Olympic Taekwondo
What is Sport Taekwondo?
A Korean martial art characterized by dynamic kicking techniques which are supplemented by emphatic hand techniques and blocks, taekwondo is “the way of the hand and foot.” While modern taekwondo shares many influences and applications with its traditional roots of combat, the twentieth century saw the extension of the art into sport, culminating in official recognition by the International Olympic Committee in 1980, as stated on the website of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF). Today, sport, or Olympic taekwondo offers athletes the opportunity to compete at many competition levels, from regional and national events, to international open tournaments, and the Olympics Games.
Olympic taekwondo is a stand up fighting sport in which competitors spar in a 12-meter square matted ring flanked by three or four judges. Sparring matches consist of a continuous free-flowing exchange of techniques between competitors in rounds lasting from one to three minutes with breaks in between. Matches are managed by a single referee as two opposing athletes, with the vocal motivation of their coaches at ring-side, use footwork, speed, and strategy to score points with their hands or feet. Due to the full contact nature of an Olympic sparring match, all competitors are required to wear protective equipment including coverings for the shin, instep, chest, forearms, and head. Kicking is the primary method of scoring, and punches are allowed to the torso only. By making effective contact to the head or torso, matches are won mainly through point majority, knock-out, judge’s decision, or disqualification.
Tournaments
Olympic taekwondo events are conducted as tournaments with competitors, often called fighters, divided into groups according to gender, age, and weight. As taekwondo athletes are martial artists, they are also grouped by their belt rank before being assigned to matches. Depending on the number of competitors in a division, a fighter may have to prevail in many matches in order to win their division. Medals are usually awarded to first, second, and third place fighters in each group.
Olympic taekwondo tournament participants are expected to adhere to etiquette much of which is derived from traditional martial arts practice. Indeed, from the moment the barefooted athletes enter the ring wearing their complete taekwondo uniforms and belts, the influence of taekwondo tradition is evident from the terminology and referee instructions, which are in the Korean language, to the demonstration of respect to opponents, coaches, and officials. The athletes bow to each other at the outset and conclusion of each match, and bowing to referees and judges is also common.
Competition rules are updated every competition year and govern all aspects of the tournament including modifications for younger or junior ranked competitors, types of techniques allowed, and even conduct during a match. In Olympic taekwondo, competitors can lose points for illegal attacks. USA Taekwondo (USAT) describes on page 23 of its competition handbook prohibited acts including kicking an opponent while they are on the ground or throwing an opponent to the ground. The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), a US organization that also hosts olympic taekwondo events, states on page 40 of the AAU Taekwondo 2009 handbook: "When a contestant refuses to comply with the competition rules or the Referee’s order intentionally, the Referee may declare the contestant loser by penalties after one minute." Most organizations which host Olympic taekwondo tournaments have similar rules to ensure the safety and integrity of this sport.
Taekwondo in the Olympics
As mentioned earlier, taekwondo was first recognized as an Olympic sport in 1980. This milestone in taekwondo history afforded athletes around the world the opportunity to compete in their chosen sport at all levels of competition. The next olympic level competition will be the 2012 Summer Olympics.
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