The purpose of these rules is to elevate the quality of Taekwon-Do by scoring every aspect and to provide an equal opportunity for all participants to show the ultimate of their abilities in friendly competition with one another.
These are to be applied at every International and National Taekwon-Do competition for degree holders. They apply to male and female except where stated otherwise.
One (1) Jury President will be seated at the Jury table, and will be responsible for decisions as written in the Umpire rules.
One (1) Center Referee will be in the square to control the match.
Five (5) Judges for patterns will be seated in a line facing the competition. Four (4) Judges for sparring will be seated at the four corners of the square. They will give points in accordance with their judgement.
One (1) Jury member will be seated at the Jury table to check time and indicate the beginning, end and continuation of each match.
One (1) Jury member will be seated at the Jury table to keep match records.
Junior competitors must be 13 to 18 years old in the year that championships is held and may compete in the divisions laid down in the following rules, but all competitors must be I, II or III degree rank and must present their current ITF certificates or passports to check the year of birth. Competitors in all divisions must be healthy and registered with their National Associations.
The official invitation should specify the years of birth that are eligible to compete.
There is no obligation to have a membership card.
SENIOR COMPETITORS
Senior competitors must be 18 years old or above and may compete in the divisions laid down in the following rules. All competitors must be I, II, III or IV degree rank and must be holders of a current I.T.F certificate. All competitors must be healthy and registered with their National associations.
A competitor, who is 18 years old in year of competition has the right to choose only one category - senior or junior.
Officials will wear the dress requirements as laid down in the I.T.F Umpires rules.
Competitors, while competing must wear the "official approved" TKD dobok with badges officially approved by the I.T.F. The black belt must be of the official dimensions and must indicate the competitor's degree. The country name must be worn on the back part of the dobok above belt level at all times. Female competitors may wear a white T-shirt under the dobok jacket.
Competitors are allowed, when not performing, to wear normal sportswear such as track suits, dressing gowns, training shoes, etc. however it is at the discretion of the Tournament Committee.
For opening and closing ceremonies countries may wear the official ITF dobok or the official country training suit, but all team members should be dressed the same. No participant in the parade is permitted to carry cameras, flags, banners, etc. other than those authorised, on the field during the opening and closing ceremonies. Any participant committing a breach of the above regulations, will be liable to sanctions.
Drinking of alcoholic beverages or smoking whilst wearing the dobok is prohibited.
Sponsorship is allowed on the right or left sleeve measuring 5 x 8 cm.
a. Competitors must wear:
i.) Red or blue coloured hand and feet safety equipment of an approved type.
ii.) Groin guards must be worn inside the dobok trousers.
b. Competitors may, optionally, wear the following:
i.) Shin protectors.
ii.) Breast protectors (must be worn INSIDE the dobok jacket) (female only).
iii.) Mouth guards.
iv.) Head guard (Juniors only)
These all being of an approved type consisting of elasticised material with sponge or rubber type padding and containing no metal, bone or hard plastic or similar hard material whatsoever, nor involving the use of zip, lace or stud fasteners.
c. No other protective or safety equipment may be worn, except in special circumstances with the approval of the Tournament Committee.
d. All competitors with injuries which require bandaging or strapping of any kind must satisfy the Tournament doctor of their need, and obtain approval of type before performing i.e. no pins or hard material can be worn, neither can bandaging give extra support so that it constitutes an advantage to that competitor.
e. No jewellery, watches or other adornments may be worn, hair may be kept in place using a material of a soft elastic nature only, no grips or slides are allowed.
All tournaments must have a Doctor(s), qualified First Aid personnel and ambulance in attendance. Doctor's recommendations, with regard to competitors' further participation, following injury, must be adhered to.
All hosts must ensure that the event booked has all the necessary public liability insurance, fire certificates and Government licences that are all required to host such events.
Square size will be 9 by 9 metres floor space. A jig saw - padding floor must be used at all times. When the square is elevated then the elevations must be at least two (2) metres greater in size than the square. Elevations may be from 50 cm to 100 centimetres.
