Taekwondo not recognized by Australian Olympic Committee in dispute over constitution
SYDNEY, Australia: The Australian Olympic Committee said Monday it no longer recognizes Taekwondo Australia as the governing body for the sport in the country, escalating a dispute over constitutional and funding matters.
The move follows Taekwondo Australia's decision earlier this month to close down the sport's high performance unit in Melbourne and another training center in Canberra. It also fired head coach Daniel Trenton and other key staff.
The Olympic committee said it is working to organize a training camp for the Olympic hopefuls in Canberra, and will provide separate financial assistance to athletes in the leadup to the Beijing Olympics next August.
Australia hopes to send three taekwondo athletes to Beijing.
The AOC also said it will reinstate Trenton, a silver medalist at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, along with assistants Taeho Uhm, Nick Tsioulos, Jodie Brown and Robert Cooley.
“They have knowledge of the athletes and the sport necessary for this role,” said the AOC's director of sport Fiona de Jong.
The Australian Sports Commission, a government agency, cut funding to Taekwondo Australia on Oct. 4 after the taekwondo group refused to operate under a constitution that provided “acceptable governance standards” to account for public funding.