How technology is progressing the sport of Taekwondo

How technology is progressing the sport of Taekwondo

 by Wayne K.

 Wilkins Taekwondo is an ancient Korean martial art form that is still prominently practiced in the modern world. Taekwondo is also a certified Olympic sport, albeit a controversial one due to the fact that scoring for the sport had a tendency to be inconsistent and inaccurate. However, taekwondo returned to the Olympics during the London 2012 games and with it, a brand new technological era for the martial art was utilized giving the most accurate and descriptive scoring process that the sport has ever seen, Euro sport reports. 

Taekwondo was made an Olympic sport in the year 2000 but since then, it has been met with much controversy, the biggest of which took place in the Beijing Olympics in 2008. The future of the sport as an Olympic event was then thrown into question, but the sport was given one more chance in London 2012 and they finally got it right. A brand new high tech scoring system was implemented, the most useful of which turned out to be the instant video reviews which in turn allowed referees and judges to properly and effectively score the combatants, meaning no discrepancies or scoring inaccuracies could take place at all. A new, fairer scoring system was also met with widespread critical acclaim.

 Of course, the constant advancements in technology have not just affected the scoring system of taekwondo alone. Arguably one of the biggest ways in which the sport of taekwondo has changed thanks to technology is due to the rise of the Internet. By using the Internet, just about everyone has access to the sport of taekwondo. Budding trainees and aspiring martial artists can take to video websites such as YouTube in order to watch taekwondo videos to see if the sport is for them. They can even learn how to perform techniques at home. 

Additionally, the ability to watch taekwondo at home has also bought the sport to a wider audience and considering the fact that the current era adores “mixed martial arts” such as the UFC, it is no secret as to why taekwondo has suddenly become such a popular sport. Additionally, technology has given people the ability to read reviews about martial arts academies and trainers, as well as locate classes and martial arts studios situated within their local area, which can in turn prove to deliver the sport to a much wider audience. 

The London 2012 Olympics were broadcast online live to millions of people all over the world. Considering taekwondo was a main attraction in the London 2012 Olympic games, millions of people were able to watch the ancient martial art in action on a global scale and celebrate both its history and its inevitably exciting future. As far as taekwondo is concerned, technology has greatly aided the ancient sport in countless ways. It makes the scoring process much more accurate and fair, it gives people access to the sport online by watching videos and it has also helped the masses locate schools and trainers within their local area.