[By NBC-1TV K, Y Yi] CHIBA, Japan (July 22, 2021) – The
Taekwondo that will be contested at Tokyo 2020 will not be the same
Taekwondo that was contested at Rio 2016 as the game continues to develop,
improve and innovate.
New players are joining the game, new
technology is upgrading transparency, a new look is upgrading sports
presentation and a new, high-impact format is being introduced as a showcase.
Moreover, a new regulation is being
implemented to ensure athletes’ wellbeing.
Diehard fans, however, should not fret:
The changes are evolutionary, not revolutionary. All these innovations will be
on show when the action kicks off at the Makuhari Messe Hall A in Chiba, a
seaside suburb of Tokyo, on July 24.
New Players
Requiring no equipment beyond the human
body, Taekwondo has long been one of the world’s most economical sports,
offering developing nations realistic chances at Olympic glory. And in an
initiative to empower the powerless – refugees and displaced persons –
Taekwondo has been deployed in refugee camps in Jordan, Rwanda and Turkey.
In Chiba, a new Taekwondo team will
make its Olympic debut: Olympic Refugee team (EOR) comprises Kimia Alizadeh
Zenoorin (W-57kg), Dina Pouryounes (W-49kg) and Abdullah Sediqi (M-68kg).
“Taekwondo is a sport that prioritizes
inclusivity,” said World Taekwondo President Chungwon Choue. “I know the world
Taekwondo family will embrace these athletes and cheer them on as they fight in
the competition of their lives in Chiba.”
New Technology
Transparency is a core concept in both
audience comprehension and sportive fairness. To optimize Taekwondo’s
transparency, replays run over giant LED screens set up over and around the
field of play.
Video replays have two
aims. Action replays engage the audience during the down time between
rounds, while video replays allow corner judges to carefully review contested
point calls, using close-ups and slow-motion.
And replays just got better - much
better. In Chiba, a “4D” camera rig, employing 100 cameras, will make its
Olympic debut.
For the audience, this will enable
action replays featuring the kind of visual effects pioneered in the
science-fiction thriller “The Matrix.” For corner judges, the rig’s vast array
of cameras means there will be blind spots hidden from their eyes as they
assess contested points.
New Look
Olympic taekwondo players hone their
physiques to a peak of athletic perfection, but these physical attributes are
largely invisible to the audience - hidden by the baggy traditional uniform, or
dobok, over which is worn the head guard and torso protector.
To upgrade Taekwondo’s sport
presentation, a new uniform is being pioneered in Chiba.
In a bow to tradition, it retains the
white coloration and general design of the classic dobok. However, it is cut
slimmer, to showcase the physiques of the wearers and to present a more
streamlined silhouette. It also includes national flag designs on the pant leg
for a splash of color.