Sindo

From May 3-7 2023, eight of Europe’s top wheelchair rugby nations (Great Britain, France, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland) will collide at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Up for grabs is not only the European title, but qualification to the Paris 2024 Paralympics for the finalists. 

Reigning Paralympic Champions Great Britain are the odds on favourite for the title, but you can never count out Reigning European Champions France, and 2022 World Championships fourth place finisher Denmark. 
 
Host-nation France has already secured a Paralympic quota, which leaves seven nations left fighting for two spots. Barring disaster, Great Britain should secure one of those spots. Denmark is also likely to secure a spot, although I wouldn’t count out Germany.  
 
There’ll be a few key names to keep an eye out for as competition gets underway. French captain Jonathan Hivernat (3.0) is an absolute cardio machine. Don’t be surprised to see him play every minute in some of the more crucial matches. Eric Peters (3.5) was a big reason why Denmark qualified for the previous Paralympics in wheelchair rugby for the first time. His speed up and down the court and his strength to maintain possession or win the ball back for the team through brute force is a major advantage for the Danes. Great Britain’s Johnny Coggan, is arguably one of the greatest 0.5 players of all time, and boasts an impressive five Paralympic Games in his resume (2004-2020). Coggan is known to create plenty of headaches for the worlds best attacking players, his ability to defensively positioning himself makes it very difficult for opposition to get through. Also from Great Britain is Aaron Phipps (3.5), who scored an impressive eleven tries against United States in the Tokyo 2020 gold medal match, and will look to be a factor again here.  
 
The Opening Ceremony of the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championships is on May 3, with the first four play matches occurring the very same day. On May 4-5, pool play continues, and on May 6, classification round matches, 7th/8th place matches, and semifinals take place. 5th/6th place matches, bronze medal match, and gold medal match are on May 7. 
 
Josh, Totallympics
 
 Paralympic Sports Qualification to Summer Paralympic Games Paris 2024 Discussion Thread
 
  Wheelchair Rugby Tournament at the Summer Paralympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker

A week of cycling competition concluded in Panama with four Olympic quotas awarded to three nations. The quotas will be in the possession of Argentina, Canada, and the United States for the time being as the Olympic invites earned at Continental Championships are third in order of hierarchy. Quotas earned through the UCI World Ranking and World Championships take precedence.
 
On Saturday morning, Skylar Schneider of the United States led the pack across the finish line in the Women's Elite race and Olympic qualifier. 35-year-old Canadian Alison Jackson finished in the second qualifying position, beating out a group of 25 riders that sprinted across the line in a time of 2:48:08.
 
Schneider and Jackson secured a spot in the Olympic Cycling Road Race for their respective nations, but as things sit right now, there is a strong possibility that Team USA and Canada are able to enter athletes via a different qualifying pathway. If this scenario were to play out, the Panamerican quotas would be reallocated.
 
The Canadian flag flew a little higher on Sunday, as Gaspe, Quebec native, Pier-Andre Cote, came away with the Pan Am championship. Cote and compatriot Charles-Etienne Chretien (third place) were part of a pack of five pedaling towards the line. Squeaking in between the Canadian cyclists was German Tivani of Argentina, earning the South American nation their first quota place for the Summer Games Paris 2024.
 
As mentioned earlier, the possibility of quota reallocation looms in the Men's Road Race as well. Top five finishes for Uruguay's Antonio Fagundez and Ecuador's Bayron Guama could carry importance later on in the qualifying calendar.
 
 Road Cycling COPACI American Championships 2023 Discussion Thread
 
 Road Cycling at the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker

With the opening ceremony set to begin Saturday evening, about 4700 of the best athletes in South America have arrived in Paraguay to compete at the 2022 South American Games. The games are going to be held in the capital city of Asuncion from October 1st to October 15th 2022.
 
The athletes represent 15 nations, with Curacao set to compete for the first time. The constituent country, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands previously competed as part of the Netherlands Antilles prior to its dissolution. Also competing are Argentina, Aruba, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela.
 
Overall, 412 events are scheduled to take place across 36 sports. This includes 28/32 sports set to be held at the 2024 Olympics (missing breaking, modern pentathlon, sport climbing and surfing) along with bocce, bodybuilding, bowling, chess, karate, padel, squash and water skiing.
 
