International Olympic Committee : News

Europe leads way as Taekwondo comes of age - London 2012 - Taekwondo

8/12/2012 12:00:00 AM

These Games were always going to be a landmark for the martial art, after a new electronic scoring system was introduced for the first time with video replays to make the competition more transparent and fair.

The fighters responded with some stunning displays in front of packed crowds in the 6,000-strong venue, with respect for the new procedures impeccably observed.

For the first time in Olympic Games Taekwondo, it was Europe who led the way, with Spain's Joel Gonzalez Bonilla setting the tone on the opening day in the Flyweight division as he added Olympic gold to his world title, while China's Wu Jingyu was one of the few returning champions to successfully defend their crown in the -49kg.

The home crowd were in full voice on day two as they roared Wales teenager Jade Jones on to gold in the -57kg, as she beat Tseng Li-Cheng of Chinese Taipei, the world number one, and then Chinese fighter Hou Yuzhuo, the 2011 world champion in the final.

Turkey's top seed Servet Tazegul claimed the -68kg crown, before the tournament closed with more European dominance from the Heavyweights as Rome policeman Carlo Molfetta kicked his way to success, awarded on judge's decision after an epic final against Anthony Obame of Gabon.

Milica Mandic, 20, claimed Serbia's first Olympic gold since competing as an independent nation.

For Republic of Korea, though, London 2012 represented the end of their dominance since the martial art became part of the full Olympic Games programme at Sydney 2000.

Hwang Kyung Seon did retain her title in the -67kg division, but Lee Daehoon was beaten to gold by Gonzalez Bonilla.

The Beijing 2008 Olympic champion Cha Dongmin failed to make the Heavyweight medal fights, while Lee In Jong suffered heartache when she was beaten on sudden-death score by Russian Anastasia Baryshnikova in the +67kg bronze contest as for the first time Korea did not return the full complement of four medals.

Obame's silver was, though, a first Olympic medal of any description for Gabon.

Sebastian Eduardo Crismanich's gold at -80kg saw him become Argentina's first Olympic Taekwondo champion - and return the South Americans' only gold from the Games.

Afghan fighter Rohullah Nikpah can, meanwhile, expect another hero's welcome back in Kabul after he beat GB's Martin Stamper in the -68kg bronze-medal contest, to emulate his achievements at Beijing 2008.

There was also a changing of the guard at ExCeL, where Britain's Olympic bronze medallist and two-time world champion Sarah Stevenson went out in the first round, while Beijing 2008 champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza from Mexico had to settle for bronze in the +67kg class.

USA legend Steven Lopez, 33, was unable to collect another Olympic medal from his fourth and probably final Games.

World Taekwondo Federation Secretary General Jean-Marie Ayer is in no doubt of London 2012's place in the history of Olympic Games Taekwondo.

'It really has been an amazing four days of competition,' he said.

'So many countries made history here by getting their first medals in the sport of Taekwondo, and some even their first or only medals of their Games.

'I think it is fair to say that the London 2012 competition has been the best Olympic Taekwondo competition yet - just as we said it would be.

'Anyone who has been here, and heard the noise, and seen the flags will tell you the same thing: the atmosphere has been very, very special.'

The challenge has certainly been set for Taekwondo to raise the bar again at Rio 2016.

Penultimate day of action brings more YOG medals

8/12/2012 12:39:00 PM

Medals came from Columbia’s Oscar Munoz, who won his country’s first medal in taekwondo by taking bronze in the men's 58kg category. "I just can't believe it - it's amazing. It's been my goal for my whole life. I'm only 19 and it’s my first Olympic Games. I just can't believe I made it,” he said, overjoyed. "It's the first medal for Colombia in taekwondo and I'm very proud to be the one to get it."

Medals two and three came in the Aquatics Centre as the class of Singapore 2010 fully dominated the men's 10m platform diving final, with both China’s Qiu Bo and Great Britain’s Tom Daley finishing on the podium, taking silver and bronze respectively.

It was a final of true Olympic quality, with twists, somersaults and turns all executed within 10m, and the crown eventually going to the USA’s David Boudia. At only 18 years-old, Tom is already an Olympic veteran having competed at Beijing in 2008 ahead of the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore 2010. He was overjoyed to win his first Olympic medal: "It's the one medal that was missing from my collection. It means so much to me. All of the hard work has paid off."

