(ATR) Both the World Taekwondo Federation and British Olympic Association are asking how top-ranked athlete Aaron Cook keeps getting left off Team Great Britain for 2012.
"We are extremely disappointed by the way in which British Taekwondo’s selection process has been conducted and it is clear that the lack of a conclusive rationale has caused confusion," WTF secretary general Jean-Marie Ayer said Thursday in a statement.
"The manner of the selection is bringing our sport into disrepute among the UK media and major Olympic stakeholders due to a perceived lack of transparency."
That’s why the WTF announced Thursday a review of the process by which British Taekwondo has three times now – including Wednesday with a British Olympic Association official in attendance – chosen 104-ranked Lutalo Muhammad over world number one Cook for the 80kg category at the Games.
After the BOA first ordered the selection panel to reconsider Cook’s snub, British Taekwondo performance director Gary Hall argued that the WTF’s world rankings are flawed and that recent rule changes – specifically those governing headshots – make Muhammad a stronger medal prospect in London.
Cook finished fourth in the 80kg division at Beijing 2008 but has since suffered a first-round exit from the 2011 world championships – and a falling-out with British Taekwondo after leaving its training program last year.
According to Ayer, the review will not have the power to change British Taekwondo’s decision but is rather meant to determineif rules of the WTF Ethics Code were broken in the process.
Asked by Around the Rings whether a violation could mean the WTF forces British Taekwondo to reconsider Cook, a WTF spokeswoman refused to hypothesize and instead referred to Thursday’s press release.
Meanwhile, a separate investigation by the BOA’s four-person panel on Olympic Qualification Standards is also underway in consultation with both the WTF and the BOA’s Board of Directors.
According to BOA spokesperson Darryl Seibel, the OQS panel mustratify all Olympic selections making use of host nation qualification places, as all four of Team GB’s taekwondo spots do.
While it’s enshrined in the Olympic Charter that National Olympic Committees are the ones with the ultimate authority to select athletes, Seibel tells ATR, the BOA actually assigns that responsibility to its national governing bodies.
Should the BOA continue to honor that policy and British Taekwondo continue to select Cook over Muhammad, a stalemate could follow. Or,the BOA could flex its muscles as the ultimate authority on who represents Team GB at the Games.
"Given the significance of the issues that are now before the Panel, and the fact that the international federation has now opened its own inquiry, it is important for our Panel to have an opportunity to consult with the Board," Seibel tells ATR.
"That consultation will take place [Friday] and our panel will proceed with its work from there."
Reported by Matthew Grayson
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