What are the ways a taekwondo match can end?
B · Beginner · The contest and the score · 5 of 6There are nine. Most contests end on the final score. The others are a 20-point lead, the golden round, superiority, the referee stopping the contest, the opponent withdrawing, a disqualification, ten gam-jeom and a disqualification for unsporting behaviour. Each has a three-letter code on the results sheet.
How it works
- PTF, final score: the higher total after three rounds, or more rounds won in best of three.
- PTG, point gap: a lead of 20 points at the end of the second round or at any time in the third stops the contest.
- Not in the last two matches: the point gap is not used in senior semi-finals and finals.
- GDP, golden points: the first to two points in the golden round.
- SUP, superiority: the golden round ended without a winner.
- RSC, referee stops contest: a knocked-down athlete cannot continue, an athlete ignores the command to continue three times, or safety or the doctor requires it.
- WDR, withdrawal: the athlete withdraws, or the coach throws a towel onto the court.
- DSQ, disqualification: failing the weigh-in or not reporting after the third call.
- PUN, punitive declaration: ten gam-jeom.
- DQB, unsporting behaviour: tampering with the scoring sensors, cheating the weigh-in, a doping violation or serious misconduct.
- After a DQB: all of that athlete's results are removed and the placings affected are reallocated.
The glossary has the win by point gap entry, the referee stops contest entry, the superiority entry, the disqualification entry, gam-jeom and the golden round.
Tricky cases
Blue leads 24-3 halfway through round two. Is the contest stopped?
Not yet. The 20-point gap applies at the completion of the second round or during the third.
Blue leads an Olympic-level senior final by 21 points in round three. Is it stopped?
No. The point gap is not applied in senior semi-finals and finals.
A coach throws in the towel while their athlete is ahead. What is the result?
A win for the opponent by withdrawal.
An athlete passes the weigh-in but does not come to the mat. How is the result recorded?
The referee and the opponent go to the court and the opponent is declared the winner by disqualification.
Why the rule exists
A contest that is no longer a contest should stop: the point gap spares a beaten athlete more kicks to the head, and the referee's power to stop protects one who is hurt. The codes exist so a results sheet tells the story without a report.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard system | All nine decisions | WT Article 16.1 to 16.9 |
| Best of three | RSC, PTF, WDR, DSQ and DQB only | WT Article 16.10 |
| Senior semi-finals and finals | No point gap | WT Article 16 Explanation 3 |
| Team competition | No point gap; first team to 30 points wins the round | WT Article 22.10.2 |
From the rule book
World Taekwondo, Competition Rules & Interpretation (in force 1 June 2026), Article 16 with its explanations. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: WT Competition Rules & Interpretation, 1 June 2026 (PDF).