Para-taekwondo at Tokyo Paralympics: All you need to know

GB fighters Beth Munro (left) and Amy Truesdale will be hoping to create history in Tokyo

Key information

Dates: 2-4 September

Venue: Makuhari Messe Hall B

Gold medals on offer: Six

How does it work?

Para-taekwondo will be one of the sports making its debut in Tokyo.

While it has similarities to the Olympic version, the one key difference is that kicks to the head are not allowed and punches are not allowed because not all athletes can block in the same way.

All of the scoring is based on kicks to the trunk with competitors wearing body protectors with in-built electronics. Two points are awarded for a valid kick to the trunk protector, three points for a valid turn kick and four for a valid spinning kick. In addition, one point is awarded for every penalty given to the opponent.

At the Tokyo Games there will be one division (K44) for athletes who compete in the K43 or K44 category.

The K43 category includes athletes who have impairments in both arms above the elbow while the K44 category includes athletes who have impairments in one arm above the elbow.

There will be three weight categories per gender - men's up to 61kg, up to -75kg and more than 75kg and women's up to 49kg, up to 58kg and over 58kg.

Each division will have 12 athletes meaning that there will be a repechage system in place.

Bouts are made up of three rounds of two minutes with a one-minute break between rounds. If athletes are tied after three rounds, a golden-point round takes place with the winner the first fighter to two points.

Who are the British medal hopes?

Amy Truesdale has been Britain's standard-bearer for many years and won world titles in 2014 and 2017. Beth Munro earned a call-up after winning in her first international bout at the Paralympic qualifiers in May while Joe Lane comes in as a late replacement for the injured Matt Bush.

Who are the other medal challengers?

Mongolia has only won one Paralympic gold medal since making its Games debut in 2000 but they have two good chances of gold with Enkhtuya Khurelbaatar (women's -48kg) and Bolor-Erdene Ganbat (men's -61kg), both ranked number one in their respective categories going into the Games. Turkey and Iran will also be fielding strong teams but this will be a very open tournament.

Did you know?

Denmark's Lisa Gjessing had dreams of being an Olympian and competed at the 2001 and 2003 World Championships but missed out on a place in the team for Athens 2004. She decided to concentrate on life outside sport, but in 2009 was diagnosed with cancer and had her lower left arm amputated. It started a career in Para-taekwondo and she is now a four-time world champion and four-time European champion in the -58kg division and would be a popular Paralympic gold medallist on the sport's debut.

ParalympicsGB Rio 2016 medals

None - 2021 is its Games debut