For Qiu, the night was equally as great, as he pulled off some amazing dives to claim silver.

The teenagers plan to rest for now, but it’ll be back to the hard work soon as they both promise to be at the next summer Olympic Games in Rio in four years’ time, and they’re both demanding a medal upgrade!

What a day for the Youth Olympic Games athletes and with more medal hopes on the final day too, we are all set to end on a high!

Golden night for Mandic and Molfetta - London 2012 - Taekwondo

8/11/2012 12:00:00 AM

Mandic claimed Serbia's first Taekwondo Olympic gold when she beat Anne-Caroline Graffe of France 9-7 in the women's +67kg final.

Mandic, 21, was making her debut at the Games, but showed no nerves as she beat Beijing 2008 champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza and then European gold medallist Anastasia Baryshnikova en route to the final.

The Serbian continued her momentum against Graffe, landing a head kick in the second round to lead 5-4 going into the final two minutes.

And Mandic was not to be denied as she closed out a memorable victory.

The 2008 Olympic champion Espinoza came through the repechage to beat Cuban Glenhis Hernandez and claim bronze, along with Baryshnikova.

Meanwhile, Rome policeman Molfetta took gold on judges' decision after a classic final of the men's +80kg against Anthony Obame, whose silver was a first Olympic medal for Gabon.

Obame had scored an early head shot and looked to defend a 6-3 lead going into the final round.

However, despite landing another head shot, which was upheld on appeal from the Italian corner, Obame could not hold out.

With just 15 seconds left Molfetta, European champion in 2010, somehow found a head score of his own to send the contest into sudden death.

Neither man could make the breakthrough during the extra period, so it went to the judges' superiority decision - which was awarded to the Italian.

Earlier, wild card Daba Modibo Keita was unable to try to become Mali's first ever Olympic medallist when he could not take to the mat for the bronze match. Robelis Despaigne of Cuba was awarded the medal. Liu Xiaobo of China claimed the other bronze when he edged a tight contest against Bahri Tanrikulu 3-2.

After Singapore 2010, now London 2012: Gold for YOG athlete Jade Jones

8/10/2012 10:33:00 AM

Nineteen-year-old Jade Jones won Britain’s first-ever taekwondo gold on Thursday night when she beat Hou Yuzhou of China in the women’s under-57kg finals in an intensive day of competition. Going into the final, Jade was still the underdog against Hou – the winner of last year’s World Championships final, but Jade stunned the crowds in both the semi-finals and finals with her trademark head kick, helping her claim the number one spot.

In a tense match, where the first round remained scoreless, Jade managed to pull out a stunning victory and beat Hou 6 - 4. “Before I came out I was thinking that she took my World Championship final. That killed me for ages. So I wasn’t going to let her beat me here in front of a home crowd,” Jade said. “I came here to get the gold.”

Jade, who won gold in Singapore at the first Youth Olympic Games two years ago after her hometown helped her finance her trip for the qualifiers, said winning the Olympic gold was something else. “The format of it was the same (as Singapore) but obviously it’s a home crowd here and it’s bigger. Taekwondo is a low-key sport so to have this level of support is overwhelming.”

“To be the first British athlete to win an Olympic gold (in taekwondo) is just amazing and the crowd is bonkers - I can’t explain it.” Being a teenage Olympic champion hasn’t come without sacrifice, "I had to watch all my mates going out while I was training and I had to move away from my family at 17 which was hard." But after months of blood, sweat and tears (not to mention the early morning starts) the gold medal makes it all worth it.

Elsewhere in the park our other Young Olympians were in action with the Netherlands‘ Twan van Gendt making it through to the BMX semi-finals. He will race again later today. Over in the hockey stands, Mohammad Rizwan (Junior) and Kashif Syed Shah helped Pakistan’s hockey team finish seventh overall in the competition as they beat Korea. While on the race track, Ethiopia’s Mohammed Aman finished in sixth place setting a new record for his country.

