Taekwondo, also spelled tae kwon do or taekwon-do, is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving punching and kicking techniques. The literal translation for taekwondo is "kicking", "punching", and "the art or way of". It sometimes involves the use of weapons.
Steven López is an American taekwondo competitor, a 2000 and 2004 Olympic gold medalist and a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist and 4th Dan in taekwondo. In 2001, he won the Lightweight Taekwondo World Championship, and in 2003 he won the Welterweight Taekwondo World Championship which he has since won in 2005, 2007 and 2009 making him the first Taekwondo fighter to win 5 World Championships. With 2 Olympic titles, 5 titles in taekwondo world championships and 1 title in taekwondo world cup he is the most titled champion after Hadi Saei who earns 9 world class titles.
Taekwondo made its first appearance at the Olympics as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The opening ceremony featured a mass demonstration of taekwondo, with hundreds of adults and children performing moves in unison. Taekwondo was again a demonstration sport at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Taekwondo became a full medal sport at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, and has been a sport in the Olympic games since then.
Chen Zhong is a retired Chinese taekwondo competitor who represented her country at international level for more than 10 years, including three consecutive Summer Olympic Games. She won China's first Olympic gold medal in taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, and successfully defended her title at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but did not make it past the quarter-final round.
Taekwondo competitions at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London was held from 8 August to 11 August at the ExCeL London. Competition was held in eight weight categories; four for men, and four for women.
Greece competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The Hellenic Olympic Committee sent a total of 103 athletes to the Games in London, 65 men and 38 women, to compete in 19 sports. Men's water polo was the only team event in which Greece was represented at these Olympic Games.
The Taekwondo competition at the 2012 Games will include 128 athletes, 64 in each gender, 16 in each of the eight weight divisions. Each competing nation will be allowed to enter a maximum of 4 competitors, two of each gender. Each nation will therefore be eligible to compete in a maximum of half the weight categories.
Bianca Cook, also known as Bianca Walkden is a British taekwondo athlete and Olympian. She is a three-time World champion, twice World Grand Prix champion, four-time European champion and a double Olympic medallist.
Taekwondo at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro took place from 17 to 20 August at the Carioca Arena 3 inside the Barra Olympic Park in Barra da Tijuca. Around 128 taekwondo fighters competed in eight weight categories; four for men, and four for women.
Tonga competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. This is the nation's ninth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics.
Hatice Kübra İlgün is a Turkish taekwondo practitioner. She has won a silver medal at the 2017 World Taekwondo Championships in the featherweight division.
Uzbekistan competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the nation's seventh consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era.
Thailand competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the nation's official debut in 1952, Thai athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games, with the exception of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, because of its partial support of the US-led boycott.
The 2021 European Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament for the Tokyo Olympic Games took place in Sofia, Bulgaria. The tournament was held from 7 to 8 May, 2021. Each country could enter a maximum of 2 male and 2 female divisions with only one athlete in each division. The winner and runner-up athletes per division qualified for the Olympic Games under their NOC.
Iran is scheduled to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. Since the nation's debut in 1948, Iranian athletes have appeared in every edition of the Summer Olympic Games except for Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984, citing political reasons.
The taekwondo competitions at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are scheduled to run from 7 to 10 August at the Grand Palais strip. 128 taekwondo fighters, with an equal distribution between men and women, will compete across eight different weight categories at the Games, the same amount as the previous editions since Beijing 2008. Each weight category is composed of sixteen taekwondo fighters; however, this figure may increase if additional athletes are invited and selected from the Refugee Olympic Team.
This article details the qualifying phase for taekwondo at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The competition at these Games will comprise a total of 128 taekwondo fighters coming from their respective NOCs; each can enter a maximum of eight taekwondo fighters, with one in each bodyweight category and four for each gender.
The 2024 Pan American Qualification Tournament for Paris Olympic Games was held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on 9 and 10 April 2024. Each country may enter a maximum of 2 male and 2 female divisions with only one athlete in each division, as long as it has no athlete already qualified through ranking. The two finalists per division qualify for the Olympic Games under their NOC.
Marko Golubić is a Croatian taekwondo practitioner. He was a gold medalist at the 2023 World Taekwondo Championships.
Bailey Lewis (AUS)
Aloi Meras (VAN)
Isaac Myrie (SOL)
Cole Krech-Watene (NZL)
Richard Lin (FIJ)
Oswald Tapelu (SAM)
Kevin Kassman (PNG)
Moala Takelo (TGA)
Tionwiriam Temakei (KIR)