Aaron Cook to compete for Moldova

[Tez3]

He's been cleared to compete for Moldova instead of the UK. Well I hope the UK TKD 'authorities' are pleased with themselves for losing him.
BBC Sport - Taekwondo fighter Aaron Cook cleared to represent Moldova

 

[Drose427]

He's been cleared to compete for Moldova instead of the UK. Well I hope the UK TKD 'authorities' are pleased with themselves for losing him.
BBC Sport - Taekwondo fighter Aaron Cook cleared to represent Moldova

England still wont have him? Their loss

 

[Tez3]

England still wont have him? Their loss

It's the Great Britain team that won't have him, more fool them. They prefer the coach's son by all accounts.

 

[Gnarlie]

Where can I get a Moldovan flag?

 

[Tez3]

He's been representing the Isle of Man recently but to get into the Olympics he needs to belong to a bigger country, I don't think the Manx TKD Association can afford to help him much and they don't send a team to the Olympics they go in with Team GB. Mark Cavendish and Peter Kennaugh are both pro cyclists from the Isle of Man who compete for GB when it comes to the Olympics so am assuming it's the same for other sports.

 

[Gnarlie]

I believe so. Whole situation is a sorry loss to British Taekwondo (and by that I mean the sport, rather than the rotten borough that is the NGB).

 

[Tez3]

I think it's a problem not restricted to TKD. My husband is watching the Test match and despairing a bit. Whenever you get team selection by committee politics seems to enter as well, results by players doesn't seem to matter as much as following the party line and making sure your face fits.

 

[Transk53]

The cycling situation changed after pro cyclists were allowed to compete at the Olympics, before that it was the worlds that the pros competed in. The good thing was that the likes of Sir Chris Hoy did not feel pressured into turning pro by having more funding. Grass roots level in the UK is still rubbish, many aspiring pros still have to go to Belgium, France and Holland. Sean Kelly and the likes have helped. The British do not support sports across the board imho.

 

[Tez3]

The cycling situation changed after pro cyclists were allowed to compete at the Olympics, before that it was the worlds that the pros competed in

To be honest I was using the cyclists to point out that Manx people don't have any teams in the Olympics they join in Team GB, it wasn't particularly anything to do with cycling and the Olympics or anyone turning pro. It's a nationality issue nothing to do with sports themselves. If the Isle of Man had a team in the Olympics, Cook could have stayed in that, they don't know so he has to join anther team other than Team GB.

 

[Transk53]

Yep, politics everywhere.

 

[Tez3]

Yep, politics everywhere.

Well less so in the Isle of Man's case, more that they are a very, very small island and don't have much money.

 

[Transk53]

Yeah. Most people only knew more about the place than just a pin on the map, due to the two weeks of madness that is the TT races. Being an ex biker, guess I would familiar just down to that.

 

[Tez3]

Yeah. Most people only knew more about the place than just a pin on the map, due to the two weeks of madness that is the TT races. Being an ex biker, guess I would familiar just down to that.

That and the fact they pay less tax.

 

[Carol]

Bloody insane that he is not representing the UK! I look forward to watching him compete, regardless of country.

*heads to google to pull up a map*

 

[Transk53]

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