… IOC extends Olympic Qualification date to June 29, next year

ALIANN Pompey, one of Guyana’s most decorated international track and field athletes, has officially announced the cancellation of her 2020 edition of the AP Invitational, owing to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“It’s with sadness and great concern that I inform you that the API will not be contested this year, due to the rising concerns and risks associated with COVID-19,” Pompey said, telling athletes “I pray that you and your families and loved ones remain safe during these difficult times. As always, thank you for your continued support and we’ll see you in 2021!”
Pompey, a four-time Olympian and president of the Pan Am Sports Athletes Commission, would have held her 5th AP Invitational on June 4 at the National Track and Field Centre at Leonora, but now, the 42-year-old will have to wait an additional year to host what has become one of the most important meets in the Caribbean and South America.

The 2002 Commonwealth Games women’s 400m gold medallist’s announcement comes in the wake of the International Olympic Committee’s decision to have athletes who qualified for the 2020 Olympic Games to remain qualified for the postponed Games in 2021.
In a letter to the heads of the international federations, IOC Sport Director Kim McConnell also outlined the revised qualification deadlines for the 2021.
The disruption – caused by the COVID-19 pandemic – of the Olympic qualifying process for several sports was a contributing factor in the IOC’s decision to postpone the Tokyo Games. Qualification has yet to be completed for 47 percent of all athletes’ spots for the Olympics.

Qualification for the Tokyo Games must be completed by June 29, 2021, McConnell said. The final deadline for entries to be submitted to the IOC is July 5.

The new deadlines are part of a series of amendments to the Tokyo 2020 Qualification System Principles, approved in recent days by the IOC qualification taskforce.
McConnell also left it up to international federations such as FIG, gymnastics’ global governing body, to decide whether athletes who would not have been old enough to compete in Tokyo this summer will be able to participate in the 2021 Games.
“Regarding the eligibility criteria for the lower age limit, if any, the IOC recognises the full authority of IFs to assess the eligibility of those athletes who are not eligible in July 2020 but meet the lower age limit in 2021,” McConnell wrote.

McConnell in the letter acknowledged the challenges facing the international federations in revising their qualification processes.

The priority remains to reflect, where possible, the allocation method/pathway of the original qualification systems,” McConnell pointed out, while adding that “this principle encourages IFs to follow a like-for-like approach by replacing those lost opportunities that were allocating quota with the same number of events.”

Regarding the scenario where quota allocation was originally based on ranking, International Federation retains full discretion to define the new ranking deadline and pathway.
According to the IOC, a sport-specific balance needs to be found between protecting those athletes who were close to qualifying, based on the previous 2020 deadlines, while also ensuring the participation of the best athletes at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 by allowing the top performers of the 2021 season to qualify.