Taekwondo — Step-by-Step Roadmap

1. 1
   Stage 1 · From childhood Grassroots & local entry

   Learn at a recognised club and earn grades up to a Kukkiwon Dan or Poom certificate — LA28 and WT events demand it. Cadet championships at 12–14. [1][2]

2. 2
   Stage 2 · 12–18 · 15–17 State to national breakthrough

   Up to 8th at Sub-Junior/Junior Nationals or top 3 in the state opens SAI Training Centre tests; junior classes lead to the World Taekwondo Junior Championships. [7][1]

3. 3
   Stage 3 · Scouted National camp & elite trials

   Khelo India scouts pick from recognised competitions — you cannot apply. NCOEs: Thiruvananthapuram, Bengaluru, Guwahati, Lucknow. [8][7]

4. ★
   Stage 4 · 17+ · LA28 International orbit

   G1/G2 opens, Grand Prix and Worlds build the WT Olympic ranking: top 5 per class (Jan 2028), Grand Slam leaders, then Asia's qualifier (top 2). Needs a WT Global Athlete Licence. [2]

Fuel, from stage 1: food first. Pair cereals with pulses about 3:1 — roti or rice with dal, chana or rajma; vegetarians add milk or curd, others eggs, fish or meat. ICMR-NIN says most athletes get enough protein from food and protein powders are unnecessary; NADA warns that no supplement is risk-free. [17][6]

• At WT and continental championships and multi-sport Games you need: the nationality of your team, a recommendation from your national federation, a Kukkiwon Dan or Poom certificate (black-belt grade) and a WT Global Athlete Licence. [1]

• General weigh-in: the day before you fight. If you miss the first time, you get one more try inside the time limit.
• Random weigh-in: on the morning of the fight, a share of each class is picked by computer (20% if more than 32 fighters). You may be up to 5% over your class; miss it or skip it and you are disqualified. There is no second try.
• Cadets and juniors weigh in wearing underwear and get 100 g extra. [1]

• Under the anti-doping code you must be available for testing and check every medicine against the Prohibited List; if no permitted treatment exists, apply to NADA for a TUE. [5]

The taekwondo ladder [1][7][8][2]

• You cannot apply to become a Khelo India athlete — scouts pick from recognised competitions; create your profile on the National Sports Repository System with age proof. [8]

SAI National Centres of Excellence with taekwondo [7]

Taekwondo is also taught at SAI Training Centres (ages 12–18) and in SAI's school and college extension centres. [7]

Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), Vijayanagar, Karnataka lists taekwondo among its sports, with athlete residences, recovery, physiotherapy and sports science on campus. [9]

• At WT-calendar events a fighter wears a WT-approved dobok, electronic trunk and head protectors, groin guard, forearm and shin guards, gloves and sensing socks, plus a mouthguard. Fighters must bring their own approved protective gear, gloves and mouthguard. Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — no governing body publishes them.
• Each Dan or Poom grading and the WT Global Athlete Licence are separate costs paid through your federation. [1]

Who pays — taekwondo ladder [7][10]

• Weight-cutting with pills or powders is a doping risk: no supplement is 100% safe and strict liability applies — food first, with a certified nutritionist. [6]

• Taekwondo is one of the 65 sports in the central sports quota for Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST).
• Medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or World Championships can bring up to three out-of-turn promotions. [11]

• CRPF's 2026 sports quota has 14 taekwondo (kyorugi) posts: women 46, 49, 53, 57 and 62 kg; men 58, 63, 68 and 74 kg. [13]

• Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons: ₹12,000–20,000 a month after retirement. [10]

1. World Taekwondo — Competition Rules & Interpretation (in force 1 June 2026; copy published by the Danish Taekwondo Federation) (opens in a new tab) Contestant papers and ages, weight classes, match duration, weigh-ins, points incl. doubled turning kicks, gam-jeom penalties · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
2. World Taekwondo — Qualification System, LA28 Olympic Games: Taekwondo (version 12 May 2026; copy published by NOC*NSF) (opens in a new tab) 4 + 4 classes, 128 places, ranking / Grand Slam / continental routes, age, Kukkiwon Dan and WT licence, eligibility results · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
5. NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
6. NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
7. SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) Taekwondo NCOEs, STC entry (ages 12–18), extension centres · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
8. Khelo India — How to become a Khelo India Athlete (opens in a new tab) Scouting, assessment camps, NSRS registration · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
9. Inspire Institute of Sport, Vijayanagar — Sports (opens in a new tab) Taekwondo among IIS sports; facilities · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
10. PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) Khelo India, TOPS, welfare fund, pension · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
11. DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) Taekwondo in the 65-sport list, Group C, out-of-turn promotion · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
12. Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Age 18–25 on 1 Jan 2027, level norms, no taekwondo posts in this notice, MoYAS-recognition rule, fees · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
13. CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 521 posts incl. 14 taekwondo (kyorugi) posts, age and relaxation, qualifications, fee, ₹1 lakh bond · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
14. World Taekwondo — Poomsae Competition Rules and Interpretation (in force 30 Sep 2024) (opens in a new tab) Poomsae divisions by birth year: cadet 12–14, junior 15–17, under 30 … over 65 (men), over 60 (women) · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
15. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Six Week Certificate Course in Sports Coaching (opens in a new tab) 6 weeks (4 online, 2 offline), ₹14,800, Class 12 + district-level top 3 or state / inter-university / SGFI / national participation · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
16. SAI NSNIS Patiala — Diploma in Sports Coaching (course page, 2026-27) (opens in a new tab) 1 year, ₹63,800, 785 + 104 seats in 26 disciplines at Patiala, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram; Category A (Class 12 + international record), B (graduation + national record) · Last checked 19 Oct 2026
17. ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026