To organize a taekwondo competition, affiliate your club with the FFTDA, choose the level and the format (kyorugi), declare the event, define the weight and age classes, open the registrations, run the weigh-in, choose between a pool and a single-elimination bracket with repechage, recruit the referees, schedule the combat areas, then publish the podiums. Allow 3 to 6 months of preparation.
Step 1: choose the governing framework and the rules
Which governing body to organize a taekwondo competition in France?
In France, the FFTDA (Fédération Française de Taekwondo et Disciplines Associées) is the national governing body for taekwondo. It applies the rules of World Taekwondo (WT) and the European Taekwondo Union, and also covers associated disciplines (hapkido, tang soo do, soo bahk do). An official competition requires licensed fighters and a set of rules laid down by the governing body and your league.
Your first choice shapes everything else: the level of the competition and the format. Competitive taekwondo comes in kyorugi (sparring) and poomsae (technical forms judged by a panel); this guide targets kyorugi. An internal club tournament or a friendly interclub event allows some freedom; a qualifying competition (departmental, regional, national) follows the FFTDA requirements, with accredited officials, license checks and a format compliant with the WT rules.
Get in touch early with your departmental committee and your league: they validate the entry on the calendar, supply the officials and specify the requirements (open categories, minimum grade, mandated format). Taekwondo for the youngest follows adapted rules (reduced durations and contact): you do not run a gathering of benjamins like a senior championship.
Step 2: define the categories, the format and the durations
What weight and age classes are there in taekwondo?
Taekwondo pits athletes against each other by sex, weight and age. At the Games, four weight classes per sex: men -58, -68, -80, +80 kg; women -49, -57, -67, +67 kg. The senior world championships have eight per sex. The age classes range from benjamins to seniors, with grids specific to minimes, cadets and juniors.
The FFTDA age and weight classes follow the World Taekwondo framework, with more numerous and tighter grids for the young. The grade (belt, from the geup system for colors to the dan for blacks) can be used to open or reserve certain competitions. Check the exact limits for the current season with the FFTDA before publishing your categories.
On the format side, a senior bout is fought over three two-minute rounds separated by a one-minute rest. On the combat area, the electronic chest protectors and head guards (PSS) count the points: two for a kick to the chest protector, three to the head, four or five for spinning kicks, one for a punch to the chest protector. A bout can end before time by knockout, by disqualification or by a points gap, and a tie is settled in an extra golden point round.
Step 3: set the date, the venue and the budget
How long does it take to organize a taekwondo competition?
Allow 3 to 6 months. Book the venue and set the date right from the start, taking your league's calendar into account to avoid clashes. File the event declaration within the legal deadlines. Open the registrations 6 to 8 weeks ahead, and set a closing date to lock the categories and prepare the weigh-in and the brackets.
The venue must accommodate one or more combat areas with their safety zone, a warm-up zone, a weigh-in space set apart, changing rooms, a scoring table per combat area and public space. A kyorugi combat area measures 8 m x 8 m (square or octagonal), and the full competition area, including the safety zone, from 10 m x 10 m to 12 m x 12 m: plan the surface accordingly if you set up several combat areas.
The budget depends on the number of fighters, the number of combat areas, the electronic scoring and the equipment you already have. Build it item by item (venue, combat areas and PSS, officials, awards, insurance, communication, catering) rather than as a single figure. The breakdown of items is below. Do not announce any entry fee amount without having verified it at the official source.
Step 4: check the rules, the governing body and the authorizations
What authorizations to organize a taekwondo competition?
Declare the sporting event. A competition under a national governing body, with a ranking, is declared to the prefecture at least three months ahead if it takes place on public roads; an indoor event with more than 100 participants is declared at the town hall at least one month ahead. Take out civil liability insurance. On the governing side, follow the FFTDA requirements and check the licenses.
The declaration is filed online at declaration-manifestations.gouv.fr. For up-to-date rules, rely on service-public.fr and sports.gouv.fr (organizing a sporting event), and attach the civil liability insurance certificate.
On the participation side, each fighter must present a current FFTDA license and, most often, a sports passport. As taekwondo is a combat sport with particular constraints (knockout possible), the FFTDA requires a medical certificate of no contraindication, to be renewed each year for competition, even after the 2022 national easing of the certificate rule. The license includes civil liability insurance. Check the procedure and the fees in force with the FFTDA, and date each step on your countdown plan.
