The UAAP Taekwondo Championships will unveil a new competition format for the kyorugi events and introduce new categories in the poomsae discipline when Season 88 action kicks off on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The league is shifting its kyorugi competitions from a team match format to individual events to align with international standards used in tournaments such as the Asian Championships, World Championships, and multi-sport events like the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and the Olympics.
Despite the format change, UAAP kyorugi will still feature seven weight classes in both the collegiate men’s and women’s divisions, along with five categories in the high school boys division. The tournament is being held in partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission.
High school girls’ kyorugi will debut this season as a demonstration event, also featuring five weight classes.
The poomsae competition will open the four-day event alongside the preliminary matches of the High School Boys’ kyorugi.
Freestyle poomsae will also make its debut as a demonstration event in the collegiate division.
For the first time in league history, high school poomsae practitioners will also take center stage as they compete in their own demonstration event.
Overall team standings across all divisions in both disciplines — poomsae and kyorugi — will be determined by medal tally, with the school that wins the most gold medals crowned as overall champion.
Last season, University of Santo Tomas dominated collegiate poomsae with a 3-2-0 gold-silver-bronze haul, and the Tiger Jins are aiming for a third consecutive title.
Meanwhile, De La Salle University and National University swept their respective divisions — both finishing 5–0 — to capture the collegiate men’s and women’s kyorugi titles last season. NUNS claimed the high school boys’ crown.
Preliminary matches for both the collegiate and high school girls’ kyorugi divisions will be held on April 22 and 23, while all finals are scheduled for April 24, the final day of the championships.
