Matches are scored by awarding a point for each legitimate blow and deducting a point for each penalty. This consists of a guards at head, forearm, shin and groin and a body, or trunk, protector. Compliance checks are strict. A strike is recognised as such when two or more of the three judges recognises it. The referee counts to ten when one contestant is knocked down, which in taekwondo means when any part of the body barring the soles of the feet is forced to touch the deck.
Counts also occur if the referee deems an opponent unfit or unwilling to carry on.
If stopped at that stage, the contest is won by knockout. The referee has the final say where there is a tie that cannot be separated purely on points and penalties. In Sydney, there will be four divisions each for men and women at the Sydney 2000 Games, half the number that exist in the sport at world championships. Men will contest under 58kg, under 68kg, under 80kg and over 80kg, while the women are divided into under 49kg, under 57kg, under 67kg and over 67kg. There being no ropes, the sides of the platform outside the competitors' square slope away gently for safety's sake.