What is Taekwondo?
Taekwondo is a traditional Korean martial art practised in 206 countries. that teaches more than physical fighting skills. Taekwondo is a Korean word composed of three parts - 'Tae' meaning foot or to step on, 'Kwon' means to fist or fight and 'Do' refers to the way or discipline.
In taekwondo, hands and feet can be used to overcome an opponent, but the trademark of the sport is its combination of kick movements.
By whom, where and when was Taekwondo invented?
The origin of taekwondo dates back to Korea's Three-Kingdom era (c.50 BC), when Shilla Dynasty warriors, the Hwarang, began to develop a martial art: Taekkyon ("foot-hand").
During the early 20th century, taekwondo became the dominant form of martial arts practised in Korea. Subsequently, taekwondo was designated as the Korean national martial art to be promoted internationally. In 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was founded as the worldwide legitimate governing body of the sport, and the first World Championships were held in Seoul, Korea that year.
What are the rules of Taekwondo?
The rules of taekwondo as outlined by World Taekwondo require a standing bow to the referee, followed by a bow to the opponent, before matches.
All matches last over three rounds of two minutes each, with a one-minute break between rounds.
The objective of each competitor is to score points by landing blows and kicks on their opponent’s torso or head or to win by knockout.
Blows must be delivered through a straight punching technique using the knuckle part of a tightly clenched fist.
The kicks that count are those delivered using any part of the foot below the ankle bone.
Scoring of a valid point or points is determined primarily using the electronic scoring system installed in the head or trunk protectors, known as the Protector and Scoring Systems (PSS).
Points awarded for punching techniques and additional points awarded for turning kicks are scored by judges using manual scoring devices.
What is the difference between Taekwondo and Karate?
Taekwondo is very different from many other oriental martial arts. The main difference is that taekwondo uses more foot skills while karate uses more hand attacks.Taekwondo is very dynamic and involves more kicking, spinning and jumping. Hands are only used as a backup.
In Karate, hands rule as the legs remain mainly grounded and kicks are only used as a backup.
But both sports are great for mind and body as they teach patience and discipline and are great forms of exercises.
Taekwondo and the Olympics
Taekwondo made its debut as a demonstration Olympic sport at the 1988 Seoul Games, and became an official medal sport at the 2000 Sydney Games.
There are several taekwondo styles. World Taekwondo oversees the Kukkiwon-defined style of taekwondo that is commonly referred to as Olympic taekwondo. Olympic taekwondo allows the use of a very small number of the total number of techniques.
Best Taekwondo athletes to watch
It's one of the Olympic sports that have mainly been dominated by Asian nations, but recent Games have witnessed exciting shifts and upsets. The universality of the sport is no longer in question with taekwondo athletes, or taekwondoin, from Cote d'Ivoire to Jordan clinching historic gold medals at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, and team Great Britain showing talent is abundant in Europe.
Taekwondo Competition Rules at Paris 2024
In total, 128 athletes competed in the Paris taekwondo competition: 64 men and 64 women – exactly the same number allowed at previous editions of the Games. Taekwondo hadn't changed its weight categories since its debut on the Olympic programme at Sydney 2000, and they remained the same for Paris 2024.
- Men's taekwondo weight classes: -58kg, -68kg, -80kg, +80kg
- Women's taekwondo weight classes: -49kg, -57kg, -67kg, +67kg
Athletes advanced to the next round by winning face-to-face eliminatory bouts, and there were four medals available per weight category: gold, silver, and two bronzes (for the winners of the repechage bouts).
