Welcome from the President

Transcription

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2 2 Welcome from the President Dear Colleagues of the Media, For the world s greatest athletes, the Olympics Games is the pinnacle of their dreams. However, the Olympic dream also lives in the hearts of people all around the world. This is a dream that inspires men and women, young and old, from every culture and religion towards excellence, and proves that the capacity of the human spirit is limitless. Taekwondo is a perfect example of how sport benefits society, propelling individuals towards a life of excellence. Since its debut at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games, taekwondo has been transformed into one of the most popular sports in the world. With seventy million practitioners worldwide and two hundred and two member nations actively participating in WTF sanctioned events, taekwondo is flourishing in countries where other major sports struggle to take root. It also serves as a platform for nations who may struggle to shine in other sports to achieve their Olympic hopes and dreams. The passion that sport brings to the lives of Olympians has an impact on the world around them. It is crucial that their dreams are not tarnished so that they may spread the values of Olympism to their communities and nations. It is for this reason that the WTF has done its utmost to ensure that the London 2012 Olympic Games are as fair and transparent as possible, by introducing instant video replay and the electronic protector scoring system (PSS). Furthermore, the referees here in London have gone through extensive and intensive training to remove any possibility of human error. One hundred and twenty-eight athletes from sixty-three nations will be seeking their place on top of the podium. The depth of the field is so great that any one of these Olympians could come away with a medal. The anticipation that the taekwondo family has for the London 2012 Olympic Games is great. We celebrate each and every athlete, and we expect the greatest demonstration of taekwondo that we have ever seen in history. Inside this pack you will find information on athletes, officials, PSS and the instant video replay system, rules and regulations, and important information for your convenience. Should you need any further information, WTF staff will be available to answer all of your questions. Please contact WTF Media Liaison Kyunghee Park at kyunghee_park@wtf.org with whatever needs you may have during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Sincerely, Chungwon Choue President 2

3 3 Contents I. About Taekwondo HISTORY OF THE SPORT Origins of Taekwondo Taekwondo Today WORLD TAEKWONDO FEDERATION Introduction WTF Member Countries TAEKWONDO IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES General Information Worldwide Achievement Medal Distribution by Country and Continent 9 Worldwide medal distribution in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games (24 medals) 15 Worldwide medal distribution in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games (24 medals) 17 Worldwide medal distribution in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (32 medals) NOC Entries Olympic Highlights ( ) London Preview of London 2012 Olympic Games Competition Schedule Competition Rules (Summary) II. On the Road to London WORLD QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT CONTINENTAL QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENTS Oceania Qualification Tournament (September 11, 2011) Pan-American Qualification Tournament (November 18 to 20, 2011) Asian Qualification Tournament (November 26-27, 2011) African Qualification Tournament (January 11-12, 2012)

4 4 2.5 European Qualification Tournament (January 27-29, 2012) LONDON PREPARES Taekwondo Test Event LONDON OLYMPIC TRAINING CAMP ONE WTF REFEREE AND COACH JOINT TRAINING CAMP III. What s New For London 2012 Olympic Games? OVERVIEW PROTECTOR & SCORING SYSTEM (PSS) INSTANT VIDEO REPLAY (IVR) OTHER MAJOR RULE CHANGES SINCE BEIJING 2008 OLYMPIC GAMES IV. Athletes Information PAST MEDAL WINNERS Medalists of previous Olympic Games Taekwondo ( ) MEDALS BY NOCs AT THE PREVIOUS OLYMPIC GAMES - TAEKWONDO ( ) ATHLETES PROFILES V. Did You Know? VI. Olympic Standing Procedures VII. Glossaries

5 55 I. About Taekwondo 1. History of The Sport 1.1 Origins of Taekwondo The history of taekwondo as a martial art can be traced back for many millennia to the Korean Peninsula. For centuries, this unique form of self-defense existed in various guises and under different names, such as taekyon or subak. In ancient times, such as the Three Kingdoms Period of the Korean Peninsula, it was used primarily as a form of physical or military training In the early 1950s all the various forms were brought together and the modern version we recognize today was established. This unified system came to be known as taekwondo, which literally means "the way of kicking and punching." Since then, taekwondo has developed into a full-contact sport. By adopting certain rules, introducing protective equipment and changing certain techniques, it has been able to distinguish itself from other martial arts sports. Thus the introduction of body protection has made full-contact possible. The competition rules that allow continuous fighting without interference from the referee have allowed for the development of forceful and difficult techniques, enabling a delivery of consecutive attacks to the opponent. Combined with its swiftness and grace, its powerful and sophisticated techniques have attracted interested participants from all walks of life, prompting taekwondo s popularity to soar. 1.2 Taekwondo Today On May 28, 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation, the world s taekwondo governing body, was founded. Over 20 years later, in 1975, taekwondo was accepted as a sport by the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), now SportAccord. And in 1980 the World Taekwondo Federation was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as the sole governing entity of taekwondo around the world. 5

6 65 Over the past four decades, taekwondo s global popularity has been nothing short of meteoric, as tens of millions of practitioners around the world have experienced the proud traditions, philosophies and health benefits of taekwondo. Over the past 39 years, the WTF has promoted 20 editions of the WTF Men s World Taekwondo Championships and 13 editions of the WTF Women s World Taekwondo Championships, which are held concurrently every odd year. Every even year, the WTF promotes its World Junior Taekwondo Championships; the 9th edition was last held in April As of 2012, the global membership of the WTF stands at 202 national associations, spanning five continents. Several more countries are expected to join the WTF this year. 6

7 75 2. World Taekwondo Federation 2.1 Introduction The World Taekwondo Federation is the sole international governing body for the sport of taekwondo that is recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). The WTF was established on May 28, 1973 with seven member countries, and was affiliated with the General Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF). Five years later, in 1980, it was recognized by the IOC at the 83rd IOC Session in Moscow, Russia The WTF recognizes as its members the national taekwondo governing bodies that are recognized in each country by the NOC. As of June 1, 2012 it has 202 member countries around the world. - President: Dr. Chungwon Choue - Secretary General: Dr. Jean-Marie Ayer 2. WTF Member Countries The WTF has 202 member countries spanning five continents, each of which is affiliated to its pertinent continental union : the African Taekwondo Union, the European Taekwondo Union, the Pan-American Taekwondo Union, the Asian Taekwondo Union, and the Oceania Taekwondo Union Continental Union Number of Member Countries Asian Taekwondo Union (ATU) European Taekwondo Union (ETU) Pan-American Taekwondo Union (PATU) 44 African Taekwondo Union (AFTU) 47 Oceania Taekwondo Union (OUT) 19 Total 202 (as of June 1, 2012 ) 7

8 85 3. Taekwondo In The Olympic Games 3.1 General Information Taekwondo first appeared as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. On September 4,1994,during the 103rd IOC Session in Paris, France. taekwondo was accepted as an official medal sport for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Taekwondo was then included in the official program at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Taekwondo will be on the official program of the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, each weight category has been awarded a second bronze medal, increasing the total number of medals from 24 to 32. Weight Categories Men Under 58kg Under 68kg Under 80kg Over 80kg Women Under 49kg Under 57kg Under 67kg Over 67kg Countries and Athletes Participation Olympic Games Number of NOCs Number of Athletes 2000 Sydney 2004 Athens Beijing London Taekwondo has become a sport in which it is possible for a country to win its first ever Olympic medal. Taekwondo represents sport in its purest form an individual display of speed and skill. It is safe, fun and accessible, positioning itself as a truly global sport. Its universality means that all taekwondo athletes can dream of an Olympic medal and have a real chance of bringing home their first ever Olympic medal for their countries. 8

9 95 At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Tran Hieu Ngan took the silver medal in Women's under 57kg weight category, bringing the first ever Olympic medal to Vietnam. At the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Rohullah Nikpai won Afghanistan s first Olympic medal when he collected the bronze in the Men s under 58kg weight category. 3.2 Worldwide Achievement Medal Distribution by Country and Continent A total of nine NOCs have won taekwondo gold medals (Australia, China, Chinese Taipei, Cuba, Greece, Iran, Korea, Mexico and USA) in the past three Olympic Games. And Europe is also getting stronger in the discipline - it has won 20 medals out of a total of 80 over the past three Olympic Games, meaning it gained a quarter of the total haul. Worldwide medal distribution in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games (24 medals) Continent Nation ASIA China 1 Chinese Taipei 2 Korea 3 1 Iran 1 Japan 1 Vietnam 1 Sub-Total (10) EUROPE France 1 Germany 1 Greece 1 Norway 1 Russia 1 Spain 1 Turkey 1 Sub-Total (7) Oceania Australia 1 1 Sub-Total (2) 1 1 PAN AMERICA Canada 1 Cuba 1 1 Mexico 1 USA 1 Sub-Total (5)

10 105 Worldwide medal distribution in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games (24 medals) Continent Nation ASIA China 2 Chinese Taipei 2 1 Korea 2 2 Iran 1 1 Thailand 1 Sub-Total (12) AFRICA Egypt 1 Sub-Total (1) 1 EUROPE France 1 1 Greece 2 Turkey 1 Sub-Total (5) 4 1 PAN AMERICA Cuba 1 Mexico 1 1 USA 1 1 Venezuela 1 Sub-Total (6) Worldwide medal distribution in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games (32 medals) Continent Nation ASIA Afghanistan 1 China 1 1 Chinese Taipei 2 Iran 1 Kazakhstan 1 Korea 4 Thailand 1 Sub-Total (12) AFRICA Nigeria 1 Sub-Total (1) 1 EUROPE Croatia 2 France 1 Great Britain 1 Greece 1 Italy 1 Norway 1 Turkey 1 1 Sub-Total (9) 4 5 PAN AMERICA Brazil 1 Canada 1 Cuba 1 Dominican Republic 1 Mexico 2 USA 1 2 Venezuela 1 Sub-Total (10)

