IOC revised the weightlifting qualification system for the Tokyo Olympics


IOC revised the weightlifting qualification system for the Tokyo Olympics

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Olympic qualifying system for Tokyo Games, which now has extended the qualifying period to April 30, 2021.

IWF said in a statement that, all the rankings and results achieved by weightlifters during the qualifying events held prior to the cessation of qualifying will be retained with no charges to their value.

The revised qualifying system will allow a further qualification period, which wil run from October 1, 2020 to April 3, 2021. Following the suspension of qualifying events caused by COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent postponement of Tokyo 2020. All the replacements for the cancelled events will be again scheduled during this period.

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The criteria which has been started on November 1, 2018 has been maintained in which weightlifters must participate in atleast six competitions throughout the overall period.

Not only this but they had also been required to complete in atleast one of the specified competitions during each of the first, second and third original qualifying periods.

Not all weightlifters had the opportunity to fulfill this eligibility requirement whereas some weightlifters had already competed in six events, including one in each of the qualifying periods. But the third period, however, was brought to a premature end by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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But here is a good news for all the weightlifters, who are wishing to qualify for Tokyo Games will now be required to compete in at least one of the specified competitions between October1, 2020 and April 30, 2021 but this will also ensure that they are subjected to any in-competition doping controls applied by the International Testing Agency (ITA)

On the basis of world ranking points collated by the IWF, a total of 56 men and 56 women will qualify on this basis. A further 35 men and 35 women will qualify on the basis of continental ranking points collated by the IWF.

There will be 3 men and 3 women who will be granted host country qualifying status where on the other hand 4 men and 4 women will receive tripartite commission invitations. These elements from the Olympic qualifying system that was originally approved will remain unchanged.

Ursula Papandrea, the IWF Acting President said, “the IWF is deeply conscious of the efforts made by the weightlifters and those who support them to pursue their Olympic Dreams at Tokyo 2020. Preserving their progress was a vital step for us, as was ensuring a similar range of opportunities to those being provided before that pandemic halted the Olympic Qualification System for weightlifting.”



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