Game or combat sport? Inaugural virtual taekwondo competition draws fans at Asian Games

Virtual taekwondo will make its official Asian Games debut at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games, which open on Sept. 19. Competitors wear VR headsets and sensors, fight on a 4-meter-by-4-meter mat for 60 seconds, and win by scoring more attacks or reducing the opponent’s health gauge to zero. The format also uses a stun gauge and removes traditional gender and weight classes. Sixteen athletes from 15 countries will compete for one gold medal.

Virtual taekwondo was first introduced at the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Esports Series in 2023.

Matches are decided in a best-of-three format, and head strikes cause twice as much damage as torso kicks.

The sport uses a separate stun gauge, and once it is filled, the opponent becomes defenseless for three seconds.

At the 2026 Chuncheon Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships in July, Nguyen Thi Mong Quynh won both the women’s division and the mixed division.

Korea will be represented by Ahn Hyang-sik of Yongin University, and athletes from 15 countries will take part.

Published Sep 7, 2026 12:05 am KST

A participant kicks during the 2026 Chuncheon Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships held in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, July 18. Courtesy of organizer

A competitor wearing a white taekwondo uniform stands barefoot on a mat. A virtual reality (VR) headset covers the athlete’s face, while five sensors are attached to the back, thighs and shins. The opponent stands in the same space, but several meters away.

When the match begins, the two competitors exchange kicks without actually touching each other. Instead of watching the athletes on the mat, spectators watch their VR avatars on a screen.

This is virtual taekwondo, which will make its official Asian Games debut at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, which open on Sept. 19. The sport was first introduced at the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Esports Series in 2023 and has made its way into the Asian Games just three years later.

Each competitor battles on a 4-meter-by-4-meter mat for 60 seconds, with matches decided by a best-of-three format. Much like Tekken, another esports title at the Asian Games, a competitor can win by landing successful attacks and reducing the opponent’s health gauge to zero.

If neither player scores a knockout within 60 seconds, the competitor who has retained more health wins. Kicks to the opponent’s torso or head count as successful hits, with head strikes causing twice as much damage. Kicks are classified as strong, medium or weak depending on their speed, with the damage varying accordingly.The sport also incorporates elements more commonly associated with video games. In addition to the health gauge, each player has a separate “stun gauge.” Once enough successful attacks fill the gauge, the opponent becomes defenseless for three seconds.

During those three seconds, the stunned competitor can neither evade nor block attacks, creating a crucial opportunity to turn the match around.

Punches do not reduce an opponent’s health, but they can build up the stun gauge. Conversely, successfully blocking an opponent’s kick with an arm can reduce one's stun gauge.

A scene from a virtual taekwondo competition

Despite its video-game-like appearance, the sport is physically demanding, much like other combat sports. Although each round lasts just one minute, with a maximum of three minutes per match, competitors must relentlessly pressure their opponents without a break.

In addition to stamina and technical skill, concentration is crucial. Athletes must read their opponent’s movements in a virtual environment and make split-second decisions.

Another distinctive feature is that the virtual setting eliminates traditional divisions by gender and weight class. At the 2026 Chuncheon Korea Open International Taekwondo Championships held in July, Vietnamese taekwondo athlete Nguyen Thi Mong Quynh, 28, won both the women’s division and the mixed division, which featured 31 male and female competitors.

At this Asian Games, athletes will compete for just one gold medal, regardless of gender or weight class. Sixteen male and female athletes aged 17 to 35 from 15 countries will take part. Korea will be represented by Ahn Hyang-sik (Yongin University), who has competed in the 58 kg sparring division, while athletes from Hong Kong and India, among others, will also participate in virtual taekwondo as sparring specialists. In contrast, competitors from countries such as the Philippines and Singapore mainly specialize in poomsae.

However, it remains uncertain whether traditional sparring skills will translate directly to virtual taekwondo. Unique strategic elements that do not exist in real-life taekwondo, such as the “stun” mechanic, can have a significant impact on the outcome. It is also too early to say whether sparring or poomsae athletes have an advantage.

