A panel of outside experts responsible for selecting new directors for the All Japan Taekwondo Association decided Wednesday not to reappoint President Noboru Kanehara amid a dispute with athletes over training policies.
The panel, which has been conducting interviews with AJTA members and athletes since the association called for the resignation of its entire board of directors late last month, has recommended sweeping reforms in the wake of criticism from the country's top athletes.
Kanehara is set to retire along with other directors not selected for reappointment by the panel. A pool of around 10 candidates for new directors will be recommended later this week with the final decisions expected to be made by the end of the year.
The four-person panel consists of two lawyers, a sports science professor and retired judo champion Kaori Yamaguchi.
Japan's taekwondo world was thrust into turmoil after many of the country's top competitors began to question the AJTA's developmental policies and staged a boycott of a training camp in September.