Best Taekwondo Knockout Compilations

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“For the athlete, it’s not important which country he competes for,” says Igor Iuzefovici, the telecommunications tycoon who has persuaded Cook to compete under the Moldovan flag. “For him, what’s important is the result. And for him that result is an Olympic gold medal.”

In his first major competition so far for Moldova, Cook’s aggressive approach brought a world championship bronze, but he said he was “crushed” by a close quarterfinal loss to Portugal’s Julio Ferreira on Thursday at the European Games.

“I feel like I have let them down today,” the 24-year-old Cook said of his new Moldovan teammates after losing the fight on the “golden point” tiebreak system.

Aaron Cook of Moldova, right, and Julio Ferreira of Portugal compete during men taekwondo quarterfin …

For Cook, it has been a long road from Manchester to Moldova.

Ahead of the 2012 London Olympics, Cook was ranked world No. 1 and a strong bet for a gold medal, but was controversially not selected for the games by G.B. Taekwondo following a dispute with the federation over his training plans.

His dream of competing at a home Olympics dashed, Cook fired off verbal broadsides at G.B. Taekwondo then gave up competing for Britain altogether, looking for a country that could help him reach next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, but I think it was the right decision,” he said Thursday. “I did everything possible that I could have for London. I was world No. 1, I won all the tournaments that they put on the criteria. It wasn’t good enough then, so why would it have been good enough for Rio or any other event?”

Such open discord is comparatively rare in the world of taekwondo, where discipline and respect for authority have been enshrined among the sport’s ideals since its inception in South Korea.

Aaron Cook of Moldova speaks with his coach during men taekwondo quarterfinal against Julio Ferreira …

First Cook switched allegiance to the tiny British dependency of the Isle of Man, then to Moldova, where he trains with the support Iuzefovici, a passionate fan of the sport.

“It was bad for taekwondo that he didn’t compete in London,” Iuzefovici told The Associated Press. “He’s a good fighter to watch. He’s the face of taekwondo.”

Now Iuzefovici wants to send Cook to the Olympics to chase Moldova’s first ever gold medal. The businessman, who heads the Moldovan Taekwondo Federation, says the organization is “fully funding” Cook’s bid for an Olympic medal, but says it is “inappropriate” to ask how Cook’s quest for an Olympic taekwondo title costs.

“I invited Aaron Cook with the aim of making this sport No. 1 in Moldova,” he says. “Moldova’s never had gold medals, so if Aaron Cook wins one, he’ll become part of history.”

Cook still has plenty of ties to Britain, even though he has said the national anthem no longer holds meaning for him. He is coached by his Manchester-based brother Luke while his girlfriend is Britain’s reigning European and world champion Bianca Walkden, who competes at the European Games on Friday.

While Cook is staying at the games to support Walkden, he is already looking forward to getting back to training in his unlikely new nation of Moldova, saying: “It’s been amazing, it really has.