Crystal Brittany Weekes of Puerto Rico, right, and Jackie Galloway of the United States compete in a women’s taekwondo over 67 kg round of 16. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
There’s a technological revolution occurring in taekwondo that is changing the look of the sport and it might take time to get used to it.
Tradition is giving way to modern rules that are aimed to bring more excitement to the sport and help provide a more fair scoring system. But with each change, the sport moves further away from the ancient martial art that it is rooted in, one that emphasizes powerful kicks absent in some of the modern matches.
At the Rio Olympics this year, competitors have been wearing headgear that electronically scores kicks to the head, four years after vests with sensors were introduced at the London Olympics. That’s not the only change: Fighters now enter an octagonal mat instead of a square, and for the first time, competitors are being scored an extra point for any kick where they turn their backs as a way to encourage use of more spinning techniques.
“It’s been a bit of a learning curve,” said Steven Lopez (via Wired), a five-time Olympian on Team USA and the most decorated athlete in the sport’s history.
He’s not the only one who feels that way.
Viewers have also noticed a dramatic difference in how fighters approach the sport. Instead of aggressive fights and flurries of kicks that were staples of taekwondo just a decade ago, taekwondo matches have become more defensive, with each person using their legs to protect the sensors that can go off with the slightest tap.
People on social media have likened this to “foot fencing.”
Looking forward to Olympic taekwondo “fighting”? No? Me neither; don’t really fancy foot fencing https://t.co/QalaNVfiCH #MartialArts
— Torbjorn Arntsen (@TorbjornArntsen) June 26, 2016
It appears that foot sensors have made #Taekwondo into even more of the foot fencing that I thought the sport would go away from.
— David Hong (@dave_hong) August 17, 2016
sensors are killers and I’m not sure I like it #Taekwondo
— elaf (@Irrelaphant_) August 17, 2016
This new look can sometimes be difficult to watch. When I attended sparring class from elementary to high school, I was taught that points only count if the kick stops the momentum of your opponent, or clearly hits their pad.
A video posted on YouTube earlier this year shows how taekwondo sparring training drills have gone from quick, heavy kicks to defensive jabs.
Chungwon Choue, president of the World Taekwondo Federation, told the Associated Press in June that officials “are committed to finding a balance between honoring our traditional techniques and evolving the sport to make it more exciting for new audiences.” (For what it’s worth, taekwondo dates back to 50 B.C., according to olympic.org.)
These changes were made following several missed calls by referees at the 2008 Olympics. That was also the year that Cuba’s Angel Valodia Matos kicked a referee in the face after being disqualified due to a lengthy medical time out. The World Taekwondo Federation banned Matos for life for his actions.
After Beijing, the World Taekwondo Federation introduced electronic scoring equipment and restructured the scoring system. Kicks to the head are now awarded three points instead of two and spinning kicks can earn competitors an extra point.
“Taekwondo had a bad stigma after 2008,” Team USA’s Stephen Lambdin told Wired. “We came up for renewal in the 2020 Olympics. And basically the word on the wire was that the [International Olympic Committee] said, ‘If you don’t do something in 2016, that’ll be your last Olympics.’ ”
Lambdin was one of two Americans who fought Saturday morning, losing 9-7 to Brazil’s Maicon de Andrade Siqueira in the men’s over 80 kg division. The Brazilian scored on a back turning hook kick with seconds remaining to send the 28-year-old American home in the round of 16.
To Lambdin, the transparency and objectivity in scoring helps viewers understand the sport. “The IOC wants people to turn on the TV and immediately know what’s going on,” he said.
Jackie Galloway, who beat Puerto Rico’s Crystal Weekes, 5-0, to advance to the women’s over 67 kg quarterfinals, said that certain areas on the pads are easier to score on due to equipment that require updates, but shared Lambdin’s sentiments that the new technology can help the sport.
“It’s nice to have a little objectivity,” she told Wired.
