How long will TKD remain an Olympic Sport

[RTKDCMB]

Come on guys. You are telling me that during a tight curling match, your blood doesn't start pumping and find yourself screaming at the TV "Brush like the wind!!" Am I the only one?

Yep.

 

[ralphmcpherson]

Well, if the IOC thinks it can make enough money on TV revenues in Europe then I'm sure it will remain an official sport. TV coverage in the U.S., however, remains spotty at best for the Olympics. I've never seen a non-Olympic WTF event on any television network here, though.

The sold out venues isn't that big of a deal, though. I was at the '76 Olympics in Montreal and attended some events that were sold out there that are not, themselves, very popular with a wider audience. But since people are at the Olympics they go to what they can get tickets for.

SK, I am sure, spent a pretty penny getting TKD as a demonstration sport twice (1988 and '92), which was previously unheard of, before cementing its place as an official sport. I do not doubt they will spare no expense guaranteeing its place if it comes up for review again.

Pax,

Chris

You are right about sold out events not being that big of a deal. People will buy tickets to anything in the olympics. During the Beijing games two Australian comedians did a show and were in beijing trying to scalp tickets to "fake" events. From memory they even had a couple prepared to buy tickets to the "hide and seek" and "skipping".

 

[TKDTony2179]

The rules that result in people standing around for 2 rounds of a 3 round match, mostly. The rules that limit allowable techniques. The rules that let people fall down after a kick and not be penalized. Etc.

I'm not saying that WTF players don't find their events interesting. I said in my initial post that the rules make WTF events boring for the general public. In order to make things more exciting the WTF would do well to either shorten matches to 1 or 2 rounds, or to require a minimum number of kicks thrown in each round (like the old kick boxing rules did). The recent adoption of variable points for different techniques, as opposed to the old somewhat clunky "rules of superiority," is a good start (and brings the WTF rules into closer conformity with ITF rules) but it hasn't, IMO, done much to make the matches themselves more exciting.

Pax,

Chris

Ok, I am still uncertain of the rules but if you can send me a website with the rules I would look at it. I think if they add punching then it would be more exicting. If they are just standing around then they are just being counter fighters and that would be boring.

 

[chrispillertkd]

Ok, I am still uncertain of the rules but if you can send me a website with the rules I would look at it. I think if they add punching then it would be more exicting. If they are just standing around then they are just being counter fighters and that would be boring.

I already referenced several rules for you, I am sorry you don't see how they lead to WTF Taekwondo being a boring event for spectators. A 3 round match that has 2 rounds which are largely inactive, for instance, doesn't do much as far as excitement in concerned, for instance. Nor do rules that let people fall down after executing a kick, thus stopping the action in an event which already lacks continuous fighting.

You can find WTF rules for sparring on the WTF website if you're really interested in reading them.

Pax,

Chris

 

[Gorilla]

Half point deduction for falling down!!!!

they have been scoring punches since EBP!!!!


I have done several threads on punching and how they are scored!

10 seconds to kick!!!


the game has changed since 2008 which people seem to be stuck in!

 

[chrispillertkd]

Half point deduction for falling down!!!!

they have been scoring punches since EBP!!!!


I have done several threads on punching and how they are scored!

10 seconds to kick!!!


the game has changed since 2008 which people seem to be stuck in!

I don't think anyone mentioned not scoring hand techniques. My criticism was that they are still highly limited in which ones they can use (a punch to the mid section).

As for deductions for falling down that seems to be pretty new. Glad they finally realized that having someone fall on the floor after kicking was a bad thing.

Pax,

Chris

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

They have curling because there are not that many winter sports! They had to make up ones like luge and ski ballet.

 

[msmitht]

As long as there are no major international fiascos tkd should be around for a while. The IOC likes the scoring changes and tkd was very popular at the London games. The next meeting to discuss is not til after Rio and Brazilian's love Olympic sports so I expect it to be well received there too.
If you are a hater of Olympic tkd too bad. We will be around a while.

 

[chrispillertkd]

...

 

[TKDTony2179]

I already referenced several rules for you, I am sorry you don't see how they lead to WTF Taekwondo being a boring event for spectators. A 3 round match that has 2 rounds which are largely inactive, for instance, doesn't do much as far as excitement in concerned, for instance. Nor do rules that let people fall down after executing a kick, thus stopping the action in an event which already lacks continuous fighting.

You can find WTF rules for sparring on the WTF website if you're really interested in reading them.

Pax,

Chris

Yea, I can see by just throwing a bunch of faints or just one kick and wait 5 sec to throw another kick and wait 30 sec throw a kick, wait 5 sec throw a kick is just boreing!!!!!!! No hands make it boreing as hell too. But if they want a game of kid tag being played that is what you will have.

 

[Gwai Lo Dan]

Ok, I am still uncertain of the rules but if you can send me a website with the rules I would look at it. I think if they add punching then it would be more exicting.

I think the latest rules are here, number 8, Competition Rules (2012-12-26 E-ballot) .http://www.wtf.org/wtf_eng/site/rules/competition.html

Punching ("fist technique") is defined on the middle of page 21.

 

[Gorilla]

I don't think anyone mentioned not scoring hand techniques. My criticism was that they are still highly limited in which ones they can use (a punch to the mid section).

As for deductions for falling down that seems to be pretty new. Glad they finally realized that having someone fall on the floor after kicking was a bad thing.

Pax,

Chris

Reponding in general to how the game has changed!

 

[Drose427]

The rules that result in people standing around for 2 rounds of a 3 round match, mostly. The rules that limit allowable techniques. The rules that let people fall down after a kick and not be penalized. Etc.