Step 5: open the registrations and lock the categories
How to manage registrations for a taekwondo competition?
Open the registrations online: each fighter picks their weight and age class, and states their club and grade. Also collect, depending on your rules, the license number. Approve or reject each request, set a closing date, then lock the categories to prepare the weigh-in and the brackets. Software avoids double entry and the Excel list to cross-check.
For the competition, plan to collect from each registrant: name, sex, date of birth (for the age class), target weight class, grade (belt), club and license number. This information helps you check eligibility and build the categories. As coaches enter a whole club, plan to enter lists all at once rather than registration by registration. Plan a clean closing date, because a category that shifts the day before throws off all the brackets.
On weigh-in day, the actual weight can move a fighter from one category to another: anticipate that margin. Competition management software collects these registrations online by category, where an Excel sheet forces you to copy everything by hand. You keep a clean list, filterable by category and by status, with search by name, ready for the weigh-in and the generation of the brackets.
Step 6: choose between a pool and an elimination bracket
Pool or elimination bracket for a taekwondo competition?
The choice depends on the number of entries in each category. Below a handful of entries, the pool (round-robin) guarantees several bouts for everyone. Beyond that, the single-elimination bracket with repechage is the way to go: the fighters beaten by the two finalists go through repechage and compete for two bronze medals. You can also combine seeding pools followed by a final bracket.
The pool has all the fighters in a category face each other: it is the fairest format for small categories, because no one is eliminated after a single defeat. The single-elimination bracket, on the other hand, suits large categories, and repechage corrects its main flaw: a fighter beaten by a future finalist is not definitively out, they can aim for the bronze.
Drawing these brackets by hand, rebuilding them after each result and tracking repechage on paper is the leading source of error and delay. A software that automatically generates your taekwondo bracket produces pools, single elimination and the repechage bracket (two bronze medals) in one click, and advances the winner as soon as you enter the result of a bout.
Step 7: run the weigh-in and schedule the combat areas
How does the weigh-in work in taekwondo?
The official weigh-in is held before the competition, often the evening before or early in the morning, in the presence of officials and away from the public. Each fighter is weighed to confirm their weight class. Plan a sufficient slot and a margin: some fighters may move from one category to another depending on their actual weight.
Build your schedule around the weigh-in and the number of combat areas. Distribute the categories across the combat areas so as to run the bouts back to back without dead time, grouping what can be grouped (same age brackets, neighboring categories). Display an indicative timetable per combat area for the clubs and the public.
When several categories run in parallel, tracking who is fighting, on which combat area and at what time quickly becomes unmanageable on paper. Recording each fighter's weight at the weigh-in and re-seeding them into the right category, then assigning a combat area and a time to each bout while detecting slot conflicts, is exactly the kind of task that competition management software takes on, keeping the schedule up to date as the bouts progress.
Step 8: recruit the referees and the officials
Who referees a taekwondo competition and how?
Each combat area is run by a center referee who directs the bout, and by judges. Point counting is largely automated by the electronic system (PSS): chest protectors and head guards detect valid impacts. The judges validate the technical points (spinning kicks) and the referee handles the penalties (gam-jeom). Plan a scoring table and a scoring operator per combat area.
The score is built on points, counted by the PSS: two points for a kick to the chest protector, three to the head, four or five for spinning kicks to the chest protector or the head, one point for a punch to the chest protector. A penalty (gam-jeom) awards one point to the opponent. The bout can end by knockout, by a points gap or by disqualification, and a tie is settled at the golden point. The refereeing team and the PSS handle this on the combat area; your role as organizer is to give them the right conditions and to relay the result to the table.
Around the referees, plan the other roles: a sporting director who oversees the running and the rules, a scoring table per combat area (entering results, calling the fighters), an electronic scoring operator, a weigh-in manager, a first-aid post and volunteers at reception and the refreshment stand. For a club tournament, the organization is lighter; for an official competition, the officials are accredited and supplied or validated by the league.
Step 9: prepare the combat areas and the equipment
What equipment for a taekwondo competition?
You need a combat area of 8 m x 8 m (square or octagonal), a safety zone bringing the full area to 10 m x 10 m or more, the electronic scoring system (PSS: chest protectors and head guards), the fighters' protective equipment (head guard, chest protector, mouthguard, mitts, forearm guards, groin guard, shin guards) and a scoring table per combat area.
