Doha -- Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, teaching more than just physical fighting skills. It shows ways of enhancing spirit and life through training the body and mind.
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The word taekwondo is one word in Korean. "Tae" means foot, leg or to step on. "Kwon" means fist or fight. "Do" means the way or discipline. As one word, it means "way of kicking or striking".
There are two important concepts behind taekwondo: the correct way of controlling parts of the body - the fists and feet a way to control or calm down fighting, keep the peace and build a more peaceful world Taekwondo has developed over 5,000 years in Korea, beginning as a defensive martial art called "subak" or "taekkyon" and becoming a way of training body and mind.
The taekwondo competition will comprise the following events at the 15th Asian Games: Men 54kg (Fin) 58kg (Fly) 62kg (Bantam) 67kg (Feather) 72kg (Light) 78kg (Welter) 84kg (Middle) +84kg (Heavy); Women 47kg (Fin) 51kg (Fly) 55kg (Bantam) 59kg (Feather) 63kg (Light) 67kg (Welter) 72kg (Middle) +72kg (Heavy).
Contests consist of three rounds of two-minutes each, with a one-minutes rest period between rounds. In case of a tied score after the third round, a fourth sudden death round of 2-minutes will be conducted.
History: Korean history relates that the prominent leaders of the three ancient tribal kingdoms had a military background. As a result, martial arts training became one of the important subjects of learning.
"Taekwondo is the basis of martial art, enabling one to build strength," states an ancient book, showing that taekwondo was prevalent in the time of the Shilla and Koguryo kingdoms, founded some 2,000 years ago.
In 1955, a group of Korean martial arts leaders chose taekwondo as the definitive Korean martial art to promote its development internationally.
The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) was launched in 1973. The first world championships were held that year. Taekwondo was featured as a demonstration sport in the 1988 and 1992 Olympics, becoming an official medal sport at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
Taekwondo first became a competitive event in the 10th Asian Games in 1986, in Seoul.