Davin Sorn of Cambodia is ranked 51st in the women's +67 category, and two time world champion Daba Modibo Keïta (pictured right) of Mali is 42nd among the men's +80kg competitors.

Panama's Carolena Jean Carstens Salceda, placed 13th in the women's -49kg, is another wild card holder, while the last place goes to Tameem Al-Kubati of Yemen, who is 167th in the men's -58kg.

The decision was made after meetings of the Tripartite Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) and the WTF in recent months.

In all, some 128 athletes will compete in London this summer, hailing from 63 countries, one less than at Beijing 2008, but still four more than Athens 2004 and the 51 who went to Sydney in 2000.

The announcement means that Sorn and Salceda will become the first Cambodian and Panamanian athletes to compete in the Olympic taekwondo competition.

Jamaica, Grenada, Armenia, Serbia, Samoa, Algeria, Lebanon and Tajikistan are also all to send taekwondo athletes to the Games for the first time.

Hosts Britain, Mexico, the United States, Russia, Egypt and South Korea will all send four athletes, the maximum quota, and 15 more countries are sending three each.

The sport has long been dominated by South Korea, who came top of the medal table for taekwondo at Beijing 2008 with four gold medals.

Taekwondo made its Olympic debut as a demonstration sport when the Games went to South Korean capital Seoul in 1988, but was not officially added to the Olympic programme until Sydney 2000.

The Olympic taekwondo tournament at London 2012 takes place at the ExCeL Centre on August 8 and 11, with eight medal events being contested.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]