World number one Aaron Cook is preparing to take the British Olympic Association to the High Court in a bid to secure his place at London 2012.
At the third time of asking, the BOA ratified GB Taekwondo's decision to select world number 59 Lutalo Muhammad ahead of Cook in the under-80 kilogram category.
Cook is furious, arguing he has been "cheated" out of his rightful place at the Olympics and that GB Taekwondo are "bringing the sport into disrepute".
Following advice from Michael Beloff QC, Cook's lawyers Harbottle and Lewis will send a pre-action letter to the BOA within the next 24 hours outlining their legal case.
That letter will include fresh evidence that the GB Taekwondo selection process was flawed, according to Cook's management representative Jamie Cunningham.
If there is no progress from the BOA or the World Taekwondo Federation, who are undertaking their own review, by Monday then Cook will pursue his legal challenge in either the High Court or the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"Until it's dead we are not giving up," Cunningham said.
"It is a disgrace. We should be ashamed in this country that we have a world number one that is not going to the Olympics, particularly when UK Sport set a selection criteria about winning gold medals.
"We would prefer not to pursue any legal route. We urge the BOA to reconsider their position and their nomination.
"The BOA we believe knows that the British Taekwondo selection process was flawed.
"We will be writing a letter before action to the BOA. We urge the BOA not to make Aaron Cook a victim of a flawed selection process, which they may not have written but they did approve."
Cook wrote to BOA chairman Lord Moynihan before the third GB Taekwondo selection meeting, expressing "some worries that were all true" about the process.
That letter was copied to sports minister Hugh Robertson.
"In our opinion the third panel was as flawed, perhaps more flawed, than the second one," said Cunningham.
Cook's camp say they have until July 6 to press their case before the International Olympic Committee deadline and today went on the attack.
The 21-year-old called on the International Olympic Committee to get involved, demanding UK Sport conduct their own inquiry and expressing his disappointment in the BOA.
"I feel they gave up fighting for me," said Cook, who described the last four weeks as the toughest of his life.
"I am really disappointed with UK Sport. As a UK taxpayer you expect lottery money to be involved in the correct processes.
"The reaction of the WTF has been to investigate British Taekwondo.
"This suggests UK Sport needs to urgently conduct their own full inquiry into what has happened an why. They just seem to be avoiding the whole issue.
"The sport of taekwondo needs a great Olympics given we have to reapply in 2013 to remain an Olympic sport.
"I am sure the IOC are looking at this whole situation and asking why the world's greatest taekwondo tournament does not include the world number one.
"I would ask the IOC to consider my situation."
Cook claimed his non-selection stemmed from his decision to leave the GB Taekwondo training programme 12 months ago to go it alone.
Since deciding to train in a home-made gym in his parents' back garden and assemble his own support team at the cost of £100,000, Cook has won nine of his last 12 tournaments and become the world number one.
"I always thought it would be impossible for them not to pick me if I won majority of the tournaments listed in their selection criteria, which I did," Cook said.
"When I have put the results in I feel like I have been cheated."
Cunningham called on the BOA and GB Taekwondo to publish the selection criteria, believing that would show their decision to be flawed.
He also urged the WTF to undertake their review into the selection process as quickly as possible, knowing that any anomaly found by the world governing body would reopen the case.
It would also help keep the sport out of the courts, which is the last thing taekwondo needs with it's Olympic future up for discussion in 2013.
Cook would accept the compromise of a fight-off with Muhammad for the chance to compete in the Olympics.
"I feel I am world number one and I don't need to prove myself but if that is my last hope of going to the Olympic Games then I would fight him any time any place anywhere," Cook said.
Cunningham has floated the idea of a preliminary round Olympic fight-off in an email to the WTF, although he accepts there are numerous obstacles.
"If the WTF wanted one of the biggest sporting occasions of the Olympic Games - Lutalo against Aaron in a preliminary round - we would probably do that," Cunningham said.
"Our understanding is there is a set-up where there could be a 17th athlete incorporated into the current structure.
"It would be one of the biggest moments of the Olympic Games. It is a great idea.
"Politically and constitutionally within the Olympics there are thousands of barriers to get through before the idea sees the light of day.
"It may be it gets rejected but we have raised it as a great idea for the sport."
