The combat sports at the Summer Olympics are boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo, and wrestling. Each uses different rules to decide how athletes score, win, and advance through a tournament.
The exact Olympic program can change between editions, so a sport featured once may not appear at the next Games. Here’s what happens in each of the five sports, how their disciplines differ, and which familiar martial arts are not currently Olympic medal sports.
what combat sports are in the olympics?
The five combat sports contested at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics were boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo, and wrestling. Each awarded medals through its own set of weight classes, weapons, or competition formats. The specific events and number of medal opportunities can change from one Olympic edition to another.
These are Olympic sports in their own right. That distinction matters because some other Olympic events include a combat-related element without being combat sports. For example, fencing is one part of modern pentathlon, but modern pentathlon is a separate sport. It does not add another fencing medal event to the standalone fencing competition.
The table gives a quick comparison of what athletes do and how each sport is decided:
| Sport | How athletes compete | Typical way to win | Best for viewers who enjoy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boxing | Punches with gloved hands, within the rules | Points or a stoppage | Striking, defense, and tactical rounds |
| Fencing | Touches with foil, épée, or sabre | Reach the target score or lead at time | Fast attacks and weapon-specific tactics |
| Judo | Throws, holds, and permitted submission techniques | Score ippon or lead on the scoreboard | Throws and rapid changes on the mat |
| Taekwondo | Mostly kicks, with permitted body punches | Outscore the opponent or win by stoppage | Long-range kicking and electronic scoring |
| Wrestling | Takedowns, turns, and holds | Pin, technical superiority, or points | Body control, takedowns, and pressure |
How Olympic boxing works
Olympic boxing is a rules-based amateur competition, not a professional title fight. Competitors wear gloves and aim to land legal punches on scoring areas while avoiding their opponent’s attacks. Kicks, throws, and grappling are not allowed.
Bouts are divided into rounds, and judges score the action using the competition’s scoring rules. A boxer can win on points or by a stoppage, such as when an opponent cannot safely continue. Referees can also penalize rule violations. The tournament is generally a direct-elimination format: lose a bout and the path to a medal usually ends, though the bracket may award bronze medals to semifinal losers.
Boxers compete in separate weight classes for men and women. Weight classes help make bouts fairer by limiting the size difference between opponents. The number and names of those classes are set for each Olympic edition, so do not assume they match professional boxing divisions.
For Paris 2024, boxing had 13 medal events: seven men’s weight classes and six women’s weight classes. The event program may differ at later Games. Boxing’s place in the Olympic program has also faced governance changes, so check the specific edition if you are planning around a future tournament.
What to watch for
Good Olympic boxing is about more than throwing the most punches. Watch how a boxer controls distance, lands clean shots, avoids return punches, and adjusts tactics as the bout develops. Footwork and defense can decide a close contest even when the exchanges look brief.
How fencing uses three different weapons
Olympic fencing has three disciplines: foil, épée, and sabre. All three involve scoring a touch with a weapon, but each has a different valid target area and set of rules. The weapon is not just a piece of equipment; it changes the strategy and pace of the bout.
- Foil: The valid target is the torso. Foil uses a convention called right of way, which helps determine who receives the point when both fencers register a touch close together.
- Épée: The whole body is a valid target. There is no right-of-way rule, so simultaneous touches can score for both fencers.
- Sabre: The valid target is the area above the waist, including the head and arms. Fencers can score with the edge or tip, and right of way applies.
Fencers compete in individual and team events. In individual bouts, the first athlete to reach the target number of touches wins, or the fencer ahead wins when time expires. Team events use a relay-style format in which teammates take turns fencing opponents from the other team. The team with the higher cumulative score wins.
Paris 2024 included 12 fencing medal events: individual and team events for men and women in each weapon. The sport’s short, sudden attacks can make it hard to follow at first. A useful viewing tip is to check the weapon and target area before a bout begins. That single detail explains why a hit that would count in one discipline may not score in another.
How judo scores throws and control
Judo combines throws with grappling on the mat. Athletes use grips on an opponent’s uniform to create openings, disrupt balance, and complete a legal technique. Kicks and punches are not part of Olympic judo competition.
The clearest win is ippon, a score awarded for a sufficiently controlled and forceful throw that lands the opponent on their back. Ippon also ends the contest. A high-quality throw that does not meet every ippon requirement can receive waza-ari, a lower score. Two waza-ari scores equal ippon under the rules.
Athletes can also score by holding an opponent on their back for the required period or using an allowed submission in which an opponent gives up. These ground techniques are called ne-waza. Officials can penalize illegal actions or excessive passivity with shido, a penalty. Accumulating penalties can cost an athlete the match.
Olympic judo includes men’s and women’s weight classes, plus a mixed-team event. Paris 2024 had 15 medal events: seven weight classes for men, seven for women, and one mixed team event. In the mixed event, athletes from different weight classes and genders compete as a team, with the lineup and match rules set by the event regulations.
