After years of wrangling the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) has decided to implement a ranking system early next year. The intention is to make competitions and events more exciting to the public and the media, and will hopefully open up a range of marketing opportunities for athletes and the sport as a whole.
Along with the introduction of the ranking system, the WTF intends to launch a brand new annual competition to be held at the end of each year for the top 8 ranked athletes in each category, which will serve as a ‘champions championship’. The first of these competitions, provisionally called the Annual President Cup Invitational Tournament, will be held in December 2009.
At first glance the proposed ranking system seems cumbersome and complicated, but so far, a first glance is all we’ve got. According to the WTF, points will be awarded according to a formula: A (Points received according to the rank at the WTF-promoted or sanctioned championships) X B (Grade of pertinent tournaments) = final points.
The system will be applied to WTF promoted and sanctioned tournaments as follows: first placed athletes will receive 10 points, second place will receive 60% of 10 points i.e. 6 points and third place will receive 60% of 6 points i.e. 3.6 points. And then the fun starts. Points are valid for a two-year period and will be subject to a review every three months in a continuous process. During this two-year period, 25% of a particular set of awarded points will be deducted every three months, which means that when the two-year period is over no points from that set will exist.
Tournaments will be assigned an AAA, AA or A class ranking by a specially appointed Event Evaluation Committee according to the number of participants, technical level displayed and adherence to WTF rules and as such will only occur after the event.
It is hoped that the system will form the basis for a professional Taekwondo league, which will be of benefit to all Taekwondo participants; athletes as well as organisers.
Sandy Cosser
http://wtf.org/site/news/wtf.htm?realnum=237
Taekwondo to get rankings at last
