E-sports | Virtual Taekwondo: One foot on the mat, one on the monitor

Classic white suit, VR glasses, sensors and two controllers - that's the equipment for Virtual Taekwondo. Photo: picture alliance/AP/Vincent Thian At first glance, it may be difficult to classify what can be seen here: Controllers, sensors and virtual reality glasses are laid out at the referee's table. The athletes, who are about to fight against each other, are waiting in the outfit typical of this martial art: simple, two-piece textile clothing with a belt. What's going on here? Is Taekwondo fighting with hands and feet or just playing like in a video game?

Classic white suit, VR glasses, sensors and two controllers - that's the equipment for Virtual Taekwondo. Photo: picture alliance/AP/Vincent Thian As soon as the “fight” begins, the matter becomes clear: it is a mixture of both. The opponents, each with controllers in their hands, punch and kick. But they don't touch each other - at least not physically. Through their virtual reality glasses, the fighters see what the audience sees on a screen: two digital twins fight each other - in virtual space. This is how Virtual Taekwondo works.

At least in East Asia, this young sport can no longer be ignored. Virtual Taekwondo is currently celebrating its premiere on the big stage at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. »It is a remarkable e-sport whose first tournament took place three years ago. But it is so popular that it has already been organized internationally,” the Japanese TV station Tokai Terebi recently reported enthusiastically. "In principle, fighters can even face each other from a distance."

At the Asian Games in Nagoya they meet in a hall. The Asian Games may not be well known in Europe. But with more than 15,000 athletes, they are even larger than the Olympic Games in terms of the number of participants. A total of 45 countries are represented. In this respect, inclusion in the competition program of the Asian Games is seen as an important step for a sport to potentially be included in the Olympics later.

Several sports are celebrating their premiere in Nagoya: including Teqball, a type of table tennis played with the foot, the fashion sport padel and mixed martial arts. Lee Jung-woo, who researches sports policy issues at the University of Edinburgh, sees Virtual Taekwondo as having good prospects of a place at the Olympics: "The Taekwondo Association was already invited to the first Olympic E-Sports Week in Singapore in 2023." Acceptance at the Asian Games is just the next logical step. And further?

“The background is that Virtual Taekwondo has quickly become very popular in Asia since the world association in South Korea pushed it,” says Lee. “This game really counts as part of the youth culture in Asia.” 120 athletes from 23 countries took part in the first World Cup in 2024. It is still unclear whether any e-sports discipline will actually manage to be included in the Olympic Games.

At the Asian Games, on the other hand, several disciplines celebrated their debut in Hangzhou, China in 2023 - and were among the most popular events there with the public. While the International Olympic Committee is looking for ways to get young people excited about the Olympics, e-sports offer a tantalizingly simple solution. The only question is to what extent games that are supported by video game developers and largely require no physical effort are still sports.

This is exactly where virtual taekwondo plays a special role, says researcher Lee Jung-woo: "I think virtual taekwondo can be a good compromise because you're already moving." In truth, this game is much older than its existence as a competitive sport: "With the Nintendo Wii game console, there were video fighting games 20 years ago in which you had to physically move in order to control the controller in your hand accordingly."

What's also interesting, says Lee, is that there are no gender or weight classes. In this respect, Virtual Taekwondo supporters see their sport as more than just a way to get young people excited about international sporting events. Toku Kawanari, Virtual Taekwondo representative in the Japanese prefecture of Gifu, explained to the Japanese media shortly before the start of the Asian Games: "When you are in this virtual space of the fighting arena, all physical conditions are equal."

So anyone can compete against anyone else, says Kawanari: “Old people against children, for example. And I think that’s actually the biggest appeal of Virtual Taekwondo.” That’s true in that there’s no risk of injury through physical contact. Nevertheless, sporting experience is an advantage, emphasizes the broadcaster Arirang from South Korea, the country of origin of Taekwondo: "Although it is officially an e-sport, Virtual Taekwondo is easier for trained Taekwondo fighters."

Because skills related to agility, speed and technique are more important than controlling the buttons in your hands, older or less fit bodies tend to be at a disadvantage. In addition, the fight takes place in three rounds, each lasting 60 seconds. In between there are only short breaks. The fights are physically very strenuous, even without physical contact.

The high-tech sport, which relies on lightning-fast data transmission, is reminiscent of a video game that fascinated young people back in the 1990s. “Street Fighter II” on the Super Nintendo console can be considered a model for the rules of Virtual Taekwondo. Just like back then, there is now an energy bar for each fighter at the top of the screen in the competition arena. It becomes narrower with every blow you take. If he has reached zero, it says loudly: KO!

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