Athens 2004 Official Report - LA84 Foundation

Left page:
Hadi Saei Bonehkohal of Iran does
a flip after winning the gold medal
with his defeat of Chin Hsiung
Huang of Chinese Taipei in the
men's under 68 kg Taekwondo gold
medal match.
© Getty Images/I. Waldie
Throughout its history, Taekwondo has been
known by various names, like Taekyon or Subak.
Its official name was announced in 1955; a year
later, the first championships were held. The
Korean Taekwondo Federation was founded in
1965 and the World Taekwondo Federation
was founded in 1973. During the same year the
first World Championships took place.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC)
acknowledged Taekwondo as an Olympic sport
in 1980, an important year for the sport. It was
included as a display event in two successive
Olympic Games: in Seoul (1988) and Barcelona
(1992). However, Taekwondo was included on
the Olympic Games competition schedule for
the first time at the Sydney Games in 2000.
Taekwondo
Competition Sequence
Olympic Taekwondo competition was held from 26 to 29 August.
Wed Thu Fr Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fr Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fr Sat Sun
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Description
Taekwondo is a defensive martial art that
combines philosophy, mental discipline, physical
exercise and physical ability. One Taekwondo
contest consists of three rounds of three
minutes for men and three rounds of two
minutes for women, each with one-minute
intervals between rounds. The contestants,
"Chung" (blue) and "Hong" (red), compete
against each other by punching and kicking
techniques performed on permitted parts of
the body. In Taekwondo contests, kicks are
allowed to the face and body, while punches
are only allowed on the body. Hits below the
lower abdomen are forbidden. All vulnerable
parts of the body are covered with protectors.
One referee and three judges oversee the
contest. Points are considered valid when two
or more judges acknowledge and register them.
The winner of a contest is determined either by
a knockout, by points, or when eight penalties
are granted to the opponent. In the ATHENS
2004 Olympic Games, there were four men's
and four women's weight categories.
Every day there were men's and women's
Taekwondo matches in each of the weight
categories starting with the lightest categories
and ending with the heaviest. 124 competitors
participated in the ATHENS 2004 Olympic
Games from the five continents. Two men and
two women athletes represented Greece,
being the host country.
Men's: 4
Women's: 4
Competitors : 124
Event
Men
Under 58kg
Under 68kg
Under 80kg
Over 80kg
Women
Under 49kg
Under 57kg
Under 67kg
Over 67kg
Venue
Athletes
16
16
16
16
15
15
15
15
Total: 8
NOC
16
16
16
16
15
15
15
15
The Olympic Taekwondo competition was held
at the Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex,
Sports Pavilion, a completely new venue, which
had a seating capacity for approximately 8.000
spectators, and hosted also the Handball
preliminary games. The Sports Pavilion together
with the Olympic Beach Volleyball Centre, the
Marina and the Esplanade were included in a
wider urban area redevelopment project of the
coastal zone.
Official Report of the XXVIII Olympiad 403