Toyohashi – Taekwondo dates back more than 2,000 years, but on Friday 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 meters apart. The goal is to aim real-life kicks to the virtual body and head of their opponent to deplete their computerized 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. 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. Governing body World Taekwondo “proudly endorses” it, calling it “groundbreaking.” Skeptics say it is just another type of gaming. The first world championships were in 2024 in Singapore, but on Friday 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. 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.
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