Taekwondo
Taekwondo (/ˌtaɪkwɒnˈdoʊ, ˌtaɪˈkwɒndoʊ, ˌtɛkwənˈdoʊ/; Korean: 태권도; [t̪ʰɛ.k͈wʌ̹n.d̪o] ⓘ), 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.
A taekwondo contest at the 2016 Summer Olympics | |
| Also known as | TKD, tae kwon do, tae kwon-do, taekwon-do, tae-kwon-do |
|---|---|
| Focus | Striking, kicking |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Creator | No single creator; a collaborative effort by representatives from the original nine Kwans, initially supervised by Choi Hong-hi. |
| Famous practitioners | (see notable practitioners) |
| Parenthood | Mainly karate, some Chinese martial arts |
| Olympic sport | Since 2000 (World Taekwondo) (demonstration sport in 1988) |
| Highest governing body | World Taekwondo (South Korea) |
|---|---|
| First played | Korea, |
| Characteristics | |
| Contact | Full-contact (WT), Light and medium-contact (ITF, ITC, ATKDA, GBTF, GTF, ATA, TI,TCUK, TAGB) |
| Mixed-sex | Yes |
| Type | Combat sport |
| Equipment | Hogu, headgear |
| Presence | |
| Country or region | Worldwide |
| Olympic | Since 2000 |
| Paralympic | Since 2020 |
| World Games | 1981–1993 |
| Taekwondo | |
| Hangul | |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | taegwondo |
| McCune–Reischauer | t'aekwŏndo |
| IPA | [t̪ʰɛ.k͈wʌ̹n.d̪o] ⓘ |
Taekwondo practitioners wear a uniform, known as a dobok. It is a combat sport which was developed during the 1940s and 1950s by Korean martial artists with experience in martial arts such as karate and Chinese martial arts.
The oldest governing body for taekwondo is the Korea Taekwondo Association (KTA), formed in 1959 through a collaborative effort by representatives from the nine original kwans, or martial arts schools, in Korea. The main international organisational bodies for taekwondo today are various branches of the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF), originally founded by Choi Hong-hi in 1966, and the partnership of the Kukkiwon and World Taekwondo (WT, formerly World Taekwondo Federation or WTF), founded in 1972 and 1973 respectively by the Korea Taekwondo Association. Gyeorugi ([kjʌɾuɡi]), a type of full-contact sparring, has been an Olympic event since 2000. In 2018, the South Korean government officially designated taekwondo as Korea's national martial art.
The governing body for taekwondo in the Olympics and Paralympics is World Taekwondo.