How long does an injured taekwondo athlete get, and who wins if they cannot continue?
A · Advanced · Knock downs, replay and entry · 4 of 5The referee stops the clock and allows one minute of first aid, which the doctor may ask to extend by up to two minutes. If the athlete cannot return, the opponent wins, unless the injury came from the opponent's prohibited act. In that case the athlete who fouled is the loser.
How it works
- The stop: "Kal-yeo", with the recorders told to suspend the time.
- One minute: for first aid by the commission doctor, or the team doctor if needed.
- More time: the commission doctor "may request more time (up to 2 minutes) if necessary".
- Counting down: from 40 seconds the referee announces the time aloud every five seconds.
- Cannot return: the referee declares the other athlete the winner.
- Caused by a foul: the athlete who caused the injury by a prohibited act is the loser.
- Only a bruise: the referee orders the athlete to "stand up". Refusing three times ends the contest against them.
- Serious injuries: a broken bone, dislocation, sprained ankle or bleeding earns the minute of treatment.
- Both hurt: if neither can continue after a minute, the points scored before the injuries decide.
- Unrelated to the match: the score at the time decides. If the first round had not ended, the match is invalidated.
- Thirty days: an athlete who could not continue because of a serious injury may not compete for 30 days without medical approval.
The glossary has the referee stops contest entry, the referee, the prohibited acts entry, gam-jeom, the knock down entry and the superiority entry.
Tricky cases
An athlete is kicked legally in the ribs and cannot go on after a minute. Who wins?
The opponent. An athlete incapacitated by a legal action or accidental contact is declared the loser.
An athlete is hurt by a kick below the waist and cannot continue. Who wins?
The injured athlete. The opponent caused the injury by a prohibited act.
Both athletes clash heads and neither can continue in round two of a standard contest. Who wins?
The athlete ahead on points before the injuries. If the points are level, superiority decides.
The referee thinks an athlete is making too much of a knock. What happens?
The referee orders them to stand up. After three refusals the contest is stopped and they lose.
Why the rule exists
One minute is enough to tell a knock from an injury and short enough that the pause cannot be used as a rest. Making the result depend on how the injury happened removes any reward for hurting an opponent with an illegal technique.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Any contest | One minute, extendable by the doctor | WT Article 19.1.2 |
| Best of three, both unable to continue | Points in that round decide in rounds one and three; round one's result decides in round two | WT Article 19.1.5.1 |
| Suspended before the end of round two for outside reasons | A rematch of three rounds, in principle | WT Article 19 Explanation 2 |
| Team of four | The team may continue with three | WT Article 22.9.2.7 |
From the rule book
World Taekwondo, Competition Rules & Interpretation (in force 1 June 2026), Article 19 with its explanations, and Article 18.2. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: WT Competition Rules & Interpretation, 1 June 2026 (PDF).