Paris 2024: Introduction to Para taekwondo

 Welcome to Week 17 of Paris 2024 Paralympic Sport Weeks. This week, everything you need to know about Para taekwondo, a contact sport featuring rapid and powerful kicks to the body.  

There will be up to 120 athletes competing in 10 medal events at the iconic Grand Palais. Learn more about the exciting sport and don’t miss the action at Paris 2024.

Brief history of Para taekwondo 

Taekwondo made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Games in Seoul, Republic of Korea, the birthplace of the sport. Para taekwondo developed in 2006 and has exploded in popularity due to its practicality, minimal need for equipment, and spectacular spin kick techniques.

The first Para taekwondo World Championships were held in 2009 with more than 30 athletes. Eleven years later, the sport made its Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020, featuring 70 athletes from more than 37 countries and regions.

With 24 medals on offer, athletes from 17 nations won one – every continent saw at least one athlete standing on the Tokyo 2020 podium. Brazil topped the medals table with three medals (gold, silver and a bronze), followed by the Islamic Republic of Iran (gold and silver). 

What to watch in Para taekwondo 

In Para taekwondo, matches are held in a one round contest, lasting up to five minutes. Athletes wear protective equipment and 'sensor socks', which determines if a point is scored when hitting their opponent's torso. 

Points are awarded by hitting their opponent’s torso. Athletes get two points for a regular kick, three points for a turning kick and four points for a spinning kick. 

Head kicks are not allowed and result in a gam-jeom, a penalty that gives a point for the opponent. Other fouls include grabbing, pushing, kicks below the belt or stepping out of bound. 

Athletes can win a fight in several ways: having a 30-point lead. Their opponent getting 10 gam-jeom. Or having the most points at the end of time. 

If there is a tie, athletes enter the Golden Round, with the first fighter to score two points winning. If there is still a tie, then judges will decide the winner. 

At Paris 2024, Para taekwondo will feature the K44 sport class, with athletes with impairments in either one or both upper limbs. Athletes compete against other fighters in the same sport class and weight category. There are five weight categories for men and five for women. 

Memorable Paralympic moments

Many athletes realised their dreams of competing at the Paralympics when the sport made its debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games. 

Denmark's Lisa Gjessing dreamed of competing at the Games when she watched London 2012 after losing her lower arm in a battle against cancer. Gjessing, one of the pioneers of the sport, captured the gold medal in the women’s -58kg K44 event and later said that winning Paralympic gold is special compared to any other medal.

“It’s just so amazing that it’s still hard to believe that it actually happened,” she said. “It’s very different because the whole country is following you and is very joyful about what athletes do.” 

Peru’s Angelica Espinoza won her country’s first Paralympic medal since Athens 2004 and first gold medal since Sydney 2000.  She beat Turkiye's Meryem Betul Cavdar 34-21 in the final of the women's K44 -49kg event.

Iran's Asghar Azizi Aqdam scored late in the final against Croatia's Ivan Mikulic to top the podium in the men's +75kg event. Mikulic's silver medal was the best result for Croatia at Tokyo 2020, and he carried the country's flag into the Closing Ceremony.

In the women's K44 +58kg, Uzbekistan's Guljonoy Naimova beat Great Britain's Amy Truesdale, one of the gold medal favourites in the event. Naimova pulled off a 60-14 win over Truesdale in the semifinal before defeating Brazil's Debora Bezerra de Menezes 8-4 in the final.

Paris 2024 programme

The Paris 2024 Paralympics, which open on 28 August, will feature 10 medal events in Para taekwondo. 

Men’s events  

K44 -58kg 

K44 -63kg 

K44 –70kg 

K44 –80kg 

K44 +80kg

Women’s events 

K44 –47kg 

K44 –52kg 

K44 –57kg 

K44 –65 kg 

K44 +65kg 

Paris 2024 venue 

Para taekwondo competitions will take place at the Grand Palais.  

Located in the heart of Paris, the venue has a long history of hosting art and sport events. Originally built for the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900, the Palais is known for its magnificent nave and glass roof. 

Discover more about Para taekwondo and the 22 sports in the Paris 2024 Paralympic sports programme 

Book your tickets for the Paralympic Games by visiting the Paris 2024 ticketing website