Taekwondo is a martial art developed in Korea which debuted at the Olympics at the Seoul 1988 Games.
It's one of 😄 the Olympic sports that have mainly been dominated by Asian nations, but recent Games have witnessed exciting shifts and upsets.
The 😄 universality of the sport is no longer in question with taekwondo athletes, or taekwondoin, from Cote d'Ivoire to Jordan clinching 😄 historic gold medals at Rio 2016, and team Great Britain showing talent is abundant in Europe.
There are several taekwondo styles.
World 😄 Taekwondo oversees the Kukkiwon-defined style of taekwondo that is commonly referred to as Olympic taekwondo.
Olympic taekwondo allows the use of 😄 a very small number of the total number of techniques.
From the basics to the equipment, here's a rundown of taekwondo 😄 rules, scoring and the different belts.
Action at a World Taekwondo championships.
Equipment and facilities Taekwondo is a combat sport between two 😄 fighters in the same weight category.
The centre of the competition area is octagonal-shaped and measures 8m in diameter.
Contestants must wear 😄 a dobok or a white competition uniform.
Additionally, they must have a trunk protector, head protector and, for male athletes, a 😄 groin guard that is worn under the dobok.
The taekwondoin must also be equipped with forearm and shin guards, gloves, sensing 😄 socks, and a mouth guard before entering the competition area.
Head protection is usually firmly tucked under left arms when entering 😄 into the competition area and is worn when instructed by the referee.
Athletes fully kitted during a taekwondo match.
Belts Taekwondo athletes 😄 also tie a coloured belt around their waist.
The colour signifies the competitors' ranks in their sport.
The belts range from white 😄 to black belts.
The belt system is divided into 10 grades, or gup, and nine degrees (dan).
Grades start from white for 😄 beginners, through to yellow, green, blue, red and the highest is black.
The black-belt holders, who are the most experienced, are 😄 further graded as 'dan' from the first degree up until the ultimate ninth level.
Taekwondo practioners wearing different-coloured belts
The basic rules 😄 - foot and fist The rules of taekwondo as outlined by World Taekwondo require a standing bow to the referee, 😄 followed by a bow to the opponent, before matches.
All matches last over three rounds of two minutes each, with a 😄 one-minute break between rounds.
Taekwondo athletes bow to each before a match at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Taekwondo aptly means 'the 😄 way of the foot and fist', to correspond with the blows and kicks that score points.
The objective of each competitor 😄 is to score points by landing blows and kicks on their opponent's torso or head or to win by knockout.
Blows 😄 must be delivered through a straight punching technique using the knuckle part of a tightly clenched fist.
The kicks that count 😄 are those delivered using any part of the foot below the ankle bone.
Scoring Scoring of a valid point or points 😄 is determined primarily using the electronic scoring system installed in the head or trunk protectors, known as the Protector and 😄 Scoring Systems (PSS).
Points awarded for punching techniques and additional points awarded for turning kicks are scored by judges using manual 😄 scoring devices.
The valid points are: 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 opponentTaekwondo explained
Penalties and prohibited acts The only penalty in taekwondo is a gam-jeom.
A gam-jeom is declared when an 😄 athlete punches to the face, or punches or kicks below the waist.
Also not allowed is attacking an opponent with the 😄 knee or the head.
Athletes are penalised if they use their leg to block or kick their opponent's leg to prevent 😄 a kicking attack, have their leg in the air for more than three seconds to impede an opponent's potential attacking 😄 movements, or if a kick is adjudged to have been aiming for below the waist.
Taekwondoin lose points for crossing the 😄 boundary line with both feet, falling to the ground, avoiding or delaying the match, and for pushing or grabbing their 😄 opponents.
Falling to the ground is penalised in taekwondo.
Contestants also have to watch out how they deliver their kicks to the 😄 trunk PSS, as one can lose a point for attacking with the side or bottom of the foot while the 😄 knee is pointed out in clinch position.
Attacking a fallen opponent is also prohibited.
Any misconduct or unsportsmanlike behaviour of the contestant 😄 or their coach can cost a point.
Key decisions Golden Point Round [GDP]: For drawn matches, the contestants go for a 😄 golden point round.
This is sudden death as the first to score wins.
An athlete can be awarded the match if their 😄 opponent picks up two penalties in the golden round.
If a match goes to golden point, all scores awarded during the 😄 first three rounds are not considered.
Win by superiority [SUP]: If neither of the contestants has scored two points after the 😄 golden round, the winner shall be decided by superiority based on the contestant who received a point by a punch 😄 in the golden round, or the contestant who got a higher number of hits registered by the PSS during the 😄 golden round or the one who won more rounds in first three rounds.
If the athletes were tied on points the 😄 one who received fewer penalties during all four rounds wins the match, and if they were tied on penalties the 😄 referee and judges shall determine superiority based on the content of the golden round.
Point Gap [PTG]: A win by point 😄 gap is when there is a 20-points difference between two athletes at the end of the second round and/or at 😄 any time during the final round.
Referee Stops Contest [RSC]: The referee can stop the match if the contestant has been 😄 knocked down by an opponent's legitimate technique and cannot continue the match, or to protect a contestant's safety.
The medical commission 😄 can also call off a match due to a contestant's injury.
A Referee can stop a contest off if an athlete 😄 is injured.
