PARA TAEKWONDO
Para taekwondo is the second contact sport to be included in the Paralympic programme. It was introduced at Tokyo 2020, 33 years after Para judo.
about Para taekwondo
Para taekwondo is a contact sport featuring rapid and powerful kicks to the body. Matches are held in a single round contest, lasting up to five minutes. Athletes wear protective equipment and sensor socks, which determine if a point is scored when hitting the opponent's torso.
Two points are awarded for a regular kick, three points for a turning kick and four points for a spinning kick. Head kicks are not allowed and result in a gam-jeom, a penalty that gives a point to the opponent. Other fouls include grabbing, pushing, kicks below the belt or stepping out of bounds.
Athletes can win a fight in several ways: with a 30-point lead, the opponent getting 10 gam-jeoms or having the most points at the end of time.
If there is a tie, athletes enter the Golden Round, with the first fighter to score two points winning. If there is still a tie, then judges decide the winner. Competition takes place against fighters in the same sport class and weight category. There are five weight categories for men and five for women.
World Taekwondo (WT) is the sport’s governing body.
Taekwondo history
Taekwondo was developed in postwar Korea and designed to focus on traditional indigenous fighting systems. It made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games Seoul 1988.
World Taekwondo (WT), the sport’s governing body, began developing the kyorugi (sparring) discipline of Para taekwondo in 2005.
The first world championships were held in 2009 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In 2017, Para taekwondo was confirmed as a sport in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic programme. 1
A total of 70 athletes (36 men and 34 women) representing 37 countries competed in Para taekwondo at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. At Paris 2024, 121 athletes (61 men and 60 women) from 54 nations competed in 10 medal events (5 for men and 5 for women).
Para taekwondo is one of the fastest growing sports as it can be easily practiced with little equipment.
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Federation contact information
World Taekwondo is the governing body of the Paralympic sport of taekwondo.
WORLD TAEKWONDO (WT)
Olof Hansson
PARALYMPIC AND PARA SPORT RESULTS
Search for all results from Paralympic Games events and selected other international Para sport events.
Taekwondo FAQ
Para taekwondo was specifically developed by World Taekwondo in 2005 for athletes with disabilities. The rules are the same as for Olympic taekwondo, with some changes for safety.
Para taekwondo is based on the Korean martial art of taekwondo which is a blend of indigenous Korean fighting styles with other martial arts, such as karate.
Instead, athletes can score additional points for more difficult kicks – one more (for a total of 3) for a turn kick and two more (for a total of 4) for a spinning kick.
There are five belts in Para taekwondo. White, denoting purity is for beginners – followed by yellow, blue, red, and black, which denotes experience and is the opposite of white.
Black belts are divided into 'Dan' levels and go as high as Level 9 Dan. Levels 1 to 3 are for trained students who can serve as assistant instructors; 4 to 6 are for masters (full instructors), and 7 to 9 are for grand masters. Level 10 Dans have only been awarded to the founders of the sport.