Taekwondo was plagued by scoring issues at the Beijing 2008 Olympics with the result of one women's heavyweight quarter-final being overturned.

That fight saw China's Chen Zhong declared the winner against Britain's Sarah Stevenson before British officials protested claiming that the referees missed a scoring kick by Stevenson, which subsequent video footage showed to be correct.

Chen's victory was rescinded and Stevenson advanced to the semi-final in what was the first time in Olympic taekwondo history that a result had been changed.

The issue, and several other controversies, proved so problematic that the sport came close to being removed from the Olympic programme following heavy criticism.

But the WTF President hopes the introduction of the Protector Scoring System (PSS), which features electronic body protectors (pictured top) that register kicks and punches if they land with sufficient force, has solved the problem with the Olympic taekwondo competition set to get underway tomorrow at ExCeL.

"London 2012 is very exciting for us because the introduction of the PSS will totally change our sport," he told insidethegames here, where the WTF were holding a series of demonstrations that were open to the public.

A shocked Sarah Stevenson (in red) reacts to her defeat by Chen Zhong at Beijing in 2008

"All the television screens that everybody will see and all the electronic devices that will be in place with the PSS will make sure that there is no doubt in anyone's mind whether there has been a scoring hit or not.

"The new system has eliminated all elements of controversy that there were before because we have this technology that will remove any doubt.

"We have made these moves to become cleaner and more transparent because that is very important for us.

"The system provides clarity and gives a bright future for our sport so we are looking forward to London 2012."

Choue also believes that the new system will help ensure that taekwondo continues to be a part of the Olympic programme.

"The main thing about this new scoring system is that it is transparent and that is obviously very important to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its values," he said.

"It is a popular sport and a global sport that is participated in by young people around the world so I am confident it will remain part of the Olympics and [the IOC will] use our sport to keep spreading the Olympic values."

The WTF are clearly making a big effort to ensure that their sport capitalises on London 2012. 

Visitors to the Tower of London were treated to taekwondo demonstrations ahead of the start of the London 2012 competition

Young British and Korean athletes performed on the grass surrounding the Tower of London.

Throughout the day, a diverse crowd of over 1,000 gathered to watch the young athletes' performances.

The male and female athletes amazed the spectators with their acrobatics, high-flying kicks, loud kihap (chants), and board-breaking stunts.

"We want to leave a major impression on London this summer," said Choue.  

"Taekwondo is one of London's fastest growing sports and we want to build on this momentum to create a legacy for generations to come.

"It is key that the taekwondo community encourages young people from all around the world to become involved in sport."

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