Wrestling, judo, boxing and taekwondo: Your guide to combat sports at Paris 2024
As the Olympic Games Paris 2024 approach, athletes prepare to battle it out for gold, literally.
From massive judo throws to lightning-fast taekwondo kicks and thrilling wrestling takedowns, Olympic martial arts are captivating spectacles you won't want to miss. Whether you’re a seasoned spectator or new to the world of combat, understanding these sports can greatly enhance your viewing experience.
Here’s a guide to all you need to know about the combat sports events in Paris: Greco-Roman Wrestling, Freestyle Wrestling, Judo, Boxing and Taekwondo.
Wrestling
The sport of wrestling is among the oldest in human history, introduced into the ancient Olympic Games as far back as 708 BC. There are two types of wrestling: Greco-Roman wrestling, a style based on the ancient sport, and freestyle wrestling, which is more modern.
Greco-Roman wrestling has been a key Olympic event since the first celebration of the modern Olympic Games at Athens 1896 and became a permanent fixture at London 1908. Freestyle wrestling debuted at St. Louis 1904, with women's freestyle added at Athens 2004.
Today, freestyle wrestling is the world’s most practised form of wrestling. Freestyle wrestlers can use both their arms and legs to execute holds over their opponent. Greco-Roman wrestlers must only hold their opponents above the waist.
How to win:
- By pin: Wrestlers can win by pinning their opponent's shoulders on the mat without holding them by the singlet. This is called a “fall.”
- By points: if no fall is secured during the bout, have the most points at the end of regulation time by performing takedown and reversal moves.
- Disqualification
Useful information:
- Two periods (three minutes each)
- Uniforms: wrestling singlets and shoes
- Six weight categories for women, twelve for men
- Eight point lead = automatic win
- Takedowns: 2-5 points
- Reversal: 1 point
- Exposure: 2-3 points
- Penalties: 1-2 points
- Out of bounds: 1 point
Terms:
- Takedown: A move where a wrestler takes their opponent down to the mat from a standing position to gain control and score points. A double-leg takedown is where a wrestler grabs both legs of the opponent to bring them to the mat. A single-leg takedown is a technique targeting one leg of the opponent to execute a takedown.
- Par Terre: French for "on the ground." A position where one wrestler is on the ground, and the other attempts to score points from the top.
- Gut Wrench: A move where a wrestler locks their arms around the opponent’s waist and rolls them to score points.
- Escape: A move where a wrestler gets out of a hold or control position.
How to qualify for wrestling at Paris 2024
Judo
Judo, a Japanese martial art created by Jigoro Kano in the late 19th century, translates to "the gentle way." It has been an Olympic sport since Tokyo 1964, with women's judo first appearing at Barcelona 1992. The mixed team event debuted in Tokyo 2020, where men and women compete alongside one another.
Judoka aim to throw their opponent, immobilise them with a pin, or force them to submit with a joint lock or choke through a combination of strength, speed, and technique.
How to win:
- Ippon: throwing an opponent on their back, pinning the opponent down for 20 seconds, or forcing the opponent into submission with a choke or arm lock. An ippon immediately ends the match.
- Waza-ari: A technique that scores half a point; two Waza-aris equal an Ippon and immediately end the match.
- Hansoku-make: a serious infringement that disqualifies the offending judoka
- Shido: Penalty for slight infringement. Rule violations such as non-combativity, intentionally stepping out of bounds, playing too defensively, or putting a hand directly on the opponent's face. The first two shidos are warnings, but the third shido becomes a hansoku-make, immediately ending the match.
Useful information/terms:
- Match length: four minutes
- Golden score: sudden death overtime, first point scored wins
- 14 weight categories: seven for men, seven for women; six weight categories for mixed team event
- Judoka: a judo practitioner
- Judogi: judo uniform, one player wears white, the other wears blue
- Tatami: field of play
- Osaekomi: hold downs, pinning techniques where one judoka holds the other on their back for a set period
Boxing
Boxing debuted at St. Louis 1904 and has been part of every Summer Olympic Games since, except for Stockholm 1912. Women's boxing was added at London 2012. The USA have dominated since 1904 and won 117 medals in total, while Cuba and Great Britain also excelled with 78 and 62 medals, respectively.