11 3.3 NOC Entries No. CONTINENT NATION Sydney 2000 Olympic Games / 51 NOCs - 58kg - 68kg MALE - 80kg + 80kg - 49kg FEMALE - 57kg - 67kg + 67kg 1 ASIA Australia (34 from 13 NOCs) China Chinese Taipei Indonesia Iran Japan Jordan* Korea Kuwait Malaysia Philippines Saudi Arabia Vietnam AFRICA Benin (13 from 8 NOCs) Cote d'ivoire* Egypt Lesotho Libya* Morocco South Africa Swaziland* EUROPE Austria (35 from 18 NOCs) Croatia Denmark Finland France Germany Great Britain Greece Hungary Italy Monaco* Netherlands Norway Russia Slovenia Spain Sweden Turkey PAN AMERICA Argentina (21 from 12 NOCs) Brazil Canada Chile Colombia* Cuba Guatemala* Mexico Nicaragua Trinidad & Tobago 1 1 TOTAL 50 U.S.A Venezuela 1 1 TOTAL (Sydney 2000) Qualified via World Qualification Tournament 1 Qualified via Continental Qualification Tournament 1 Host NOC 1 Wild Cards

12 No. CONTINENT NATION Athens 2004 Olympic Games / 60 NOCs 12 MALE FEMALE -58kg -68kg -80kg +80kg -49kg -57kg -67kg +67kg 1 ASIA Australia (38 from18 NOCs) China Chinese Taipei Indonesia Iran Iraq* Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Korea Malaysia Nepal New Zealand Philippines Thailand Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen* AFRICA Central Africa* (18 from 9 NOCs) Cote d'ivoire Egypt Lesotho Libya Morocco Nigeria South Africa Tunisia EUROPE Austria (39 from 19 NOCs) Azerbaijan Belgium Bosnia & 1 1 Herzegovina* 32 Croatia Denmark Finland France Great Britain Greece Israel Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Russia Spain Turkey Ukraine PAN AMERICA Argentina (29 from 14 NOCs) Brazil Canada Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican 1 1 Republic 54 Guatemala Haiti Mexico Puerto Rico Trinidad & Tobago 59 U.S.A Venezuela TOTAL (Athens 2004) Qualified via World Qualification Tournament 1 Qualified via Continental Qualification Tournament 1 1 Host NOC 1 Wild Cards New entry in Olympic taekwondo (19 NOCs) TOTAL 1

13 No. CONTINENT NATION Beijing 2008 Olympic Games / 64 NOCs MALE FEMALE -58kg -68kg -80kg +80kg -49kg -57kg -67kg +67kg 1 ASIA Afghanistan* (38 from 17 NOCs) China Chinese Taipei Iran Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Korea Kyrgyzstan Malaysia Nepal Philippines Qatar Thailand United Arab Emirates* Uzbekistan Vietnam PAN AMERICA Argentina (31 from 15 NOCs) Belize* Brazil Canada Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador Honduras Mexico Peru Puerto Rico U.S.A Venezuela EUROPE Azerbaijan (32 from 15 NOCs) Croatia France Germany Great Britain Greece Israel Italy Netherlands Norway Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey OCEANIA Australia (9 from 4 NOCs) Marshall Islands New Zealand Papua New Guinea AFRICA Benin (18 from 13 NOCs) Cote d'ivoire Egypt Gabon Guinea Kenya Libya Mali Morocco Niger* Nigeria Senegal Tunisia 1 1 TOTAL (Beijing 2008) TOTAL *Libya and Niger didn't show up 1 Qualified via World Qualification Tournament 13 1 Qualified via Continental Qualification Tournament 1 Host NOC 1 Wild Cards New entry in Olympic taekwondo (18 NOCs

14 London 2012 Olympic Games /63 NOCs (As of April 16, 2012), incuding 4 wild cards No. Continent Nation MALE FEMALE -58kg -68kg -80kg +80kg -49kg -57kg -67kg +67kg Total 1 ASIA Afghanistan (37 from Cambodia NOCs) China Chinese Taipei Iran Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Korea Kyrgyzstan Lebanon Tajikistan Thailand Uzbekistan Vietnam Yemen PAN Argentina AMERICA Brazil (27 from Canada NOCs) Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Grenada Guatemala Jamaica Mexico Panama Peru USA Armenia EUROPE Azerbaijan (39 from Croatia NOCs) Finland France Germany Great Britain Greece Italy Netherlands Poland Russia Serbia Slovenia Spain Sweden Turkey Ukraine OCEANIA Australia (8 from New Zealand NOCs) Papua New Guinea Samoa AFRICA Algeria (17 from Central African Rep NOCs) Cote d'ivoire Egypt Gabon Mali Morocco Nigeria Senegal Tunisia TOTAL Qualified via World Qualification Tournament 1 Qualified via Continental Qualification Tourname nt 1 Host NOC 1 Wild Cards New entry in Olympic taekwondo (11 NOCs) 14

15 3.4 Olympic Highlights ( ) Sydney 2000 Olympic Games September 27-30, 2000 / State Sports Center On May 28, 1973, the World Taekwondo Federation was established in Seoul, Korea, with a founding body of 7 member nations. Just over 20 years later, on September 4, 1994, the global taekwondo community celebrated the International Olympic Committee s decision to introduce taekwondo as an official medal sport in the XXVII Games of the Olympiad, which were held in Sydney, Australia. The taekwondo competitions took place at the State Sports Center over four days, from September 27-30, A total of 103 athletes from 51 countries participated in this historic moment. Among the dignitaries who attended the finals of the first competition day were the then- IOC President Juan Samaranch; former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; Queen Sophia of Spain; Mme. Janette Howard, wife of then-australian Prime Minister John Howard; as well as numerous IOC members, NOC presidents and various sports ministers. In particular, the final of the Women s under 49kg weight category between Lauren Burns (Australia) and Urbia Melendez (Cuba) was a spectacular sight to behold, as the State Sports Center was dominated by the Australian national colors of green and gold. The fervor of the fans was duly rewarded when Lauren Burns eventually emerged victorious. Not to be outdone, the final of the Men s under 58kg weight category between Michalis Mouroutsos (Greece) and Gabriel Esparza (Spain) also attracted much attention, resulting in a dramatic win for Greece. Indeed, Mouroutsos victory seemed to signal to the rest of the world that Greece would indeed be ready to take over the reins as host nation of the XXVIII Games of the Olympiad in four years time. On the second day, Jae Eun Chung (Korea) won the Women s under 57kg weight category to bring gold back to Korea, the birthplace of taekwondo. And Hieu Ngan Tran (Vietnam) became a national hero despite finishing second, as her silver medal was the first Olympic medal for Vietnam in any sport. The Men s under 68kg weight category was considered the most exciting, as the likes of Steven Lopez (USA), Hadi Saei Bonehkohal (Iran) and Joon Sik Shin (Korea) were developing a fierce rivalry at that time. Lopez eventually emerged victorious when he defeated Shin in the final. 15

16 On the third day, Sun Hee Lee (Korea) extended Korea s dominance with her victory over Trude Gundersen (Norway) in the final of the Women s under 67kg weight category. In the final of the Men s under 80kg weight category, Angel Matos (Cuba) sprung a surprise of epic proportions when he defeated the very experienced Faissal Ebnoutalib (Germany). History was in the making on the final day of competitions: at the age of 17 years and 10 months Zhong Chen (China) became the youngest gold medalist in taekwondo, when she defeated Natalia Ivanova (Russia) in the final of the Women s over 67kg weight category. But Australia s hopes for a second gold medal were dashed when Kyong Hun Kim (Korea) defeated Daniel Trenton (Australia) in the Men s over 80kg weight category. The final gold medal tally read three golds to Korea, with Australia, Greece, USA, China and Cuba grabbing one gold medal each. While Korea s dominance in the inaugural Olympic taekwondo competitions was outstanding, the balanced distribution of the rest of the gold medals between the other nations showed that it was certainly possible to dream of being an Olympic champion in taekwondo. Milestones of Sydney 2000 Olympic Games - Taekwondo Oldest/Youngest Taekwondo Athlete The oldest taekwondo athlete at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was Cheryl Ann SANKAR from Trinidad & Tobago, who was 36 years old at that time. In December 2007, at the age of 43 years and 10 months, Cheryl Ann participated in the 2007 Pan-American Qualification Tournament for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The youngest taekwondo athlete at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was Great Britain s Sarah STEVENSON, who was 17 years and 6 months old. Oldest/Youngest Gold Medalist Lauren BURNS from Australia, at 26 years and 8 months, was the oldest taekwondo gold medalist at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The youngest taekwondo gold medalist at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games was CHEN Zhong from China, who was 17 years and 10 months old. 16

