NEW Tokyo Olympic Games Qualification System Principles

The IOC approved the modified Qualification System Principles, which you can read in full below.

That’s the IOC’s document to all international federations. It is not a revised Weightlifting qualification.

See the bolded parts which are new.

Download the PDF here.

If we are reading all this correctly it looks like the qualification period will be extended, although there’s no specification on when/how. But it looks like basically we’ll have to wait until next spring to really say who is/isn’t going to Tokyo.

What’s New tl;dr :

• the revised final entries deadline shall be on 5 July 2021
• if a Qualification System specifies age eligibility criteria, then the criteria should be extended to cover the Postponement Period allowing athletes who are eligible in July 2020 to remain eligible until the revised deadline in 2021. Any exception due to safety and/or medical reasons and/or any restriction on those athletes who reached the minimum age for eligibility by the revised deadline in 2021, if any, will be subject to the decision of the respective IF.
• The allocation of the quota places should reflect, where possible, the existing principles of the respective qualification systems as previously approved by the IOC Executive Board (e.g. method of allocation through events or ranking, number of qualifying events allocating quota places) and only as last resort rely on alternative methods of allocation based on on-field results (e.g. ranking, historical results) which may include the conversion of NOC quota places into nominal quota places, to be allocated to individual athletes by name.

The third seems to imply that you can’t base qualification solely on results already obtained (“on field results/historical results”), which means everyone will presumably have to compete again to some extent.

In an email, Attila Adamfi, IWF Director General, wrote that key considerations were:

• following the postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, the IWF is allowed to adapt the Qualification System accordingly – not to make a new Qualification system
• the system should shall remain the same as much as possible with adjusted timelines
• the allocation of quota places should reflect, where possible, the existing principles of the respective qualification systems as approved by the IOC executive board
• the priority remains to reflect, where possible the allocation method/pathway of the original qualification system
• same qualification events shall be considered – organised in a later period
• IWF shall make no compromise on its anit-doping approach to protect clean athletes

Considering the above and the enclosed revised principles please sen any recommendations by 10 Aptil 2020 to be considered by the IWF Sport Commission before the draft is submitted to the IWF EB for initial approcal, subject to the final approval of the IOC.

PS: Also, I love that this is the IOC’s first principle for qualification systems: “The qualification system in each sport should aim to be easy to comprehend for NOCs/NFs and athletes and should leave no room for individual interpretation.” Read the ATG Guide to Olympic Qualification here.

Read the full text below.

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Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 – Qualification System Principles
Original version: English
XXXII GAMES OF THE OLYMPIAD, TOKYO 2020
– QUALIFICATION SYSTEM PRINCIPLES –
REVISED 30 MARCH 2020

PREAMBLE

Qualification systems are the regulations established by IFs that consist of rules, procedures and criteria for participation in the competitions of the Olympic Games, subject to final selection by each NOC upon recommendation of the respective National Federation. These systems shall conform to the Olympic Charter and Qualification System Principles and shall be approved by the IOC Executive Board.

Qualification Systems vary between each sport (and discipline, where applicable) and are established to give a fair and equitable opportunity for the best athletes in the world to participate in the Olympic Games as well as to ensure universal participation, but also to limit the number of athletes for each sport/discipline/event, as approved by the IOC Executive Board.

It should be noted that, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent Tokyo 2020 postponement agreed on 24 March 2020 by the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe, and IOC President Bach, and confirmed by the IOC Executive Board, the period to reschedule the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 is 23 July to 8 August 2021 (hereinafter the “Postponement Period”).

Therefore, this new version of the Tokyo 2020 Qualification System Principles, amended to address this unprecedented situation, supersedes the previous version approved by the IOC Executive Board in July 2017 and provides an opportunity to all IFs to adapt accordingly their respective Qualification Systems in view of the new dates for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the allocation of the remaining quota places.

ISSUE RESOLUTION

Any dispute arising between an IF and a NOC in connection with the interpretation or execution of a qualification system should be resolved through direct consultation with the IOC Sports Department. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne (Switzerland) shall be the last step for the resolution of such disputes.

