Watching the 2012 Olympic Games: Taekwondo
How it works
There are eight categories at the 2012 Olympic Games: four for men and four for women, each split across different weight groups. The format is straight knockout, with the losers in the semi-final going head-to-head in the repêchage event for the bronze medal
Who’s hot
South Korea dominated the medal table in 2008 – taking four golds, two in the men’s and two in the women’s. However, Mexico also shone, taking two golds, so expect them to challenge come 2012. The top of the women’s world rankings is dominated by China and South Korea, but the men’s is much more open with athletes from Thailand, Iran, Spain and Great Britain leading the field. The World Championships in May will provide the best indicator of where everyone stands but Britain’s Aaron Cook leads his category in the latest WTF World Rankings
Home hopes
Team GB won its first Olympic medal in the sport in 2008 when Sarah Stevenson took bronze in the Women’s 67kg+ event. Cook will look to make an impact after winning bronze at the World Junior Championship. Martin Stamper is another name to look out for, having taken the US Open recently, and has moved up a weight category in an attempt to secure a place at 2012
The road to London
- 1-6 May 2011 WTF World Taekwondo Championships, Gyeongju, Korea
- 30 June-3 July 2011 WTF qualification tournament for London 2012, Baku, Azerbaijan
- 15-18 October 2011 Pan American Games, Guadalajara, Mexico
- 3-4 December 2011 Taekwondo test event for London 2012, London
The stage
ExCel Centre. Taekwondo is one of 13 sports to compete at the venue, situated in London’s Docklands. The venue has a total of five arenas and will maintain its versatility upon the completion of the games
What they say
“In taekwondo once you’re at the Olympics it is four fights for the gold so if I can get there then I’ll be aiming for the gold”
Martin Stamper, 68kg contestant
Did you know?
Afghanistan won their first Olympic medal in any sport when Rohullah Nikpai took bronze in the men’s 58kg competition at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Nikpai beat world champion flyweight Juan Antonio Ramos in the repêchage
Competition dates
8-11 August 2011
Ticket prices
£20- £95
Tempted to be there? Sign up now
You can apply for Olympic tickets until 26 April. Visit: www.tickets.london2012.com
Tickets are not sold on a first-come, first-served basis – applications can be submitted at any stage in the 42-day period – and you can apply at any point in this period. There is no advantage in applying on the first day or the last day
Online payment is exclusively by Visa debit card, credit card or pre-paid card. Alternatively you can submit a paper application form which is available in Lloyds TSB branches and pay by cheque or postal order as well as Visa
Customers may not get all the tickets they apply for owing to high demand. Once an application is processed, customers cannot change their orders and must have the funds to pay for the tickets they have been allocated
This is a fair process and a fair ballot will be run for oversubscribed events where demand exceeds supply
The application process for tickets for the Paralympic Games will begin on 9 September 2011 and tickets for the London 2012 Festival (part of the Cultural Olympiad) in in October 2011
