Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics |
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| Governing body | WTF |
| Events | 8 (men: 4; women: 4) |
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Taekwondo is a popular Korean martial art. It's known for its fast kicks and punches. This exciting sport first appeared at the Summer Olympics in 1988. That year, the Games were held in Seoul, South Korea. It was a "demonstration sport," meaning it was shown to the public but didn't award medals. Hundreds of people, both kids and adults, performed Taekwondo moves together at the opening ceremony!
Taekwondo was also a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Then, it became a full medal sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Since then, Taekwondo has been a regular part of the Olympic Games.
Contents
Taekwondo at the Olympics: A Quick Look
Taekwondo has been a part of the Olympics for many years. Here's a simple overview of its journey:
| Games | Year | Events | Best Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | 1988 | 16 |  South Korea |
| 25 | 1992 | 16 | South Korea |
| 27 | 2000 | 8 |  South Korea |
| 28 | 2004 | 8 |  Chinese Taipei |
| 29 | 2008 | 8 | South Korea |
| 30 | 2012 | 8 |  Spain |
| 31 | 2016 | 8 |  South Korea |
| 32 | 2020 | 8 |  ROC |
How Taekwondo Joined the Olympics
Getting Taekwondo into the Olympics was a long journey. It started in 1974. That's when Taekwondo was accepted into the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU). The AAU helps set rules for different sports.
In 1975, the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) joined the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). This group helps sports federations work together. Five years later, in 1980, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) officially recognized the WTF.
The next year, Taekwondo was a main event at the World Games. This competition is for sports not yet in the Olympics. In 1982, Taekwondo was chosen as an official demonstration sport. This was for the 1988 Olympics in Seoul and the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
Taekwondo also appeared in other big sports events. These included the World Cup and the Asian Games in 1986. It was also in the All-Africa Games in 1986 and the Pan American Games in 1987. Finally, in 1994, the IOC made Taekwondo an official Olympic sport. This meant it would award medals starting at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
How Olympic Taekwondo Works
In the Olympics, Taekwondo competitions use a "single elimination" system. This means if you lose one match, you are out of the main tournament.
Winning Medals
The person who wins all their matches in the main tournament gets the gold medal. The person they beat in the final match gets the silver medal.
What is Repechage?
What about the bronze medal? That's where something called "Repechage" comes in. This is a special competition for athletes who lost to the two finalists. It gives them a second chance to win a bronze medal.
Here's how it works:
- Fighters who lost to the gold or silver medalist get to compete again.
- They fight each other in a separate bracket.
- The two winners of these "repechage finals" each get a bronze medal. This means two bronze medals are given out in each weight class!
Number of Athletes per Country
Before the 2012 Summer Olympics, each country could only send two men and two women to compete. But for the 2016 Summer Olympics and beyond, this rule changed. Now, each country can send one athlete for each weight category. This means more athletes from different countries can compete!
Taekwondo Weight Classes
In Taekwondo, athletes compete against others who are similar in size. Medals are given in four different weight classes for both men and women.
| Event | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Flyweight | −58 kg | −49 kg |
| Featherweight | −68 kg | −57 kg |
| Middleweight | −80 kg | −67 kg |
| Heavyweight | +80 kg | +67 kg |
Olympic Medal Winners
This table shows which countries have won the most medals in Taekwondo at the Olympics, up to the 2020 Olympics.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Korea (KOR) |
12 | 3 | 7 | 22 |
| 2 |  China (CHN) |
7 | 1 | 3 | 11 |
| 3 |  United States (USA) |
3 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 4 |  Great Britain (GBR) |
2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| 5 |  Mexico (MEX) |
2 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| 6 | Chinese Taipei (TPE) |
2 | 1 | 6 | 9 |
| 7 |  Iran (IRI) |
2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 8 |  Italy (ITA) |
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Republic of China (ROC) |
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
 Serbia (SRB) |
2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 11 | Spain (ESP) |
1 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
| 12 |  Turkey (TUR) |
1 | 3 | 5 | 9 |
| 13 |  Greece (GRE) |
1 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 14 |  Cuba (CUB) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
 Thailand (THA) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
| 16 |  Australia (AUS) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
 Jordan (JOR) |
1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 18 |  Croatia (CRO) |
1 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 19 |  Azerbaijan (AZE) |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
 Ivory Coast (CIV) |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 21 |  Argentina (ARG) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Uzbekistan (UZB) |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 23 |  France (FRA) |
0 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 24 |  Russia (RUS) |
0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 25 |  Norway (NOR) |
0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 26 |  Canada (CAN) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
 Dominican Republic (DOM) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Germany (GER) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
 Tunisia (TUN) |
0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 30 |  Gabon (GAB) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
 Niger (NIG) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 North Macedonia (MKD) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
 Vietnam (VIE) |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 34 |  Egypt (EGY) |
0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 35 |  Afghanistan (AFG) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
 Brazil (BRA) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
 Venezuela (VEN) |
0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 38 |  Colombia (COL) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Israel (ISR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Japan (JPN) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Kazakhstan (KAZ) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
 Nigeria (NGR) |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (42 entries) | 48 | 48 | 80 | 176 | |
See also
In Spanish: Taekwondo en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños
