The ancient martial art of taekwondo

has embraced the future at the Olympic Games.

Technology has brought the centuries-old martial art

into modern times.

(WIRELESS SCORING SYSTEM)

The wireless scoring system makes taekwondo

fairer for contenders and leaves no room for dispute.

This scoring system creates a more engaging experience

for the audience as they can follow in real-time.

Head sensors were introduced at the Olympic Games in Rio 2016,

taking the technology to a new level.

(REPUBLIC OF KOREA)

(SEOUL)

Taekwondo originally comes from Korea.

In its capital, Seoul, we witnessed a first-hand

demonstration of this technology.

The taekwondo scoring method makes you

distinguish where the hit comes from.

The sensor needs to detect

whether it comes from a foot or a knee.

The high-speed kicks of taekwondo are nearly impossible

to follow without technology.

This system allows judges to see with precision

the movements of each athlete.

This is important as different points are awarded

depending on where the opponent is hit.

Before the sport, especially in the major competitions,

there was lots of controversy.

Judges and referees were not getting the accurate scores

down on paper.

The sport was not very accurate at all.

People didn't think taekwondo a legitimate sport for

the Olympic Games.

In addition to the chest guard,

the evolution of the wireless scoring system

has introduced sensors in foot and head protection,

increasing the utility and accuracy

of this technology in taekwondo.

The combination of sensors can detect

the different types of hit and transmit this information

wirelessly to a computer,

where it is used by judges to award points to combatants.

A basic attack to the trunk protector is one point,

and two points if the kick uses a spinning technique.

To obtain three points, the athlete needs to reach

the opponent's head protector.

Achieving this with a turning kick means four points.

Punches and kicks must be powerful

because light tapping kicks do not earn points.

This technology also aids judges in awarding extra points

for strikes that incorporate spinning kicks,

accurately and in real-time.

We will test out...

the system today,

which means that we can compete without a judge.

Before the invention of the technology,

we sometimes looked at ourselves in the mirror

to see how we were doing it.

Taekwondo is a sport

that everyone can learn and enjoy.

In English, taekwondo means,

"the art of the feet and the hands" -

first appearing as a demonstration sport at

the Olympic Games Seoul 1988,

and becoming an official sport in Sydney 2000.

During Beijing 2008,

Sarah Stevenson was at the centre of an extraordinary

controversy when judges did not award points

for a high-kick to the head.

She appealed, and the British fighter won the fight.

Stevenson went on to take home a bronze medal,

winning Britain's first Olympic medal in taekwondo,

showing the inconsistencies in judging by eye.

Our next improvement goal is to make the electronic gear

easier for the athletes to use, optimising their performance.

Also it's very important to make them lighter

so that the athletes don't get tired so much

after several games.

You beat me because you were lucky.

No, I'm not better than you.

In order to keep up with the evolution of the Olympic Games,

sports must join the tech race.

(THE TECH RACE)