Is there more to the backstory than there seems to be? I know nothing of the sport or Cook, and chanced across the story a few days back, but I can’t find any commentary offering any explanation of why he’s not been selected.

All the conclusion I can draw from the straight reporting is that world #57 or so is selected ahead of world #1 for the Olympics in a particular category because world #1 opted out of the national training program to pursue his own program, with the selectors denying politics is involved.

Anyone able to shed more light on this- have I missed something obvious?

From what I’ve read, the selectors are claiming that due to changes in scoring, the chap they’ve selected represents a better chance of winning a medal. It sounds very dubious when you consider their relative rankings and the fact that Aaron Cook has beaten many of his medal rivals this year, whereas the new chap has never beaten anyone in the top 10.

Feel sorry for the new fella, who is caught in the middle.

Why not have a fight off, #1 vs #57, winner gets the place in the team.

I thought the guy they’d selected was also Euro champ in his category? Hardly a mug. The BBC suggests he’s also up to 7 in the rankings, not down in the 50s, and has beaten Cook this year in competition.

So perhaps not quite as clear-cut as the Cook camp would make it out to be, although there would have to be some additional legitimate reasons to favour the lower-ranked guy.

iirc they fight at different weights [ both european champions for example]but there is only one weight that is avilable for the two of them

Hard – its impossible tbh- to see why you would pick the world number 93 Muhammad ahead of the world number 1 on purely sporting reasons.

The ranking is given as tow different measures on the BBC site on different pages and another on the Telegraph page but I have not seen one that says top 50 – I am not sure how this works given he won in Europe are all tyhe best fighters in one country and most of them cant compete?
perhaps he is 53 say but the 7 th best ranked at the olypics due to country qualification limits?

On the face of it, it looks like political shennanigans because Cook opted out of the national training programme …

Presumably the low ranking for Muhammed in -80 is because he normally fights in a higher weight category, so hasn’t got as many points in -80 competition? How would guys in the -87 category normally fare against lighter guys? In boxing there’s an advantage to being heavier, presumably there’s something similar in Taekwondo?

Anyhow, the BOA are on their case, so they will have to make their reasoning watertight.

Jhe is fighting at 80 kg all this year FWIW so i would assume unlikely

Its odd as well as even though he [mohammed] beat Cook in the german open semi finals he was then beaten in the final by another Briotiosh fighter

I dont know enough about the sport to draw a conclusion beyond it being very odd.

A decade ago I competed at national and international levels in tkd and it can be very political. It brings extra publicity and credibility to your school / club having a top competitor. Remember for alot of these instructors this is their living. So this means more money in thier pocket. There is often a huge amount of rivalry amongst the larger schools with instructors and thier clubs occassionally ‘defecting’ to other schools over various reasons (money, ethos, misbehaviour etc…) This can effect your chances as a competitor for selection for various events, there were a couple of events I really should have been considered for, but due to the political nature of the selectors relationship with my school wasn’t.

All this silliness is one of the reasons I didn’t pursue setting up my own clubs and continuing to instruct. It’s not just about the sport.

I do wonder if it is the same with other sports at the top levels.

EDIT – anyone got the names and schools of the selection panel? Would be interested to see if I recognise any names 🙂

The Olympics has become a corrupting influence on many sports. I am looking forward to seeing some top sporting action this summer, but the business and politics of the olympic movement disgusts me.

there was an interesting post on the guardian CiF website that explained this better but the punter was saying this: the way to become head of an olympic sport committee is to have a club; then organise tournaments (which no=-one wants to do); then make people take your insurance and code of conduct in order to compete; then organise your own committee, stack it with your mates and set the constitution to give yourself difficult-to-remove tenure; then rename yourself the British Unicycling Sports Committee; then get into the UK Olympic Committee – voila.

sounds like Formula 1, or Premier League or any other sport….

Does seem a bit suspicious. The fact the BOC are unprepared to ratify the selectors decision means they aren’t convinced either.

ok kona what niche sport shall we take over

Anyone who wishes to post further on STW will be required to sign up for the British Trolling Federation code of conduct, available on mine and junky’s the committee’s official website…

it still rumnbling on

We all agreed that if world ranking and success in tournaments were the only selection criteria, then Aaron would be selected as he’s an outstanding athlete who could get gold at the Olympics.

from the selection committee

WTF were they using if not world rankings and wins at tournaments then to decide who was most likely to win?
Madness I dont get the sport or the rules but for the world number one to not go and be replaced by the world Number 57 is madness to the outside observer.

He’s clearly poked someone’s mrs or upset someone’s daughter!!

His statement didn’t sound to bitter just honest, but he’s obviously shit on someone’s lap by their view to overlook him again.