{"id":298,"date":"2026-10-10T00:38:38","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T22:38:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/?p=298"},"modified":"2026-10-10T00:38:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T22:38:38","slug":"taekwondo-tournament","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/en\/taekwondo-tournament\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Run a Taekwondo Tournament: Categories, Kyorugi and Poomsae, Brackets and Live Results"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A taekwondo tournament combines two very different kinds of competition: sparring (kyorugi) and forms (poomsae, or tul in ITF taekwondo), where judges&#8217; scores decide the result. Add age, weight, and grade categories and several courts running at once. In this guide we show how to prepare a <strong>taekwondo tournament<\/strong> step by step and what to automate so the day runs without delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Taekwondo tournament: WT or ITF?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are two main styles: <strong>Olympic taekwondo (WT)<\/strong> and <strong>ITF taekwondo<\/strong>. They differ in sparring rules, events, and scoring, so your event rules must state clearly which rules apply:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>WT<\/strong>: kyorugi (sparring, with the PSS electronic scoring system at higher-level events) and poomsae (forms scored by judges),<\/li><li><strong>ITF<\/strong>: tul (patterns), matsogi (sparring), special techniques, and power tests, among others.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whatever the style, the organization looks similar: registration, categories, weigh-in, draw, court schedule, results, and medal ceremonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Categories and registration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taekwondo athletes are divided by event, age, gender, weight (in sparring), and grade (gup\/dan). With many criteria you get lots of small categories, so state in the rules when you merge them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s best to collect entries in one spreadsheet template for all clubs. In Turniej Generator you import an Excel file (XLS\/XLSX), and the system creates the categories and adds the athletes. Before each category starts, you check attendance, so no-shows don&#8217;t end up in the bracket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Weigh-in and draw<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sparring uses weight categories, so draw the brackets only after the weigh-in and attendance check. The draw should separate athletes from the same club: a coach who brought five athletes to one category doesn&#8217;t want them knocking each other out in the first bout. In Turniej Generator the draw does this automatically in every category, and coaches see the brackets online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Kyorugi: format and scoring<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taekwondo bouts are usually run as a knockout with two bronze medals. Small categories work well as a <a href=\"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/en\/round-robin-tournament\/\">round robin<\/a>, and youth events often use <a href=\"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/en\/double-elimination\/\">double elimination<\/a>, so every child gets at least two bouts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Olympic taekwondo, points depend on the technique: head kicks and spinning techniques score more, and penalties (gam-jeom) give a point to the opponent. Under current World Taekwondo rules, a bout is played in rounds, and the athlete who wins two of three rounds wins. Details and the latest changes are published by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.worldtaekwondo.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Taekwondo<\/a>. At events with electronic body protectors, points are counted by the PSS system. Turniej Generator doesn&#8217;t replace it; it handles everything around it: brackets, the schedule, bout results, and rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Poomsae and tul: judges&#8217; scores<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In forms there are no strikes or action points; the result is the judges&#8217; scores for accuracy and presentation. We explain how to calculate scores (how many judges, whether to drop the extremes, how to break ties) in our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/en\/judge-scored-tournament\/\">judge-scored tournaments<\/a>. In Turniej Generator you run judge-scored events in the same tournament as sparring, on a shared schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Court schedule, screens and the big screen<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The schedule should account for the number of bouts per category, bout length, and breaks. In Turniej Generator the system calculates each category&#8217;s duration and builds a court plan you can adjust by hand. Athletes and parents check it on their phones via a QR code, a screen at each court shows the current and next bout, and the big screen shows the status of every court and the medal ceremonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">6. Results, certificates and the medal table<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>A result entered at the court<\/strong> goes straight to the bracket, the big screen, and coaches&#8217; phones.<\/li><li><strong>Certificates<\/strong> are generated automatically from the results.<\/li><li><strong>The club medal table<\/strong>, and at international events a country table, is ready right after the last bout.<\/li><li><strong>Streaming<\/strong>: you can broadcast bouts from a phone to YouTube; see how to <a href=\"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/en\/live-stream-tournament-from-phone\/\">live stream a tournament from your phone<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Checklist: a taekwondo tournament step by step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>State the style (WT or ITF), events, categories, and merging rules in the event rules.<\/li><li>Send clubs one registration template and import the entries.<\/li><li>Run the weigh-in and attendance check.<\/li><li>Draw the brackets, keeping athletes from the same club apart.<\/li><li>Build the court schedule and share it via a QR code.<\/li><li>Set up referee tables and, for PSS bouts, align the scoring system crew with the schedule.<\/li><li>Prepare certificate templates and the big-screen layout.<\/li><li>After the event, send links to the results and medal table.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same process has proven itself at large traditional karate events, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/en\/krakow-karate-cup-2026\/\">Krak\u00f3w International Cup<\/a> with athletes from 14 countries. Read more about running martial arts events in our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/en\/how-to-run-a-karate-tournament\/\">running a karate tournament<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/info\/turnieje-sporty-walki\">Run your taekwondo tournament in Turniej Generator<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Looking for one tool for all combat sports? See what good <a href=\"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/en\/martial-arts-tournament-software\/\">martial arts tournament software<\/a> should have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Can one taekwondo tournament include both sparring and poomsae?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes. Each event has its own categories and format, and the schedule covers all courts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does Turniej Generator replace the PSS electronic scoring system?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. PSS counts points during the bout, while Turniej Generator handles registration, the draw, the schedule, results, certificates, and rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do I avoid athletes from the same club meeting early?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The draw separates athletes from the same club in the bracket so they don&#8217;t meet in the first round.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kyorugi and poomsae, age, weight, and grade categories, several courts at once. Here&#8217;s how to prepare a taekwondo tournament, from registration through the weigh-in and draw to live results and the club medal table.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,12],"tags":[251,236,296],"class_list":["post-298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guides","category-uncategorized-en","tag-competition-format","tag-martial-arts","tag-tournament-organization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":306,"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions\/306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tg-app.pl\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}