovery and not self defense. I suppose you could use iaido for self defense, but I do not believe that is its purpose, at that is what my friend who does iaido says about it. I don't know much about haedong kumdo, other than it is a modern creation. as far as I know, it used live swords and not jookdo and therefore it probably a misleading name, confusing to actual kendo or kumdo. Aikido, which was the first martial art that I studied when I was a kid, was not hand technique taught to samurai for self defense. As for Hapkido, it is an art of self defense, but also one that is focused on self discovery and self knowledge. Having said that, I think that the name is misused, at least with respect to the original intent and purpose as used in Japan. I think hapkisool is a more fitting name for what we hapkidoin do.
As for the Olympic charter, I am familiar to what it says, but there is no correlation between that charter and the mention of "Do". That statement was written for and encompasses the spirit of the Olympics for every participant of every sport. Taekwondo as an art expands far beyond the Olympics as a sport.
Of course it does not mention "do" specifically, since it is written in english. It does state what the definition of sport is, a philosophy of life, a way of life. A more accurate statement would be to say that your definition of sport is much narrower than what the actual meaning is, at least with respect to taekwondo and the olympic movement.
Let me ask you this way then. What is the difference between jujitsu and judo in your mind? How about the difference between kenjutsu and kendo?