Judo can switch quickly from standing throws to ground control. Look for the grip battle before a throw: gaining a strong grip can let an athlete control posture and create an attack, while a weak or defensive grip may leave them reacting. If a bout pauses after a throw, the referee may be checking whether it earned a score or whether the action can continue on the ground.
How taekwondo rewards speed and kicking
Olympic taekwondo is a striking sport built mainly around kicks. Athletes wear protective equipment and score by landing permitted techniques on valid target areas. Body punches are allowed, but punches to the head are not. Kicks to the head are permitted, which makes distance and timing especially important.
Electronic body protectors register valid body attacks, while judges assess some head techniques. Different attacks can earn different point values, and turning kicks can be worth more than a straightforward strike. The exact scoring details follow the rules in force for that competition.
Olympic taekwondo uses weight classes for men and women. Paris 2024 featured four classes per gender, for eight medal events. Athletes compete in elimination bouts, with the winner moving forward in the bracket. A bout can end on points or through a referee’s decision when the rules allow it.
Do not judge a taekwondo match only by the number of kicks you see. A kick must land legally and register or be recognized to score. Athletes also use feints, quick changes of stance, and distance management to draw out an attack or make a scoring shot difficult to block.
How Olympic wrestling differs by style
Olympic wrestling has two styles: freestyle and Greco-Roman. Both involve takedowns, control, and attempts to pin an opponent’s shoulders to the mat. The main difference is how athletes may use their legs and attack an opponent’s body.
In freestyle wrestling, athletes can attack and use holds on the opponent’s legs, as well as use their own legs to complete techniques. Greco-Roman wrestling prohibits holds below the waist and forbids using the legs to execute or block an opponent’s technique. That rule places more emphasis on upper-body attacks, throws, and control in Greco-Roman.
A fall, also called a pin, wins a match immediately when an athlete holds both of the opponent’s shoulders against the mat under the rules. If there is no fall, points are awarded for actions such as takedowns and turns. A match can also end early through technical superiority when one wrestler builds a sufficiently large lead. Otherwise, the athlete with more points when time runs out wins.
Wrestling uses weight classes and elimination brackets. At Paris 2024, there were 18 medal events: six men’s freestyle classes, six men’s Greco-Roman classes, and six women’s freestyle classes. Women’s Olympic wrestling is freestyle; there was no women’s Greco-Roman event in that program.
One useful way to follow a wrestling bout is to watch the boundary and the athlete’s position, not just the scramble. A takedown can earn points, while pushing an opponent out of bounds may also affect the score under the rules. In Greco-Roman, an upper-body lift or throw is often a key attack; in freestyle, leg attacks and leg-assisted finishes are allowed.
Why karate is not always an Olympic sport
Karate appeared at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were held in 2021, but it was not included in the Paris 2024 program. Tokyo featured kata, a judged demonstration of a sequence of movements, and kumite, a sparring competition. Karate’s presence at one edition did not guarantee a place at the next.
This is a common source of confusion. The Olympic host city can propose additional sports for its own Games, subject to approval, and the overall program can change. A sport may be Olympic at one edition and absent at another. That does not mean the sport has disappeared worldwide or lost its international competitions.
Other popular combat activities, such as mixed martial arts, kickboxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and Muay Thai, were not standalone medal sports at Paris 2024. Their status should be checked against the program for the particular Games being discussed. Similar skills or a governing body’s international reach do not automatically make a sport part of the Olympic medal program.
How to check the sports for a particular Olympics
If you are asking about a specific year, start with that edition rather than relying on a general list. The Olympic program can add or remove sports, and a discipline’s inclusion in one Games does not establish its status for every future edition.
- Identify the edition. Separate Summer Games from Winter Games and note the year. The five sports listed above describe the Paris 2024 Summer program.
- Check the sport and its events separately. A sport can be included while particular disciplines, weight classes, or team events change.
- Use official competition information. Look for the published sports program, event schedule, and event rules from the relevant Olympic organizers or international federation.
- Confirm the competition format. Brackets, scoring rules, and qualification details can vary by sport and edition. This is especially useful if you are following a particular athlete or trying to understand a close call.
One detail many quick lists miss is the difference between a sport, discipline, and medal event. Wrestling is a sport with freestyle and Greco-Roman disciplines, and each discipline contains multiple medal events. Fencing is a sport with three weapons and individual and team events. Counting disciplines as separate sports can make a list misleading.
There is also a difference between being part of the Olympics and being part of a medal event. A discipline may appear as one element within another sport, as fencing does in modern pentathlon, without becoming a separate standalone competition. For a clear answer, check whether the sport has its own event and medals in the Olympic program you mean.
For the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, the five standalone combat sports were boxing, fencing, judo, taekwondo, and wrestling. Their rules differ sharply, and the event list can change between Games.
If you are checking another edition, look up its official sports program and event schedule. Confirm the discipline and medal events too, since a sport’s name alone does not tell you which competitions are included.
That is the most practical answer to what combat sports are in the olympics: use the five-sport list for Paris 2024, then verify the specific Games you have in mind.