Taekwondo at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Encyclopedia
Taekwondo
was contested as an official sport at the Olympic Games
for the first time at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
. It had previously been a demonstration sport
in 1988
and 1992
. Medals were awarded in four weight classes each for men and women. Tran Hieu Ngan
became the first Vietnam
ese Olympic medalist in this competition.
, Hadi Saei
and Pascal Gentil
complained to the media about the biased refereeing which made them lose their possible gold medal
. Pascal Gentil even refused to be photographed with his fellow medalists Kim Kyong-Hun and Daniel Trenton in the medal ceremony.
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
was contested as an official sport at the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
for the first time at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. It had previously been a demonstration sport
Demonstration sport
A demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Icelandic wrestling, in the...
in 1988
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
and 1992
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
. Medals were awarded in four weight classes each for men and women. Tran Hieu Ngan
Tran Hieu Ngan
Hieu Ngan Tran is a Vietnamese Taekwondo athlete who competed in the Women's 49-57 kg weight class at the 2000 Summer Olympics, and she won the silver medal....
became the first Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
ese Olympic medalist in this competition.
Men's events
| Flyweight (58 kg) |
|||
| Lightweight (68 kg) |
|||
| Middleweight (80 kg) |
|||
| Heavyweight (+80 kg) |
Women's events
| Flyweight (49 kg) |
|||
| Lightweight (57 kg) |
|||
| Middleweight (67 kg) |
|||
| Heavyweight (+67 kg) |
Medal table
| 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 12 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 13 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Participating nations
A total of 103 taekwondo jins from 51 nations competed at the Sydney Games:Controversies
Bronze medalist Chi Shu-JuChi Shu-Ju
Chi Shu-Ju is a Taiwanese taekwondo practitioner and Olympic medalist. She competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney where she received a bronze medal in the 49 kg class.-References:...
, Hadi Saei
Hadi Saei
Hadi Saei Bonehkohal is a former Iranian Azerbaijani Taekwondo athlete who became the most successful Iranian athlete in Olympic history after winning gold in the 2008 Summer Olympics. He competed in the Men's 68 kg at the 2004 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal...
and Pascal Gentil
Pascal Gentil
Pascal Gentil is a French taekwondo practitioner. A three-time winner of the European Championships, four-time World Cup Champion and Olympic bronze medallist at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and at the 2004 Summer Olympicsin Athens, Pascal Gentil is the most decorated taekwondo practitioner...
complained to the media about the biased refereeing which made them lose their possible gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
. Pascal Gentil even refused to be photographed with his fellow medalists Kim Kyong-Hun and Daniel Trenton in the medal ceremony.