The WTF decision comes after three meetings of the British Taekwondo selection panel, the last in the presence of a British Olympic Association (BOA) official yesterday, were required to confirm their nomination for the -80 kilograms category.

Instead of picking Cook, a 21-year-old from Dorchester who is considered an outstanding prospect for a gold medal, it chose Lutalo Muhammad, the European -87kg champion who will need to drop down a weight to fight in the division.

"We are extremely disappointed by the way in which British Taekwondo's selection process has been conducted and it is clear that the lack of a conclusive rationale has caused confusion," said Jean-Marie Ayer, the secretary general of the WTF.

"The manner of the selection is bringing our sport into disrepute among the UK media and major Olympic stakeholders due to a perceived lack of transparency.

"Our main concern is always that every athlete is given fair and equal consideration – their welfare must come first.

"We at the WTF have done our utmost to bring fair practices and transparency to our sport, and that is why we have committed to undertaking this review.

"People all over the world practise taekwondo because it represents sport in its purest form: an individual display of skill, speed and strength.

"It is essential that the WTF preserves that purity for its 201 member countries and 70 million practitioners with transparent and decisive governance."

Ayer (pictured) stopped short of threatening British Taekwondo that it must reverse the decision and pick Cook.

But he did warn that the WTF has given clear guidelines to the host nation regarding the eligibility and profile of athletes to be chosen to represent Great Britain, as it receives four host passes rather than qualifying by right.

"Up until now, the WTF had hoped that this matter could be resolved internally at British Taekwondo," said Ayer.

"As the global governing body, we do not interfere with the selection processes and internal affairs of our member nations.

"We have always stated that the athletes nominated for selection must meet minimum requirements set in the qualification system.

"We are not commenting on the decision to select or omit specific athletes, as the criteria imposed beyond our minimum requirements are the remit of the individual member nation."

The WTF has the authority to initiate a review under Article 29 of the Statutes.

No time frame has been put on the review, but it is likely to be expedited within the next few weeks.

"This review will not have the power to alter British Taekwondo's decision, but it will determine whether any rules of the WTF Ethics Code have been broken," said Ayer.

The BOA Olympic Qualification Standards (OQS) Panel also convened last night and plans to consult its own Board of Directors and the WTF by reaching a decision.

"Before ratifying any athlete-nomination for a Host Nation Qualification Place, the OQS Panel must be certain the approved selection procedures have been followed and the process has been fair and balanced," the BOA said in a statement.

"This consultation will take place tomorrow, and the Panel will make its decision as quickly as possible thereafter."

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