Analysis of Women's Taekwondo Competitions at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

"Analysis of Women's Taekwondo Competitions at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games", Trakya University, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Physical Education and Sports, Master's Thesis, Edirne, 2025. Background and Aim: After Taekwondo was recognized as an official sport in the Olympic Games, the World Taekwondo Federation, in response to criticisms regarding the objectivity of scoring methods and the lack of spectator interest during competitions, made significant changes to the competition rules, aiming to increase activity and arousal during competitions. The purpose of this study is to examine the techniques used by female taekwondo athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, which were reflected in their scores, through video analysis of the competitions. These analyses also examine whether the techniques were attacking or counterattacking, in addition to the areas where they were applied (head or torso), and whether the technique's output was forefoot or hindfoot, and to provide a statistical interpretation of the findings. Material and Methods: The data was obtained from the Paris Olympic Games video archive (olimpics.com) and the World Taekwondo Federation website results archive. Video analyses were conducted using the Kappa method by two individuals with Level 5 coaching certificates. The data obtained through the video analysis method was compared with the competition results documents obtained from the World Taekwondo Federation's official website. To ensure the reliability of the data in the video analysis, the Kappa (double-blind) method was performed by two taekwondo coaches holding Level 5 (technical director) coaching certificates. Statistical analyses of the data obtained during the analysis were conducted using the JASP (version 19, NL) package program. Results: In the -49 kg women's series, the front-foot attack to the head, in particular, dominated the series, ranking highly in all rounds. Forefoot counter-attacks to the head and forefoot attacks to the body were notable for their combination of both attack and defense. The most commonly used techniques among -57 kg women were again the forefoot attack to the head, forefoot counter to the head, forefoot attack to the torso, backfoot attack to the head, and backfoot attack to the torso. In particular, in the second round of the -57 kg women, the forefoot counter to the head and forefoot attack to the torso showed the highest usage, at 25%. The effectiveness of the -67kg back-foot torso attack technique increased, becoming the most preferred technique, especially in the -67kg round 1. The punching technique was also more prominently preferred in this series than in the others. It's noteworthy that the jab technique is used more than 15% of the time in women weighing 67 kg or more. The head-first attack technique consistently remained at the top of the rankings in this series. Conclusion: It has been observed that female taekwondo athletes commonly prefer front-foot techniques across all weight classes, with combination and fast techniques particularly prominent in lightweight and middleweight classes. In heavyweight classes, close-range, effective techniques, punches, and body-directed strikes are more preferred. Keywords: Taekwondo,Olympics,technical analysis,competition analysis.