Toyohashi (Japan) (AFP) - The history of taekwondo dates back more than two thousand years, but the Korean martial art stepped forward Friday at the Asian Games in Japan towards a future in which no one is harmed: virtual taekwondo.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 10:04

At a gym about a 90-minute drive from Nagoya, the main host city of the Games, a modest number of spectators watched the competition with a mixture of fascination and bewilderment.

Taekwondo officials describe the genre as a meeting between "real-world martial arts and cutting-edge virtual technology."

Competitors wear virtual reality glasses, while motion tracking technology allows them to control their characters within the game.

They also place "sensors" on the back, thighs and legs to monitor their every movement.

Each round usually lasts 60 seconds, and matches are decided in a best-of-three round system, while the two competitors stand, each in their own playing area, a few meters away from each other.

The goal is to deliver real kicks towards the opponent's virtual body and head, depleting their on-screen health bar.

The competitor is physically present on the opposite side, but without any real physical contact.

Singaporean Darren Yap won the bronze medal, adding it to another bronze he won in traditional taekwondo competitions.

“It was fun playing there,” he said after his victory. “I didn’t have any expectations.”

When asked what he could see through virtual reality glasses, he said, "You can see your health bar, your opponent's character, and your limbs. Wearing them is frankly very comfortable."

He added, "It is a fun way to fight and a fun way to practice Taekwondo without contact."

"pioneer"

Officials confirm that virtual taekwondo requires physical effort similar to traditional taekwondo, but it is safer.

The World Taekwondo Federation, the sport's supervisory body, says it "proudly supports" the genre and describes it as "pioneering."

But skeptics consider it just another form of video gaming.

The first world championship in this sport was held in 2024 in Singapore, but the competitions reached a larger stage on Friday.

One of the differences compared to traditional sports is that men and women compete in a mixed category, and there are no weight categories.

"This allows more people to participate in sports, and I think it's great that women can beat men," Yap (22 years old) said after losing in the semi-finals to Vietnamese Chow Ngoc Tweet Sang.

Singapore became an early home to the sport, after virtual taekwondo appeared at the inaugural edition of the Olympic eSports Week in the city-state in 2023.

As for Zhao, a silver medalist who also competes in traditional taekwondo, she expressed mixed feelings about the lack of separation between genders or weight categories.

“One advantage is that you don't have to worry about the weight difference,” the 21-year-old said. "But one disadvantage is that men and women may differ in terms of physical strength, and men may tend to be stronger."

She added, "This may also mean that some movements performed by men are faster than those performed by women."

© 2026 AFP

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