SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- In Korea, taekwondo has been used for decades to train the troops or rehabilitate youngsters who have run into trouble with the law. Now, 2,000 years after its creation, it is being used to generate Olympic gold.

 Though not exactly a household word worldwide, taekwondo -- which means the "way of the hands and feet" -- has proven so popular with the fans here that organizers say tickets for all its competitions already have sold out.

 And thanks to a rule allowing each country to enter only four competitors, it is likely to be a sport in which many countries -- some of the top athletes come from Nicaragua and Turkey -- will be able to celebrate victory.

 Even host Australia is looking for a win, from Lisa O'keefe, a diminuative 22-year-old who won the bronze in the 147-pound class at last year's world championships in Canada.

 "Our expectations about her success and others in Sydney Olympics are high," said John Kotsifas, manager of the Australian taekwondo team.

 Expectations also are high that Carlos Delgado, 29, will win Nicaragua's first-ever Olympic medal. Delgado is one of the favorites in the over-186-pound class.

 "If he wins a medal, that's really good. Even if he does not, he also will have done his due part in making taekwondo more popular in the world," said Felex Pereira, president of Nicaragua's taekwondo association.

 Taekwondo, a karate-like martial art that is heavy on kicking, only really began to spread out from its home in Korea over the past decade or so. But it has done so with a vengeance.

 The Seoul-based World Taekwondo Federation now has a membership of 152 countries, and some 50 million people are believed to have taken some instruction in the sport in the past decade.

 It was adopted as a demonstration sport in two past Olympics -- Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992.

 Because of its origin, South Korean competitors are a heavy favorite, though they cannot win more than half of the eight gold medals at stake because of the entry rule.

 The Koreans will not be able to win without a fight, however.

 Spain, Turkey, Germany and Taiwan all have world champions on their taekwondo teams and are expected to be strong in Sydney.

 "I expect the competition to be close," said Park Young-ghil, the South Korean-born head coach of Italy's team.

 Like Nicaragua, Taiwan has big hopes for its first Olympic gold medal to come in taekwondo. In past Olympics, the island country had won three silver and two bronze medals -- but no gold.

 "We encourage all sports, including taekwondo. But if taekwondo brings home gold, it will be great national honor," said Lin Yun-fu, a spokesman for Taiwan's Olympic Committee.

 Lin said his government will pay $330,000 to any of its athletes who win a gold. The first recipient of the honor is likely to be in taekwondo.

 Because it is still new to the games, the taekwondo competition may still have a few kinks.

 Three judges will score each match using electronic pads, which are touched when a judge believes an effective kick or punch has been made. But the judges must hit the pads almost simultaneously for a score to light up -- which can deny competitors points they might have otherwise been awarded.

 Some experts have instead suggested electronic chips be placed in the protective head and chest gear worn by competitors, a system similar to that used by fencing.

 Other suggestions are that more points be given to acrobatic and other technically difficult kicks, or that fights be made into three two-minute rounds, instead of the current three three-minute bouts.