Asian Games: taekwondo moves into the virtual world

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Nagoya (Japan) (AFP) – Taekwondo has a two-thousand-year history but on Friday in Nagoya (Japan) during the 2026 Asian Games, it entered a new era with the first virtual event of this Korean martial art.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 17:06

Virtual taekwondo only attracted a modest number of spectators divided between fascination and perplexity at this “alliance of real martial arts and cutting-edge technology”, according to those responsible for this sport, which was included for the first time on the Games program after a decision by the Asian Olympic Committee.

Competitors wear a virtual reality headset and control their avatars. Sensors on the back, thighs and shins record their every movement. The fights are fought in the best of three rounds of 60 seconds.

No contact here: the two opponents each remain in their playing zone, separated by a few meters.

The objective is to deliver real kicks to the opponent's body and head... virtual to reduce his life bar.

Singaporean Darren Yap, 22, won bronze, adding to another medal of the same metal in traditional taekwondo: "It's a fun way to do sparring and practice non-contact taekwondo."

According to its promoters, virtual taekwondo is just as athletically demanding as the real discipline but safer.

Notable differences: men and women compete against each other and there is no weight category.

“It allows more people to participate and I think it's cool that women can beat men,” said Yap, beaten in the semi-final by Vietnamese Chau Ngoc Tuyet Sang, 21, who herself lost in the final to Filipino Jeus Gabriel Derick, 22 and the first gold medalist in the new discipline at the Asian Games.

The International Taekwondo Federation “proudly supports” this “revolutionary” practice. Skeptics, for their part, believe that it is just another form of video game.

The first world championships took place in 2024 in Singapore. Virtual taekwondo appeared in the city-state in 2023 during the first-ever Olympic Esports Week.

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