IOC reveals updated qualification process for postponed Tokyo Oly

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has declared June 29, 2021, as the new qualification deadline for the postponed Tokyo Olympics. Accordingly, the deadline for final entries has been revised to July 5, 2021, the IOC said.

A total of 57 per cent of all the qualification places had been confirmed by the time the Tokyo Olympic was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Originally scheduled to be held from July 24 to August 9 this year, the Games will now be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021.

Changes to Olympics qualification process

In order to adapt the qualification systems for the remaining places to the new timing of the Games, the qualification system principles were updated, approved by the Qualification Task Force (acting on behalf of the IOC Executive Board) and shared with all the International Federations (IF).

The updates included a number of changes, such as an extended qualification period and new deadlines:

• A new qualification deadline of 29 June 2021, based on the Olympic Games starting on 23 July (day of the Opening Ceremony);
• The potential extension of sport-specific qualification periods if such an extension respects the qualification period deadline of 29 June 2021;
• The revised final entries deadline of 5 July 2021;
• If a qualification system specified age eligibility criteria, the criteria should be extended to cover the new dates, allowing athletes who were eligible in July 2020 to remain eligible in 2021. All eligibility and age criteria would be at the discretion of the respective IFs.

Athletics, cycling (BMX Freestyle, BMX Racing and Mountain Bike), weightlifting, basketball, judo, rowing, swimming, badminton, skateboarding, taekwondo and wrestling have made minor adjustments to their qualification systems.

Meanwhile, the following sports have extended the qualification periods and continuing with the initially approved qualification process:

Archery, artistic swimming, baseball, basketball 3x3, boxing, canoe, diving, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics (artistic, rhythmic and trampoline), handball, karate, marathon swimming, modern pentathlon, rugby, sailing, shooting, sport climbing, surfing, table tennis, tennis, triathlon and water polo.

IOC said that dates for all the qualification event dates and locations "will be confirmed in due course by the respective IFs."

"All decisions have been communicated to the IFs, and the full details for each individual sport can be found in the respective qualification system per sport," it said.

"There were four rounds of approvals from the IOC Executive Board (EB) Qualification Task Force, on 25 April, 6 May, 13 May and 7 July 2020. The main objective was to implement qualification systems as close as possible to those approved by the IOC EB in February 2018."