The summer Olympic Games in London will be starting soon and you may be hearing about taekwondo as an Olympic sport. Did you know the United States is one of the top countries in taekwondo? Since taekwondo was admitted to the Olympics in 1988, South Korea leads the medal count with 12, Chinese Taipei has 7, and the USA is next with 6 medals. 64 countries competed in taekwondo in the Olympics in 2008. 

Olympic competition represents the fighting spirit of taekwondo and the constant striving for self-improvement that is part of the art. Olympic-style sparring is only one piece of the art. Self-defense is a separate skill from the sport that is sparring. Forms–their performance and perfection–is another aspect. Union of mind and body in health and confidence is another. When you practice your kicks and punches, though, it’s fun to dream of gold medals.