This prospective cohort study aimed to identify the incidence and characteristics of Taekwondo-related injuries according to age, sex, and event type (i.e., practice or competition) based on a web-based injury surveillance system (ISS) with a follow-up period of 12 months. A total of 285 members of the Korea Taekwondo Association who competed in the 2016 season participated. Injury incidence rates (IRs) were calculated per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs). Injury rate ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated and compared regarding age, sex, and event type. During the season, 336 injuries were reported, resulting in a rate of 6.31/1000 AEs. The most common location, type, and mechanism of injury in Taekwondo athletes were the foot/ankle, ligament sprain, and contact with another player, respectively. The overall injury IRs associated with Taekwondo practicing and competition were 4.79/1000 AEs and 24.86/1000 AEs, respectively. The overall injury RR related to both practice and competition was higher in youth athletes than in adult athletes. However, adult athletes were more likely to sustain more severe injuries. Korean elite Taekwondo athletes were commonly exposed to injury, especially youth and female athletes. Therefore, continuation of the ISS suggests the development of interventions for preventing injuries sustained by Taekwondo athletes.

Taekwondo has been reported to be one of the most injurious sports in the summer Olympics, however, there is a dearth of data about injury profiles for junior athletes. Therefore, we aimed to identify the incidence and profiles of the injuries and illnesses that occurred during the 2018 World Taekwondo Junior Championships and recorded using an online system. Among the 889 athletes, 67 injuries and four illnesses were reported, corresponding to an overall clinical incidence of 7.5 injuries (95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.7–9.3) and 0.5 illnesses (0.1–0.9) per 100 athletes. The most frequent injuries were lower extremity injuries (n = 33, 3.71% of all athletes), mostly in the foot/toe (n = 11, 1.2% of athletes), followed by head and trunk injuries, mostly in the face (n = 14, 1.6% of athletes), and upper extremity injuries, mostly in the fingers (n = 6, 0.7% of athlete). Contusions (n = 37, 4.2% of athlete) were the most frequent injury type, followed by ligament ruptures/sprains and laceration. The most common injury mechanism was contact during an opponent attack (n = 51, 5.7% of athlete). Three mild concussions none resulted in time loss (none required hospital transfer or had prolonged recovery). The respiratory system was the most affected by illness, with pain and fever as symptoms. Environmental factors were the most common cause of illness. This study shows that 7.5 per 100 athletes (38.5/1000 athlete-exposures and 6.9/1000 min-exposures) had new or recurrent injuries, whereas 0.5 per 100 athletes experienced illness. In conclusion, the data shows male athletes reported more injuries than females and the most common cause of injury was due to contact between athletes. Contusions, ligament rupture/sprains, laceration and fractures to the lower extremities, head, and trunk were the most common injury. Knowing these injury profiles of junior taekwondo athletes can help taekwondo stakeholders, especially medical staff to prepare accordingly to ensure the safety of the athletes.

Although previous studies have examined the relationship between smoking and physical fitness, they only considered current smoking status and the same fitness measurements regardless of age. This study investigated differences in physical fitness based on tobacco smoking habits. A total of 2830 non-elderly adults (NEA; 19–64 years) and 629 elderly (65–89 years) participated in the study, using data extracted from a Korean national database. One-way ANCOVA and ANOVA were conducted to analyze the results. The subjects were classified into three groups (smokers, those who had quit, and never-smokers). In NEA men, a significant difference was observed in 50-m dash (p = 0.003) and 20-m shuttle-run (p < 0.001), while in elderly men differences were only seen in sit-ups (p = 0.015). In the case of NEA and elderly women, no significant differences were observed in physical fitness levels (p > 0.05). The decreased fitness level due to smoking was more noticeable in men than in women, and in NEA more than in elderly persons. A non-smoking policy and customized training based on age or gender are necessary to increase fitness and improve health conditions.

