electronic protectors

The World Taekwondo Federation signed a recognition contract with LaJUST on electronic protectors at the headquarters of the WTF in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2006.

The contract period is five years. With the signing, the WTF is able to use the electronic protectors in the taekwondo competition of the 18th World Taekowndo Championships scheduled for in May 2007 in Beijing, China, at the earliest.

The introduction of electronic protectors is expected to greatly enhance the image of taekwondo and the WTF, as they could reduce possible controversies arising from judgment and refereeing at taekwondo competitions.

"The signing bears a great significance in that the use of electronic protectors could make judgment at taekwondo competitions more objective and transparent," said WTF President Chungwon Choue. "It makes a milestone in the history of taekwondo and the WTF."

According to the recommendations of the now disbanded WTF Reform Committee on fairer judgment and refereeing at taekwondo competitions, the WTF set up an ad-hoc Committee on Electronic Protectors in July 2005.

The WTF held a demonstration of electronic protectors on July 20, 2005 in Seoul.

In accordance with the recommendations of the ad-hoc committee after the first demonstration, the WTF commissioned the Korea Institute of Sports and Science (KISS) to produce a report on basic specifications of electronic protectors. On Dec. 30, 2005, the WTF announced the KISS-produced specifications on electronic protectors.

The WTF held another demonstration of electronic protectors on March 25, 2006 in Seoul. The demonstration drew four electronic protector manufacturers – LaJUST of Korea; ATM of Austria; True Score (Impact Measurement), a joint venture between the Untied States and Korea; and Daedo International of Spain.

The ad-hoc Committee on Electronic Protectors announced its evaluation results of the electronic protector demonstration on March 28, 2006.

Of the four participating demonstrators, LaJUST was the only participants that passed the "acceptable" level of the basic technical requirements in four categories to be applied to taekwondo competition.

The four categories are accuracy of the sense-impact level, differentiation of valid impact and invalid impact, consecutive impacts and calibration.

According to the KISS report to the WTF in June this year, LaJUST also passed the laboratory tests, which involved transmission systems, safety on electricity and electronics, and endurance of materials.

On July 29, 2006, there was a JaJUST demonstration of electronic protectors during the 6th WTF World Junior Taekwondo Championships in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, drawing a positive response from spectators.