Not only will athletes strive to win gold for their nation, but the South American Games are also qualifiers in 18 sports and will provide direct quotas to compete at the 2023 Pan American Games. The table below gives a breakdown of those qualifiers.
 
Sport
Quotas to Pan Am Games
Aquatics
Artistic Swimming – Top two eligible teams (plus Chile) will qualify a team and duet and top two eligible duets will compete in the duet.
Diving – 10-12 athletes in men’s events and 10-12 athletes in women’s events
Open Water – Top seven (plus Chile) eligible athletes per gender
Water Polo – Two highest ranked eligible teams plus Chile
Archery
Gold medalists in the men’s and women’s individual recurve and compound events
Athletics
Gold medalists of each individual event will be eligible to compete. Additionally, the gold and silver medalists of the five relay events will qualify.
Bowling
The three best men’s and women’s nations with the best combined score by their two athletes.
Boxing
Gold and silver medalists in each event.
Cycling
Track – The highest ranked eligible nation from each event.
Mountain – The highest ranked eligible nation from each event.
Equestrian
Dressage – Two highest ranked teams, three highest ranked individuals without a team.
Jumping – Three highest ranked teams, four highest ranked individuals without a team.
Field Hockey
Two highest ranked eligible teams
Handball
Two highest ranked eligible teams
Karate
Two highest ranked eligible athletes in each individual event.
Roller Sports
Speed skating – Highest ranked eligible athlete in each gender after combining the results of the sprint or distance events will qualify their nation (2 men and 2 women).
Rugby Sevens
Two highest ranked eligible teams.
Shooting
Highest ranked eligible athlete will qualify their nation.
Squash
Gold medalists from the team events
Table Tennis
Highest ranked eligible men’s and women’s teams
Tennis
Gold and silver medalists in each individual event.
Triathlon
Gold medalist in the mixed relay
Water Skiing
Gold medalists in each wakeboard event.
 
As the Pan American Games will be a qualifying event to the 2024 Olympics, the South American Games can be considered the first step for Olympic qualification for the region. Of the 18 sports offering direct quotas to the Pan American Games, 9 sports; (aquatics (artistic swimming, diving, water polo), archery, boxing, equestrian, field hockey, handball, shooting, table tennis and tennis) will offer direct quotas to the Olympics while in athletics and cycling, athletes will be able to earn world ranking points.
 
The first medals are set to be awarded on Sunday where 38 events across 8 sports will be decided.

The Czech Republic's Jiri Liptak starred in a wonderful two days of Trap action at the European Championships (Shotgun) in Larnaca, Cyprus. With the top two in both the Men's and Women's Trap earning spots at Paris 2024, there was something extra motivating these athletes in addition to the potential of European glory.
 
A total of one hundred athletes entered the qualification stage, although thirteen of these were not eligible to reach the final and in it for ranking points only. With five rounds of 25 targets each, the top eight would qualify. Tokyo 2020 champion Liptak lead with 123 hits, with Sweden's Rickard Levin-Andersson second with 122. Third would be decided by shootoff as Great Britain's Nathan Hales and Cyprus's Andreas Makri were tied for 121, while fifth would also be decided by shoot-off to decide between France's Clement Borgue, GB's Matthew John Coward-Holley, and Portugal's Armelim Felipe Rodrigues, who were all on 120 points. Most importantly, the eighth and final spot would also be decided by shoot-off, as Croatians Anton Glasnovic and Francesco Ravalico were tied on 119 points with Teemu Antero Ruutana of Finland and Erik Varga of Slovakia. The Czech Republic's Vladimir Stepan also got 119 points but was ineligible to make the final as a 'ranking points only' (RPO) athlete.
 
Makri got the better of Hales in the shootoff to come third, while in the shoot-off for fifth Rodrigues with six got ahead of Coward-Holley with five and Borgue with none. Glasnovic hit three targets to beat out Ruutana on two and Ravalico and Varga on one to make the next round. Here, there would be two ranking matches of four athletes each, with the top two making the medal match. The first match was made up of Bourgue, Liptak, Makri, and Rodrigues; there would be twenty-five shots, although the athlete in last after fifteen would be eliminated. That happened to be Makri with ten, while it was a tight race in front: Liptak on fourteen, Rodrigues on thirteen, and Bourgue on twelve. But Bourgue missed his next three shots and could only post a total of nineteen, while Liptak (22) and Rodrigues (21) advanced to the final. In the other match, comprised of Coward-Holley, Glasnovic, Hales, and Levin-Andersson; after fifteen it was Glasnovic that was eliminated with eleven, with Hales in front with thirteen and both Coward-Holley and Levin-Andersson on twelve. But Levin-Andersson recovered, only missing one of his final ten shots to post a score of 21, tying with Hales, meaning Olympic bronze medallist Coward-Holley would not advance.
 
