Taekwondo remains an olympic sport

Some (including myself) feel that the Olympics are a little too busy with fringe sports (my term). Is arm-wrestling in the Olympics yet? Some sports were recently removed but Taekwondo was not one of them, for which I am glad.

However, taekwondo will undergo some changes, for which I am also glad. I think most of the changes involve methods of scoring to reduce corruption (I can't wait for the day when I see the two words "Korea" and "Olympics" and don't see "corruption"), also described with the euphemism "incorrect referee judgements".. From a quick reading of the Yonhap article, competitors will wear protective gear with electronic contacts to record hits, much like fencers do already. Referees will still have some discretion to award points for difficult moves.

I hope there will be something to encourage difficult moves or some risk-taking. I have seen many matches where the two players feint and feint for long periods, knowing it's easier to counterstrike than strike. So many times, I have seen upper dan blackbelts tug their pantlegs up to free their knees for a kick. Why not call time out and make an announcement?

One other point stood out in the article and I quote: "Taekwondo's survival is considered a consolation to Koreans after the resignation of former IOC Vice President Kim Un-yong, who received a jail term for corruption last year. Kim previously served as president of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF)." I should point out that I want TKD to stay in the Olympics but this is some strange logic. Taekwondo was kept in because a high-ranking Korean official was jailed for corruption? Incidentally, Dr Kim Un-yong was pardoned on June 30 of this year, according to Taekwondo Times.