17 Athens 2004 Olympic Games August 26-29, 2004 / Sports Pavillion One of the major highlights of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games was the full-house audience attendance of the four-day taekwondo competitions at the seaside Sports Pavillion. They watched a total of 124 athletes from 60 countries, including four wild cards this time, compete for Olympic glory. The first day of competitions was a historic moment for the Chinese Taipei, as Chen Shih Hsin won the gold in the Women s under 49kg weight category; this was the Chinese Taipei s first ever gold medal in the Olympic taekwondo competitions. The festivities continued for the Chinese Taipei as Mu Yen Chu also won the gold medal in the Men s under 58kg weight category. On the second day, Hadi Saei Bonehkohal (Iran), who was a bronze medalist at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, finally struck gold in the Men s under 68kg weight category. The Women s under 57kg weight category was won by Jin Won Jang (Korea), after she defeated Nia Abdallah (USA). The third day of competitions was dominated by Wei Luo (China) becoming the youngest gold medalist in the Athens 2004 Olympic taekwondo competitions, when she defeated Elisavet Mystakidou (Greece) in the final of the Women s under 67kg weight category: Luo was 21 years and 3 months years old when she achieved this feat. In the Men s under 80kg weight category, Steven Lopez consolidated his rising stardom when he successfully defended his Olympic gold medal against Bahri Tanrikulu (Turkey). On the final day, Korea and China added one more gold medal each. In the second minute of the Men s over 80kg Final, Dae Sung Moon (Korea) unleashed a jumping backspin kick to the head of local favorite Alexandros Nikolaidis (Greece), which briefly knocked out the Greek. In the Women s over 67kg Final, Zhong Chen (China) successfully defended her Olympic gold medal against Myriam Baverel (France). The final gold medal tally read two golds each to China, Chinese Taipei and Korea, with Iran and the U.S.A. each grabbing one gold medal. Milestones of Athens 2004 Olympic Games - Taekwondo Oldest/Youngest Gold Medalist 17

18 Hadi SAEI BONEHKOHAL from Iran was the oldest taekwondo gold medalist at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games; he was 28 years and 2 months old. The youngest gold medal winner at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games was LUO Wei from China, who was 21 years and 3 months old. Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 20-23, 2008 / University of Science and Technology Beijing The Beijing 2008 Olympic Games is notable for being the third consecutive Olympic Games in which taekwondo competitions were staged, and the first Olympic Games at which two bronze medals were awarded. People s expectations for this staging of Games were higher than before, and they were well met in all respects. A total of 22 countries won at least one medal out of 32 taekwondo medals, indicating the homogenous development of the sport around the world. There were also historic firsts that defined the beauty of taekwondo and its importance as an Olympic sport. The first day saw the historic moment when Rohullah Nikpai won a bronze medal in the Men s under 58kg weight category, which was Afghanistan s first-ever Olympic medal in any sport. Nikpai s victory is one of the greatest moments in the history of the Olympic Games. It united a war-torn country that was rife with internal conflicts, and more importantly, reminded us what taekwondo and the Olympic Movement should stand for - how sport can transcend politics and bring hope and unity to the world. On the same day, the Dominican Republic achieved their first-ever taekwondo medal in Olympic history when Yulis Gabriela Mercedes won a silver medal in the same weight category, Men s under 58kg weight category. This was also the country s first medal in any sport in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The spotlight on the second day was on the historic achievement of the Lopez family of the USA, when three siblings achieved a historic first. Diana Lopez won a silver medal in the Women s under 57kg weight category, while her brother Mark won a bronze in the Men s under 67kg. Their elder brother Steven then went on to win a bronze in the Men s under 80kg. All three athletes were coached by their eldest brother, Jean. This is the first time in Olympic taekwondo history that three siblings have won a medal in the same staging of the Games. 18

19 On the third day, in the Men s under 80kg weight category, Hadi Saei of Iran became only the third athlete to achieve two gold medals in Olympic taekwondo history (the other two were Chen Zhong of China and Steven Lopez of the USA). It was also this day that Marshall Island made its debut at the Olympic Games, with Anju Jason of Marshall Island representing his country in the same weight category, a place he had earned via the Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament. On the last day, three countries achieved their first-ever Olympic taekwondo medals. Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain won a bronze medal in Women s over 67kg, bringing her country its first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal. Nigeria achieved their first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal when Chika Yagazie Chukumerije earned a bronze medal in the Men s over 80kg weight category. And Arman Chilmanov of Kazakhstan won a bronze medal in the Men s over 80kg weight category, another first-ever Olympic taekwondo medal for his country.. Milestones of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games - Taekwondo Oldest/Youngest Taekwondo Athlete At 36 years and 11 months, Yoriko OKAMOTO from Japan, who was a bronze medalist at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, was the oldest taekwondo athlete at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The youngest taekwondo athlete at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games was Khaoula BEN HAMZA of Tunisia, at 17 years and 3 months. 3.5 London 2012 Preview of London 2012 Olympic Games 63 Countries Vie for Top Honors in Taekwondo at London Olympic Games The taekwondo competitions, which will feature 128 athletes in two male and two female weight categories, will take place on August 8-11 at the ExCel London. A total of 32 medals are up for grabs for the taekwondo competitors at these Olympic Games. A total of 63 countries will vie for top honors in the taekwondo competitions at the 2012 London Olympic Games. 58 of those countries have qualified through the WTF s world 19

20 tournaments, or the five continental tournaments. Once Britain, the Olympic host country, is taken into account, the number rises to 59. Cambodia, Mali, Panama and Yemen each received one invitational Olympic taekwondo ticket, better known as a wild card, for the 2012 London Olympic Games. This decision was made on April 14, 2012 after months of Tripartite Commission meetings among the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), and the WTF. Among the wild-card recipients are Cambodia s Davin Sorn, who is ranked 51 st in the Women s over 67kg on the WTF Olympic World Ranking scale and who took fourth place at the Asian Qualifying Tournament for the London Games; There is also Mali s Daba Modibo Keita, ranked 42 nd in the Men s over 80kg and third placer at the African Olympic Qualification Tournament. Mali s Keita was the world champion in 2007 and The other two wild-card holders are Panama s Carolena Jean Carstens Salceda, ranked 13 th in the Women s under 49kg and fourth finisher at the Pan-American Olympic Qualification Tournament; and Yemen s Tameem Al-Kubati, ranked 167 th in the Men s under 58kg and a round-of-16 placer at the Asian Olympic Qualification Tournament. This figure of 63 participating countries compares with 64 countries at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, 60 countries at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and 51 at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Of the 63 countries, 11 have qualified for the taekwondo competition of the Olympic Games for the first time. They are Cambodia, Lebanon, Tajikistan, Grenada, Jamaica, Panama, Armenia, Serbia, Samoa, Algeria and Central African Republic. Six countries won four berths for the taekwondo competition at the London Games. They are Mexico, the United States, Russia, Egypt, Korea, and Great Britain. A country can send a maximum of four taekwondo athletes to the taekwondo competition of the London Olympic Games. A total of 15 countries took three tickets each for the London Olympic Games. They are China, Chinese Taipei, Iran, Jordan, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan (Asia), Canada, Cuba (Pan America), Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey (Europe), New Zealand (Oceania), and Morocco (Africa). 17 countries clinched two berths each for London. They are Afghanistan, Japan, Tajikistan, Vietnam (Asia), Argentina, Brazil (Pan-America), Azerbaijan, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Ukraine (Europe), Australia, Samoa (Oceania), the Central African Republic and Nigeria (Africa). 20

21 A total of 25 countries grabbed one ticket each for the London Olympic Games. They are Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Yemen (Asia), Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guatemala, Jamaica, Peru, Panama (Pan America), Armenia, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland (Europe), Papua New Guinea (Oceania), Algeria, Cote d Ivoire, Gabon, Senegal, Tunisia, and Mali (Africa). At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, where taekwondo made its Olympic debut, 103 athletes from 51 countries competed for 24 medals, compared with 124 athletes from 60 countries competing for 24 medals at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and 128 athletes from a record 64 countries competing for 32 medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. 21

