All About Olympic Taekwondo - Head Shots Allowed!

Style and degree of difficulty count for a lot in Taekwondo, with the more aggressive and difficult moves scoring the highest points. For example, kicks to the head earn two points, whereas kicks to the body earn one point.
Such moves include:

knockdowns

foot techniques versus hand techniques

jumping kicks versus standing kicks

kicks to the head versus kicks to the body

The taekwondo competition area is a two-colour mat measuring 12 metres square. The competition takes place on a 10x10m inner square, called the contest area, while the red outer part of the mat is called the alert zone.

Before the match, the athletes bow to each other to signal respect. The referee starts the match by saying "Joon-bi" (ready) and "shi-jak" (start).

The action unfolds over three rounds lasting two minutes. Two combatants - "Chung" (blue) and "Hong" (red) - go at each other with kicks and punches, taking a one-minute breather between rounds, where they can confer with their coach and change strategies if necessary.

After the match, the competitors face each other again in the competition area and exchange a bow at the referee's command. They then wait for the referee's signal; the referee will raise one arm towards the victorious athlete in order to indicate a victory. A win can also be declared when there is a knockout, when the referee stops the contest by virtue of a 7 point gap or a 12 point ceiling, or when a competitor is disqualified.

For all the kicking and punching, taekwondo puts a premium on fair play. Just as a point is awarded for each legitimate hit, a point can be deducted for penalties. Penalties are issued in two ways: as a warning (kyong-go) or as a deduction (gam-jeom). Two warnings or one deduction are counted as a loss of one point. A deduction of four points means the offending competitor is disqualified.

Penalties are common in taekwondo. A typical combatant's score for a match is five to seven points with one deduction.

The World Taekwondo Federation became an IOC-recognized sports federation in 1980, making taekwondo eligible to become an Olympic sport. Taekwondo was recognized as an official event at the World Games in 1981 and the Pan American Games in 1986.

Taekwondo finally made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea. Fittingly, the South Koreans dominated, winning three of the four gold medals awarded. The fourth gold went to American Arlene Limas, who competed in the welterweight division.

Taekwondo was one of three new official sports introduced at the 2000 Sydney Games, along with triathlon and trampoline. Again, South Korea was the top country, taking three of the eight gold medals in men's and women's competition. Dominique Bosshart made Canada's presence felt with a well-deserved bronze medal after a gritty performance through the tournament.

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