The reversal of the decision was correct, WT's detailed rules + Seo Gun-woo's come-from-behind victory made by coach Oh Hye-ri's base

Aug 09, 2024

As a result, the restoration of the judgment was correct.

Seo Kun-woo (Korea National Sports University) died and came back to life. Seo Kun-woo won 2-1 (6-8 16-16 14-1) over Chile's Joaquin Churchill Martinez in the men's 80kg round of 16 at the 2024 Paris Olympics at Grand Palais in Paris, France, on the 9th (Korea time). Seo Kun-woo was on the verge of being eliminated from the first Olympics and first games in his life, but he succeeded in a dramatic come-from-behind victory and reached the quarterfinals.

In the first round, Seo Kun-woo struggled with the opponent's strong attack. He allowed a kick after turning, and eventually gave up the first round with a score of 6-8. The situation was not good in the second round, which was the end of the loss. He took the lead with a series of body attacks, but was pushed back 6-15 by allowing a series of face attacks following a rotating attack. The game seemed to end as it was, but Seo Kun-woo did not give up. He made a series of fierce kicks. Following the rotational attack, he succeeded in kicking his torso. There was a series of attacks with one second left. The match ended 14-16, but the video review found that the body kick was recognized as a rotational attack, and Sun Kun-woo added four points at a stroke. The second round concluded 16-16.

In the case of a round tie, the winner will be determined in the order of the player with more points won by the rotation, the player with more points in the order of head-body-fist-deductible points, and the player with the most effective hitting of the electronic ball. The referee declared Martinez's victory. Then Seo Gun-woo complained to the referee, and coach Oh Hye-ri ran up to the mat and raised an objection. Coach Oh strongly protested for 10 seconds on the field between the referee and the headquarters seat.

In response, game officials gathered together to examine each movement and scene and review whether the decision was made properly in a tie. The result was a reversal. Seo Kun-woo's victory in the second round was recognized. While Martinez made one revolving attack, Seo Kun-woo made two. Due to an error in prioritization, this part was not accurately aggregated, and the error was eventually corrected through a review.

According to the World Taekwondo Federation (WT), there is no problem in regulation that the results have been completely reversed since the winner of the round was announced. If the operation is inexperienced, the results can be announced again within 30 minutes after the end.

WT started the set system from this tournament to induce more interesting games. Until the last Tokyo Games, the game was decided by cumulative points until the third round, and the player who scored two points first was recognized as the winner in the fourth round when the score was tied. From this competition, the player who takes the two rounds first will win by determining the outcome of each round. WT set the standard for tie in detail in accordance with the new regulations, and Seo Kun-woo revived accordingly.

Seo Kun-woo, who won the second round, showed off his overwhelming skills in the third round, winning 14-1 and succeeding in a dramatic come-from-behind victory. It was a come-from-behind victory made by coach Oh's base, who was familiar with WT's detailed regulations.

vanbasten@sportschosun.com