#Event Description & Format - Taekwondo#
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Taekwondo features four weight classes for men and women --
flyweight, featherweight, welterweight and heavyweight -- that
range from 128-176 pounds for men and 108-148 pounds for women.

The competition runs from August 26-29 and takes place at the
Faliro Coastal Zone Olympic Complex Sports Pavilion.

Taekwondo has roots in ancient Korean martial arts and was
created in 1957.

Points are scored by delivering strikes to specific areas on the
opponent's body -- the head, abdomen and the sides of the body.
Strikes must be made with the foot below the ankle or by the
knuckles of the index and middle fingers.

Full-point penalties, known as gam-jeom, include deliberate
attacks to the back and face or throwing an opponent. Half-point
penalties, or kyong-go, include holding, pushing, grabbing,
turning your back to your opponent or feigning injury.

A match consists of three three-minute rounds with one-minute
breaks between rounds.  A contestant can win by knocking down an
opponent for 10 seconds or by winning the most points.

If a contest is tied, the person who scored the most points
other than penalties is the winner.  If there is still a tie,
the referee decides the winner.

However, in the gold-medal match, a sudden-death round is
contested.  If no point is scored, the referee decides the
winner.

Tournaments are single elimination.  The bronze medal is decided
in a single-elimination mini-tournament between those that lost
to the finalists before the semifinals and the losers of the
semifinals.

There will be a total of 124 competitors from five continents
taking part in the Athens competition.
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