22 4. Competition Schedule Timetable of the Taekwondo Competition (* WTF Demonstration team s performances are scheduled 4 times every competition day; before each session and before the first final match.) Date Session & time Event & stage TK01 Women s -49kg: preliminary round, contests :00 13:00 Men s -58kg: preliminary round, contests 1 8 Women s -49kg: quarter-finals, contests :00 17:00 TK02 Men s -58kg: quarter-finals, contests :00 18:00 Women s -49kg: semi-finals, contest 1 & 2 17:00 18:00 Men s -58kg: semi-finals, contests 1 & 2 20:00 21:00 Women s -49kg: repechage contests 1 & 2 Men s -58kg: repechage contests 1 & 2 21:00 22:00 Women s -49kg: bronze medal contests 1 & 2 Men s -58kg: bronze medal contests 1 & 2 8 August 2012 (Day 12) 9 August 2012 (Day 13) 10 August 2012 (Day 14) TK03 20:00 23:15 TK04 09:00 13:00 TK05 15:00 18:00 TK06 20:00 23:15 TK09 20:00 23:15 22:15 22:30 Women s -49kg: gold medal contest 22:30 22:45 Men s -58kg: gold medal contest 22:45 23:00 Women s -49kg: victory ceremony 23:00 23:15 Men s -58kg: victory ceremony Women s -57kg: preliminary round, contests 1 8 Men s -68kg: preliminary round, contests :00 17:00 Women s -57kg: quarter-finals, contests 1 4 Men s -68kg: quarter-finals, contests :00 18:00 Women s -57kg: semi-finals, contest 1 & 2 Men s -68kg: semi-finals, contests 1 & 2 20:00 21:00 Women s -57kg: repechage contests 1 & 2 Men s -68kg: repechage contests 1 & 2 21:00 22:00 Women s -57kg: bronze medal contests 1 & 2 Men s -68kg: bronze medal contests 1 & 2 22:15 22:30 Women s -57kg: gold medal contest 22:30 22:45 Men s -68kg: gold medal contest 22:45 23:00 Women s -57kg: victory ceremony 23:00 23:15 Men s -68kg: victory ceremony Date Session & time Event & stage TK07 Women s -67kg: preliminary round, contests :00 13:00 Men s -80kg: preliminary round, contests 1 8 Women s -67kg: quarter-finals, contests :00 17:00 TK08 Men s -80kg: quarter-finals, contests :00 18:00 Women s -67kg: semi-finals, contest 1 & 2 17:00 18:00 Men s -80kg: semi-finals, contests 1 & 2 20:00 21:00 Women s -67kg: repechage contests 1 & 2 Men s -80kg: repechage contests 1 & 2 21:00 22:00 Women s -67kg: bronze medal contests 1 & 2 Men s -80kg: bronze medal contests 1 & 2 11 August 2012 (Day 15) TK10 09:00 13:00 TK11 15:00 18:00 TK12 20:00 23:15 22:15 22:30 Women s -67kg: gold medal contest 22:30 22:45 Men s -80kg: gold medal contest 22:45 23:00 Women s -67kg: victory ceremony 23:00 23:15 Men s -80kg: victory ceremony Women s +67kg: preliminary round, contests 1 8 Men s +80kg: preliminary round, contests :00 17:00 Women s +67kg: quarter-finals, contests 1 4 Men s -80kg: quarter-finals, contests :00 18:00 Women s +67kg: semi-finals, contest 1 & 2 Men s +80kg: semi-finals, contests 1 & 2 20:00 21:00 Women s +67kg: repechage contests 1 & 2 Men s +80kg: repechage contests 1 & 2 21:00 22:00 Women s +67kg: bronze medal contests 1 & 2 Men s +80kg: bronze medal contests 1 & 2 22:15 22:30 Women s +67kg: gold medal contest 22:30 22:45 Men s +80kg: gold medal contest 22:45 23:00 Women s +67kg: victory ceremony 23:00 23:15 Men s +80kg: victory ceremony 22

23 5. Competition Rules (Summary) The Rules The Taekwondo competition will be held in accordance with the editions of the following documents that are in force at the time of the Games: WTF Competition Rules & Interpretation WTF Standing Procedures for Taekwondo Competition at Olympic Games o both available at The IOC Olympic Charter o available at In accordance with Rule 47 of the IOC Olympic Charter, the WTF will be responsible for the technical control and direction of Taekwondo at the London 2012 Olympic Games. Duration and Scoring In accordance with WTF rules, Taekwondo contests for both men and women at the London 2012 Olympic Games will consist of three (3) rounds of two (2) minutes each, with one (1) minute between rounds. If the scores are tied after the third (3rd) round, a sudden- death overtime round of two (2) minutes will be held to decide the winner. Since the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, there have been a number of changes to the scoring system for Taekwondo. The Protector and Scoring System (PSS) and the Instant Video Review system (IVR) have been introduced; the points scale has changed; and deduction points are now added to the opponent s score rather than deducted from the score of the penalized competitor. The competition is now managed by one (1) referee, three (3) judges and a review jury. Each competitor s score is the sum of the points scored in all three (3) rounds, taking all penalties into account. If either competitor is given four (4) penalty deduction points, the contest is stopped and the other competitor is declared the winner. The valid points are divided into one (1) point for a valid foot attack on trunk protector, two (2) points for a valid turning kick to trunk protector, three (3) points for a valid kick to the head, four (4) points for a valid turning kick to the head. In the case of 12 points difference between two athletes at the time of the completion of 2nd round and/or at any time during the 3rd round, the referee shall stop the contest and shall declare the winner by point gap. 23

24 6. Competition Format The competition in each weight category will consist of a single elimination tournament. The winner of the final will be awarded the gold medal, with the loser receiving the silver medal. Competitors who lose against either of the finalists at any stage of the competition will go forward to the repechage. The losers of the semi-finals will be seeded directly to the two bronze medal contests, where they will meet with the winners of the previous repechages phases from the other pool. The winners of the two (2) repechage pools will each be awarded a bronze medal. For more details, please refer to Section VII: Olympic standing procedures 24

25 II. On the Road to London WTF World Qualification Tournament 2. Continental Qualification Tournaments 2.1 Oceania Qualification Tournament (September 11, 2011) 2.2 Pan-American Qualification Tournament (November 18 to 20, 2011) 2.3 Asian Qualification Tournament (November 26-27, 2011) 2.4 African Qualification Tournament (January 11-12, 2012) 2.5 Europe an Qualification Tournament (January 27-29, 2012) 3. London Prepares Taekwondo Test Event 4. London Olympic Training Camp One 5. WTF Referee and Coach Joint Training Camp 25

26 6 Kazan, Russia European Qualification Tournament January 27 29, Querétaro, Mexico Pan American Qualification Tournament November 18 20, Cairo, Egypt African Qualification Tournament January 11 12, 2012 Baku, Azerbaijan 1 World Qualification Tournament June 30 July 3, Bankok, Thailand Asian Qualification Tournament November 26 27, 2011 Nouméa, New Caledonia 2 Oceania Qualification Tournament September 11, 2011

27 1. WORLD QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT 15 Countries Win 24 Quota Places for London 2012 The World Qualification Tournament for London 2012 Olympic Games was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on June 30 to July 3, A total of 109 countries submitted their entry forms for 345 athletes men and 151 women - to the WTF as of the final June 10 deadline. Each country may enter a maximum of two male and two female athletes, with one athlete per weight category. The tournament was officiated by a total of 60 international referees, selected from among the participants of the international referee selection and training camps, organized by the WTF for the taekwondo competition of the 2012 London Olympic Games. According to the rule that the top three athletes in each weight category qualify their respective national Olympic Committees for a place in the games, a total of 24 places were decided. Fifteen countries took at least one ticket to the London 2012 Games: Korea grabbed four tickets; six countries (host Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, China, Croatia and Chinese Taipei) won two spots, while eight countries (Thailand, the Dominican Republic, Sweden, Turkey, Brazil, France, Italy and Greece) took one place. 2. CONTINENTAL QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENTS 2.1 Oceania Qualification Tournament (September 11, 2011) 8 Quota Places Earned by 4 Countries The first WTF Continental Qualification Tournament for the London 2012 Olympic Games was held in Noumea, New Caledonia. 35 athletes from 11 countries competed with hopes of winning tickets to London. New Zealand won three places, followed by Australia and Samoa each earning two, and Papua New Guinea grabbing one. 27

28 2.2 Pan-American Qualification Tournament (November 18 to 20, 2011) 24 Quota Places Taken by 13 Countries The three-day Pan-American Qualification Tournament was held in Queretaro, Mexico, on November 18 to 20, athletes from 29 countries participated. A total of 13 countries secured 24 quota places. Host Mexico and the United States each took four berths for the London 2012, while Canada and Cuba won three places each. Argentina earned two tickets, while Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Jamaica and Peru won one quota place each. 2.3 Asian Qualification Tournament (November 26-27, 2011) 24 Tickets Grabbed by 13 Countries The WTF Asian Qualification Tournament took place in Bangkok, Thailand on November 26 and 27, athletes from 30 countries competed to win a quota place for the London 2012 Olympic Games. A total of 13 countries won at least one quota place: Jordan and Uzbekistan each took three places, seven countries Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, host Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, Kazakhstan took two. China, Iran, Lebanon and Chinese Taipei each grabbed one ticket. 2.4 African Qualification Tournament (January 11-12, 2012) 16 Quota Places won by 9 Countries The WTF African Qualification Tournament was held in Cairo, Egypt on January 11 to 12, athletes from 30 countries competed for the 16 places for the London 2012 Olympic Games. A total of nine countries won at least one ticket to London through this two-day tournament. Host Egypt clinched four tickets, followed by Morocco with three. Nigeria and the Central African Republic each grabbed two quota places, while five countries Gabon, Algeria, Cote d Ivoire, Senegal and Tunisia took one ticket each. 2.5 European Qualification Tournament (January 27-29, 2012) Europe reaffirmed its Dominance in Taekwondo -24 Quota Places taken by 14 Countries 28

