Tae kwon do

WWatch out!

Photos & text by Karen Cheng, Lilian Goh & Vien Wong

Tae kwon do means “the art of kicking and punching”.

Its history dates back to the sixth century in Korea.

Nowadays, it is a popular international sport and it became a medal sport at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. In Hong Kong, the 11th Inter-Universities and Colleges Tae Kwon Do Tournament was held on 18 February at Hong Kong Park.

The competition was divided by weight classes and rankings, with over 200 tae kwon do students from 18 institutions participating.

City University of Hong Kong won the overall championship.

Tae kwon do students have to wear a tobok and a belt.

The colour of the belt is an indication of a student’s skill.

A white belt indicates a student without knowledge in tae kwon do, while a black belt shows a student’s maturity in the sport.

Weapons are not used in tae kwon do. Players have to attack their opponent’s head or body centre in order to score a point.

Points are scored by delivering strikes to specific areas on the opponent’s body — the head, abdomen and the sides of the body.

Captions: Although tae kwon do is a Korean national sport, it is widely practised by westerners.

Oops! I did it again! Competitors must have short nails before they can enter the dojang.

Different kinds of self-defense are used by the competitors.

Competitors wait for their turn anxiously.