European Championship 2025

EM 2025 G4/ Tallinn Estonia

29 nations competed for the coveted medals in the women's U30 category in an unprecedented level of competition. Our Anna ended up in 5th place! The fact that nuances made the difference between medals and a place on the podium shows just how close the competition is. Victory or defeat was decided by tenths of a point, and there were emotional dramas to match.

It was a great challenge for the judges. It was almost impossible to always make the right decision without emotion in this close-knit field. Especially in the new head-to-head format, the one or other relevant mistake in the area of ‘technique’ simply goes unnoticed, and when it gets this close, the ‘gut feeling’ factor has decided many a game in the end.  

In our case, the approach was clear. With a European Championship medal already in the bag, we were able to look forward to this European Championship in a more relaxed manner. Of course, you do everything you can to perform as well as possible at the European Championships. Also to take home as many ranking points as possible. However, day ‘X’ depends on many factors. Nothing can be forced.

The next main goal remains a World Championship medal. Extremely difficult to achieve. That's why everything will be prioritised over the next 18 months in order to create the best possible starting position. 

Summary:

Since the introduction of the world rankings, this discipline has developed enormously and the entire environment has professionalised accordingly. Rapidly increasing numbers of participants and a high performance density clearly reflect the ‘run’ that has taken place here worldwide in recent years. 

In order to do justice to this development in terms of sports technology, it will be essential to adapt the assessment and measurement methods. 

In order to make Poomsae fit for the future, the move towards AI/AI evaluation in the area of ‘technology’ is essential. The first models for this have already been successfully tested in the 2023/24 season and it will only be a matter of time before the first official use takes place.

The touchstone will be how ‘fit for the future’ the discipline of poomsae will be for athletes and the public in the future. A sport is defined by how neutral its measuring methods are. Stopwatches and measuring tapes guarantee fairness. AI/AI gives us the opportunity to become a neutral measuring tape for sports like ours. At the very least, this would greatly reduce the ‘human’ measurement factor. From a neutral point of view, there is probably no way around it. 

Reflection:

The effort required nowadays to be able to play internationally in the professional U30 world rankings and junior leagues has reached a new dimension. Time and financial outlay have multiplied.
Without structural support and corresponding sponsors, it will be difficult or even impossible. It depends on the salability of the ‘Poomsae’ brand whether partners can be found and brought on board.   

Therefore, the trend of the digital revolution in everyday life must not stop at our sport. Transparency and fair decisions are the be-all and end-all of modern sport. We can improve them with AI.

What to expect?

AI/AI opens up a new era of ‘technology’ assessment. Every small incorrect movement is immediately reflected in the result. This increases the variance in the assessment and makes it relevant to performance. In the end, however, the result is always comprehensible.

The influence of ‘technique’ over ‘performance’ will initially increase, but as soon as the athletes have done their homework, the end result of technique and performance will reach a new dimension of assessment quality. Just ‘fit for the future’ and ‘the next step to the future!’

To be fair, it should be noted that this tool is initially only suitable for use in the professional U30 and junior categories.

For the special classes >40, the AI/AI will probably still need development time and experience to ensure a fair technical assessment that does not necessarily lead to zero. Age-related filters, for example, would be one possible solution. 
In the children/youth training sector, on the other hand, the assessment tool will be a ‘must have’!