Lighting must not be lower than five (5) metres above the ground.
The official Jury table is in front of the square.
All tournaments will have several forms of visual display of results for the benefit of participants and audience. Results should generally be shown as often as possible so as to enable the competitors to follow the course of the event whilst it is in progress.
A delegate of the individual or team may be any person authorised by the National Governing Body. A delegate registers the competitors, submits the documents, lodges complaints and co-operates with the other officials at the competition.
For individual or team competition there will be only one (1) coach close to the square. During the tournament, coaches must wear a training suit, gymnastic shoes and carry a towel. They will be seated at least one (1) meter away from the square. They must not interfere in the competition by action or words. They are the only ones allowed to present an official protest.
Failure to abide by the above mentioned rules may render the coach liable to be disqualified from his advisory position.
Only points gained in individual events will count for Overall Winner of the Individual Events. However, in the event of two or more competitors having the same number of Gold medals then the Silver and the Bronze medals will count in determining the Overall Winner. In the event that this also results in a tie then there will be no Overall Individual Winner.
N.B.: Medals, which count towards the Overall Champion, cannot be won without at least 4 competitors for the event.
Only Gold medals will count towards the Overall Team Winner. Only points gained in Team events will count for Overall Team Winner. However, in the event of two or more teams having the same number of Gold medals then the Silver and the Bronze medals will count in determining the Overall Team Winner. In the event that this also results in a tie then there will be no Overall Team Winner.
N.B.: Medals, which count toward the Overall Team Champion, cannot be won without at least 4 teams for the event.
Nation Classification
In order to have the Nations Classification all points from Individual and Team events (male and female) will count except for Individual and Team Overall Winner. In the case of the Team it will be counted as a single Gold and not multiplied by 6, for example the winning Team for Pattern will have only one Gold added to the overall total and not 6 gold.
The first classified Nation will be awarded with one trophy.
Competition is divided into Individual and Team match and will be decided by the pyramid tournament system.
Individual
JUNIOR - Individual match is divided into:
Pattern Male/Female - I, II and III Degree divisions
Sparring Male/Female
Micro, Light, Middle, Heavy, Hyper weight divisions
Power Male/Female
Special Technique Male/Female
SENIOR - Individual match is divided into:
Individual match is further divided into:
Pattern Male/Female - I, II, III and IV Degree divisions
Sparring Male/Female
Micro, Light, Middle, Heavy, Hyper weight divisions
Power Male/Female
Special Technique Male/Female
N.B.: Individual competitors may enter all items.
Team
Junior and Senior Team match is divided into:
Pattern Male/Female
Sparring Male/Female
Power Male/Female
Special Technique Male/Female
Each team may perform in Pattern, Sparring, Power and Special Technique. In Sparring competitors may be of any weight.
The number of individual competitors who may enter each item is restricted to one (1) person from each country. These competitors may be individuals or team members.
Team
Team (not necessarily chosen out of the individual competitors) must consist:
Pattern Male/Female of 5 competitors + 1 reserve (optional) and the same must be used for all events.
Sparring Male/Female of 3-5 competitors + 1 reserve (optional)
Power Female of 3 competitors + 1 reserve (optional)
Power Male of 5 competitors + 1 reserve (optional)
Special Technique Female of 3 competitors + 1 reserve (optional)
Special Technique Male of 5 competitors + 1 reserve (optional)
Pattern, Sparring, Special Technique, Power. This should be followed where possible but is subject to the requirements of the time-, and schedule-, -of the tournament overall.
First and second place winners from the previous I.T.F. Championship will be placed at the top and bottom of the pyramid system. Medals, which count towards the overall trophies, cannot be won without at least 4 competitors or teams for the event. None of the competitors or teams can win 2 rounds one after another without competing unless it is due to the withdrawal of their opponent due to previous injury. Bye will be decided at the draw. When the drawing of the competitors or teams is completed, then registration will be closed.
