source: Wikipedia
The sport's scoring is so subjective a direct hit doesn't score. I don't understand this. In 2004 Athens Olympics, Marie Antoinette Rivero hit her Greek opponent in the head for all the people to see. But the judges, who must be blind, failed to see it or must have favored the hometown girl. She should've won that match. Nobody understands the scoring in this "sport". The athletes are under the mercy of judges whose objectivity sometimes don't inspire confidence. The International Olympic Committee is looking towards removing this shady sport from the Games. Here's a report from CBC:
Taekwondo may be in jeopardy of elimination from the Olympics after the Games of 2012, but the sport’s federation is confident it will remain on the agenda.
The 2012 Games in London won’t feature baseball or softball, and it is expected the number of core Olympic sports will drop to 25 by the 2020 Games.
Taekwondo is considered at risk of being cut because of inconsistent judging and a confusing scoring system, while golf, rugby and karate are all seeking Olympic inclusion.
According to a this report one more scandal is enough to throw Taekwondo in the dustbin:
Squeaky-clean referees and a wide open field at the Beijing Olympics will secure taekwondo's place on the Games' roster, officials hope.
Taekwondo survived a vote in 2005 to be retained for the 2012 Games in London and faces another test in 2009 when International Olympic Committee (IOC) members cast ballots for the 2016 Games.
A repeat of the sometimes shambolic scenes at Athens in 2004 where refereeing decisions caused crowds to jeer results and angry coaches to invade matches may prove lethal for the sport.
If I had my way it should have never been part of the Olympics anyway. The "sport's" governing body World Taekwondo Federation (WTF very aptly named. This is the reaction of participants after placing a clean kick which doesn't get to score. Only in TKD.) says it is cleaning up its act to make way for more transparent scoring.
(Check this news item for more TKD scandal.)
TOO LATE. TIME TO GET THE AXE!!! I think the TKD jins are only asking for objective and consistent scoring so their dedication and hardwork will pay off. Is that too much to ask?
Ivett Gonda of Port Moody, B.C., a medal hopeful in taekwondo, lost her first bout at the Beijing Olympics on Thursday, a result her coach says was affected by unfair judging.
She was defeated 2-0 by Hanna Zajc of Sweden in the 49-kilogram class and was eliminated from the tournament.
Gonda and her coach Shin Lim were puzzled by the judging, claiming that the Canadian wasn't receiving points she deserved.
Lim suggested that Chinese judge Lei Zhao may have been stingy with points for Gonda because she would have faced a Chinese athlete in the next round.
"I can't say for sure but she made a point but (didn't receive) a point," said Lim. "Must be the machine's broken, I don't know. Other coaches were surprised. It's not only coming from me emotionally."
In taekwondo, there is a judge at each corner of the mat. Points are awarded for kicks to the chest and kicks to the head. Three of the four judges need to agree that contact has been made and push an electronic button for a point to be awarded.
"I don't know why they weren't pressing it today," said Gonda. Source
There you go IOC. I guess it is just TOO MUCH TO ASK lol.
1 comment:
This latest smudge on TKD, or WTF (hehe), has made me so updet I am swearing off TKD as long as I can. I watched the Ivett Gonda match and it was an absolute mockery - not only the points Ivett was not awarded, but the points awarded to her competitor by comparison were scandalous. The fact that the WTF reviewed the tapes and still held the verdict speaks that the whole mess of judges is rotten. I am withdrawing my son from his upcoming Taekwondo this fall - I wouldn't know how to explain something like this to him if he ever made it as far as the Olympics. There are errors in any sport with human referees, but they have made Ivett Gonda into a victim instead of an athelete. Shame on the WTF, and the IOC for permitting it.
Post a Comment