Jones secures Taekwondo gold - London 2012 - Taekwondo

8/9/2012 12:00:00 AM

Jones, 19, had produced a late rally to land her trademark head-kick and stun world number one Tseng Li-Cheng of Chinese Taipei 10-6 in the semi-final.

However, the opening against Hou - who had beaten Jones in last year's World Championships final - was tense, as each fighter tested their range during a scoreless first two minutes.

A low blow from the Chinese fighter accrued a second penalty which resulted in a point for Jones towards the end of the second round, and another shot to the body on the buzzer made it 2-0.

The Briton continued to go on the offensive and opened up a 5-1 lead heading into the final 30 seconds, closing out a stunning 6-4 victory.

Jones said she owed her success to her coach.

'My coach Paul Green is a legend. Without him I wouldn't be nowhere near where I was today,' she said.

'To win the Olympic Games gold is obviously special but for my family and friends to be here ... to perform has been amazing.'

Tseng went on to claim bronze after coming through against Finland's Suvi Mikkonen, while Frenchwoman Marlene Harnois saw off Mayu Hamada of Japan for the other bronze medal.

More sports grace London Olympic venues

12/8/2011 3:30:00 PM

London’s Olympic venues have played host to six more sporting events, as preparations continue for next year’s Olympic Games. The handball, table tennis, fencing, boxing, judo and taekwondo events all formed part of the London Prepares series, which is bringing world-class sport to the British capital’s Olympic venues in the build-up to London 2012.

The events form an integral part of the London 2012 Organising Committee’s (LOCOG’s) preparations for the Games, enabling it to test vital Games-time operations, including competition equipment, scoreboards, results services, workforce and officials.

The London Handball Cup saw six top women’s teams battle it out over five days of competition in the Olympic Park’s newly-built Handball Arena. Austria took the gold medal after defeating Poland 23-22 in a closely fought final, while Angola took the bronze medal with a 29-24 win over China.

Over 10,000 tickets for the event were given out to local schools, colleges and residents, creating a superb atmosphere in the arena, which will be used as a multi-use venue after the Games.

“It is great to see competitive action in the Handball Arena,” said David Luckes, Head of Sport Competition at LOCOG. “The test event has run very smoothly and the atmosphere generated by the local crowd has been electric. Not only have we been able to test our operations, this has also been a great chance to showcase handball to a wider audience.”

Herbert Müller, coach of the winning Austrian team, was also impressed with the event. “It was a great honour to play at this tournament and I really like the Olympic Handball Arena, especially the multi-coloured seats,” he said. “The organisation was perfect and the whole Austrian team really enjoyed it.”

Elsewhere, London’s ExCeL exhibition centre opened its doors to a variety of sports as it played host to fencing, table tennis, boxing, judo and taekwondo events. The London Boxing International Invitational saw both male and female competitors taking part in four days of competition from 24-27 November, while the London International Invitational Men's Foil competition took place from 26-27 November.

“It was great competing in the venue that the Olympic Games will be held at next year,” said American fencer Gerek Meinhardt, who took gold in the individual foil event. “It was really amazing motivation seeing the facilities and getting familiar with some of the procedures that will take place if I qualify for the Games.”

The 2011 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pro Tour Grand Finals were also held at ExCeL from 24-27 November, with the world's best players competing for the Pro Tour title.
“The ITTF Pro Tour Grand Finals is always the yearly highlight of the professional tour,” said Judit Farago, the chief executive and competitions executive director at the ITTF. “But this time both the motivation and the interest from the players was higher than usual with the attraction of competing in what will be an Olympic venue next year.”

From 3-4 December, ExCeL also hosted the London Prepares International Invitational Judo event, featuring male and female athletes from around the world, and the Taekwondo International Invitational, which featured 60 athletes from 18 countries.

“This significant competition has given us the unique opportunity to validate our current planning, crystallise operations and rehearse Game-time deliverables and everything here has gone very well,” said Luckes. “Moreover, we have been able to test parts of the venue and our technology solution, while it has been equally important for our invaluable sport-specific volunteers and workforce to gain the exposure and tangible experience of being involved at a major international event.”

The ExCeL venue will also host wrestling and weightlifting events from 10-11 December.

