Currently not on the Olympic programme, poomsae is a non-sparring event where individuals or teams perform a "sequence of movements arranged in a meaningful order in response to attacks from multiple imaginary assailants".

The decision to introduce the world rankings has been made in an effort to continue the evolution of the sport and ensure the very highest standard of competition, the WTF said.

Under the world ranking system, athletes will be allocated points based on where they finish in events, multiplied by the grading of the competition.

The lowest ranked grade will be a G-1 event, while there will also be G-2, G-4 and G-8 competitions, with the latter providing athletes with an opportunity to earn the highest number of ranking points.

“World rankings are integral to developing the quality of competitions as they ensure that the very best athletes compete against one and other,” said Chungwon Choue, WTF President.

“They bring a new dynamic and an added sense of drama to the competitions as every world ranking point an athlete earns could be vital in the future.

“We are delighted that we have grown poomsae taekwondo around the world to an elite level where we can now introduce world rankings.”

The Austrian Taekwondo Poomsae Open, which will be held between June 18 and 19 in Vienna, has been awarded a G-1 ranking, with points awarded at the event helping to determine where athletes are seeded at future competitions.

This year’s World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships has been assigned the top G-8 ranking, with athletes due to compete in Peru’s capital Lima from September 29 to October 2.

Poomsae will be one of two taekwondo disciplines contested at the inaugural World Beach Taekwondo Championships in Bali in July, along with kyupka.

The WTF have previously expressed their hope that poomsae taekwondo could feature at the first edition of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) World Beach Games in San Diego in 2017.