The Paris Olympics, which wrapped up on August 11th, left behind a great showcase. The Grand Palais, where the Taekwondo matches were held, was passionate with a packed crowd every day. Since becoming part of the Olympics, Taekwondo has been praised for undergoing consecutive, positive changes.
Continuous Expansion of Globalization
During the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, The New York Times focused on the “Globalization of Taekwondo.” Since the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Taekwondo has been known as a sport that has opened medal opportunities for countries with smaller Olympic teams. As proof, nations that previously haven’t won any Olympic medals, such as Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Niger, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, have won their only Olympic medals in Taekwondo.
Taekwondo has been known for its universality in the medal distribution since the introduction of the PSS (Protector & Scoring System). At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, gold medals were won by athletes from seven different countries. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, gold medals were shared among seven countries, and the rest of Olympic medals were shared by 23 countries.
Much more Tension and Thrill with the “Best of 3” Round System
The best-of-three round system has received positive feedback and reaction from both spectators and Taekwondo people. Until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Taekwondo used a cumulative scoring system over three rounds. However, at the Paris Olympics, scores are reset to 0-0 at the start of each round, and the first competitor to win two out of three rounds is declared the winner of the match.
Viewers noted that there were more aggressive, and fierce matches compared to before, and that the tension lasted until the end of each round. Spectators at the Grand Palais also cheered for athletes who were actively attacking right up until the end of the rounds.
In the best-of-three system, if a round ends in a tie, the player who scores with a high-difficulty attack is declared the winner. This rule is part of Taekwondo’s efforts to enhance the accuracy of the PSS scoring system and to create more thrilling matches. As a result, at the Paris Olympics many spectacular spinning attacks could be spotted, which attracted enthusiastic responses from the audience.
Realization of the ‘Olympic Spirit’ through Continuous Support for Refugees
Taekwondo is closely aligned with the UN’s “The Global Compact on Refugees”. The World Taekwondo (WT) collaborates with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to support refugees and strengthen their self-reliance through various taekwondo-related activities.
The Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF), established by World Taekwondo (WT), has been providing free taekwondo training to refugee youth who have lost their homes due to war or natural disasters. In 2023, it was awarded the “Olympic Cup” by the IOC in recognition of its contributions to world peace.
The Azraq Refugee Camp in Jordan is a prime example of this initiative. Yahya Al Ghotany, a flag bearer for the Refugee Team (EOR) at the Paris Olympics and a KPNP-sponsored athlete, is the first Olympian from the Azraq Refugee Camp. In an interview with the official MyInfo site operated by the Paris Olympic Organizing Committee, he stated, “Taekwondo means everything to me. It has changed my entire life.”
In the near future, such inspiring stories of athletes achieving their dreams of participating in the Olympics through Taekwondo, despite challenging environments like Yahya’s, will be more common.
Efforts to Diversify Event Categories: Mixed Gender Team Test Event
For now, there are eight weight categories for Taekwondo, with four for men and four for women that are recognized as official events. However, the Taekwondo community, led by the World Taekwondo (WT), aims to add a mixed gender team event to the current eight weight divisions as an official event for the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics.
Following the Tokyo Olympics, at the Paris Olympics the Mixed Gender Team test event took place at the Grand Palais from the 7th to the 10th during the official schedule, athletes from China, Brazil, Uzbekistan, and France showcased impressive performances in front of large audiences.
The IOC, having recently embraced gender equality as a core value, has been increasing the number of Mixed Gender Team events in both the Winter and Summer Olympics. This IOC initiative increases expectations for the inclusion of the mixed team event as an official taekwondo event. Whether it will be officially added to the LA Olympics will be decided by the IOC Executive Board meeting scheduled for early next year.
The Mixed Gender Team event has already been introduced as an official event at the 2021 Chengdu Summer Universiade and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, receiving praise from viewers and Taekwondo people for its novelty.
By: KPNP.
