LAUSANNE-World Athletics is working to restart a shuttered athletics season and finding out any modifications that could be wanted within the qualifying course of for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, president Seb Coe mentioned on Friday.
The governing physique is hoping to supply a sequence of conferences which will start in August and run to October so athletes can get again in to competitors as rapidly as attainable when it’s protected to take action as a result of coronavirus pandemic, Coe mentioned in a letter addressed to the athletics group. “We don’t yet know the date for the Games next year,” Coe mentioned, “but once they (the International Olympic Committee and the Japanese government) have made it, we will look at what, if any, impact that decision has on our World Athletics Championships Oregon 21.”
Many anticipate the championships in Eugene, Oregon, to be moved to 2022. Athletics’ international governing physique additionally hopes to supply a solution as quickly as attainable to any modifications to the Tokyo Olympics qualifying course of, Coe mentioned. World Athletics started reviewing its Olympic qualification course of after the IOC and sports activities federations agreed that every one athletes at present certified for the Tokyo 2020 Video games will stay certified for subsequent yr’s occasion.
“In athletics the primary qualification avenue is by meeting the entry standards set out in March 2019,” Coe added. “Once those places are allocated, the remaining athletes are drawn from the world ranking list. As of today, all athletes who have met the entry standards for their event will remain qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. This is approximately 50% of the places.”
A significant assessment can also be underway of the worldwide calendar of occasions, not only for the subsequent two years which can see some main disruptions, however for the long run. The choice comes as athletics’ Diamond League sequence introduced on Friday it has cancelled its conferences by June however hopes to have a late season. “The priority for all of us right now is to contain the pandemic, stay healthy and stay home,” Coe mentioned. “But where we can continue to drive our sport forward. “The world will not be the same after this pandemic.”
