WTF Medical Report 2012

Taekwondo has been classified a ‘mild risk’ sport by health insurers in France and elsewhere, and the results of this study fully corroborate that classification. 

An injury rate of 0.31% places taekwondo among the safest Olympic contact sports. 

The number of serious injuries was consistently low throughout the period of the study, with loss of consciousness among the rarest categories of injury in each of the four seasons.

Ascertain whether the new rules introduced by the WTF in 2010 have impacted the injury rate among taekwondo athletes.

The injury rate among taekwondo practitioners dropped consistently year-on-year throughout the period of the study. While the rate and severity of injuries was decreasing before 2010, the introduction of the new rules regarding scoring, along with the PSS and IVR, appears to have coincided with an acceleration of that trend. 

The injury rate dropped by 18.4% in four years, but the last two seasons alone have seen a decrease of 16.2%. 

These statistics corroborate anecdotal evidence which points to a marked shift in fighting styles since the 2010 rule changes. 

Now that points can be scored with just a light touch to the head, athletes’ focus is primarily upon agility, accuracy and speed of movement, rather than generating maximum force. This in turn has resulted fewer impact-related injuries.

Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the WTF’s rule changes have helped to improve the welfare of taekwondo athletes.