29 The WTF European Qualification Tournament was held in Kazan, Russia on January 27 to 29, A total of 120 athletes from 39 countries took part in this tournament to grab a ticket out of the last batch. Serbia, Slovenia and Spain grabbed three Olympic tickets each, while host Russia, Germany, Ukraine and Turkey clinched two tickets each. Seven countries won one ticket. They are Armenia, Finland, the Netherlands, Poland, Italy, Sweden and France. 3. LONDON PREPARES TAEKWONDO TEST EVENT A Preview for the Taekwondo Competition in London 2012 A test event for the taekwondo competition of the 2012 London Olympic Games was held in London on December 3 and 4, 2011, drawing a total of 60 athletes from 18 countries. The London Prepares Taekwondo International Invitational took place at the ExCeL London, one of Europe s largest and most versatile exhibition centers, located at the Royal Victoria Dock in eastern London. The test event was staged in tne ExCeL North Halls 7-10, but at the London 2012 Olympic Games the taekwondo competition will be held in ExCeL South Arena 2. The event, which served as a rehearsal for the taekwondo competition of the London Olympic Games, was part of the London Prepares series. It was not a full-scale replica of the Olympic Games, but it provided athletes with an experience of the Games venue and with the scoring and timing systems. The participating countries were Australia, Azerbaijan, Canada, China, Chinese Taipei, Croatia, France, host Great Britain, Germany, Iran, Israel, Italy, Korea, Russia, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Host Great Britain fielded six athletes and Korea sent four athletes in two categories for the test event. The competition was organized in the Olympic format. The London Prepares event is a subset of the Olympic Games and features two male and two female categories only. The first day featured the Women s under 49kg and the Men s under 68kg weight categories, while the second and final day featured the Women s over 67kg and the Men s under 80kg. Daedo PSS (protector and scoring system) was used at the test event 29

30 4. LONDON OLYMPIC TRAINING CAMP ONE WTF s Efforts Continue for Zero Human Error A four-day Olympic Training Camp One was held in Mosado, Baku, Azerbaijan on February 28 to March 2, Musado is one of the WTF-designated Regional Taekwondo Training Centers dotted around the world. Thirty international referees attended this important camp to undertake an intensive training program for the London Olympic Games. All of these were selected for the 2012 London Olympic Games, after a rigorous series of selection procedures. At the first of these, 60 were selected out of 260 invited participants, based on their performance in the three sessions of training camps held in the first half of These 60 referees officiated at the World and the five Continental qualification tournaments for the London 2012 Olympic Games. 30 of these were then shortlisted based on their performance during these tournaments. The training program for the 30 Olympic international referees consisted of: Review on General Competition Rules, Review on Penalties, Review on Hand Signals, Review on instant Video Reply, Review on Competition Procedure, Review on Scoring Criteria, Video Analysis, Ethics, Games Management & Scoring Simulations, One-on-One Feedback Sessions with instructors. Statistics for Olympic Referees for London 2012 Number of International Referees (IR) Number of NOCs of IRs Women IRs 6 (20%) IRs from Asia 9 IRs from Europe 10 IRs from Pan-America 6 IRs from Africa 3 IRs from Oceania Average Age WTF REFEREE AND COACH JOINT TRAINING CAMP WTF United and Inspired: Productive Pre-Games Global Gathering for Taekwondo Family The World Taekwondo Federation s Referee and Coach Joint Training Camp for the London 2012 Olympic Games was organized on June 8 to 12, 2012, in Suzhou, China. This five-day camp brought together coaches and referees going to the upcoming London 2012 Games, as well as WTF council members from across taekwondo s 202 national associations. 30

31 The primary goal was to focus the global taekwondo community on delivering a successful Olympic competition - celebrating fair play, sportsmanship and the Olympic spirit. The camp provided a forum for all the delegates to share their hopes and aspirations for London The camp was heralded by IOC Vice President, Yu Zaiqing of China as a novel and significant initiative to ensure the fairness of the Olympic taekwondo competitions. WTF President, Dr. Chungwon Choue stressed the importance of the roles of coaches and referees during his speech: Teach athletes the Olympic values, and then show them how to live them. It doesn t matter if the color of the medal is gold, silver or bronze. The Olympic dream is bigger than that. Every athlete is a member of our taekwondo family. The 5-day forum consisted of exclusive sessions for referees and coaches, as well as referee-coaches and referee-coach-council members joint sessions, in which 30 international Olympic referees, 63 coaches from 39 countries and 22 council members took part. 31

32 III. What s New For London 2012 Olympic Games? 1. Overview 2. Protector and Scoring System (PSS) 3. Instant Video Replay (IVR) 4. Other Major Rule Changes Since Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Reduction of Contest Area Introduction of Differentiated Points for Advanced Techniques Introduction of 10-Second Rule Point-Deduction Replaced with Point Addition System Wearing Religious Items Beneath the Head Protector is Officially Allowed Introduction of Win-by-Point Gap Monthly WTF World Ranking Released Taekwondo Demonstration to be Performed on the Olympic Stage 32

33 1. Overview Since its debut in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games as a demonstration sport, and its first participation in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games as an official sport, competitive taekwondo has been continuously evolving into a fair, exciting and media-friendly sport with all the demands and expectations associated with any Olympic sport. Each time it has performed at the Olympic Games, taekwondo has shown progress in both its technical and its operational aspects. Indeed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the taekwondo competition was staged successfully with the participation of 128 athletes from 64 countries the largest number of participating countries in taekwondo s Olympic history. After the Beijing Olympic Games, the WTF s efforts to improve taekwondo competitions have continued. It has introduced a series of major changes in its competition rules to further ensure complete fairness and transparency in the judging and enhance its dynamism to make it more appealing to the general audience by adopting cutting-edge technologies and reinforcing the education of its referees and judges. All Olympic firsts that have resulted from such a continued effort are briefly described on the following pages. 2. Protector and Scoring System (PSS) London 2012 to Become the First Olympic Games Employing PSS for Automatic Scoring The use of The Protection and Scoring System (PSS) may be considered the most significant step taken by the WTF to ensure fairer competition. This innovative system automatically measures the strength of any kick to the body, and scores it, with the score being transmitted wirelessly and displayed on the electronic board.this automatic scoring system is believed to minimize human error and contribute to the enhanced transparency and fairness of the judging system. Further, the fact that technical points for turning or back kicks, or kicks to the head are scored by judges might raise doubts about the possibility for human manipulation. However, such a doubt can be immediately dispelled by another backbone underpinning the WTF s fair and transparent judging mechanism, the Instant Video Replay system (for details of this refer to the article below). 33

34 After the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the WTF accelerated its efforts to conduct field tests of PSS and develop relevant competition protocols. The WTF employed the PSS at the WTF World Cup Taekwondo Team Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in June 2009, for the first time in its history. Four months later, in October, it used this system at the 2009 WTF World Taekwondo Championships held in Copenhagen, Denmark. The use of PSS at the London 2012 Olympic Games was confirmed in May 2010 and the system has been successfully integrated with the Swiss Timing Scoring system and tested during the London Prepares test event. How Does the PSS Work? The body protector records a hit and its force. The information is sent to the scoring machine. The point is validated if the hit level is sufficient Detection and Sensing System P r o x i m i t y s e n s o r : M a g n e t i c f i e l d b y H a l l e f f e c t I m p a c t s e n s o r : 34

35 The Hall Effect sensor is a transducer that varies its output voltage in response to changes in the magnetic field. Hall sensors are used for proximity switching, positioning, speed detection, and current sensing applications. In its simplest form, the sensor operates as an analogue transducer, directly returning a voltage. With a known magnetic field, its distance from the Hall plate can be determined. Using groups of sensors, the relative position of the magnet can be deduced. Mode of Function The athlete wears a sock containing magnetic material. The radiation interacts with the sensing cable in the trunk protector. The distance for interaction is 0.5 cm, meaning that a valid identification can be registered without direct physical contact. However, there is a score only if the right impact value is registered by the Force/Impact sensor. 3. Instant Video Replay (IVR) Six Cameras to Capture Every Moment with Zero Dead Angle Instant Video Replay (IVR) will be used for the first time in taekwondo Olympic history. The IVR system allows a coach to request a review for all point-gaining actions which are not scored by PSS and penalties i. In particular, for the London Olympic Games, six views including one overhead camera will be installed, ensuring every movement is captured in every angle. At the request of a coach, the review jury, selected from the most highly experienced international referees, will review the action in question and make the final decision. As The IVR system is integrated with the scoring system and tags all key moments such as scoring a point or getting a penalty it can immediately detect such moments at request. In the 2012 London Olympic Games, coaches will have one (1) appeal quota per one athlete throughout the competition. In the medal contests, however, the quota of the former rounds will be reset to be zero and a new appeal quota will be allocated to each coach. 35

36 The IVR was adopted for the first time in February 2009 in order to ensure the correction of any possible referee/judging errors at the request of a coach. The IVR system has been continuously reviewed for better decisions and finally, in October 2010, it completely replaced the post-competition protest procedures, which used to be conducted after the conclusion of the match. 36

37 4. Other Major Rule Changes since Beijing 2008 Olympic Games Reduction of Contest Area (February 2009) The contest area has been reduced from 10m x10m to 8m x 8m to ensure athletes do not run away and avoid the fight. As athletes are subject to receiving a warning penalty when both feet cross the boundary line, athletes now need to be physically stronger (more active during the match) to adapt to the new rule changes. Introduction of Differentiated Points for Advanced Techniques A technically and aesthetically important aspect of taekwondo is the use of spectacular foot techniques. To encourage athletes to perform more technically demanding kicks, differentiated points are now given to kicks of diverse techniques. - 2 points for valid turning kick to the body (February 2009) - 3 points for valid kick to the head (February 2009) - 4 points for valid turning kick to the head (October 2010) Introduction of 10-Second Rule (February 2010) Taekwondo competition was seen as boring when the winning athlete would avoid engagement in fight and stall. The 10-second rule was introduced to ensure the athlete is no longer able to avoid the fight. After the referee declares fight, defensive athletes receive a warning penalty. This change is considered one of the key factors in making taekwondo more dynamic and exciting. Point Deduction Replaced with Point Addition System Before the rule changes, when competitors get one deduction penalty or two warning penalties, one point used to be deducted from the final point scored. Sometimes, the final scores ended up as -3:-2, which caused confusion amongst spectators about the match results. 37

