Ottawa – Athletics Canada released today the selection criteria that will be used to nominate the Canadian track and field team for the 2020 Olympic Games that will take place in Tokyo, Japan, from July 24 to Aug. 9, 2020.
“We have a very strong group of Canadian athletes preparing for the Tokyo Olympic Games and I’m excited by their prospects,” said High Performance Director Simon Nathan. “Athletes around the world will have to qualify for the Games through a completely new IAAF qualification system that features a world ranking points system similar to that of tennis or golf. At first glance, it all looks very complex; however, in most events the number of athletes who will compete has not changed. The IAAF has also added a new and exciting mixed 4 x 400 metre relay event (contested by two men and two women) to the schedule. I’m sure Canadian athletes and coaches will quickly get to grips with the new system and that we’ll have a fantastic team representing our country in Tokyo.”
Earlier this year, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) introduced a new qualification system for Tokyo 2020. The system allows athletes to qualify for the Games by achieving an IAAF standard or based on their position in the new World Rankings points system.
Athletics Canada will nominate as many athletes as possible who have met Olympic standard or find themselves in contention on the IAAF World Rankings list on June 3, 2020, for the marathon and 50-kilometre race walks and July 1, 2020, for all other track and field events. Athletes who win a Canadian title at the 2020 Selection Trials will have priority and will be nominated if they are on the IAAF lists and are eligible for nomination as outlined in the Athletics Canada Selection Criteria.
The new system will allow the IAAF and International Olympic Committee (IOC) the ability to control field sizes and to ensure that the world’s top athletes qualify for the Games based on achieving a high-level result (IAAF standard) or consistent results at top-ranked events (IAAF World Rankings points system). Overall, the new system will make for a better competition for the athletes and fans of the sport.
Athletics Canada’s high performance team has created an Olympic Selection Criteria Quick Guide, which features important information, deadlines and standards for every event in the Olympic programme. Athletes and coaches are encouraged to review the selection criteria in addition to the quick guide, which can be found here.
Webinars will be held in late May (exact dates and times to be released at a later date) by High Performance Director Simon Nathan to walk athletes and coaches through the selection criteria, in addition to the IAAF Top Lists and IAAF World Rankings points system. Those who are interested in taking part in a webinar are encouraged to sign-up for the High Performance Newsletter (sign-up link can be found below) and to follow Athletics Canada on Twitter as webinar dates and times will be communicated via these platforms.
Important links:
- Athletics Canada Selection Criteria
- Athletics Canada Olympic Selection Criteria Quick Guide
- IAAF Top Lists (top performance during the qualification period)
- IAAF World Rankings (rankings by points score)
- Sign-up for Athletics Canada’s High Performance Newsletter
For more information, please contact:
Amanda Nigh
amanda.nigh@athletics.ca
(613) 260-5580, ext. 3307
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