Taekwondo's global appeal should save it from being axed from the Olympic roster at future Games, said World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) President Dr. Chungwon Choue during last week's Good Luck Beijing pre-Olympic tune up.
"I am sure that taekwondo will remain in the Olympic program, as it is very much a sport that is loved worldwide," he said.
The Korea-claimed martial art joined the Olympic program at the 2000 Sydney Games after serving as a demonstration sport at Seoul 1988 and Barcelona 1992.
Yet with International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge looking to downsize the Olympic program - London 2012 will only feature 26 sports instead of the current 28 - concern is mounting that less-popular sports like taekwondo may also be on their way out.
Baseball and softball have already been voted out for the London Games, whereas new sports like BMX, which will debut this August in Beijing, are increasingly targeted at younger people.
Added to this, wushu, or Chinese kung fu, will be exhibited at the Olympics this summer, which could pose another threat to taekwondo's Olympic future.
"Chinese martial arts comprise more techniques than taekwondo, in which kicking and striking are the major techniques," said Han Jianming, an official with China's national martial arts administration center. "But in taekwondo, the judges of the competition have an easier job of telling who is better."
Choue said the growing popularity of taekwondo in China would help secure its place at the Games.
"When I visited Henan Province, I was really impressed that there were so many martial arts schools near Shaolin Temple, in which about 10,000 students are practicing taekwondo," he said. "I also heard that in Sichuan and Henan provinces, taekwondo is going to become a compulsory subject at elementary-school level."
China is expected to bolster its tally in Beijing after seizing three gold medals in the sport, including two from Chen Zhong in the women's over-67kg class. Republic of Korea has eight medals, five of them gold.
A total of 63 countries and regions will compete for taekwondo honors this summer, an increase from both the Athens and Sydney Games. Wild cards will be reserved for countries that are new to the sport in an attempt to further broaden participation.
The IOC has also agreed to honor those who win their repechage matches by adding eight more bronze medals this year, said Choue.
Some Chinese students at the pre-Olympic tune up event last week said they had been introduced to the sport at their university.
"I learned taekwondo in a selective course in my second year," said Sun Seng, who studies at the University of Science and Technology in Beijing. "But I can only remember a few of the techniques now."