It will be announced in which square an event will take place and it is the responsibility of the competitors/teams to be close to the square so that they may compete without delay when called upon to do so. They will be called to the red or blue side of the square complete with any equipment (such as safety equipment) which they require. Should they not come forward immediately then their name and/or country will be called for a second time. Should the individual/team still not come forward to the square within one (1) minute from the second call then they will be disqualified.
Competitors dobok and/or equipment check will take place outside of the square to ensure that they are of an officially approved type and that they are not defective. Should any item(s) not be satisfactory then they must be changed. The competitor/team has a maximum of three (3) minutes to change what is requested, following which he/she/they will be disqualified and the match points awarded to the opponent where appropriate.
Competitors will compete 1 to 1 and will perform simultaneously one (1) optional Pattern and one (1) designated Pattern (appropriate to their degree, see Article 27). The boxes containing the names of the optional patterns will be taken out of the basket by the Jury President before choosing the designated pattern. The Judges will choose the best competitor to go forward to the next round.
1st degree will compete with 1st degree with the designated Pattern being any one from CHON-JI to GE-BAEK.
2nd degree will compete with 2nd degree designated Pattern being any one from CHON-JI to JUCHE.
3rd degree will compete with 3rd degree designated Pattern being any one from CHON-JI to CHOI-YONG.
4th degree will compete with 4th degree designated Pattern being any one from CHON-JI to MOON-MOO.
In individual matches the following decisions will apply:
When three (3) or more judges give a decision in favour of one competitor then that competitor is the winner.
When three (3) judges give a draw and two (2) judges give a decision in favour of one competitor then that competitor is the winner.
When two (2) judges give a decision in favour of one competitor and one (1) judge gives for the other and two (2) judges give a draw, then the competitor with two (2) judges in favour is the winner.
When two (2) judges give a decision in favour of one competitor and the other two (2 judges give a decision in favour for the other, and one (1) judge gives a draw, then another designated Pattern must be performed, until the winner is decided.
When one (1) judge give a decision in favour of one competitor and four (4) judges give a draw, then another designated Pattern must be performed, until the winner is decided.
Designated pattern draw will take place whilst both teams are on the floor.
From the second round of the draw a coin will be tossed to decide which team goes first. The winning coach of the toss decides which team performs as first. The first team will perform 2 patterns and the second team will do likewise. The judges will choose the better one to go forward to the next round.
Each Team (five (5) competitors) must perform together one (1) optional and one (1) designated Pattern. The designated Pattern and optional Pattern being any from CHON-JI to GE-BAEK. Optional Pattern - cannot be higher than the highest pattern which is obligatory to perform for competitors with lowest degree in one competing team.
They may line up in any format they choose and team members may perform movements individually, or together, as they choose, but it must be seen to be teamwork. For example: one team member may not perform moves of the Pattern on his own without the other team members following in unison.
In team matches the following decisions will apply:
When three (3) or more judges give a decision in favour of one team then that team is the winner.
When three (3) judges give a draw and two (2) judges give a decision in favour of one team then that team is the winner.
When two (2) judges give a decision in favour of one team and one (1) judge gives for the other and two (2) judges give a draw, then the team with two (2) judges in favour is the winner.
When two (2) judges give a decision in favour of one (1) team and the other two (2) judges give a decision in favour for the other, and one (1) judge gives a draw, then another designated Pattern must be performed, until the winner is decided.
When one (1) judge gives a decision in favour of one competitor and four (4) judges give a draw, then another designated Pattern must be performed, until the winner is decided.
Individual elimination and final bouts will be two (2) rounds of two (2) minutes duration with a one-minute break between rounds.
Each team bout will be one (1) round of two (2) minutes.
In individual matches the following decisions will apply:
When three (3) or four (4) corner referees give a decision in favour of one competitor then that competitor is the winner.