Olympic boxers aim to score points by landing clean punches on the opponent while avoiding their attacks and can win by points, knockout, or referee stoppage.
How to win:
- Win by points (WP): Judges decide the winner based on round-by-round scores. It can be a unanimous decision (all judges agree) or a split decision (judges disagree or at least one scores a draw).
- Referee stops contest (RSC): A technical knockout (TKO) occurs if a boxer cannot continue or fails to resume after a rest. The referee can also stop the contest if one boxer is heavily outclassed. If a boxer is deemed unfit to continue due to injury, the opponent wins by RSC-I (Referee stops contest due to injury)
- Abandonment (ABD): A boxer voluntarily quitting or their corner throwing in the towel
- Win by disqualification (DSQ): A boxer is disqualified for rule violations. Double disqualification (BDSQ) means neither boxer advances.
- Win by knockout (KO): If a boxer can't resume within 10 seconds after being knocked down, the opponent wins by KO. A double knockout (DKO) results in both boxers losing.
- Extraordinary rescheduling: If a bout is stopped due to external factors (e.g., ring damage), judges decide a winner by points if at least one round is completed. If stopped before one round, the bout is rescheduled.
Useful information:
- Men: three rounds (three minutes each) one minute break between rounds
- Women: three rounds (three minutes each) one minute break between rounds
- Seven weight classes for men, six for women
- Only punches above the waist and front of the opponent’s body are permitted
- Bouts are scored using a traditional 10-point system; judges award points to the boxer who won that round. (10-9: close round, 10-8: clear winner, 10-7: total dominance)
- Competitors wear light boots or shoes, socks, shorts, a vest, and a red or blue singlet
Terms:
- Bout: a boxing match
- Jab: a quick, straight punch with the lead hand
- Cross: a powerful, straight punch delivered with the rear hand
- Hook: a punch thrown in a semicircular motion with the lead or rear hand
- Uppercut: an upward punch aimed at the opponent’s chin
- Combination: punches thrown in sequence
- Feint: faking a punch
Taekwondo
Taekwondo, a Korean martial art known as “the art of kicking and punching,” debuted as a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games Seoul 1988, followed by another showcase at Barcelona 1992. The sport gained official recognition as a medal event at Sydney 2000, featuring competitions for both men and women and has been a staple of the Olympic programme ever since.
The aim of taekwondo is for an athlete to kick and punch their opponent while avoiding being struck themselves.
How to win:
Olympic taekwondo matches are decided in a best-of-three format, with scores resetting at the start of each round. An athlete must secure victory in two out of the three rounds to win.
How to score points:
Points in taekwondo can only be scored when hitting the body (the blue or red area on the trunk protector) or the head (above the collarbone, including the neck, ears, and back of the head). Strikes below the waist are not allowed.
Points are awarded as follows:
- 1 point for a punch to the trunk protector
- 2 points for a kick to the trunk protector
- 3 points for a kick to the head
- 4 points for a turning kick to the trunk protector
- 5 points for a turning kick to the head
- 1 point for each penalty ("gam-jeom") given to the opponent
Strikes must be powerful enough to be registered by the electronic Protector and Scoring System (PSS), with the force threshold varying by weight class and gender.
If a round ends in a tie, the winner is determined by most points from turning or spinning kicks. If tied, most points from higher-value techniques in order: head, trunk, punch, gam-jeom. If still tied, the number of hits recorded by the PSS. The referee and judges will decide the winner if all criteria are tied.
Though rare, a match can also be won by knocking out the opponent.
Useful information/terms
- Three rounds (two minutes each) one minute break between rounds
- Uniforms: head protector, trunk protector, gloves, shin guards, foot guards
- Eight weight categories, four per gender
- Taekwondoin: a practitioner of Taekwondo
- Dobok: Taekwondo unform
- Knockdown: a person is knocked down if any part of the body other than the sole of the foot touches the floor due to an opponent's applied force
- Gam-jeom: a penalty
- Chagi: a kick
- Poomsae: patterns of movements and techniques practiced in a pre-arranged sequence
- Kyorugi: sparring between two competitors
- Hogu: the chest protector worn during sparring
Why do I see two bronze medallists on the podium?
Martial arts and combat sports hand out two bronze medals at the Olympics. Read more about how bronze medals are decided.
Check out the full Olympic schedule here.