In the medal match, there would be thirty-five shots, with last place eliminated after fifteen and again after twenty-five. After fifteen shots Rodrigues was eliminated with ten hits; both Levin-Andersson and Hales had twelve, but something special was in the works as Liptak had all fifteen. With the Czech seemingly uncatchable, the next ten shots would be crucial to decide who got the Paris spot. Both of them hit their next five perfectly, but both missed one shot. Tied for 21 points, they were separated by their score in the Ranking Match. However, as this was also equal, this meant they were separated by their score in the qualification match, and Levin-Andersson survived: a true reflection that every shot matters. But the Swede would have to settle for silver: while he was battling with Hales, Liptak had extended his perfect run: with five shots to go the Czech led 30-25. That meant he just needed to get the next shot to guarantee it and he did, a "golden hit" stopping the contest early and winning gold with a perfect 31 out of 31 in the final. The quotas then went to the Czech Republic and Sweden.
 
On the women's side, it was a somewhat less crowded field, with forty-five athletes, three of whom were RPO. Italy's Silvana Stanco got 119 hits in qualifying, with Portugal's Maria Ines Coelho de Barros and Italy's Giulia Grassia tied for 118. France's Carole Cormenier, Lucy Charlotte Hall of Great Britain, and Jessica Rossi of Italy were tied for fourth with 117 points, while two Spaniards: Fatima Galvez and Mar Molne Magrina were tied for seventh with 116. Grassia hit six targets in the shootoff ahead of Coelho de Barros with five to confirm an Italian 1-2, while Hall won her shoot-off for fourth with three targets ahead of Cormenier on two and Rossi on one. Galvez hit one target to beat Molne Magrina on none. This meant that both European medallists in Tokyo 2020: champion Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova of Slovakia (10th, 114) and bronze medallist Alessandra Perilli of San Marino (24th, 110) were casualties of the qualification stage.
 
The first ranking match was made up of Coelho de Barros, Cormenier, Galvez, and Stanco. After fifteen it was the French athlete who was eliminated, missing four of her first five shots and registering a total of nine. At this stage, Stanco was way in front with a perfect fifteen, with both Coelho de Barros and Galvez on eleven. But Coelho de Barros missed three of her next four and then her last three to register only fifteen in total, with Galvez coming second with twenty, safely behind Stanco who managed an impressive twenty-four. In the other ranking match, composed of Grassia, Hall, Molne Magrina and Rossi, Grassia was eliminated early with just nine of her first fifteen, while Molne Magrina was off in front with thirteen, just ahead of Hall and Rossi on twelve. However, the Spaniard faltered, hitting just four of the final ten shots to register a total of seventeen, with Rossi on twenty and Hall on nineteen qualifying.
 
Into the medal match then, and the quality was evident from the start. Galvez was eliminated after fifteen due to only hitting ten: Hall lead on fourteen with the Italians on thirteen each. But Rossi missed three of her next five and could only recover to twenty, with Hall on 21 and Stanco on 22. Hall hit the next ten perfectly to end on 31 and put the pressure on Stanco... but the Italian held her nerve to do the same and pip the Brit into second with 32. This meant that the women's quotas went to Italy and Great Britain.
 
So the first qualifiers for shooting have been decided: on the men's side, the Czech Republic and Sweden, and on the women's side, Italy and Great Britain. On 8 September, qualifying for the Men's and Women's Skeet will begin, the other events with Olympic quotas to be decided in Larnaca. The next chance for European (and indeed any) trap shooters will be at the 2022 World Championship (Shotgun) in Osijek, Croatia, which starts next month.
 