TRIPARTITE COMMISSION INVITATION PLACES

The aim of the Tripartite Commission Invitation Places is to offer the opportunity to NOCs which have traditionally sent small delegations to the Olympic Games to be represented at the next Games. Selected athletes from these NOCs, who are unable to qualify, will be invited to take part in sports and disciplines for which Tripartite Places have been reserved. The Tripartite Commission should work closely with Olympic Solidarity in order to maximise the value of athlete scholarships. The allocation procedure of Tripartite Commission Invitation Places including quotas, eligibility criteria and timeframe will be reviewed with each International Federation, ASOIF and ANOC and will be communicated by the IOC in due time. Invitation Places shall only be awarded through the IOC-ASOIF-ANOC Tripartite Commission.

QUALIFICATION SYSTEM PRINCIPLES

1. The qualification system in each sport should aim to be easy to comprehend for NOCs/NFs and athletes and should leave no room for individual interpretation.

2. The qualification system for each sport/discipline, once agreed by the IOC and IFs, shall not be changed without IOC agreement and shall not be published in any other format without IOC approval.

3. Any publication or information related to an IF’s qualification system must be sent to NOCs and NFs concurrently by the IF as well as the Tokyo 2020 Sport department. This includes, but is not limited to, advice regarding amendments to the qualification system, publishing of qualification lists or requests for confirmation of the acceptance of quota places.

4. Qualification systems must allow for the participation of the best athletes through a fair and transparent process within the framework of the Olympic Charter.

5. The principle of universality shall be reflected in qualification systems through continental representation. A maximum number of athletes per NOC will be set within each sport, discipline or event to ensure a broad participation of NOCs.

6. Athletes/teams shall have more than one opportunity to qualify, however the qualification systems should not necessitate extensive and expensive travel requirements. Where possible, continental events should be used. The IOC Executive Board reserves the right to relax this requirement based on the impact of COVID-19 on the respective qualification system and in particular the cancellation, delay or relocation of qualification events.

7. In principle, existing events approved by IFs should be used for qualification. IFs should not impose a specific event on the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games combining a test event and qualification event.

8. For all qualifying events taking place under the auspices of the IF or their continental or regional associations, the IF and the organiser of the event must ensure that the Olympic Charter principle of non-discrimination is respected, and all athletes and other competition personnel from all IF members can enter a country to participate and are treated equally. Should this requirement not be respected, the IOC Executive Board reserves the right to revoke the Olympic Qualification status of the event concerned. It should be noted that in case of restricted athlete participation due to COVID-19, the IOC Executive Board may allow the event to maintain its Olympic Qualification status and will explore with the IF ways to support the impacted athletes
   and replace the lost opportunity to qualify.

9. All sports/disciplines will have a common closing date for athlete entries by name, to be specified by the IOC in coordination with the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (approximately three weeks prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games). In view of the rescheduling of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to the Postponement Period, the revised final entries deadline shall be on 5 July 2021.

10. In view of the rescheduling of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to the Postponement Period, the qualification period may extend accordingly as long as such extension respects the qualification period deadline of 29 June 2021.

1. The qualification period should conclude at least seven days prior to the final entries deadline to allow enough time for NOCs to accept nominations from NFs and complete entry formalities
   or decline a quota place.

2. The qualification system should clearly indicate whether quota places are allocated to individual athletes by name or to the NOC. If quota places are allocated to NOCs, it should be clear whether NOCs have an open right of selection, or if there are requirements for chosen athletes to meet minimum eligibility requirements. If quota places are allocated to athletes by name, the publication of the list of athletes who have obtained these nominal quota places shall include the provision that an athlete’s participation in the Olympic Games is subject to selection by their NOC. In view of the rescheduling of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 to the Postponement Period, if a Qualification System specifies age eligibility criteria, then the criteria should be extended to cover the Postponement Period allowing athletes who are eligible in July 2020 to remain eligible until the revised deadline in 2021. Any exception due to safety and/or medical reasons and/or any restriction on those athletes who reached the minimum age for eligibility by the revised deadline in 2021, if any, will be subject to the decision of the respective IF.

3. According to the Olympic Charter, the NOCs have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games and could decide not to accept an allocated quota place. In order to avoid unused quota places and apply the fairness of the system to all athletes and countries trying to quality for the Olympic Games, the qualification system should include the process and timeline for NOC confirmation/rejection of quota places, and the process for the reallocation of unused quota places. This shall be clearly elaborated in each qualification system. In principle, the timeline for notification by NOCs should be within two weeks from the date which qualification was achieved and confirmed by the respective IF but no later than one week prior to entries deadline.

