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Taekwondo: They think it's Moldova... it is now as Aaron Cook quits Team GB

BOA reluctantly agrees to fighter switching allegiance after he was overlooked for selection for London 2012

Matt Majendie
Thursday 16 April 2015 22:47 BST
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Aaron Cook was overlooked for Olympic selection in 2012
Aaron Cook was overlooked for Olympic selection in 2012

British taekwondo fighter Aaron Cook has bizarrely switched allegiance to Moldova following a long-standing row with British officials. The British Olympic Association could have blocked the change but chose not to.

The 24-year-old has been at loggerheads with GB Taekwondo since 2012, when he was overlooked for Olympic selection despite being the world No 1 at the time. Cook has since refused to compete in British colours and, from 2013, has fought for the Isle of Man, being crowned European champion.

The Dorset-born athlete has made no secret of the fact he was looking to switch nationalities and is thought to have sounded out Costa Rica, France and Turkey before opting for Moldova as they have no other fighter of his calibre at -80kg.

He applied for Moldovan citizenship with the backing of that country’s taekwondo president, billionaire Igor Iuzefovici, and the move was finally ratified when the BOA announced it had reluctantly agreed to it.

Under IOC guidelines the BOA could have blocked his nationality swap but opted not to as he has previously refused to fight in GB colours.

BOA chief executive Bill Sweeney said: “Despite the fact that there is no legitimate case for nationality change here, the BOA cannot compel any athlete to represent the United Kingdom against his or her will.

“We are saddened by Aaron’s decision to make himself unavailable for selection for Team GB and to instead compete for Moldova but we wish him all the best for the future.”

Cook has no ties to Moldova whatsoever but,under the Olympic Charter, an athlete can change nationalities as long as three years have passed since they last competed for another nation.

In Cook’s case, that time will elapse next month, as he last represented GB back in May 2012 at the European Championships.

Sweeney, though, admitted that last-ditch attempts were made to dissuade him. He said: “Recognising Aaron Cook’s outstanding abilities and his performances on the world stage since 2012, the BOA’s preferred solution was to continue to work with all the interested parties to create an environment that provides a fair and equal opportunity for Aaron to be selected.

“We strongly urged Aaron to reconsider his decision and to make himself available for selection to Team GB [for the European Games in June] in Baku and to represent his country of birth rather than proceeding with a change of sporting nationality.”

Cook announced his decision to make the switch at the end of March on his Facebook page: “Although I am upset and disappointed, I will not represent my country of birth at another major championships, I felt I had no other option,” he said.

“I am a fighter at heart and I am not going to throw away 20 years of dedication because of bureaucracy. I will soon begin a new journey representing the Republic of Moldova at all international competitions and hopefully the Rio Olympic Games and beyond, should I qualify.”

Cook, a three-time European champion in his division, has repeatedly blamed his being overlooked for London 2012 on his decision to quit the GB Taekwondo set-up the previous year.

He added: “Having received no funding or support from the GB system, and financing myself since June 2012, this was not a situation that was acceptable to me and I did not want to put myself, family, friends, supporters or sport through the same situation we were forced to endure at the London 2012 Olympic Games.”

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