By ETU
15.03.2005
The Executive Council of the World Taekwondo Federation approved in principle a series of policy recommendations developed by the Reform Committee at the IOC Headquarters in Lausanne, that could form the foundation for a major overhaul of the WTF.
The Executive Council also endorsed the formation of a temporary task force at the WTF that would develop detailed action plans for reform recommendations, which require changes to Taekwondo competition rules and other WTF regulations.
Among the recommendations to be applied starting at the 2005 World Taekwondo Championships in Madrid, Spain, next month, are changes to the competition format such as a shortened duration for the men’s contest, and a new “sudden death” overtime round. The amendments call for a shortened contest duration for men, from three minutes per round to two minutes, based on the existing three-round system, and the introduction of a sudden death round that will decide a match that is tied after three rounds.
The Taekwondo competition area would become more compact, shrinking from the present 12-by-12 meters to a 10-by-10 meter square. At the same time, the number of judges would be increased to four - one at each corner of the competition floor - from the current three. These two revisions would apply to WTF-promoted competitions starting in 2006.
Executive Council members also endorsed in principle the awarding of points by fist techniques, while making it compulsory for athletes to wear gloves as an added safety measure. Besides those changes, council members endorsed a series of promotional and marketing programs, along with a strengthened Solidarity Program for the WTF’s 177 member National Associations.
They also shared the view that the proposed task force should research further before deciding on other matters of great concern, such as the introduction of electronic protectorsand colored uniforms.