When three (3) or four (4) corner referees say that it is a draw then a further one (1) minute round will take place. If this results in a further draw then the first scored point will decide who is the winner.
When two (2) corner referees give a decision in favour of one competitor (two (2) for one competitor + one (1) for the other + one (1) given it as a draw or two (2) for one competitor + two (2) giving it as a draw) then that competitor is the winner.
When two (2) corner referees give a decision in favour of one competitor and the other two (2) corner referees give a decision in favour of the other competitor then a one (1) minute extension will follow.
If at this time it results in a further draw then the first scored point will decide who is the winner.
When three (3) corner referees give a decision in favour of one competitor in case of the first scored point bout then that competitor is the winner.
In team matches the following decisions will apply:
When three (3) or four (4) corner referees give a decision in favour of one competitor then that competitor is the winner and two (2) points will be added to the team score.
When three (3) or four (4) corner referees decide that it is a draw then one (1) point will be added to each team score.
When two (2) corner referees give a decision in favour of one competitor (two (2) for one competitor + one (1) for the other + one (1) given it as a draw or two (2) giving it as a draw) then that competitor who got the decision of the two (2) corner referees is the winner and two (2) points will be added to the team score.
When two (2) corner referees give a decision in favour of one competitor and the other two (2) corner referees give a decision in favour of the other competitor then the result will be a draw and one (1) point will be added to each team score.
When all five (5) bouts are finished and the result is a draw then each coach will select one (1) competitor to spar an extra bout of two (2) minutes. The team whose competitor wins this bout will be the winner.
If at this time it results in a further draw then the first scored point will decide who is the winner.
When three (3) corner referees give a decision in favour of one competitor in case of the first scored point bout then that competitor is the winner.
Head and neck area at the front and sides but not at the back.
Trunk of the body from neck to navel vertically and from a line drawn from the armpit vertically down to the waist on each side (that is frontal area only, excluding the back).
One (1) point will be awarded for:
Hand attack directed to mid or high section.
Hand attack while in air (both feet must be off the ground) directed to mid section.
Foot attack directed to mid section.
Two (2) points will be awarded for:
Foot attack directed to high section.
Hand attack while in air (both feet must be off the ground) directed to high section.
Jumping or flying kick directed to mid section.
Three (3) points will be awarded for:
Jumping or flying kick directed to high section.
When a competitor is injured, the Centre Referee must stop the match and call the Doctor. The Doctor must diagnose and decide within two (2) minutes about the match and competition continuation.
A total of four (4) minutes is allowed to treat the wounds.
When a competitor cannot fight on because of Doctor's decision:
he/she is the winner if his opponent is responsible;
he/she is the loser if his opponent is not responsible.
An injured competitor that is unfit to fight, cannot continue for the time/day(s) set according to the Doctor's decision.
A competitor that refuses to accept the Doctor's decision will be disqualified and taken out of the competition.
If two competitors injure themselves at the same time and both are unfit to fight, according to the Doctor's decision, the winner is the contender that has more scored points at that moment. If the competitors are even, the Ring Council will decide about the bout.
Competitors will commence the bout on the start positions each with a red or blue pair of hand and feet equipment to differentiate between them. At the command of the Centre Referee the competitors bow in turn to the Jury table and then to each other. The Centre Referee will then start the Sparring with the command "SHI-JAK" and the competitors continue to spar until the Referee issues the command "HAECHYO". At this point the competitors cease to spar and remain where they are until restarted. On completion of time an audible signal will warn the Centre Referee, but the bout only ends on the final comment "GOMAN" by the Centre Referee. The reverse for bowing will ensure and the result will be declared.
In a draw situation warnings and/or minus points are not carried forward. If a competitor leaves the square they must re-start one (1) metre inside the square.
Team
Bout procedure will be as individual. A coin will be tossed between the two (2) coaches. The winning coach of the toss decides which team sends its first competitor into the ring. The teams must then alternate. And those teams with 3 (or 4) competitors must compete in the first 3 (or 4) bouts.
