Taekwondo at the Olympics

     How do you achieve discipline, courage, perseverance, and develop indomitable spirit?  You can learn all these through Taekwondo, an ancient form of martial arts.  Taekwondo, a discipline of mind and body, has an ancient history, which has led to its popularity as an Olympic sport.

      Taekwondo is various forms of Korean martial arts.  Taekwondo is the art of kicking and punching.  It uses control, self-discipline, precision, and power.  It is a balance between mind and body.  It is the knowledge of self-defense and is used only when necessary.  The goals include building a more peaceful world, respecting others, perseverance, and developing character. Taekwondo utilizes six pieces of protective gear.  These are the trunk protector used to protect the upper body; the forearm and shin guards; the head protector; and the groin guard.  The uniform is called a dobok.  The pants and jacket are white.  A colored belt is worn around the jacket.  The color signifies the rank of the athlete.  In order of least to greatest rank, the colors are white, yellow, orange, green, purple, blue, brown, red, and black.  Taekwondo is not only a sport, but also a way of living.

             Taekwondo has a history that spans over 2,000 years.   The first evidence of this sport goes back to wall paintings dated to 50 B.C. in Korea.  It developed through the Silla (AD 668 – AD 935), Konyo (AD 935 – AD 1132), and Yi (AD 1397 – AD 1907) dynasties.  During the Silla dynasty, it was a recreational sport called Taek Kyon.  The Konyo dynasty changed it to a form of fighting.  It was changed back to fitness and recreation by the Yi dynasty.  In 1909, Korea became occupied by Japan for 36 years.  Japan banned all military arts.  This stirred up a lot of interest in Taekwondo, which led to its popularity and growth. The first Taekwondo School was opened by Yong Chun in Seoul, Korea.  It first appeared in the United States in 1949 when Hong Hi Choi of the Korean Armed Forces gave demonstrations while he attended the General Ground School in Kansas.  The sport has grown to include over 30 million people in 156 countries.  We celebrate its modern-day birthday on April 11, 1955.  Taekwondo is an old discipline that is now a popular sport. 

                             Taekwondo is now an Olympic event.  In 1988 and 1992, it was a demonstration sport.  It became a medal sport in 2000 in Sydney, Australia.  103 athletes competed in Taekwondo in Sydney.  This year, 128 athletes competed in this sport in the Beijing Olympic Games.  The top medal winner was South Korea.  Of the 32 medals, they earned 4 medals: all gold!  The United States earned 3 medals; one silver and two bronze.  This year, there were many controversies involving Taekwondo at the Summer Olympics.  For the first time in history, the judges’ decision was overturned after watching the playback of competitors Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain and Chen Zhong of China in the Women’s +67 kg event.  Sarah Stevenson won the match.  After the women’s controversy, another controversy occurred in the Men’s +80 kg class. After Cuban Angel Matos’ game was declared a forfeit because he did not return to the ring one minute after his injury, he and his coach attacked the referee.  Angel kicked the referee in the face; his injury required stitches. This resulted in Angel and his coach receiving life bans from international Taekwondo competitions, and his participation in the 2008 Olympics was struck from the records.  The crowd, angry and disappointed from the ladies’ decision, chanted “Cuba.”  Taekwondo is an exciting and serious Olympic sport!

             Even though Taekwondo is an ancient art, it has been embraced by the Olympic community, and people today still persevere to achieve its inner discipline.