The chest protectors and head guards are blue or red to distinguish the fighters, and the PSS must be tested and calibrated before the competition. Check the mat (stable assembly, no gaps), clearly mark the safety zone and ensure even lighting on each combat area. If you lack equipment to set up several combat areas, borrowing from another club or from the league is common: anticipate the logistics.
Round it out with the sound system, the display of scores and line-ups, signage, a first-aid kit and a care post, the officials' table, a scale for the weigh-in and what is needed to hand out medals and awards. A warm-up zone close to the combat areas keeps the calls flowing.
Step 10: communicate and fill the competition
How to communicate about a taekwondo competition?
Create a public page with the presentation, the date, the venue, the rules (open categories, minimum grade, format) and the list of registrants by category. Share it with the clubs, your committee and your league, and on social media. State the registration conditions (license, medical certificate, grade) early to avoid back-and-forth by email.
The taekwondo audience is local: neighboring clubs, families, departmental committee. Relay the announcement to the league's clubs, which gladly spread the calendar's competitions. Clearly state the level, the open categories and the minimum required grade, because these elements determine who can register. A public page with a presentation and a list of entrants by category gives a serious image and limits questions.
Step 11: manage the weigh-in and the bouts on event day
How to follow the bouts of a taekwondo competition on event day?
After the weigh-in and the license check, launch the pools and the brackets. On each combat area, the PSS counts the points and the referee names the winner, which the scoring table records. The winner advances to the next round, the pool ranking updates, the repechage fills up, and the public follows brackets and podiums with no paper sheet.
Event day moves fast. Reception and administrative check, weigh-in set apart, confirmation of the categories, calibration of the electronic scoring, then the combat areas start. For each bout, the table calls the fighters, the referee and the PSS handle the score, and the result is entered right away. With a repechage, remember to open the matches for the bronze only once the finalists are known.
Centralized tracking changes the day. When the table enters the winner, that fighter advances automatically in the bracket, the eligible loser joins the repechage, the pool ranking recalculates, and the public page updates automatically for the clubs and the public. This removes the scattered sheets, makes the brackets reliable and keeps the venue informed.
Step 12: publish the rankings and conduct the review
How to establish the ranking of a taekwondo competition?
In a single-elimination bracket, the winner of the final is first, the runner-up second, and repechage designates two thirds (two bronze medals). In a pool, the ranking is done on points (three per win), tie-broken on difference. Publish the podiums on the public page; registrants, pool ranking, schedule and final ranking export to CSV.
Taekwondo classically rewards a first, a second and two thirds per category, a direct consequence of repechage. Once the podiums are established, thank the officials, referees and volunteers, conduct the real financial review against the forecast, gather feedback from the clubs and archive results and registrations. Export the list of registrants, the rankings and the schedule to CSV for your archives and for handing over to your committee.
How much does it cost to organize a taekwondo competition?
How much does it cost to organize a taekwondo competition?
The budget is built item by item: venue rental, combat areas and electronic scoring, officials, awards, insurance, communication and catering. The venue, the combat areas and the PSS weigh the most when they have to be rented. The revenue (entry fees, refreshment stand, sponsors, grants) often balances a single day. Check every federation amount at the source before announcing it.
Here are the items to plan for, with indicative ranges to adapt to your context. The amounts tied to the governing body (license, entry fees, insurance) change every season: confirm them on the FFTDA site or with your league before any announcement.
| Item | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Venue rental | often the 1st item, varies by town |
| Combat areas and electronic scoring (PSS) | variable, heavy with several combat areas |
| Officials and referees | allowances and expenses, depending on the league |
| Civil liability insurance | per contract (FFTDA governing framework) |
| Awards (medals, cups) | variable depending on the number of categories |
| Communication and printing | variable |
| First aid and catering | variable |
| Contingency margin | 10 to 15% |
On the revenue side: entry fees per fighter (to confirm with your league), refreshment stand, local sponsors and a possible grant from the town hall or the department. A well-run refreshment stand often covers a notable share of the costs over a full day.
Countdown plan and checklist to organize your taekwondo competition
A countdown plan avoids oversights on the authorizations, the weigh-in and the electronic scoring.
