Virtual taekwondo on the rise as it makes debut at Asian Games

KUALA LUMPUR: When Vietnamese athlete Nguyen Thanh Hien Linh stepped into her first virtual taekwondo competition in Singapore in 2024, she had little idea what she was doing.

“I was just kicking into the air,” recalled the 21-year-old.

Despite her background as an elite national taekwondo champion, she struggled in the virtual arena with no clue on strategy, skills or how the technology worked.

Two years later, she won a gold medal at a recent virtual taekwondo competition in Malaysia and was part of a growing community of the gamified combat sport across South-East Asia. Once unfamiliar and experimental, virtual taekwondo is now emerging as a structured competitive discipline.

Co-developed by World Taekwondo and Singapore-based technology company Refract Technologies, it combines virtual reality technology with traditional taekwondo techniques to woo tech-savvy young athletes.

Competitors wear VR headsets that transport them into a digital 3D arena, and strap motion-tracking sensors on their spine, thighs and shins.

They use their bodies to control digital avatars in non-contact virtual matches, where every fast and well-timed strike depletes the opponent’s virtual health bar.

Unlike conventional taekwondo where competitors are separated by age, weight and gender, virtual taekwondo places everyone in the same digital arena.

It was showcased at Singapore’s Olympic e-sports Week in 2023 and held its first World Championships in Singapore in 2024.

This year, the sport will make its debut at the Asian Games in Japan in September, and it is expected to be included in the 2027 SEA Games in Malaysia.

During last month’s Malaysian competition, athletes and coaches described how the discipline is reshaping perceptions of both martial arts and gaming.

Singapore national athlete Brian Peh, 46, said he was not into gaming but joined the 2024 championship with his son out of curiosity.

Both won gold and have since participated in many other local and regional games.

Brian now also trains students in virtual taekwondo in his dojang, or training hall.

“I always tell parents: your kids love games. Do you want them using their hands to play, or using their legs?” he said.

“When they put on the headset and start to fight, wow, their energy is so high. They can play and play and they love it.”

Cambodian coach Vandy Yiv said more children and parents in his country are showing interest due to the low risk of injury. Many initially thought it was a video game but quickly realised it was a physically gruelling combat sport.

“Your whole body is moving. There is action, but no injury,” he said.

Vandy said he hopes virtual taekwondo can become a medal event in the Olympic Games in the near future. — AP