Patrick Green
Writer, Totallympics News

The victory of the hosts brought the team event of dressage at the FEI Wrold Championship in Herning to a conclusion. Denmark shared the podium with Great Britain and Germany. Alltogether seven teams secured a place for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
 
The Grand Prix have been held for two days with two athletes achieving a result above 80% - Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour on Vamos Amigos (81,864%) and Charlotte Fry on Glamourdale (80,838%). They were the leaders of the teams battling for the gold. The success was on the hosts' side with Nanna Merrald Rasmussen on Blue Hors Zack (76,724%) and Carina Cassøe Krüth on Heiline's Danciera (76,863%) beating the Brits, where Fry was joined by Charlotte Dujardin on Imhotep (77,407%) and Gareth Hughes on Classic Briolinca (75,978%). The podium was completed by the title defending Germans with Ingrid Klimke on Franzikus having their result dropped as the worst in the team (75,683%) the result of 230,791% was achieved by Isabell Werth on DSP Quantaz (77,127%), Bejamin Werndl on Famoso OLD (77,003%) and Frederic Wandres on Duke of Britain FRH (76,661%).
 
Beside the medallists, the three next teams also secured a place in the Paris 2024 Olympic team event (as well as team members starting in the individual competition). These are Sweden, Netherlands (including Dinja van Liere on Hermes - third pair of the Grand Prix with 78,835%) and USA. Another quota went to team of Australia, placed eighth, being the best from the Group G of South East Asia and Oceania with Japan in 15th and New Zealand eliminated as Gaylene Lennard's Jax Johnson haven't passed the inspection and the team had no reserve of their three-pair team.
 
The next medal events are to be held on Monday with dressage Grand Prix Special (individual only) and the non-Olympic vaulting Squad and Individual medals to be given. The next Olympic quotas will be distributed during the jumping team final on Friday the 12th.
 
Author: Wojciech Nowakowski, Totallympics
Photo: © FEI/Leanjo de Koster

Aquatics, a sport containing five disciplines, has revealed the qualification procedure for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The reveal of the systems for Artistic Swimming, Diving, Marathon Swimming, Swimming, and Water Polo mean that Athletics is the only sport yet to release any systems, although the BMX Freestyle discipline of Cycling is also yet to reveal its qualification procedure.
 
Artistic Swimming
 
Artistic Swimming is a women's only discipline, with a reduction from 104 to 96 women competing, down from Tokyo 2020,. There are still two events: a teams' event and a duets' event. A duet consists of two athletes, while a team consists of eight. Just like 2020, there will be ten teams, at most one per NOC. The host country will automatically gain a spot, while the winners of Continental Championships (dates and times TBC) gain a spot for each continent apart from Europe (as France automatically take their continental spot). The only continental championship to be revealed is the 2023 Pan American Games (Santiago, CHI, 20 Oct-5 Nov 2023). The other five places will be earned at the 21st FINA World Championships (Doha, QAT, 2-18 Feb 2024). This means that there is no longer a separate qualification event, perhaps due to the shorter cycle between Games.
 
For the duets, there will now be 18 pairings, down from 22. The ten teams will automatically qualify a duet, and the two athletes in the duet must also be part of the team. Again, the winners of Continental Championships including the 2023 Pan American Games will earn a spot. Technically, the European spot should go to France, but as they will have already qualified from the Team competition there will also be a European event. The final three places will be earned at the 21st FINA World Championships. Again, this means the end of the qualification event. In the 2020 cycle, the Worlds were not a designated qualifying event for duets (although it was used for some continental quotas).
 
Diving
 
Diving has Individual and Synchronised 3m Springboard and 10m Platform events for both gender and 68 athletes per gender, this represents no change from 2020. In individual events, there are at most two places per NOC, but each individual athlete can only earn one place. The top twelve athletes at the 2023 FINA World Championships (Fukuoka, JPN, 14-30 Jul 2023) will qualify a place. The winners of Continental Championships (dates and locations TBC) including the 2023 Pan American Games will also qualify a spot. In this event, only the winners will qualify a place; if the winner has already qualified the place will be reallocated to the next qualification system. This is the 21st FINA World Championships, which will qualify twelve places plus any additional places. Extra places may also be added at this event in the case that the total quota of 136 places is for some reason not met. For the team events, there will be eight teams per event (one per NOC). The top three teams at the 2023 FINA World Championships, the top four at the 21st FINA World Championships, and the host country will be the eight teams. With two world championships during the cycle, the FINA World Cup has been replaced, but otherwise the system is mostly similar form 2024.
 
