Fighter's Olympic omission sparks row

LONDON — The British Olympic Association is asking national taekwondo officials to explain their decision to omit top-ranked fighter Aaron Cook from the Olympic team.

Cook filed an appeal Monday with the BOA, describing the decision to leave him off the team as "incredible" and "ironic." He is ranked No.1 in the world in the 80-kg division and has won more major competitions than any other British athlete in his weight category.

But he has also irked taekwondo officials by abandoning the national British training academy last year. Since going solo, the 21-year-old Cook has won a string of major tournaments, including the European championship title in his weight class earlier this month.

A four-person BOA panel heard the case Tuesday and asked for a meeting as soon as possible with the British taekwondo body to "seek further information and clarification" on the selection process.

The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, with a decision coming that day or soon after.

Cook described the move as "encouraging." "Thank you to the BOA," he said on Twitter. "The dream is still alive."

The British taekwondo body later released a statement acknowledging it had received a notification from the BOA.

"Competition for places has never been as strong as it is now within our sport and the challenges around selection reflect this," the statement said.

The BOA panel also asked for more information on the head-kick scoring system in taekwondo and how that affected selection. Taekwondo awards the most points for spinning head kicks — a style Cook is particularly known for.

The BOA also said it would seek information from the World Taekwondo Federation, the martial art's governing body.

In a statement on Monday, Cook complained he had been unfairly left off the team, even after receiving support from Gary Hall, the British team's performance director.

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