38 To make the point system easier for spectators and the audience to understand, the rule was revised so that the penalty point is awarded to the opponent as an additional point, instead of it being deducted from the penalized athlete. Wearing of Religious Items Beneath the Head Protector is Officially Allowed Taekwondo s popularity is global. To ensure no one is deprived of the right to enjoy the sport and participate in competitions due to his or her religion, the relevant rules were changed to allow the wearing of religious items, such as a hijab, beneath the head protector. With this change, a significant number of Muslim female athletes were able to participate in national and international taekwondo competitions without restrictions. Introduction of Win-by-Point Gap (October 2010) Due to its nature as a contact sport, there were concerns over the safety of athletes when the technical gap between two competitors is too wide. Therefore now the match will finish when a 12-point difference has occurred between two competitors by the end of the 2 nd round, or at any time during the 3 rd round. Monthly WTF World Ranking Released (June 2009) The WTF introduced the WTF World Rankings from January 2009 in senior Kyorugi (sparring) and began releasing them in June Top-ranked athletes are seeded for WTF s major international events based on the WTF World Rankings. Taekwondo Demonstration to be Performed on the Olympic Stage A 15-minute taekwondo demonstration will be staged between repechage matches and final matches every day during the four-day taekwondo competition at the 2012 London Olympic Games. It will mark the first occasion for a taekwondo demonstration to be staged at the Olympic taekwondo venue. The IOC approved this plan in June 2010 and it has received strong support from the London Organizing Committee. 38

39 IV. Athletes Information 1. Past Medal Winners 2. Medals by NOCs 3. Athletes Profiles 39

40 1. Past Medal Winners Medalists of previous Olympic Games Taekwondo ( ) Male under 58kg Year Location 2000 Sydney (AUS) Michalis MOUROUTSOS (GRE) Gabriel ESPARZA (ESP) Chih Hsiung HUANG (TPE) 2004 Athens (GRE) Mu Yen CHU (TPE) Oscar SALAZAR (MEX) Tamer BAYOUMI (EGY) 2008 Beijing (CHN) Guillermo PEREZ (MEX) Yulis Gabriel MERCEDES Rohullah NIKPAI (AFG) (DOM) Mu-Yen CHU (TPE) Male Under 68kg Year Location 2000 Sydney (AUS) Steven LOPEZ (USA) Joon-Sik SHIN (KOR) Hadi SAEI (IRI) 2004 Athens (GRE) Hadi SAEI (IRI) Chih Hsiung HUANG (TPE) Myeong-Seob SONG (KOR) 2008 Beijing (CHN) Tae Jin SON (KOR) Mark LOPEZ (USA) Yu-Chi SUNG (TPE) Servet TAZEGUL (TUR) Male Under 80kg Year Location 2000 Sydney (AUS) Angel MATOS (CUB) Faissal EBNOUTALIB (GER) Victor ESTRADA (MEX) 2004 Athens (GRE) Steven LOPEZ (USA) Bahri TANRIKULU (TUR) Yossef KARAMI (IRI) 2008 Beijing (CHN) Hadi SAEI (IRI) Mauro SARMIENTO (ITA) Steven LOPEZ (USA) Guo ZHU (CHN) Male Over 80kg Year Location 2000 Sydney (AUS) Kyong Hun KIM (KOR) Daniel TRENTON (AUS) Pascal GENTIL (FRA) 2004 Athens (GRE) Dae Sung MOON (KOR) Alexandros NIKOLAIDIS (GRE) Pascal GENTIL (FRA) 2008 Beijing (CHN) Dong Min CHA (KOR) Alexandros NIKOLAIDIS (GRE) Chika Yagazie CHUKWUMERUE (NGR) Arman CHILMANOV (KAZ) 40

41 Female Under 49kg Year Location 2000 Sydney (AUS) Lauren BURNS (AUS) Urbia MELENDEZ (CUB) Shu Ju CHI (TPE) 2004 Athens (GRE) Chen Chih HSIN (TPE) Yanelis LABRADA (CUB) Boorapolchai YAOWAPA (THA) 2008 Beijing (CHN) Jingyu WO (CHN) Buttree PUEDPONG (THA) Daila CONTRERAS RIVERO (VEN) Daynellis MONTEJO (CUB) Female Under 57kg Year Location 2000 Sydney (AUS) Jae Eun CHUNG (KOR) Hieu Ngan TRAN (VIE) Hamide TOSUN (TUR) 2004 Athens (GRE) Ji Won JANG (KOR) Nia ABDALLAH (USA) Iridia SALAZAR (MEX) 2008 Beijing (CHN) Su Jeong LIM (KOR) Azize MANRIKULU (TUR) Martina ZUBCIC (CRO) Diana LOPEZ (USA) Female Under 67kg Year Location 2000 Sydney (AUS) Sun Hee LEE (KOR) Trude GUNDERSEN (NOR) Yoriko OKAMOTO (JPN) 2004 Athens (GRE) Wei LUO (CHN) Elli MISTAKIDOU (GRE) Kyoung Sun HWANG (KOR) Gwladys Patience EPANGUE 2008 Beijing (CHN) Kyung Sun HWANG (KOR) Karine SERGERIE (CAN) (FRA) Sandra SARIC (CRO) Female Over 67kg Year Location 2000 Sydney (AUS) Zhong CHEN (CHN) Natalia IVANOVA (RUS) Dominique BOSSHART (CAN) 2004 Athens (GRE) Zhong CHEN (CHN) Myriam BAVEREL (FRA) Adriana CARMONA (VEN) 2008 Beijing (CHN) Maria del Rosario Sarah STEVENSON* (GBR) Nina SOLHEIM (NOR) ESPINOZA (MEX) Natalia FALAVIGNA (BRA) *Sarah STEVENSON s match result against Zhong CHEN (CHN) was reversed after a successful protest appeal by GBR 41

42 2. Medals by NOCs at the previous Olympic Games Taekwond ( ) NOC Code NOC Men Women TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL TOTAL KOR South Korea CHN China TPE Chinese Taipei USA United States CUB Cuba GRE Greece AUS Australia IRI Iran FRA France MEX Mexico TUR Turkey GER Germany NOR Norway RUS Russia ESP Spain VIE Vietnam CAN Canada EGY Egypt JPN Japan THA Thailand VEN Venezuela DOM Dominican Republic ITA Italy AFG Afghanistan KAZ Kazakhstan NGR Nigeria CRO Croatia GBR Great Britain BRA Brazil NOCs TOTAL

43 3. Athletes Profile Male under 58kg In Spotlight Joel GONZALEZ Spain Date of Birth September 30, 1989 Gold medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2012 European Championships The highest ranking point holder (263.26) among all 1st ranker Chen Yang WEI Chinese Taipei Date of Birth February 23, 1992 Silver medal at 2010 Asian Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 Student World Championships Pen-ek KARAKET Thailand Date of Birth March 18, 1990 Gold medal at 2006 WTF Junior World Championships Gold medal at 2010 Asian Championships Gold medal at World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 Asian Championships Dae-Hoon LEE Republic of Korea Date of Birth February 5, 1992 Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 Asian Championships Korea's big hope who came down from M-63kg 43

44 Male under 58kg Contenders Mokdad EL YAMINE Algeria Date of Birth July 13, 1986 Silver medal at 2011 Dutch Open Silver medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Made Algeria first appear at the Olympic Games taekwondo Safwan KHALIL Australia Date of Birth May 15,1986 Gold medal at 2005 Oceania Championship Gold medal at 2011 Shenzhen Universiade Gold medal at Oceania qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Oscar MUNOZ Colombia Date of Birth May Bronze medal at World qualification 2010 Youth Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2010 Pan American Youth Championships Gold medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Oviedo HEINER Costa Rica Date of Birth December Silver medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Spanish Open Silver medal at 2012 Austrian Open 44

45 Yulis Gabriel MERCEDES Dominican Republic Date of Birth November Silver medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Silver medal at World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Very experienced and exciting athlete who regrettably lost at the last Olympic Games final Tamer BAYOUMI Egypt Date of Birth April 12, 1982 Bronze medal at 2004 Athens Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Nursultan MAMAYEV Kazakhstan Date of Birth June 27, 1993 Silver medal at 2010 Youth Olympic Games Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 German Open Diego GARCIA DE LEON Mexico Date of Birth February 2,

46 Alexey DENISENKO Russia Date of Birth August 30, 1993 Bronze medal at 2007 European Championships Silver medal at 2010 WTF Junior World Championships Gold medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Uno SANLI Sweden Date of Birth January 5, 1989 Bronze medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 Trelleborg Open Bronze medal at 2012 Belgian Open Le Huynh CHAU Vietnam Date of Birth November 13,1987 Bronze medal at 2010 Asian Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2012 Asian Championships Tameem AL-KUBATI Yemen Date of Birth January 1, 1989 Bronze medal at 2008 Asian Championships 46

