ITF Taekwon-Do is a contact sport, especially in sparring. As in all contact sports, there is always a chance of a concussion. The ITF is aware of its responsibility to increase the safety of the athletes and avoid permanent damages due to a concussion. According to the ITF president Grand Master Paul Weiler “head injuries can have serious consequences and we all have a responsibility; the medical department, umpires, coaches, and also the ITF as an organization.”
ITF sparring has always been a light contact system and requires proper safety equipment including head protection to avoid major injuries of the competitors. To increase the safety of our competitors, the ITF introduced in 2021 the so-called Tournament Concussion Policy which gives medical staff at all ITF competitions additional time to treat a competitor for a potential concussion, especially if a punch or kick to the head was the reason for the medical break. The medical staff will follow the standardized and acknowledged SCAT5 catalogue (Sport Concussion Assessment Tool version 5) to securely detect a potential concussion.
In virtual presentations on August 27 and September 10, 2022, Mr. Kirk Lee, a medical professional and experienced in ITF competition, explained the danger of concussions (or Traumatic Brain Injury) and how the ITF Concussion Policy is applied to quickly detect and treat the potential concussion in an ITF event. A recording of the virtual presentations can be found below.
Do you know that the world leading sport news media insidethegames.biz reported about our Concussion Policy Presentation? Here you can find the full article: https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1127495/taekwon-do-concussion
The ITF Medical and Anti-Doping Committee developed guidelines how to respond to a potential or diagnosed concussion. Please use the guidelines below as a first step and the minimum in treating a concussion. These guideline cannot replace a proper treatment by a medical professional or doctor. In case of doubt, please contact the ITF Medical and Anti-Doping Committee directly and ask your physiologist.
