Not-so-brave new world: Virtual taekwondo makes Asian Games debut

TOYOHASHI, Japan – Taekwondo dates back more than 2,000 years, but on Oct 2 at the Asian Games the Korean martial art stepped into a not-so-brave future where nobody gets hurt: virtual taekwondo.

At a gymnasium about a 90-minute drive from the main Games host city of Nagoya, a modest number of spectators watched with a mix of fascination and bewilderment.

Taekwondo officials have billed it as “real-world martial arts meets cutting-edge virtual technology”.

Competitors wear a VR headset and motion tracking technology allows their movements to control their in-game avatars.

They have “nodes” on their back, thighs and shins to pick up each bodily action.

Rounds are typically 60 seconds each and matches are a best of three rounds, the two combatants standing within their own play area a few metres apart.

The goal is to aim real-life kicks to the virtual body and head of their opponent to deplete their computerised health bar.

The opponent is physically there, standing on an opposing side, but there is never any real-life contact.

Darren Yap won bronze – to go with another bronze in the traditional format.

“It was fun playing out there. I had zero expectations,” said the Singaporean.

Asked what he could see through the VR headset, he said: “You can see your health bar, your opponent’s character, your limbs.

“It’s actually quite nice to wear.

“It’s a fun way to do sparring and it’s a fun way to do taekwondo without the contact.”

‘Groundbreaking’

Officials say virtual taekwondo is just as athletically demanding as the real thing, but safer.

Governing body World Taekwondo “proudly endorses” it, calling it “groundbreaking”.

Sceptics say it is just another type of gaming.

The first world championships were in 2024 in Singapore, but on Oct 2, it arrived at a bigger stage.

One of the differences to the real-life sport is that men and women compete in a mixed category. There are also no weight classes.

“It allows more people to participate in the sport, and I think it’s cool that women are able to beat men,” said Yap, 22, after losing his semi-final to Vietnam’s woman athlete Chau Ngoc Tuyet Sang.

Singapore has become the early home of the sport. Virtual taekwondo appeared at the inaugural Olympic Esports Week in the city-state in 2023.

Silver medallist Chau, who also competes in the real-life format, had mixed feelings about no gender or weight separation.

“One advantage is that you don’t have to worry about the difference in weight,” the 21-year-old said.

“But one disadvantage is that men and women can have differences in physical strength, and men may tend to be stronger.

“That could also mean that some of the movements are faster than those performed by women.” AFP