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‘Tech-wondo’ shows off its innovations at Rio 2016 Olympic Games Test Event
Taekwondo may be a sport of ancient origins, but it has adapted to modern times. Electronic point scoring, video replays, DJs blasting out high-octane music… technology is already integrated, sharing responsibility with referees to guarantee fair contests and helping engage the audience. On 21 February, the Rio 2016 taekwondo test event ended at Carioca Arena 1, showcasing the latest version of the Korean martial art, including a new competition area and more technology in the point scoring system: now, even head protectors come equipped with electronic sensors.
Before the London 2012 Games, the point scoring system depended exclusively on assessment from the referees. This often resulted in complaints from athletes and technical officials, who believed the sport erred in transparency and impartiality. At Beijing 2008, Sarah Stevenson of Great Britain was eliminated from the competition after a decisive blow in the final seconds of the contest was not scored by referees. The result was reversed after television replays were viewed and the Briton finished the Olympic tournament with bronze.
The incident caught the attention of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and to avoid the risk of the sport being withdrawn from the Olympic program, the World Taekwondo Federation began a series of innovations that gave new life to the sport.
The objective of taekwondo athletes remains the same: to strike the torso and head of the opponent with kicks and blows. The difference is that now they wear magnetized socks and have impact sensors in body and head protectors – the latter a first for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The idea is to minimize the chances of refereeing errors, since blows to the head are worth three times more than blows to the torso and often decide contests. “New technology has given transparency to the sport. In London, we inserted sensors into the vests, but not the headwear. In Rio, for the first time in the history of the Games, we will have both,” said Bouedo.
Rio 2016 operates in partnership with Omega, the IOC’s technology partner, in the management of results. “There are several systems that work in an integrated way and at an impressive speed. As such, the athlete attempts a kick, the sensors transmit a signal automatically on a wireless frequency, which takes around 0.1 or 0.2 tenths of a second to be computed in all our systems,” said Rodrigo Silveira, Rio 2016’s results coordinator.
As such, technology has placed precision over strength in the rules of the game, which has affected the strategy of athletes and coaches. “It’s easier to train, as the athletes just need to concern themselves with being efficient and not having to show beauty in movement to score the point,” said Baverel.
Another initiative included is the possibility of requesting a video replay during the contest, a resource that allows analysis of the blow whenever there is a doubt on the mat.
“The inclusion of these resources forces the athlete to always adapt, which is very good. I started in the sport at a time when technology wasn’t present, so there was a lot of doubt in the results. This has now disappeared, because human error has been eliminated. This is absolutely the path to follow,” said Portugal’s Rui Bragança, who won silver in the -58kg at the test event.
Source: WTF
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