Taekwondo at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Head Kicks = Gold Medals
On day twelve of the 2024 Olympics, Taekwondo arrives to complete the “combat” sports. In Fencing, the action stops every time a point is scored. In Boxing, the action is nonstop, and judges score who had a better round. In Judo, the action takes brief pauses but most matches end with a single game-winning pin known as an ippon. Taekwondo operates differently, because athletes score points during the round for successful attacks. There are 8 gold medals to give out over 4 days of competition.
The Basics
The aim of taekwondo is for an athlete to kick and punch their opponent while avoiding being struck themselves. The trademark of this martial art is its combination of kicking and punching movements in quick succession. Matches are fought on an octagonal mat for three rounds of two minutes each. Points are awarded according to the degree of difficulty of techniques used. For example, a kick to the head scores higher than punches and kicks to the trunk. Spinning kicks are also rewarded with extra points. Penalties may be given to athletes for various faults.
Here is the point scoring system:
One point for a valid punch to the trunk protector
Two Points for a valid kick to the trunk protector
Four points for a valid turning kick to the trunk protector
Three points for a valid kick to the head
Five points for a valid turning kick to the head
One point awarded for every penalty (known as gam-jeom) given against the opponent
The Format
Let’s start with the 8 weight classes:
MEN
58kg and under (127lbs and under)
68kg (up to 150lbs)
80kg (up to 176lbs)
80+kg (176+lbs)
WOMEN
49kg and under (108lbs and under)
57kg (up to 125 lbs)
67kg (up to 147lbs)
67+kg (147+lbs)
Countries can only enter 1 fighter per weight class. China has the most athletes (6 out of 8), followed by Uzbekistan, Turkiye, and the Refugee Olympic Team who have 5 respectively. Every event starts with 16-18 atheltes. They compete in a single elimination bracket. For most fighters, it will take 4 straight wins to claim a gold medal. Similar to Judo & Wrestling, Taekwondo uses a repechage system to award 2 bronze medals per event. The losers of the quarterfinals face off in two repechage matches. The winners of those matches face the losers of each semifinal in two bronze medal bouts.
What Countries are Historically Dominant?
Here is the medal table going back to 2008:
#1 South Korea (7 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze)
#2 China (4 gold, 1 silver, 3 bronze)
#3 Great Britain (2 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze)
#4 Russia (2 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze)
#5 Spain (1 gold, 4 silver, 1 bronze)
Rounding out the top ten is Turkiye, Mexico, Serbia, Italy, and United States.
Schedule
Similar to Judo, all of these tournaments are self-contained within a single day.
August 7th: Women’s 49kg + Men’s 58kg
August 8th: Men’s 68kg + Women’s 57kg
August 9th: Women’s 67kg + Men’s 80kg
August 10th: Men’s 80+kg + Women’s 67+kg