This Korean martial art, which literally means, ‘the art of the foot and the fist,' was added to the Olympic line-up at the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia. Taekwondo is a full contact sport, but it can also come in handy as a good form of self-defence, as it involves the use of defensive tactics. Points are scored when a kick lands on the appropriate scoring area of the opponent.

There are four different taekwondo weight categories in the Olympic Games and competitors vie to win eight gold medals; the venue for the action will be at the ExCel centre in London.

In the 2008 Olympics at Beijing, Britain celebrated its first ever Olympic Taekwondo win. The proud winner of the bronze medal in the competition was 25-year-old Sarah Stevenson, who'd previously won the Senior World Championship in 2001.