The finer points Taekwondo is making its Olympic debut. A 100 men and women in four classes will participate in a single-elimination tournament. Three rounds of three minutes each with a one-minute break between rounds. A win can be made by knock out, scoring the most points or default if an opponent is disqualified or earns three penalty points. In case of a tie, the referee decides on the winner unless it is a gold medal round.
Gold medal rounds go into sudden death with the winner being the first to score.
If no one scores, the referee will determine the winner. All competitors eliminated from gold or silver medal contention will compete in a second bracket to determine the bronze medal. The losing semifinalists will move directly to the semifinal level of the bronze-medal bracket. The remaining competitors will fight to face them in the semifinal round of that bracket. Opponents earn points with punches to the body or by landing kicks on the head or body.