Singapore (Nov 17, 2024) - Host Singapore secured three gold medals on the final day of the inaugural World Taekwondo Virtual Championships, which served as a spectacular showcase of the innovative and inclusive discipline.

 

The second day of competition at the Singapore Sports Hub OCBC Arena featured the male and female individual young adult (16-35 years old) event categories, as well as the adult mixed (36 years old and above).

 

The young adult individual female category was decided in a thrilling final between two Singaporean athletes, with Jia Wei Tan edging out Sherri Yap 2:1 to take the gold. Bronze went to the Philippines’ Zyka Angelica Santiago, who was crowned the young adult individual mixed category champion yesterday.

 

In the young adult individual male event, Justin Peh upgraded his silver from the young adult individual mixed  category to gold with an impressive 2:0 win against Korea’s Seongbin Park. Gyumin Lee of Korea earned bronze.

 

Brian Peh took the remaining gold medal at the Singapore 2024 World Taekwondo Virtual Championships, overcoming compatriot Lee Fong Tan 2:1 in the adult mixed final. Poh Ling Koh won bronze to make it a podium sweep for Singapore in this event.

 

Gold medallists in each category received $3,000 in prize money, silver medallists earned $2,000 and bronze medallists $1,000.

 

The first-ever World Taekwondo Virtual Championships proved another major milestone in the growth of the discipline, with 120 athletes from 23 countries, plus Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) and the Refugee Team, taking part.

 

It followed on from Virtual Taekwondo’s inclusion at the inaugural Olympic Esports Series in 2023, in which it was the only combat sport. The IOC will hold its first Olympic Esports Games in Saudi Arabia in 2025, for which the programme is still to be confirmed.

 

Virtual Taekwondo uses the unique motion-tracking AXIS system developed by Refract Technologies and a virtual reality headset, creating a level playing field for athletes to compete in non-contact sparring in a four-metre square arena, with blue and red zones.

 

The World Taekwondo Virtual Championships has marked a new era for the sport, offering participants new challenges, excitement and opportunities, delivering entertainment to the fans, and aligning Taekwondo with the advancements of the digital age.