Ever wondered about taekwondo in the olympics?
Taekwondo hasn’t always been an Olympic staple, which is a surprise since this martial art has been around for hundreds of years. This post will tell the story of taekwondo’s inclusion as an Olympic sport.
Much of today’s worldwide popularity of this ancient martial art is thanks to the Olympics. However, the story of the transition of taekwondo into an official Olympic sport spans over many decades.
The rich history of taekwondo
Taekwondo has been practised in Korea since the 1940s, stemming from many martial arts that have existed centuries before. During that decade, many taekwondo schools popped up in the country, which allowed Koreans to access the sport.
Due to its popularity, taekwondo finally reached a worldwide audience around the 1960s. Moreover, the number of non-Korean practitioners kept growing due to the establishment of taekwondo schools abroad. However, despite taekwondo’s popularity, it wasn’t until much later that the sport was added to the Olympics.
Taekwondo’s journey to becoming an official Olympic sport
As early as the 1970s, there was already a clamour for taekwondo’s addition to the Olympic sports roster. The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) worked tirelessly to establish the standards of the sport. Their efforts eventually paid off as they gained the recognition of the International Olympic Committee in 1980.
Taekwondo was featured multiple times in other sporting events after 1980. The World Cup, Pan-American Games, All-Africa Games, and Asian Games were just some of these events.
Taekwondo as an Olympic demonstration sport
At long last, taekwondo became a demonstration sport in 1988. That year was when the Summer Olympics was in South Korea, the birthplace of taekwondo. Hundreds of participants performed their Poomsae and other moves in front of the audience, leaving many in awe.
As for the matches in the 1988 Summer Olympics, a total of 42 countries sent their representatives to compete. As was expected, South Korea dominated the count with 22 medals, twice more than what the second placer (China) got.
The matches and demonstrations further promoted interest in taekwondo schools abroad, leading to even more people trying out the sport. Then, due to its popularity, taekwondo was again included as a demonstration sport four years later in the 1992 Barcelona Summer Olympics.
At long last, a full Olympic medal sport.
It wasn’t until the 2000 Sydney Olympics that taekwondo became a fully-fledged Olympic sport. A total of 103 jins from 51 different countries participated, making these events a huge success.
As was again expected, South Korea took first place in the medal tally. However, their lead wasn’t as big compared to previous years. They took home four medals, whilst second placers Australia and Cuba netted two each.
The relatively small difference in the medal counts between the different countries was significant. It wasn’t because South Korea did poorly – it was more because jins in other nations had become even more dedicated to the sport.
About taekwondo today
Taekwondo today is still going strong. There are millions of practitioners worldwide, and it continues today as an Olympic Sport. The most recent one, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, saw 128 fighters from 62 nations compete for the much vied-for titles.
Taekwondo has also become popular in Australia. One of the fastest-growing taekwondo schools in the country is Team Carlo Taekwondo, established by an Australian Olympian jin.
Meet Carlo Massimino: an Olympian jin
To become an Olympian is one of the highest honours that an athlete can attain. Of note is Carlo Massimino, an Australian jin who competed in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. This is especially impressive, as that event was the first-time taekwondo became a fully-fledged Olympic medal sport.
What was competing in the Olympics like for Carlo?
Carlo Massimino was trained by none other than Peter Scanlon, the first Australian Olympian jin who competed in 1988. Scanlon inspired Carlo to work hard, and he counted the days until he finally became an Olympian in 2000. Carlo again competed four years later in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.
He has stated that the 2000 Olympics was one of the highlights of his taekwondo career. He trained for years to reach that level, and his hard work finally paid off.
Walking through the tunnel and into the stadium beside his teammates – just imagine the emotions that an athlete would feel at that moment. Couple this with the cheers of thousands of compatriots, and it would surely make for an exhilarating experience.
It’s not just the Olympics that Carlo Massimino has under his belt.
Carlo has competed in multiple events apart from the 2000 and 2004 Olympic games. He also joined international tournaments all over the world.
He was consistently ranked in the top 5 in multiple events, even gaining a medal in the World Cup. That was no easy feat.
What does it take to be an Olympic-level taekwondo practitioner?
Anyone can get into a sport and learn it if one dedicates some time to practice. However, it takes a special kind of dedication and skill for one to reach the level of an Olympian. This is a testament to how hardworking and skilled Carlo is.
This is not to say that attaining the Olympic dream is impossible. If anything, Carlo’s story should serve as an inspiration to anyone who wants to become an Olympian someday. Carlo indeed possesses tremendous skill: this much is certain. However, this would not count for anything without the level of dedication he has put into the sport.
After the 2004 Olympics, Carlo decided to take his taekwondo career in a different direction. He had always dreamed of sharing the sport with others: a dream that came to fruition when he established Team Carlo Taekwondo.
Team Carlo Taekwondo: a taekwondo school taught by a double Olympian
Team Carlo Taekwondo quickly grew, thanks to the dedication of its founder and the many members that have come here to learn.
Why not try it out? It’s never too late to learn taekwondo. Practising taekwondo comes with many benefits like improving flexibility, stamina, and strength. It also imparts discipline and skill.
The chance to learn from a double Olympian like Carlo Massimino is rare, so take this opportunity and contact Team Carlo Taekwondo today!
