Taekwondo
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Weight Categories in Taekwondo
Weight categories in combat sports were established to standardize conditions in championships, allowing athletes to compete against similar opponents. In taekwondo, weight categories are divided according to the type of competition and the age of the participants:
- World Category (senior athletes at least 17 years old)
- Olympic Category
- Junior Category (junior athletes between 15 and 17 years old)
- Youth Olympic Category
- Cadet Category (athletes between 12 and 14 years old)
The World and Olympic categories are for senior athletes. Most of the domestic / international taekwondo competitions for senior practitioners have traditionally consisted of 16 weight classes, eight for men and eight for women (World Category). The Olympic category is reduced to 8 categories (4 for men, 4 for women). This distinction exists because the number of Taekwondo participants in the Olympic Games is limited to 128 athletes only (8 categories X16 athletes). World Taekwondo, which is the organization that manages Olympic Taekwondo, decided to reduce the number of weight categories usually used in the World Championships from 16 to 8 categories in order to have a sufficient number of athletes present at the Olympic Games in each category (we will see in another blog, how taekwondo athletes qualify for the Olympic Games).
World Weight categories (senior athletes at least 17 years old)
|
Menâs division |
Womenâs division |
||
|
Under 54kg |
Not exceeding 54kg |
Under 46kg |
Not exceeding 46 kg |
|
Under 58kg |
Over 54 kg & Not exceeding 58 kg |
Under 49kg |
Over 46 kg & Not exceeding 49 kg |
|
Under 63kg |
Over 58 kg & Not exceeding 63 kg |
Under 53kg |
Over 49 kg & Not exceeding 53 kg |
|
Under 68kg |
Over 63 kg & Not exceeding 68 kg |
Under 57kg |
Over 53 kg & Not exceeding 57 kg |
|
Under 74kg |
Over 68 kg & Not exceeding 74 kg |
Under 62kg |
Over 57 kg & Not exceeding 62 kg |
|
Under 80kg |
Over 74 kg & Not exceeding 80 kg |
Under 67kg |
Over 62 kg & Not exceeding 67 kg |
|
Under 87kg |
Over 80 kg & Not exceeding 87 kg |
Under 73kg |
Over 67 kg & Not exceeding 73 kg |
|
Over 87kg |
Over 87 kg |
Over 73kg |
Over 73 kg |
Olympic Weight Categories
|
Menâs division |
Womenâs division |
||
|
Under 58kg |
Not exceeding 58kg |
Under 49kg |
Not exceeding 49kg |
|
Under 68kg |
Over 58kg & not exceeding 68kg |
Under 57kg |
Over 49kg & not exceeding 57kg |
|
Under 80kg |
Over 68kg & not exceeding 80kg |
Under 67kg |
Over 57kg & not exceeding 67kg |
|
Over 80kg |
Over 80kg |
Over 67kg |
Over 67kg |
Junior Weight Categories (junior athletes between 15 and 17 years old)
|
Menâs division |
Womenâs division |
||
|
Under 45kg |
Not exceeding 45kg |
Under 42kg |
Not exceeding 42 kg |
|
Under 48kg |
Over 45 kg & Not exceeding 48 kg |
Under 44kg |
Over 42 kg & Not exceeding 44 kg |
|
Under 51kg |
Over 48 kg & Not exceeding 51 kg |
Under 46kg |
Over 44 kg & Not exceeding 46 kg |
|
Under 55kg |
Over 51 kg & Not exceeding 55 kg |
Under 49kg |
Over 46 kg & Not exceeding 49 kg |
|
Under 59kg |
Over 55 kg & Not exceeding 59 kg |
Under 52kg |
Over 49 kg & Not exceeding 52 kg |
|
Under 63kg |
Over 59 kg & Not exceeding 63 kg |
Under 55kg |
Over 52 kg & Not exceeding 55 kg |
|
Under 68kg |
Over 63 kg & Not exceeding 68 kg |
Under 59kg |
Over 55 kg & Not exceeding 59 kg |
|
Under 73kg |
Over 68 kg & Not exceeding 73 kg |
Under 63kg |
Over 59 kg & Not exceeding 63 kg |
|
Under 78kg |
Over 73 kg & Not exceeding 78 kg |
Under 68kg |
Over 63 kg & Not exceeding 68 kg |
|
Over 78kg |
Over 78 kg |
Over 68kg |
Over 68 kg |
Youth Olympic Weight categories
|
Menâs division |
Womenâs division |
||
|
Under 48kg |
Not exceeding 48kg |
Under 44kg |
Not exceeding 44kg |
|
Under 55kg |
Over 48kg & not exceeding 55kg |
Under 49kg |
Over 44kg & not exceeding 49kg |
|
Under 63kg |
Over 55kg & not exceeding 63kg |
Under 55kg |
Over 49kg & not exceeding 55kg |
|
Under 73kg |
Over 63kg & not exceeding 73kg |
Under 63kg |
Over 55kg & not exceeding 63kg |
|
Over 73kg |
Over 73kg |
Over 63kg |
Over 63kg |
Cadet Weight Categories (athletes between 12 and 14 years old)
|
Menâs division |
Womenâs division |
||
|
Under 33kg |
Not exceeding 33kg |
Under 29kg |
Not exceeding 29kg |
|
Under 37kg |
Over 33kg & not exceeding 37kg |
Under 33kg |
Over 29kg & not exceeding 33kg |
|
Under 41kg |
Over 37kg & not exceeding 41kg |
Under 37kg |
Over 33kg & not exceeding 37kg |
|
Under 45kg |
Over 41kg & not exceeding 45kg |
Under 41kg |
Over 37kg & not exceeding 41kg |
|
Under 49kg |
Over 45kg & not exceeding 49kg |
Under 44kg |
Over 41kg & not exceeding 44kg |
|
Under 53kg |
Over 49kg & not exceeding 53kg |
Under 47kg |
Over 44kg & not exceeding 47kg |
|
Under 57kg |
Over 53kg & not exceeding 57kg |
Under 51kg |
Over 47kg & not exceeding 51kg |
|
Under 61kg |
Over 57kg & not exceeding 61kg |
Under 55kg |
Over 51kg & not exceeding 55kg |
A taekwondo sparring athlete is usually scheduled for a fixed weight class and must not exceed the upper limit when participating to a competition.
A competitor typically weighs more between championships than at tournament time. Part of the process of training for a match is "getting down to fighting weight". The weigh-in takes place the day before the tournament. Competitors typically stand on a scale barefoot and without the uniform, belt, or sparring gears.
A competitor who is over the weight limit may strip naked to make the weight if the excess is minimal; otherwise, one can try again later, typically after losing weight through dehydration through vigorous exercise. If the excess weight is too big, the effort expended trying to "make weight" will make the competitor unfit for the fight itself. In such cases, the competitor may be disqualified from the tournament by the officials.
At the time of weigh-in, the contestant must be between the weight class's upper and lower limits of his/her weight category. The weight limit is defined by the criterion of one decimal place away from the stated limit. For example, not exceeding 50kg is established as up to 50.0kg with 50.1kg being over the limit resulting in disqualification. Over 50.00 kg marks occur at the 50.1kg reading and 50.0kg and under is regarded as insufficient, resulting in disqualification.
