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Judo/Taekwondo Fan Guide
Olympic competition dates: Sept. 16-22 Venue: Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour The outlook Women's judo was added in 1992. The men's competition began in 1964 in Tokyo. Germany, Belgium and France lead in the men's field. Cuba tops the women's field. The finer points Equipment: Contestants wear a judogi, which is loose fitting pants and a jacket tied by a black belt. They compete on a mat that is 32.8 feet square. Rules: Bouts last five minutes for men and four for women. A match can be one by a single point, which may be scored if one contestant throws his or her opponent to the mat so that the opponent's back strikes the canvas. If the throw is executed with perfect form, a point is awarded, and the match is over. If the form is not perfect, half a point may be awarded; another half can be gained by holding the opponent on the mat 20 seconds. Thirty seconds of holding is worth a full point as well. If no point is scored in the time allotted, the match goes to the person who has either a half point or who has accumulated the most credit. Bronze medals are awarded to each semifinal loser. TAEKWONDO Olympic competition dates: Sept. 27-30 Venue: State Sports Centre, Sydney Olympic Park The outlook Sport that has existed for 2,000 years debuts as a medal event at Sydney after being a demonstration in 1992 and 1996. Korea won the men's and women's titles at last year's world championships. The finer points Taekwondo is making its Olympic debut. A 100 men and women in four classes will participate in a single-elimination tournament. Format: Three rounds of three minutes each with a one-minute break between rounds. A win can be made by knock out, scoring the most points or default if an opponent is disqualified or earns three penalty points. In case of a tie, the referee decides on the winner unless it is a gold medal round. Gold medal rounds go into sudden death with the winner being the first to score. If no one scores, the referee will determine the winner. All competitors eliminated from gold or silver medal contention will compete in a second bracket to determine the bronze medal. The losing semifinalists will move directly to the semifinal level of the bronze-medal bracket. The remaining competitors will fight to face them in the semifinal round of that bracket. Scoring: Points are given for legitimate blows and can be taken away by penalties. Opponents earn points with punches to the body or by landing kicks on the head or body. A 10-second knockout count can begin if any part of a contestant's body other than the foot touches the mat. Equipment: Headgear and body protectors in addition to groin, shin and forearm protectors are required. The competition area is a 12-meter square covered with an elastic mat on a raised platform. Classes Men: flyweight, 128 pounds; featherweight, 150 pounds; welterweight, 176 pounds; heavyweight, over 176 pounds. Women: flyweight, 108 pounds; featherweight, 126 pounds; welterweight, 148 pounds; heavyweight, over 148 pounds. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |  | | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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