47 Male under 68kg In Spotlight Servet TAZEGUL Turkey Date of Birth September Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 European Championships Arguably the most talented and exciting taekwondo athlete; MVP of 2011 World Championships Motamed Mohammad BAGHERI Iran Date of Birth January 24, 1986 Gold medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2010 Asian Championships Silver medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Extremely solid athlete who has been competing with Servet Tazegul in this division for the past years Mohammad ABULIBDEH Jordan Date of Birth October 22, 1983 Silver medal at 2008 Asian Championships Bronze medal at 2010 Asian Championships Gold medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Aisan Championships Rohullah NIKPAI Afghanistan Date of Birth June 15, 1988 Bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2008 Asian Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships First ever Olympic medalists produced by Afghanistan 47

48 Male under 68kg Contenders Diogo SILVA Brazil Date of Birth March 7, 1982 Bronze medal at 2003 Pan American Games Gold medal at 2007 Pan American Games Patrick BOUI Central African Republic Date of Birth June 28, 1988 Gold medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Martin STAMPER Great Britain Date of Birth August 21, 1986 Silver medal at 2008 European Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2012 European Championships Erick OSORNIO NUNEZ Mexico Date of Birth March 5, 1983 Gold medal at 2008 Pan American Championships Silver medal at 2010 Pan American Championships Bronze medal at 2012 Dutch Open 48

49 Male under 68kg Contenders Logan CAMPBELL New Zealand Date of Birth June 7,1986 Gold medal at Oceania qualification for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Gold medal at Oceania qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Isah Adam MOHAMMAD Nigeria Date of Birth April 22, 1987 Silver medal at African qualification for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Silver medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Peter LOPEZ Peru Date of Birth September 23, 1981 Silver medal at 2007 Pan American Games Michal LONIEWSKI Poland Date of Birth October 22, 1988 Gold medal at 2009 Croatia Open Silver medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 49

50 Male under 68kg Contenders Damir FEJZIC Serbia Date of Birth April 16, 1994 Bronze medal at 2011 European Championships Gold medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 European Junior Championships Hryhorii HUSAROV Ukraine Date of Birth September 7, 1993 Bronze medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Belgian Open Terrence JENNINGS USA Date of Birth July 28, 1986 Bronze medal at 2004 Pan American Championships Gold medal at 2010 Spanish Open Bronze medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Dmitriy KIM Uzbekistan Date of Birth October 7, 1989 Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2010 Asian Championships Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 German Open 50

51 Male under 80kg In Spotlight Ramin AZIZOV Azerbaijan Date of Birth February 8, 1988 Gold medal at World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 Spanish Open Silver medal at 2012 European Championships Tall and a great hope of Azerbaijan's possible first ever Olympic medal in taekwondo Issam CHERNOUBI Morocco Date of Birth December 17, 1987 Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Austrian Open Fast improving athlete who is hoped to bring first ever Olympic medal in taekwondo for his country, Morocco Steven LOPEZ USA Date of Birth November 9, 1978 Gold medal at 2005 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2009 WTF World Championships The only athlete who won 5 times WTF World Championships / one of the three athletes participating in 4 consecutive Olympics Yousef KARAMI Iran Date of Birth March 22, 1983 Gold medal at 2003 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Silver medal at World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Very experienced athlete who already got the Olympic medal in

52 Male under 80kg Contenders Nesar Ahmad BAHAVE Afghanistan Date of Birth March 27, 1984 Silver medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Gold medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Sebastian CRISMANICH Argentina Date of Birth October 30, 1986 Gold medal at 2008 Pan American Championships Gold medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 Dutch Open Silver medal at 2012 Belgian Open Arman YEREMYAN Armenia Date of Birth January 29, 1986 Gold medal at 2008 European Championships Bronze medal at 2010 Paris Open Gold medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Armenia's first Olympic participation in taekwondo Sebastien MICHAUD Canada Date of Birth May 7, 1987 Gold medal at World qualification for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2010 Pan American Championships 52

53 Male under 80kg Contenders Ahmed ABDELRAHMAN Egypt Date of Birth October 7, 1988 Silver medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Muhammad LUTALO Great Britain Date of Birth June 3, 1991 Gold medal at 2008 German Open Silver medal at 2011 Dutch Open Gold medal at 2012 European Championships Mauro SARMIENTO Italy Date of Birth April 10, 1983 Bronze medal at 2008 European Championships Silver medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Bronze medal World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Tall and experienced athlete who beat Steven Lopez in 2008 Games Rasul ABDURAIM Kyrgyzstan Date of Birth December 12, 1988 Bronze medal at 2005 Asian Championships Gold medal at Asian qualification for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 53

54 Male under 80kg Contenders Tommy MOLLET Netherlands Date of Birth March 29, 1979 Bronze medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2008 European Championships Silver medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 European Championships Vaughn SCOTT New Zealand Date of Birth January 11, 1990 Gold medal at Oceania qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Nicolas GARCIA HEMME Spain Date of Birth June 20, 1988 Gold medal at 2005 European Championships Silver medal at 2008 European Championships Silver medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2011 European Championships Farkhod NEGMATOV Tajikistan Date of Birth November 22, 1989 Bronze medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 54

55 Male over 80kg In Spotlight Dongmin CHA Republic of Korea Date of Birth August 24, 1986 Gold medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Silver medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2012 Asian Championships Korean athlete who aims at winning two gold medals in Olympic Games Robelis DESPAIGNE Cuba Date of Birth August 9, 1988 Gold medal at 2010 Student World Championships Bronze medal at 2011 Shenzhen Universiade Gold medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Student World Championships Bahri TANRIKULU Turkey Date of Birth March 16, 1980 Gold medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Silver medal at 2008 European Championships Gold medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Very experienced athlete who dashed Pascal Gentil's Olympic dream Gadzhi UMAROV Russia Date of Birth May 6, 1985 Bronze medal at 2008 Azerbaijan Open Silver medal at 2011 German Open Silver medal at World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2011 Russian Open 55

56 Male over 80kg Contenders Francois COULOMBE FORTIER Canada Date of Birth November 15, 1984 Bronze medal at 2004 Pan American Championships Gold medal at 2010 Pan American Championships Silver medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Austrian Open Xiao Bo LIU China Date of Birth January 16, 1984 Gold medal at 2008 Asian Championships Gold medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 Asian Championships First Chinese male athlete participating in Olympic Games through qualification tournament Anthony OBAME Gabon Date of Birth September 10, 1988 Gold medal at 2011 Pan African Games A great medal contender from West Africa who defeated Modibo Keita at the Qualification Tournament Alexandros NIKOLAIDIS Greece Date of Birth October 17, 1979 Gold medal at 2008 European Championships The only athlete who won silver medals in consecutive Olympic Games. One of the three athletes participating 4 consecutive Olympic Games - Silver medal at 2004 Athens Olympic Games - Silver medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games 56

57 Male over 80kg Contenders Carlo MOLFETTA Italy Date of Birth February 15, 1984 Gold medal at 2000 WTF Junior World Championships Silver medal at 2001 WTF World Championships Silver medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Kenneth EDWARDS Jamaica Date of Birth December 30, 1985 Bronze medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Made his country, Jamaica, debut at Olympic Games taekwondo Daba Modibo KEITA Mali Date of Birth April 5, times World Champion - Gold medal at 2007 WTF World Championships - Gold medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Chika Yagazie CHUKWUMERIJE Nigeria Date of Birth December 30, 1983 Produced first ever Olympic medal from black Africa Bronze medal at 2003 African Championships Bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Silver medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 57

58 Male over 80kg Contenders Kaino THOMSEN Samoa Date of Birth May 12, 1991 Gold medal at Oceania qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Ivan TRAJKOVIC Slovenia Date of Birth September 1, 1991 Gold medal at 2009 European Championships Gold medal at 2011 Croatia Open Bronze medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 European Championships Alisher GULOV Tajikistan Date of Birth August 24, 1989 Silver medal at 2010 Asian Championships Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Akmal IRGASHEV Uzbekistan Date of Birth December 16,1982 Bronze medal at 2008 Asian Championships Silver medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2011 German Open Bronze medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 58

59 Female under 49kg In Spotlight Jing Yu WU China Date of Birth February, Arguably the most stable athlete who easily grabbed the gold medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Gold medal at 2004 WTF Junior World Championships Gold medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Shu Chun YANG Chinese Taipei Date of Birth October 26, 1985 Bronze medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Disqualified at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games but has been displaying magnificent records since then Silver medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2012 Asian Championships Brigitte YAGUE Spain Date of Birth March 15, times World Champion / experienced gold medal contender Gold medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2012 European Championships Jannet ALEGRIA PENA Mexico Date of Birth August 30, 1987 Silver medal at 2010 Spanish Open Gold medal at 2010 Pan American Championships Silver medal at 2011 Spanish Open Silver medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 59

60 Female under 49kg Contenders Carola LOPEZ Argentina Date of Birth April 17,1982 Silver medal at 2006 Pan American Championships Bronze medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Catherine KANG Central Africa Date of Birth September 25, 1987 Silver medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Student World Championships Lucija ZANINOVIC Croatia Date of Birth June 26,1987 Gold medal at 2010 European Championships Silver medal at World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 European Championships One of the twins from Croatia; both are competing in 2012 Olympic Games Sumeyye GULEC MANZ Germany Date of Birth October 30,1989 Gold medal at 2008 European Championships Silver medal at 2010 European Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Silver medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 60