4. For events that are final Olympic team qualification competitions, the qualification system should clearly indicate whether NOCs/NFs are required to submit any form of preliminary documentation related to the acceptance of quota places. Team sports/disciplines are defined as follows: Football, Volleyball, Baseball/Softball (Tokyo 2020 additional sport), Basketball, Hockey, Handball, Water Polo and Rugby. This principle may also apply to team events in individual sports/disciplines.

5. Strict deadlines in regards to the determination and publication of allocated quota places by IFs, as well as to the confirmation/rejection of quota places by NOCs, should be adhered to.

6. When confirming and distributing the allocated quota places and list of qualified athletes, IFs must communicate directly with NOCs at the same time as with their respective NFs as well as with the Tokyo 2020 Sport department.

7. The confirmation of a NOC to reject or accept the allocated quota places cannot be reversed.

8. For sports in which qualification is based on meeting specified minimum standards, the respective IFs shall specify the events in which such standards must be met, and implement
   clear regulations regarding the distribution and verification of the official results from these events.

9. The qualification systems shall set forth clear eligibility criteria to be fulfilled by each athlete in
   terms of doping control.

10. In principle, all sports/discipline should include Host Country places. However, these are not automatic and should be dealt with specifically in each qualification system, subject to the attainment of a minimum level of performance by athletes or teams. If there is no provision for Host Country places within a given sport, this should be stated to avoid any doubt. Furthermore, the qualification systems should include the process and timeline for confirmation/rejection of Host Country places, and the process for the reallocation of unused Host Country places. In addition, the qualification systems should set forth the process to be followed when the NOC/athletes of the Host Country qualify through the regular qualification pathway.

11. All relevant information related to the qualification process for the Olympic Games should be included in each qualification system. References to criteria, rules and regulations published in external IF documentation should be kept to a minimum, and should include a precise link to access each concerned document on an IF’s website.

22. The IOC Executive Board reserves the right to approve any modification(s) proposed by IFs to qualification systems impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent postponement of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, in order to safeguard the safety and interests of athletes. The allocation of the quota places should reflect, where possible, the existing principles of the respective qualification systems as previously approved by the IOC Executive Board (e.g. method of allocation through events or ranking, number of qualifying events allocating quota places) and only as last resort rely on alternative methods of allocation based on on-field results (e.g. ranking, historical results) which may include the conversion of NOC quota places into nominal quota places, to be allocated to individual athletes by name.

STRUCTURE AND CONTENT OF EACH QUALIFICATION SYSTEM

The IOC shall provide a standard template (including all key principles and terminology) to IFs, which shall be used to develop each qualification system. The detailed structure and content of the qualification system for each sport/discipline shall be as follows:

• Specification of events in the Olympic programme, using official event names as
  determined within Olympic Results and Information Services (ORIS)
• Athletes’ quota
  • Total quota for the sport/discipline/event
  • Breakdown between men and women
  • Number and breakdown of Tripartite Commission Invitation Places (where
    applicable)
  • Number and breakdown of Host Country Places
  • Maximum number of athletes per NOC (per sport/discipline and/or per event)
  • Maximum number of athletes per event (where applicable)
• Type of allocation of quota places: by athlete or by NOC (or both)
• Athlete eligibility requirements: compliance with Olympic Charter (including nationality rules), age requirements, medical certification, additional IF regulations, etc.
• Detailed qualification pathway:
  • • Detailed allocation of quota places per qualification event, including qualifying order of events
    • Qualification time standards and defined period during which they can be obtained (where applicable)
    • Any rules and criteria applicable to the participation in each qualification event
• Host Country Representation
• Allocation of Tripartite Commission Invitation Places (where applicable)
• Confirmation process for obtained quota places
• Reallocation process for unused quota places
  • Qualification places
  • Host Country places
  • Tripartite Commission Invitation places
• General principles regarding the use of reserve athletes (substitutes/double starters), where applicable
• General principles regarding the use of P alternate athletes (where applicable), including quota per NOC and allocation of places
• General principles regarding Late Athlete Replacement
• Specific amendments due to the impact of COVID-19 (if necessary)
  ▪ Detailed qualification timeline:
  o Period of qualification
  o Dates and locations of all qualification events for the Olympic Games
  o Dates at which rankings are considered (where applicable)
  o Dates applicable to distribution of Tripartite Commission Invitation places
  o Timeline for NOC confirmation/rejection of quota places
  o Timeline for reallocation of unused quota places
  o Final entries deadline for all sports