IOC issues update on Tokyo Olympics qualification

The International Olympic Committee has confirmed that over 7,800 athletes have secured their place at the Tokyo Olympics, meaning 70% of places have been filled for the Games.

The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has impacted Olympic qualification with events being rescheduled or postponed, 20% of the remaining places will be decided through ranking whilst the remaining 10% will be decided at qualification events.

Due to the large increase in cases in India all Indian athletes are currently unable to leave the country but IOC Presidential spokesperson Mark Adams said that ongoing support was being provided to those Indian athletes who have been unable to participate in Olympic qualification events, however he did not go into specific detail about the support being provided.

It is anticipated that there will be lots of challenges to selection decisions due to the cancellation of events, one athlete challenging a decision is Canadian boxer Mandy Bujold as the selection event was cancelled and instead ranking was used to determine places but Bujold was unable to compete at any of the ranking events due to pregnancy and maternity leave.

The Brazilian Olympic Committee has announced that it will take up the IOC offer of vaccinating all athletes, officials and media that are heading to Tokyo, with the anticipated number being around 1,800.

You can read the IOC statement here.