Marathon Swimming
 
In Marathon Swimming, there are 10km events for both genders, but there will now be 22 athletes per gender (at most two per NOC), down from 25. The qualification system is the same for both genders, just like Diving. Three athletes per gender will qualify a spot at the 2023 FINA World Championships, while the top thirteen athletes per gender from the 21st FINA World Championships will do the same. Each individual athlete can only earn one place at the Games. Then, the highest athlete left from each continent at those championships will also gain a place. Finally, there is a host country quota. Again, there is no longer a specific qualifier, instead the two world championships both earn places.
 
Swimming
 
Swimming has a total of thirty-five events. For both men and women, there are seventeen events: for Freestyle; 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m; for all of Backstroke, Breaststroke and Butterfly; 100m and 200m; a 200m and 400m event for Individual Medley, both 4x100m and 4x200m Freestyle Relays and a 4x100m Medley Relay. The thirty-fifth event is a mixed 4x100m Relay. There are 426 athletes per gender, down from 439 in Tokyo. In each indvidual event, there are at most two athletes per NOC, and at most one relay team per NOC. In individual events, hitting the Olympic Qualification Time (OQT) in FINA-approved events (1 Mar 2023-23 Jun 2024) will earn you a pathway in automatically. But there is a complicated medley of alternative ways to qualify. One can qualify by universality invitation (if an NOC qualifies no athlete, they can enter one man or one women as long as they participated in either the Fukuoka or Doha World Championships), or being part of a relay team. If you meet the easier Olympic Consideration Time (OCT). One athlete per event will be invited based on the OCT until there are less than 28 places (or one per event) left. For the remaining 27 (or less) places, who gets the nod will be based on World Ranking.
 
In the Relay, each event will have sixteen teams. Three teams will qualify from the 2023 FINA World Championships and thirteen will qualify from the 21st FINA World Championships. This will allow two additional athletes per relay entered per NOC, at most twelve. This system is a slight modification from the 2020 system, basing the times on WCs only.
 
Water Polo
 
Water Polo maintains its 12-team men's tournament and 10-team women's tournament from 2020. A team consists of eleven members, and there is at most one team per NOC per event. Two teams will qualify from the 2023 FINA World Championships. The hosts will qualify, with five places (one per event) being earned at Continental Championships (dates and locations TBC) including the 2023 Pan American Games. The final four men's spots and the final two women's spots will be earned at the 21st FINA World Championships. The FINA Word League is gone as a qualifier, and like other events the dedicated qualifer is replaced by the extra World Championships.
 
The Paris 2024 qualification system is underway, with host quotas decided and ranking periods underway, with some dedicated qualifiers taking place in Football and Triathlon.

The North American men's football qualifiers are set with the CONCACAF Under 20 Championship now complete.
 
The semifinals took place in Estadio Morazán in San Pedro Sula, with the winners of each knowing they would qualify to Paris 2024 as the two representatives of North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The Dominican Republic took on Guatemala in the first game with Guatemala racing into an early lead. First Arquimides Ordoñez headed home a cross before Sebastián Mañón poked a teasing ball into his own goal. But the Dominican Republic fought back with two goals in quick succession in the second half: first Guillermo de Peña took advantage of a loose ball before Edison Azcona's low long shot found its way in. No more goals would come in regulation time, and extra time was mostly uneventful, apart from a Dominican penalty being overturned by the video assistant referee (VAR). So the Olympic spot and a place in the final would be decided on penalties. First Thomas Jungbauer stepped up for the Dominican Republic and sent the goalie the wrong way. And they had a clear advantage when Mathius Gaitán hit the post. But when Ángel Montes De Oca skied it and Daniel Cardoza dispatched his spot-kick the scores were level again. Azcona and Johnathan Franco both looked as cool as a cucumber, so it was 2-2 with two penalties each left. De Peña put his home, but Ordoñez saw his shot saved to give Adhonys María the chance to send the Dominican Republic through to the final, and that was exactly what he did.
 
The other semifinal was at the same stadium as part of a double-header, and the US took on Honduras. And the Stars and Stripes did not delay as Paxton Aaronson poked home a freekick to put them ahead just two minutes in. Alejandro Alvarado Jr. then doubled the lead when his shot squirmed past the goalkeeper, and a large crowd were even more disappointed when Quinn Sullivan put in an open goal. A massacre was avoided as there were no goals in the semifinal, but things did get worse for the hosts when Jefryn Macías earned a late red card for a horror tackle on Nikolas Tsakiris.
 