- D-6 to D-4 months: choose the level and the format, book the venue, set the date according to the league's calendar, build the forecast budget.
- D-4 to D-3 months: file the calendar request with the committee and the league, prepare the sporting event declaration, secure combat areas and electronic scoring.
- D-3 to D-2 months: open the registrations online, define the weight and age classes, communicate to the clubs, recruit referees and volunteers.
- D-1 month to D-2 weeks: close the registrations, lock the categories, prepare the weigh-in, the pools and the brackets, plan the distribution of the combat areas, finalize the equipment checklist.
- Event day: reception and check (license, medical certificate), weigh-in, PSS calibration, launch of the pools and the brackets, refereeing, result entry, automatic display.
- After: publish the podiums, export registrants, rankings and schedule to CSV, give thanks, conduct the financial review, archive for the next edition.
The common mistakes to avoid
- Underestimating the electronic scoring. The PSS (chest protectors and head guards) must be tested and calibrated before the competition: plan the equipment, one operator per combat area and a start-up margin.
- Neglecting the medical certificate. As taekwondo is a sport with particular constraints, the FFTDA requires an annual medical certificate for competition. Announce it as soon as registrations open.
- Declaring too late. The sporting event declaration has its legal deadline, far longer on public roads (at least three months) than indoors. Anticipate the procedure and the insurance certificate.
- Forgetting the repechage. In a single-elimination bracket, taekwondo awards two bronzes via the repechage of those beaten by the finalists. Do not draw a dry bracket without planning for their return.
- Undersizing the combat areas. Allow a combat area of 8 m x 8 m and a competition area of 10 m x 10 m or more, including the safety zone, and sufficient lighting.
- Managing the brackets on paper. Redrawing the brackets and tracking the repechage by hand, across several combat areas, quickly skews the results. Centralized entry makes everything reliable.
FAQ: organizing a taekwondo competition
Do you need software to organize a taekwondo competition?
It is not mandatory, but strongly advised once you have a few dozen fighters. Between weight and age classes, the weigh-in, pools and single-elimination brackets with repechage, the bouts running back to back across several combat areas and the ranking to maintain, manual tracking quickly becomes unmanageable. Software generates the brackets, advances the winner and publishes the podium.
How long does a taekwondo bout last?
A senior bout (kyorugi) is fought over three two-minute rounds, separated by a one-minute rest. A bout can end before time by knockout, by disqualification or by a points gap. In the event of a tie, an extra golden point round decides between the fighters.
What weight classes are there in taekwondo?
At the Olympic Games, taekwondo has four weight classes per sex (men -58, -68, -80, +80 kg; women -49, -57, -67, +67 kg). The senior world championships have eight per sex. The benjamins, minimes, cadets and juniors have their own grids.
How does repechage work in taekwondo?
In a single-elimination bracket, the fighters beaten by the two finalists go through repechage and compete for two bronze medals. This system awards two third places per category and limits the effect of an unfavorable draw.
Which governing body for taekwondo in France?
In France, the FFTDA (Fédération Française de Taekwondo et Disciplines Associées) is the national governing body for taekwondo. It applies the rules of World Taekwondo and the European Taekwondo Union, and also covers associated disciplines (hapkido, tang soo do, soo bahk do). Follow the requirements of the governing body and your league.
Can you organize a taekwondo competition for free?
You always pay for some items (venue, combat areas, officials, electronic scoring, insurance, awards). However, the management tool can be free: CompetHub is free to start, with no credit card. You manage registrations, weigh-in, pools, brackets with repechage, bouts and podium with no software cost, which lightens the budget of a first club tournament.
The software to organize your taekwondo competition
Once the method is in place, the tool does the rest. CompetHub links each step of this guide: online registrations by category, bulk entry of club lists (records without an account), weigh-in with re-seeding by weight, pools and the two-bronze-medal repechage bracket generated automatically, winner entry and automatic advancement, podium, pool ranking, schedule by combat area, branded public page and CSV export of registrants, of the ranking and of the schedule. Point counting on the combat area remains handled by the sport's electronic scoring (PSS). Organize the competition. We bring it to life.
To compare the features in detail, see the page taekwondo competition software.
Launch your taekwondo competition right now.
Registrations by category, weigh-in, pools, single-elimination brackets with repechage, bout tracking and podium: everything is gathered together. Free to start, no credit card.