Karate was among nine sports in the running to be added to the programme only for cricket, baseball and softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash to be chosen.

The decision, approved by the IOC Session in Mumbai last week, was a hammer blow to the WKF which had failed to secure a place at the Olympics for the second successive edition.

Espinós played a key role in putting karate in the Olympics for the first time at Tokyo 2020 but he has been left to reflect on another unsuccessful bid as he addressed delegates at the WKF Congress in Budapest.

"This is very bad news," said Espinós.

"It’s not as unexpected as it was for Paris 2024 but it’s still very bad news.

"I am very sorry for not being able to recover the Olympic status for karate.

"Please excuse me for this failure and I can assure that myself and the team have been putting in the utmost efforts to get into LA 28 but we couldn’t do it."

Cricket, baseball and softball, flag football, lacrosse and squash will join the 28 sports that were approved at last year’s IOC Session in Beijing.

Weightlifting and modern pentathlon had been provisionally left off the "core" programme before being assured of places last week, while boxing has been put "on hold" having previously been "guaranteed" a spot.

Espinós criticised the IOC for its refusal to shake up the programme after witnessing "very little change in the past two decades".

"Last week, they came back and picked weightlifting and modern pentathlon again," said Espinós.

"Boxing is on hold but I am sure it will be reinstated again very soon so after a very long journey, we are coming back to the starting point.

"This proves once again that the IOC is unable to reform the Olympic programme.

"We were expecting three native sports to be proposed like baseball-softball, lacrosse and flag football.

"The IOC proposed cricket to the LA organisers.

"This is coming by an express wish by the IOC.

"The IOC is always behind the decisions.

"It’s also failing to ensure fairness and objectivity in the process of sports and disciplines."

Espinós also believes that the proposals for additional sports "relieve the pressure" on core sports that he claims should be replaced.

"The IOC is not ready to pay the political cost to undergo a significant reshuffle of the core programme," added Espinós.

"Karate could replace of any of those while adding value to the programme.

"There is a perception that the IOC does not need both taekwondo and karate.

"This is a real barrier for us.

"We don’t have a whole country behind us like they have and we don’t have a sponsor provided by this country like they have.

"Therefore, this is a battle that we are not in a condition to win.

"One should not pursue an exclusion policy but a strategy that there should be a place for karate based on other factors like cost efficiency, TV audience, governance, transparency and universality.

"We have to see this LA failure as one hard ball in our way.

"Karate is present in all continental Games on the Olympic cycle and the Youth Olympic Games in Senegal as well as the Mediterranean Games and ANOC World Beach Games.

"It’s not easy to stay in all these events.

"I want karate to have a place in the Olympic core programme and we will to continue fighting for it.

"I will continue to lead the fight to return to the Olympics."