The final took place at the Estadio Olímpico Metropolitano, although both teams knew they would be in the Olympic Games no matter what. It was the US who drew first blood, with Tyler Wolff heading home a cross. Aaronson, certainly the star of the tournament doubled the lead with a smart short-range finish, before Noah Allen's deflected effort pretty much wrapped up the game before half time. There was still time for more though: Jack Mc Glynn fired in at long range with a low effort, before the Dominicans failed to mark Aaronson from a free-kick as the Philadelphia Union player got his seventh goal of the tournament. The final goal would be scored by Tsakiris as the Dominican Republic failed to clear their lines, to wrap up a hugely impressive 6-0 victory and take home the trophy.
 
In men's football, the US have only ever won two medals, with the bizarre tournament at St. Louis 1904 containing one Canadian team and two American teams: Christian Brothers College won silver and St. Rose Parish won silver. But in the modern era they have won nothing. Since men's football became an underage competition in Barcelona 1992, the best they have done is a fourth placed finish in Sydney 2000. But they have missed the last three tournaments: a last minute goal conceded to El Salvador in Nashville cost them in 2012, a loss to Colombia scuppered their chances in 2016, and in 2020 it was Honduras that beat them. For a country that is becoming more and more of a 'soccer' nation, this triple failure was unacceptable for a country that looks to fight to be the best in the continent. But it seems they benefited from the change in format with the Under-20 Championship doubling as a qualifier (rather than a separate Under-23 championship). Throughout they were dominant, with a mature performance against a partisan crowd in the semifinal, fully justifying their top-seeded position and they deserve their place in Paris.
 
The Dominican Republic's story is remarkable. It is the first time a Dominican football team of either gender has qualified for the Olympics, and 2020 was the first time they had even qualified for the qualification event, coming last and losing every game in their group. They were ranked so low that they had to enter a qualifying round, where they were 2-0 down to Saint Lucia and heading out with two minutes to go, before two late goals got them the goal they needed. Beating an impressive El Salvador side who topped their group 5-4 was one thing, before they showed perseverance against Jamaica and resilience to come back from 2-0 down against Guatemala. The 6-0 loss in the final aside, they may have gotten some luck but they also deserve their place in the final.
 
North American men's football qualification for the Olympics is thus decided: the champions, the US and the runners-up Honduras will go to Paris. They will also enter the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia, where they will be joined by losing semi-finalists Honduras and Guatemala. The other country in the Olympics is hosts France, with all other qualifying events listed currently as "to be determined". However, for football fans, the women's North American event, the CONCACAF W Championship, starts soon.
 
Patrick Green
Writer, Totallympics News

Since our last update last month qualification procedures for five sports in the Paris 2024 Olympics have been revealed. Badminton, Canoe (Slalom and Sprint), Equestrian (Dressage, Eventing, and Jumping), Skateboarding, Sport Climbing (Boulder/Lead and Speed), and Weightlifting. Furthermore, one discipline in the sport of Cycling (Mountain bike) has also been revealed.
 
Badminton
 
Badminton retains its programme from Tokyo 2020, with a singles and doubles event for both genders, as well as a mixed doubles event. In singles, the top 35 athletes in the BWF 'Race to Paris Ranking List' of 30 April 2024 will qualify, with the following permutations: there can only be one athlete per NOC, or at most two if both are in the top 16. There must also be at least two athletes per continent. One place is given to the host country France, and the remaining two places are for universality. In doubles, the same BWF 'Race to Paris Ranking List' of 30 April 2024 is used for 16 pairs per event, with at most one per NOC, or at most two if both are in the top 8. If an athlete qualifies in both singles and doubles, this means that a further place is opened for the ranking list in singles. The lists are based on events between 2023 and 2024. The only change from last year is one universality place has been taken away and added to the ranking list.
 
Canoe Slalom
 
Canoe Slalom has received a boost from 2020 to 2024, with an Extreme Canoe Slalom event joining the Kayak and Canoe Single for both men and women. Someone who qualifies for one event can enter other events for their gender too, but at most one per NOC (two in Extreme Kayak). One athlete per NOC can qualify a place in each event, and each athlete can only qualify one quota place. 15 spots for Kayak and 12 for Canoe Single will be earned at the 2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships (Lee Valley, GBR, 19-24 Sep 2023). In Kayak and Canoe Single, one place for each of the five continents will be earned at Continental Qualification Tournaments (Dates and locations TBC, 2023) while one place in Kayak will go to the host nation. The three places per gender in Extreme Canoe Slalom will be at the Extreme Kayak Global Qualification Tournament (dates and locations TBC, 2024). The addition of Extreme Canoe Slalom notwithstanding, the system is largely the same as Tokyo 2020.
 