61 Female under 49kg Contenders Elizabeth ZAMORA Guatemala Date of Birth May 11, 1993 Silver medal at 2009 Pan American Championships Gold medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 Dutch Open Bronze medal at 2012 Spanish Open Erika KASAHARA Japan Date of Birth October 3, 1990 Silver medal at 2010 Asian Championships Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 Student World Championships Raya HATAHET Jordan Date of Birth December 26, 1989 Silver medal at 2011 Fajr International Open Taekwondo Championships Sanaa ATABROUR Morocco Date of Birth February 28, 1989 Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 Austria Open 61

62 Female under 49kg Contenders Carolen CARSTENS Panama Date of Birth January 18,1996 Silver medal at 2011 Youth Pan American Championships Theresa TONA Papua New Guinea Date of Birth January 21, 1991 Gold medal at Oceania qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Kristina KIM Russia Date of Birth September 4, 1986 Bronze medal at 2010 European Championships Bronze medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 European Championships Chanapa SONKHAM Thailand Date of Birth March 1,1991 Bronze medal at 2011 German Open Gold medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 62

63 Female under 57kg In Spotlight Li-Cheng TSENG Chinese Taipei Date of Birth December 26, 1986 Silver medal at 2008 Asian Championships Bronze medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2010 Asian Championships Gold medal at World qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Yuzhuo HOU China Date of Birth November 14, 1987 Gold medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Silver medal at 2011 Asian Championships Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Silver medal at 2012 Asian Championships Ana ZANINOVIC Croatia Date of Birth June 26, 1987 Silver medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Silver medal at 2012 European Championships One of the twins who are both participating in the 2012 Olympic Games; MVP at the 2011 World Championships Jade JONES Great Britain Date of Birth March 21,1993 Silver medal at 2010 WTF Junior World Championships Gold medal at 2010 Youth Olympic Games Silver medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2012 European Championships 63

64 Female under 57kg Contenders Yeny CONTRERAS Chile Date of Birth August 2,1979 Chile's second athlete participating Olympic Games taekwondo; first athlete is her coach Gold medal at 2004 Pan American Championships Bronze medal at 2010 Pan American Championships Silver medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Nidia MUNOZ Cuba Date of Birth May 8,1991 Gold medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 Dutch Open Bronze medal at 2012 Student World Championships Hedaya WAHBA Egypt Date of Birth April 21, 1993 Gold medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Silver medal at 2012 Dutch Open Gold medal at 2012 Spanish Open Gold medal at 2012 Student World Championships Suvi MIKKONEN Finland Date of Birth July 11, 1988 Silver medal at 2011 Austrian Open Silver medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Dutch Open Bronze medal at 2012 Austrian Open 64

65 Female under 57kg Contenders Marlene HARNOIS France Date of Birth October 22, 1986 Bronze medal at 2010 European Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 European Championships Mayu HAMADA Japan Date of Birth January 31,1994 Bronze medal at 2009 Asian Championships Bronze medal at 2010 WTF Junior World Championships Bronze medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Asian Championships Andrea PAOLI Lebanon Date of Birth May 2, 1992 Bronze medal at 2007 Asian Championships Bronze medal at 2011 British Open Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Robin CHEONG New Zealand Date of Birth December 16, 1988 Gold medal at Oceania qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 65

66 Female under 57kg Contenders Bineta DIEDHIOU Senegal Date of Birth January 8, 1986 Silver medal at 2003 African Championships Bronze medal at 2005 WTF World Championships Silver medal at African qualification for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Silver medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Dragana GLADOVIC Serbia Date of Birth July 27,1992 Bronze medal at 2005 European Championships Bronze medal at 2009 European Championships Gold medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 European Championships Rangsiya NISAISOM Thailand Date of Birth June 11, 1994 Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Diana LOPEZ USA Date of Birth January 7,1984 Gold medal at 2005 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games 66

67 Female under 67kg In Spotlight Seham EL SAWALHY Egypt Date of Birth April 14,1991 Silver medal at 2008 WTF Youth World Championships Bronze medal at 2011 Shenzhen Universiade Gold medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Current No.1 of this division who is expected to be first ever female Egyptian Olympic medalist in taekwondo Kyungseon HWANG Korea Date of Birth May 21, 1986 Gold medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Korea's first athlete participating in the Olympic Games 3 times in success Nur TATAR Turkey Date of Birth August 16, 1992 Gold medal at 2009 Junior European Championships Silver medal at 2010 European Championships Gold medal at 2010 Junior European Championships Gold medal at 2012 European Championships Sarah STEVENSON Great Britain Date of Birth March 30, 1983 Only woman athlete participating in 4 consecutive Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Gold medal at 2010 European Championships Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships 67

68 Female under 67kg Contenders Carmen MARTON Australia Date of Birth June 30,1986 Silver medal at 2003 Youth Asian Championships Bronze medal at 2004 Asian Championships Bronze medal at 2005 WTF World Championships Gold medal at Oceania qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Farida AZIZOVA Azerbaijan Date of Birth June 6, 1995 Bronze medal at 2008 WTF Junior World Championships Bronze medal at 2009 European Championships Gold medal at 2009 European Championships Gold medal at 2012 WTF Junior World Championships Karine SERGERIE Canada Date of Birth February 1, 1985 Gold medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Silver medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Gold medal at 2010 Pan American Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Ruth Marie GBAGBI Cote d'ivoire Date of Birth February 7, 1994 Silver medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 68

69 Female under 67kg Contenders Helena FROMM Germany Date of Birth August 5, 1987 Bronze medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2008 European Championships Bronze medal at 2010 European Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Andrea ST.BERNARD Grenada Date of Birth October 2, 1979 Bronze medal at 2008 Pan American Championships Bronze medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games First athlete from Grenada in Olympic taekwondo Sousan HAJIPOURGOLI Iran Date of Birth September 28, 1990 Bronze medal at 2010 Asian Championships Gold medal at 2011 British Open Gold medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gulnafis AITMUKHAMBETOVA Kazakhstan Date of Birth February 2, 1988 Bronze medal at 2009 Dutch Open Gold medal at 2009 Belgrad Universiade Bronze medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 69

70 Female under 67kg Contenders Franka Anic Slovenia Date of Birth February 5, 1991 Gold medal at 2011 Austrian Open Silver medal at 2011 Serbia Open Bronze medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 Belgian Open Elin JOHANSSON Sweden Date of Birth August 5, 1990 Bronze medal at 2008 European Championships Bronze medal at 2010 European Championships Bronze medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 European Championships Paige MCPHERSON USA Date of Birth October 1, 1990 Gold medal at 2007 Pan American Championships Gold medal at 2008 Pan American Championships Silver medal at 2010 Spanish Open Silver medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Dieu Linh CHU HOANG Vietnam Date of Birth January 11, 1994 Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 German Open 70

71 Female over 67kg In Spotlight Maria del Rosario ESPINOZA Mexico Date of Birth November 29,1987 Gold medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Gold medal at 2010 Pan American Championships Silver medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Defending Olympic champion Anastasia BARYSHNIKOVA Russia Date of Birth December Bronze medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2010 European Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2012 European Championships Natalia FALAVIGNA Brazil Date of Birth May 9, 1984 Bronze medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Bronze medal at 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Experienced athlete who is aiming at second consecutive medal at Olympic Games In-Jong LEE Korea Date of Birth August 2,1982 Silver medal at 2007 WTF World Championships Silver medal at 2009 WTF World Championships Silver medal at 2011 Paris Open Gold medal at 2012 Asian Championships 71

72 Female over 67kg Contenders Davin SORN Cambodia Date of Birth February 6, 1992 Glehnis HERNANDEZ Cuba Date of Birth October 7, 1990 Bronze medal at Pan American qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2011 Dutch Open Anne-Caroline GRAFFE France Date of Birth February 12, 1986 Bronze medal at 2008 European Championships Silver medal at 2010 European Championships Gold medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Gold medal at 2012 European Championships Nadin DAWANI Jordan Date of Birth April 20, 1988 Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Silver medal at 2008 Asian Championships Gold medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 Asian Championships 72

73 Female over 67kg Contenders Feruza YERGESHOVA Kazakhstan Date of Birth November 17, 1991 Bronze medal at 2007 Youth Asian Championships Gold medal at 2010 Asian Championships Silver medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Asian Championships Wiam DISLAM Morocco Date of Birth October 22, 1987 Silver medal at 2011 Shenzhen Universiade Gold medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2012 Belgian Open Gold medal at 2012 Austrian Open Crawley TALITIGA Samoa Date of Birth August 29, 1991 Gold medal at Oceania qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Milica MANDIC Serbia Date of Birth December 6,1991 Bronze medal at 2008 WTF Junior World Championships Bronze medal at 2011 WTF World Championships Silver medal at 2012 European Championships 73

74 Female over 67kg Contenders Nusa RAJHER Slovenia Date of Birth July 20, 1983 Bronze medal at 2010 European Championships Silver medal at 2011 Croatia Open Bronze medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Gold medal at 2012 Belgian Open Khaoula BEN HAMZA Tunisia Date of Birth May 18, 1981 Silver medal at African qualification for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Bronze medal at 2008 Trelleborg Open Gold medal at 2008 WTF Youth World Championships Silver medal at African qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Maryna KONIEVA Ukraine Date of Birth October 19, 1987 Bronze medal at 2008 German Open Bronze medal at 2008 European Championships Bronze medal at 2011 Trelleborg Open Gold medal at European qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games Natalya MAMATOVA Uzbekistan Date of Birth September 20, 1985 Bronze medal at Asian qualification for 2012 London Olympic Games 74