I'm not saying that WTF players don't find their events interesting. I said in my initial post that the rules make WTF events boring for the general public. In order to make things more exciting the WTF would do well to either shorten matches to 1 or 2 rounds, or to require a minimum number of kicks thrown in each round (like the old kick boxing rules did). The recent adoption of variable points for different techniques, as opposed to the old somewhat clunky "rules of superiority," is a good start (and brings the WTF rules into closer conformity with ITF rules) but it hasn't, IMO, done much to make the matches themselves more exciting.

Pax,

Chris

Just to add my 2 cents....rules against poor technique and sloppy kicks....I dont believe someone should get points on a kick thats just flopping around like a fish...

 

[Daniel Sullivan]

I am a little behind on this, but I read where TKD will continue to be an Olympic sport through 2016.

http://en.mastaekwondo.com/2013/02/taekwondo-continues-to-be-an-olympic-sport/

Does this mean that the sport will be up for discussion for the 2020 Olympics? Why is TKD having such a hard time or are they having a hard time at all? I guess what I means is that track and field or swimming doesn't have to justify or worry about remaining a sport, so why does TKD have to work so hard?

I am not an expert on the subject, I am just trying to learn more about the issues.

TV ratings are the single largest factor. Sold out stadiums don't make as much as television can, so TV ratings are the decider.

Chris mentioned boring to watch. I've seen people make similar statements about other fight sports.

Part of what makes a sport exciting is the ability to know what your watching and why things happen the way that they do. WTF sport rules make for a match that is unfamiliar to most people. The postures look weird, the lack of hand techniques is baffling, and the kicking game is generally not as fast paced as a punching game is, and people are baffled as to why they aren't punching anyway.

The sport is one of those that makes perfect sense to those who participate in it while raising eyebrows of those who don't. Often, explaining the reasons for the rules only raises more questions. Hand techniques, low guard, and the unusual posture all are questioned. Couple that with the resemblence to Karate, which people are at least generally familiar with from television and movies, and people are even more puzzled as to why TKD looks like it does.

I believe that TKD faces competition from sport karate, which would undoubtedly make for a stronger showing on television. While I'm a KKW taekwondoist, in terms of fun to watch, ITF matches win in this area in my opinion. Not saying that one is better than the other; they're very different. But an ITF match will make sense to far more viewers than a WTF match. Same for sport karate.

 

[Archtkd]

TV ratings are the single largest factor. Sold out stadiums don't make as much as television can, so TV ratings are the decider.


I believe that TKD faces competition from sport karate, which would undoubtedly make for a stronger showing on television. While I'm a KKW taekwondoist, in terms of fun to watch, ITF matches win in this area in my opinion. Not saying that one is better than the other; they're very different. But an ITF match will make sense to far more viewers than a WTF match. Same for sport karate.

TV ratings -- particularly in the U.S -- don't play that big of a role in determining what gets in the Olympics because the majority of countries participating in the Olympics do not configure their sports and sports financing by looking at television ratings. That's especially the case in Africa with 53 countries, the former Soviet bloc, many parts of Asia and a good chunck of S. America, where TV ratings are non existent or are a very recent phenomena. What counts more is the base populairty fo a sport in given numbers of the Olympic voting blok countries, the admnistrative/political organization of the sport (think of the number of unified national administrative bodies) and the ease or efficiency of running, scoring and refereeing the sport.

Wrestlling , despite good TV ratings in the U.S and Europe, fell into trouble because off lack of broad populairty and lack of good administrative organization in many countries. Baseball also ran into problems because of that lack of international organization and appeal.

Taekwondo is in the Olympics because, from the word go, the WTF worked with missionary zeal to create a very strong structure of unified member national organizations (MNAs). Taekwondo also took serious and expensive steps to address refereing and judging issues by developing and adopting the latest techonologies, and continues to improve those technologies. Karate will alway have problems because it can't unify at the international level on an Olympic scale. I'm also sure it will have scoring problems unless it adopts electronic technologies, which then will make it too similar to taekwondo.

 

[Gorilla]

TV ratings -- particularly in the U.S -- don't play that big of a role in determining what gets in the Olympics because the majority of countries participating in the Olympics do not configure their sports and sports financing by looking at television ratings. That's especially the case in Africa with 53 countries, the former Soviet bloc, many parts of Asia and a good chunck of S. America, where TV ratings are non existent or are a very recent phenomena. What counts more is the base populairty fo a sport in given numbers of the Olympic voting blok countries, the admnistrative/political organization of the sport (think of the number of unified national administrative bodies) and the ease or efficiency of running, scoring and refereeing the sport.

Wrestlling , despite good TV ratings in the U.S and Europe, fell into trouble because off lack of broad populairty and lack of good administrative organization in many countries. Baseball also ran into problems because of that lack of international organization and appeal.

Taekwondo is in the Olympics because, from the word go, the WTF worked with missionary zeal to create a very strong structure of unified member national organizations (MNAs). Taekwondo also took serious and expensive steps to address refereing and judging issues by developing and adopting the latest techonologies, and continues to improve those technologies. Karate will alway have problems because it can't unify at the international level on an Olympic scale. I'm also sure it will have scoring problems unless it adopts electronic technologies, which then will make it too similar to taekwondo.

This is a great post!!!!!!

 

[RSweet]

TKD has been approved as a core sport for 2020.

 

[WaterGal]

TV ratings are the single largest factor. Sold out stadiums don't make as much as television can, so TV ratings are the decider.

By that standard, though, we'd have nothing but swimming, running, gymnastics and volleyball in the Summer Olympics.