The British Olympic Association has announced that Aaron Cook will now compete for Moldova after they agreed to his request to switch nations.
Cook competed for Team GB at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but was overlooked for London 2012 in favour of Lutalo Muhammad, despite being ranked number one in the world at the time.
The 24-year-old refused to represent Britain following his Olympic snub and has now gained a Moldovan passport, despite having no links to the country. The Dorset-born competitor has stated that he intends to try to feature at the Rio Games in 2016.
"As of today, Aaron Cook has a named place for Team GB for the Baku 2015 European Games. We strongly urged Aaron to reconsider his decision to make himself available for selection to Team GB in Baku and to represent his country of birth, rather than proceeding with a change of sporting nationality," BOA chief executive Bill Sweeney said in a statement.
"We are saddened by Aaron's decision. Despite the fact that there is no legitimate case for nationality change here, the BOA cannot compel any athlete to represent the United Kingdom against his or her will."
The Olympic Charter rules that three years must pass between an athlete representing one nation and switching to another.
Steven Toplis