Singapore 2010 adopts new sport formats

8/12/2010 3:39:00 PM

The first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Singapore will feature all 26 sports currently on the programme of the London 2012 Olympic Games. What will differ in some cases are the disciplines and format, such as 3 on 3 street basketball, a mixed gender relay in the swimming pool, a medley relay on the track or events in which athletes from different National Olympic Committees compete on the same team. Read on to see what your favourite sports will consist of in Singapore...

Aquatics (diving and swimming)

Aquatics comprises diving and swimming. There will be two diving events for both men and women, 3m springboard and 10m platform. Swimming events include freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly and medley, both individual and relay. As a first, a mixed gender event for 4 x 100m freestyle relay and 4 x 100m medley relay is included.

Archery

Archery will feature individual men, women and mixed team competitions. The distance that athletes will be shooting is 70m.

Athletics

Athletics comprises a total 36 events for both men and women. The track events will include 1000m and 3000m races as well as a 2000m steeplechase and a medley relay. There will be eight field events (four jumps and four throws).

Badminton

Badminton will feature men’s and women’s singles events in Singapore.

Basketball

Basketball 3 on 3 will be played at the YOG. There will be two teams of three players on court at any one time. This fast-paced game is played on a half court, with one basketball hoop. It includes two periods of five minutes each. The winner is the first team to score 33 points, or the team that is leading the game at the end of the fifteen minutes of play.

Boxing

Boxing will feature men’s events. There will be 11 different weight categories, ranging from 48kg to the 91kg+ division.

Canoe-Kayak

Canoe-Kayak will feature four events for men and two for women. Both will race
in head-to-head sprints and obstacle slaloms in the kayak category. The men will also compete in the same events in canoes.

Cycling

The Cycling competition will involve teams. Each team consists of three men and one woman. The three men are required to compete in one discipline each (BMX, MTB and Time Trial), while the woman has to compete in all three disciplines. All male riders also have to compete in the Road Race.

Equestrian

In Equestrian, only the jumping events will take place (team and individual). The Organising Committee will provide the horses, which will be assigned to riders by draw. For the team event, there will be six teams representing each FEI regional zone.

Fencing

Fencing will feature individual competitions in the foil, epée and sabre for men and women, and a mixed team competition.

Football

Football will consist of a six-team competition, representing all continents, for both men and women.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is split into artistic and rhythmic, as in the Olympic Games. The artistic competition will feature eight individual men’s events and six individual women’s events. The rhythmic competition consists of two events – individual and team – for women.

Handball

Handball is a six-team tournament, representing all continents, for men and for women.

Hockey

Hockey is the same as football and handball – a six-team competition, representing all continents for both men and women.

Judo

There are a total of eight weight categories for both men and women in the Judo competition. There is also a mixed team event.

Modern Pentathlon

The Modern Pentathlon competition consists of four of the five modern pentathlon disciplines: fencing, swimming, running and shooting. The fifth discipline, riding, will not be competed at Singapore 2010. The run-shoot format will be competed. In the Combined event, laser shooting is being used for the first time.

Rowing

Both the men and women will compete in two events in Rowing – single sculls and pairs.

Sailing

The Sailing competition comprises four events, with men and women sailing in either the one person dinghy or the windsurfing.

Shooting

In Shooting, the men and women will compete in both air rifle and air pistol.

Table Tennis

Table tennis will consist of men’s singles, women’s singles and a mixed team competition.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo will see athletes competing in five weight categories per gender.

Tennis

There will be both men’s singles and doubles and women’s singles and doubles in the Tennis tournament.

Triathlon

The Triathlon competition format for individual competitions includes a 750m swim in open water, a 20km cycle ride and a 5km run. The 4 x mixed team relay competition includes a 250m swim in open water, a 7km cycle ride and a 1.7km run.

Volleyball

Volleyball is a six-team men’s and women’s competition.

Weightlifting

Weightlifting sees men competing in six weight categories, while women will compete in five weight categories. The combined results of the Snatch and the Clean & Jerk will produce the champion of each weight category.

Wrestling

The Wrestling competition will see men compete in Greco-Roman (five weight categories) and freestyle (five weight categories) and women in freestyle (four weight categories).