International Olympic Committee (IOC) will hold a general meeting in October 2009 at Copenhagen, Sweden, to determine the sports to be included in the Summer Olympic program. There is a great interest in the fate of Taekwondo.

The methods to choosing Olympic sports can be divided into two categories. One technique is to hold a block voting (Secret Ballot) of the 26 existing sports, Taekwondo included, for the 2016 Summer Olympic. The second method is to eliminate one of the existing sports so that there are only 25 Core Sports. The first method will result a "26+2" and the second method will result in a "25+3". The "+2" and "+3" represent the sports challenging for a spot for the Summer Olympic program, such as: Karate, Golf, Baseball, Softball, Squash, and others. In the 2012 London Olympic, baseball and softball are not included, therefore only 26 total sports will be available. From 2016 Summer Olympic, 28 total sports will be back in effect.

Within March to September of this year, IOC committee meetings will take place to determine which method will be used to select the Summer Olympic sports, prior to the general meeting (3 Committee Meetings must be fulfilled before the General Meeting in October). The problem at hand is that after the London Olympic, there is a chance for 26 existing sports to be eliminated from the program depending on the method. President of a European Taekwondo organization stated, "After the general meeting in Singapore of 2005, Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) vote every 4 years and there are lots of complaints about this. They maintain 25 permanent sports and they vote every 4 years for the 3 remaining spots. IOC is being heavily influenced by ASOIF and are going back and forth with the two methods, but it seems as though it is leaning towards 25+3 system".

If "26+2" system is selected at the IOC General Meeting, then the chance for Taekwondo to be included in the 2016 Summer Olympic is very high. With this system, they will vote "yes or no" for the existing 26 sports. In 2005 Singapore General Meeting, 2/3 of the vote was necessary to be included in the Summer Olympic program, but only half the votes are necessary for this year's General Meeting. The probability for Taekwondo to be included in the Summer Olympic is much higher, and this is the reason Taekwondo community desperately wants the "26+2" system.

It becomes very complicating if "25+3" method is chosen. If they determine all 25 Core Sports at once, votes become separated amongst all the sports, and one will be eliminated. The sport with the highest likelihood to be eliminated is Taekwondo. Taekwondo was the last sport to be selected in the 2000 Sydney Olympic. Taekwondo also has the reputation of being boring yet causing the most controversies. On top of this, the referee assault and overturning judges' decision puts Taekwondo at a vulnerable situation.

Considering the current situation, Taekwondo needs the "26+2" system. It would be ideal, if by some miracle, Karate is not included in the "+2" category. According to IOC buzz, "The best scenario for Taekwondo is if a 26+2 system is adopted and Karate does not make the +2 category. But if the 25+3 system is selected and Taekwondo is chosen as a Core Sport, then Karate will not be included".

The fate of Taekwondo as an Olympic sport is ultimately in IOC's hands. IOC is moving at a snail's pace with the method process. This is due to the likeliness of intense protest and complaints from Taekwondo organizations. Most importantly, if IOC General Meeting in October result in unfavorable "25+3" system, this will not leave enough time for WTF to effectively take action. This is crucial time for WTF to make the right choices so that the IOC General Meeting is successful, and possibly establishing Taekwondo as a part of 25 Core Sports.