An official from World Taekwondo said, “Among the participants at this Asian Games, there are also athletes who specialize specifically in virtual taekwondo.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

虚拟跆拳道将在2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会上首次亮相，该届亚运会将于9月19日开幕。参赛选手佩戴VR头显和传感器，在4米×4米的垫子上进行60秒的比赛，通过获得更多攻击次数或将对手的生命值降至零来赢得比赛。该赛制还引入了眩晕槽，并取消了传统的性别和体重级别。来自15个国家的16名运动员将角逐一枚金牌。

虚拟跆拳道于 2023 年首次在国际奥委会的奥林匹克电子竞技系列赛中推出。

比赛采用三局两胜制，头部攻击造成的伤害是躯干踢击的两倍。

这项运动采用单独的眩晕槽，一旦眩晕槽充满，对手将失去防御能力三秒钟。

在 2026 年 7 月举行的春川韩国公开国际跆拳道锦标赛上，阮氏梦琼 (Nguyen Thi Mong Quynh) 获得了女子组和混合组的双料冠军。

韩国将由龙仁大学的安香植代表参赛，共有来自15个国家的运动员参赛。

发布于2026年9月7日凌晨12:05（韩国标准时间）

2026年7月18日，在韩国江原道春川市举行的春川国际跆拳道公开赛上，一名选手正在踢腿。图片由主办方提供。

一名身穿白色跆拳道服的选手赤脚站在垫子上。虚拟现实（VR）头盔遮住了他的脸，五个传感器分别固定在他的背部、大腿和小腿上。他的对手站在同一区域，但距离他几米远。

比赛开始时，两名选手互相踢腿，但实际上并不接触对方。观众不是观看垫子上的运动员，而是在屏幕上观看他们的虚拟现实虚拟化身。

这是虚拟跆拳道，它将在2026年爱知-名古屋亚运会上正式亮相，该届亚运会将于9月19日开幕。这项运动于2023年首次在国际奥委会的奥林匹克电子竞技系列赛中推出，仅仅三年后就进入了亚运会。

每位选手在4米乘4米的垫子上进行60秒的战斗，比赛采用三局两胜制。与另一项亚运会电竞项目《铁拳》类似，选手可以通过成功攻击并将对手的生命值降至零来赢得比赛。

如果双方在60秒内均未击倒对手，则剩余生命值较高的一方获胜。踢击对手躯干或头部均算作有效命中，其中击中头部造成的伤害是其他部位的两倍。踢击根据速度分为强、中、弱三类，伤害也相应不同。这项运动还融合了一些电子游戏中常见的元素。除了生命值槽之外，每位玩家还有一个独立的“眩晕槽”。当眩晕槽积​​攒到一定数量后，对手将进入三秒的无防备状态。

在这三秒钟内，被震慑的对手既不能躲避也不能格挡攻击，从而创造了扭转比赛局势的关键机会。

拳击不会减少对手的生命值，但会积攒眩晕槽。相反，用手臂成功格挡对手的踢击可以减少自身的眩晕槽。

虚拟跆拳道比赛的一个场景

尽管这项运动看起来像电子游戏，但它对体能的要求很高，与其他格斗运动一样。虽然每回合只有一分钟，每场比赛最多三分钟，但选手必须不间断地向对手施压。

除了体力和技术之外，专注力也至关重要。运动员必须在虚拟环境中解读对手的动作，并在瞬间做出决定。

另一个显著特点是，虚拟比赛取消了传统的性别和体重级别划分。在7月举行的2026年韩国春川国际跆拳道公开赛上，28岁的越南跆拳道运动员阮氏梦琼（Nguyen Thi Mong Quynh）包揽了女子组和混合组的冠军，混合组共有31名男女选手参赛。

在本届亚运会上，所有运动员将不分性别和体重级别，争夺一枚金牌。来自15个国家的16名年龄在17至35岁之间的男女运动员将参赛。韩国将派出安香植（龙仁大学）参赛，他曾参加过58公斤级搏击项目的比赛。此外，来自香港、印度等地的运动员也将作为搏击专家参加线上跆拳道比赛。相比之下，菲律宾、新加坡等国的选手则主要专注于品势项目。

然而，传统搏击技巧能否直接应用于虚拟跆拳道仍未可知。一些现实跆拳道中不存在的独特策略要素，例如“眩晕”机制，可能会对比赛结果产生重大影响。此外，现在断言搏击选手或品势选手在虚拟跆拳道中是否具有优势也为时尚早。

世界跆拳道联盟的一位官员表示：“在本届亚运会的参赛选手中，也有一些运动员专门从事虚拟跆拳道项目。”

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。