AUSTRALIA's Olympic bosses have stepped in to rescue taekwondo athletes trapped in an administrative wrangle that jeopardised their chance of qualifying for Beijing.

The Australian Olympic Committee said yesterday it no longer recognised Taekwondo Australia as the governing body of the sport in Australia.

The move follows TA's decision to close down the sport's high performance unit in Melbourne and to sack head coach Daniel Trenton and key staff. The AOC has bypassed TA and reappointed Trenton and other support staff. The AOC and the Australian Sports Commission are working together to organise a training camp for the squad in Canberra this weekend.

Taekwondo has been in turmoil in recent weeks following the ASC's decision to cut off its Federal Government funding. TA said earlier this month that once the funding was cut it had no option but to shut down the high performance unit and terminate coaching contracts.

AAP