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Various Korean
forms of martial arts have existed but in the early 20th
century, taekwondo became the dominant form. In 1955 a group
of Korean martial arts leaders chose taekwondo as the
definitive Korean martial art in an attempt to promote its
development internationally.
In 1973, the
Korean government recognised the World Taekwondo Federation
(WTF) as the legitimate governing body of the sport, and the
first World Championships were held in that year.
The Olympic
competition format includes four weight classes each for men
and women, half the number used in World Championships. It
involves a single-elimination tournament to decide the gold
and silver medals.
All
competitors defeated by the two finalists get another chance
in a second bracket to compete for the bronze. The two
losing semi-finalists move directly into the semi-finals of
that second bracket. All others who lost to the two
finalists compete in single elimination within their
original pools, and two winners emerge to fill the remaining
semi-final spots. Each pool's winner then faces the losing
semi-finalist from the opposite pool, and the two winners
compete for the bronze.
Contests are
scored by awarding a point for each legitimate blow and
deducting a point for each penalty. Five to seven points
with one deduction is typical.
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