On the first "Shi-Jak" (Start) command from the Centre Referee the timekeeper starts the clock until full time, unless the Centre Referee calls for a "time out" by saying "Jung-Ji. At this time the timekeeper stops the clock until the next "Gae-sok" (Continue) command is given.
A machine designed for the specific test will be used. The number of plastic boards for each item will be communicated in the Championships Official Invitation.
In power breaking it is permitted to make one step forward, to slide, to skip as long as the competitor does not jump, that means that one foot keeps contact with the floor at all times.
For Sonkal the strike may be either inward or outward.
After a red flag signal of the referee, each competitor and/or team member has fifty (50) seconds for each item in order to pre-judge the distance (touching allowed) followed by the attempt to break the board(s).
An L-Stand forearm guarding block ready posture must be adopted before and after each attempt to break the board(s).
Referees may disallow an attempt for failure to maintain the following:
Correct balance and posture throughout technique.
Correct attacking tool in the correct manner.
Referees must examine each board before each attempt.
Each separated board will count as two (2) points and each bent board will count as one (1) point.
The four highest scores will set 1st, 2nd and two (2) 3rd place winners.
In the event of a tie the Jury President will select by drawing one item to be the "Tie-breaker". He will decide how many boards are to be used. The tied competitors will then carry on until the places are decided.
Junior And Or Senior - Team
Teams (Male 5 competitors + 1 reserve; Female 3 competitors + 1 reserve) will perform items as indicated in Article 43 and the procedures in a.-b.-c.-d.-e.-f.-g-h. (Article 44) will be carried out.
A machine designed for the specific test will be used. Heights/length will be communicated in the Championships Official Invitation.
After a red flag signal of the referee, each competitor and/or team member has sixty (60) seconds for each item in order to pre-judge the distance (no touching allowed) followed by the attempt to move the board.
An L-Stand forearm guarding block ready posture must be adopted before and after the attempt to move the board.
Referees may disallow a break for failure to maintain the following:
Correct balance and posture throughout technique.
Correct attacking tool in the correct manner.
Knocking over any or all of the hurdles.
Referees must examine each board before each attempt.
Each fully moved board will count as two (2) points and each half moved board will count as one (1) point.
The four highest scores will set 1st, 2nd, and two (2) 3rd place winners.
In the event of a tie the Jury President will select by drawing one (1) item to be the "Tie-breaker". He will decide how high/long the jump will be. The tied competitors will then carry on until the places are decided.
Junior And Or Senior - Team
Teams (Male 5 competitors + 1 reserve; Female 3 competitors + 1 reserve) will perform items as indicated in Article 46 and the procedures in a.-b.-c.-d.-e.-f.-g. (Article 47) will be carried out.
Only the Coach can present a protest when a decision seems to violate the rules.
Each protest must be written in the English language on the official protest form and presented to the Chairman of the Umpire Committee within five (5) minutes from the end of the match.
The protest must be precise and circumstantial and must be accompanied by a tax that will be fixed by the Tournament Committee at the beginning of each tournament, in order to limit such protests to cases where decisions are really questionable.
Only in cases where the Umpire Committee positively accepts the protest the tax will be returned to the coach.
The Umpire Committee will then examine the circumstances of the protest and will decide:
to validate the match;
to repeat the match;
to assign the victory of the match to the loser;
to disqualify both competitors.
In case of a protest the winner cannot compete again before the decision of the Umpire Committee has been made.
In order to give a decision the Umpire Committee may call on anyone else they desire to give evidence concerning the protest.
On reaching a decision the Umpire Committee will notify all parties concerned of this decision.
The Umpire Committee will at all times base their decision on the rules laid down in this document and their decision cannot conflict with the rules of this document.
Team Managers/Representatives or Individuals who persist in arguing against decisions made by the Tournament Committee may, at their discretion, have the whole team, or the individual, disqualified from all further events at the championship.
The Tournament Committee will consider the matter at a later date with a view to further action being taken.
