Over February and March, IR Selection and Training Camps have been held across the globe with the aim of choosing Taekwondo’s 60 best referees.

Intense process underway to select 26 referees, with a 50:50 gender split, for Summer Olympics

  Region N. of Participants Selected

n. of Pax

Place Period Remarks
1st Asia 80pax 16pax(M8/W8) Uzbekistan

(Tashkent)

Feb.14-16
Oceania 20pax 4pax(M2/W2)
2nd PanAmerica 60pax 14pax(M7/W7) Mexico

(Queretaro)

Feb. 21-23
3rd Africa 40pax 10pax(M5/W5) Algeria

(Algiers)

Mar. 9-11 First time hosting
4th Europe 70pax 16pax(M8/W8) Belgium

(Brussels)

Mar. 14-16
270pax 60pax(M30/W30)

The camps, are just the first step in what will be the final selection of 26 IRs – 13 male, 13 female – for the Taekwondo competition in Paris.

It is a well-tested formula. This is the fifth series of Olympic Games IR Selection and Training Camps held by WT since the concept was pioneered in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Imágenes del Selectivo Panamericano de Árbitros rumbo a Juegos Olímpicos

As per previous camps, a list of qualified IRs who meet WT’s highest standards has been collected from Member National Association, after being reviewed and recommended by ad hoc committee appointed. Four camps have been held for WT’s five Continental Unions.

Though the locations were different, the education and selection methodologies were identical. Each camp lasted three days and consisted of the following tests: Scoring Test (20%); Games Management Test (60%); Competition Rules Test (Written: 10%); Oral English Test (10%).

World Taekwondo’s International Referee Camp for Paris 2024 Olympics

In an innovation not used in previous Olympic camps, a state-of-the-art motor response device, Motion Tap, was used to systematically and accurately measure referees’ agility, and responsiveness.

There is considerable depth of experience. Of the 60 IRs at the four camps, 17 had officiated at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. All the referees will have plentiful opportunities in the coming months to hone their craft.

Upcoming top-tier events include the World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan; the 2023 Grand Prix Series that takes place in, respectively, Italy, China, France and Great Britain; and next year’s Continental Olympic Qualification Competitions. Only after the last of these events has finished will the final selection of the 26 Olympic referees be made.