We aimed to analyze injury profiles and injury severity in Korean youth soccer players. Data on all injuries that occurred in U-15 youth soccer players during the 2019 season were collected from 681 players of 22 teams through a medical questionnaire. The questionnaire was based on injury surveillance procedures of the Federation International de Football Association Medical and Research Centre and International Olympic Committee, and it comprised questions on demographic characteristics, training conditions, and injury information. Among all players, defenders accounted for 33.0%, followed by attackers (30.7%), midfielders (26.8%), and goalkeepers (7.9%). Most players played soccer on artificial grounds (97.4%). Injuries occurred more frequently during training (56.3%) than during matches (43.7%). Recurrent injury rate was 4.4% and average days to return to full activities were 22.58. The ankle (26.6%) and knee joints (14.1%) were the most common injury locations, and ligament sprains (21.0%), contusions (15.6%), and fractures (13.9%) were the most frequent injury types. In conclusion, Korean youth soccer players have a high injury risk. Therefore, researchers and coaching staff need to consider these results as a key to prevent injuries in youth soccer players and injury prevention programs may help decrease injury rate by providing injury management.

Context: There is a shortage of Taekwondo epidemiology studies since the rule changes introduced by World Taekwondo in 2017. Objective: To describe injury and illness patterns at the Muju 2017 World Taekwondo Championships (WTC) following the implementation of the web-based surveillance system by World Taekwondo. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: All injuries and illnesses were recorded during the 2017 WTC using a web-based system developed by the International Olympic Committee. Patients or Other Participants: 971 athletes who participated in the 2017 WTC. Main Outcome Measure(s): A profiles and mechanisms of injury and illness in the 2017 WTC. Results: We analyzed total 131 injuries and 26 illnesses, corresponding to an overall clinical incidence of 13.5 ((95% confidence interval (CI): 11.2–15.8)) injuries and 2.7 (95% CI: 1.6–3.7) illnesses per 100 athletes, and an overall incidence rate of 19.3 (95% CI: 16.0–22.6) injuries and 3.8 (95% CI: 2.4–5.3) illnesses per 1,000 athlete-days, respectively. Most injuries occurred in the lower extremities (46.6%, n=61), of which knee injuries were most frequent (19.8%, n=26). Among the head and trunk injuries (29.8%, n=39), face injuries (22.1%, n=29) were most frequent, whereas among upper extremity injuries (23.7%, n=31), finger injuries (6.1%, n=8) were most frequent. Contusions (33.6%, n=44) were the most frequent injury type, followed by fractures and ligament ruptures/sprains. The most common injury mechanism was in contact with another athlete (74.0%, n=97), whereas the least common was concussions (n=5). The major affected system was the respiratory system (30.8%, n=8), with major symptoms being pain (42.3%, n=11) and fever (26.9%, n=7). Environmental factors were the most common cause of illness (57.7%, n=15). Conclusion: The web-based surveillance system used at the 2017 WTC revealed that 13.5/100 athletes (77.8/1,000 athlete-exposures, 13.9/1000 minute-exposures) had new or recurrent injuries, whereas 2.7/100 athletes became ill.

Sports-related traumatic brain injuries are the most common injury in adolescents and young adults due to recurrent concussion experiences and head shock. Therefore, this study was designed to describe player characteristics and situational factors associated with concussions in the World Taekwondo Championships using systematic video analysis. Athlete injury data were collected using a web-based injury surveillance system at the World Taekwondo Championships organized by World Taekwondo from 2017 to 2019. Seven video footage were independently analyzed by four analysts using a modified Heads-Up Checklist. Descriptive statistical analysis was used. The incidence of concussion was 3.21 per 1000 games. Most players with concussions were shorter than their opponents, and most concussions were caused by a roundhouse kick on the front of the face. Regarding the acceleration direction of the head after the impact, transverse and multiplane directions were the most common. Most players with a concussion have used a closed stance and did not use blocking techniques during the defense. The rate of concussions caused by penalties was 42.9%. Based on our findings, no other injury mechanisms, except for direct blows to the head, were observed. Therefore, education on the risk and symptoms of concussion, the appropriate management and blocking techniques should be emphasized in TKD-S to reduce incidence of concussion.