Tokyo 2020 spots valid in 2021

Athens, March 27

All athletes who had qualified for the Tokyo Olympics will keep their spots for the Games next year following their postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said.

The IOC and Japanese organisers postponed the July 24-Aug 9 event earlier this week but confirmed that those among the 11,000 athletes set to compete in Tokyo who had already earned their spot would keep it. IOC also said that the amount of spots allocated for each sport at the Games would remain the same next year.

“The 57% that are qualified do remain in place and the goal is to maintain the same athletes quotas across the different sports,” an IOC official said.

When and How

“Thomas Bach (IOC president) first explained the reasons for the postponement of the Games, then said that the athletes qualified for Tokyo 2020 would automatically be qualified for 2021,” said a participant of an IOC teleconference with 32 international sports federations. “One of the main subjects was to know when and how to organise the qualifications. In some federations, many sportsmen and sportswomen are not qualified and it takes at least three months for the Olympic Games to organise them.”

However, there is no definite date yet for the rescheduled Games with Bach saying Tuesday the Tokyo Olympics “must be rescheduled to a date beyond 2020 but not later than summer 2021, to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Olympic Games and the international community”.

Many Olympic sports, such as boxing, saw the vast majority of their qualifying tournaments either interrupted or cancelled due to the global health situation.

Others, such as sailing however, already had 90% of their competitors qualified.

“The allocated quotas remain allocated,” confirmed a participant in an IOC meeting yesterday.

May or June 2021?

“Thomas Bach has confirmed that a decision (on a new date for the 2021 event) will be made within the next four weeks,” he said. “Some said they prefer May 2021, others June …”

Some federation chiefs also expressed financial concerns, claiming in advance part of the sums traditionally allocated after the Olympic Games by the IOC to the governing bodies.

Though a huge blow to Japan, which has invested $12 billion in the run-up to the Games, the decision to postpone was a relief to thousands of athletes fretting over training with the world heading into lockdown to fight a disease that has killed thousands of people. — Agencies