How does a poomsae competition decide who goes through?
I · Intermediate · The competition · 3 of 3Most events use the cut-off system. With 20 or more athletes there is a preliminary round and the top half advance. The semi-final cuts the field to eight and the final ranks them, with two bronze medals. Events may also be run as a single-elimination tournament, where two athletes perform the same form at the same time.
How it works
- Four systems: single elimination, round robin, cut-off and a combination of cut-off with elimination.
- Who chooses: the Technical Delegate, stated in the event outline beforehand.
- Preliminary round: used when 20 or more are entered. There are two groups, or three from 40 entrants.
- Advancing from it: the "top 50% contestants from each group".
- Semi-final: the starting round for 9 to 19 athletes. Eight advance on points.
- Final: the starting round for 8 or fewer. The top four receive medals, and third and fourth both receive bronze.
- Order: by draw number in the preliminary round and the semi-final. In the final, from the lowest semi-final score to the highest.
- Elimination, individual: chung and hong enter together, the form is shown on the monitor and "both Chung and Hong perform poomsae at the same time".
- Elimination, pairs and teams: the chung side performs first, then the hong side.
- Minimum entry: at least four countries and four athletes or teams in a division for an international event to be recognised.
The glossary has poomsae, chung and hong, the recognised poomsae entry, the poomsae scoring entry, the corner judges and the referee.
Tricky cases
A group in the preliminary round has 11 athletes. How many advance?
Six. With an odd number, the next highest below the top half also advances.
There are 15 entrants. Is there a preliminary round?
No. With 9 to 19, the competition starts at the semi-final.
In an elimination match, do the two athletes know the form in advance?
No. The designated form is selected at random and shown after the bow.
Are preliminary groups marked by the same judges?
Not necessarily. The rule book says each group might be judged by a different group of judges.
Why the rule exists
A judged event with 40 entrants cannot fairly be run as one long list, so the field is cut in stages and the best meet in a final of eight. Sending the lowest semi-final score out first in the final keeps the strongest performances for the end.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 20 to 39 athletes | Preliminary round in two groups | WT Poomsae Article 7 Explanation 2 |
| 40 or more | Preliminary round in three groups where three courts exist | WT Poomsae Article 7 Explanation 2 |
| 9 to 19 | Start at the semi-final | WT Poomsae Article 7 Explanation 3 |
| 8 or fewer | Start at the final | WT Poomsae Article 7 Explanation 4 |
| Elimination tournament | Head to head, form drawn at random | WT Poomsae Article 11.6; 13 Explanation 4 |
From the rule book
World Taekwondo, Poomsae Competition Rules & Interpretation (in force 30 September 2024), Articles 7, 11 and 13. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: WT Poomsae Competition Rules & Interpretation, 30 September 2024 (PDF).