Canoe Sprint
 
The IOC giveth and the IOC taketh away: while Canoe Slalom gains two events, Canoe Sprint will lose two. For both genders, the Kayak Single 200m has disappeared. The other Kayak Single event (1,000m for Men and 500m for Women) has returned, as has a Kayak Double event (now 500m for both genders: it used to be 1,000m for Men), a Kayak Four 500m event, a Canoe Single event (1,000m for Men and 200m for Women), and a Canoe Double event (also now 500m for both genders instead of 1,000m for Men and 500m for Women). The quotas have also been reduced somewhat from 123 to 118 per gender.
 
The primary event for qualification will be the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships (Duisburg, GER, 23-27 Aug 2023). 7 boats in Kayak Single and Canoe Double, 6 in Kayak Double and Canoe Single, and 4 in Kayak Four will be earned here. There will be one host country boat in Kayak Single and Canoe Single. In every event apart from Kayak Four places will be filled at the Continental Qualification Tournaments (dates and locations TBC), with two places per continent in each event, apart from Kayak Single and Canoe Single, where Africa and Oceania will get just one place. Finally, there are two universality places per gender in the entirety of Canoe Sport, these can be allocated by the ICF in either Slalom or Sprint. At most one boat per NOC can qualify per event, although two per NOC can enter an event.
 
The removal of the "World Cup 2" event is the biggest change from 2020. Interestingly, the document is now unavailable to access: it is listed on both the IOC and ICF site, but the file does not show up. Probably a technical gremlin, but there is a small chance this could have some meaning and the document had a mistake of some sort.
 
Equestrian Dressage
 
Dressage's programme is unchanged from 2020, with 60 athletes at open individual and team events. There are fifteen teams that qualify (at most one per NOC). One for the host country (France), the six highest ranked at the 2022 FEI Dressage World Championships (Herning, DEN, 6-10 Aug 2022), and the remaining nine at regional qualification events. For Groups A and B three places are earned at the 2023 FEI European Dressage Championship (Riesenbeck, GER, dates TBC), for Group C there will be a Group C 2023 Designated Olympic Qualification Event (date and location TBC) yielding one place, for Groups D and E two places are earned at the 2023 Pan American Games (Santiago, CHI, 26-29 Oct 2023), while for Group F one place is earned at the 2022 World Championships, and the same is true for Group G.
 
The teams are made up of three athletes, and each of the three also qualify for the individual event. The remaining fifteen places (most one per NOC) will be qualified like so: the two highest-ranked athletes in the FEI Olympic Ranking (date released tbc) in Groups A, B, C, F, and G will take the first ten spots, the top two individuals from Group D or E at the 2023 Pan American Games and the top two individuals from those groups at the FEI Olympic Ranking will take up the next four spots, and finally, the top-ranked athlete irrespective of Group will get the final place. This system is the same from Tokyo 2020.
 
Equestrian Eventing
 
Similar to Dressage, Eventing remains unchanged since 2020 with 65 athletes in open individual and team events. Sixteen teams qualify (at most one per NOC), including the host nation. Seven places are earned at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships (Pratoni del Vivaro, ITA, 14-18 Sep 2022). Two teams are earned for Group A and B at the 2023 FEI European Eventing Championships (Pin du Haras, FRA, 9-13 Aug 2023). One place is earned at a Group C 2023 Designated Olympic Qualification Event (date and location TBC), while the Pan American Games (Santiago, CHI, 26-29 Oct 2023) yields two places for Groups D and E. The top two ranked teams at a Group F and G Designated Olympic Qualification Event (date and location TBC), while the final spot is earned at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup 2023 (date and location TBC)
 
Again, the teams are made up of three teams, and each of the three also qualify for the individual event. The remaining seventeen places (at most two per NOC) through the FEI Olympic Ranking: two per group and then the highest three otherwise. This system has one more team than 2020.
 
Equestrian Jumping
 
Like the other Equestrian events, the Jumping programme is unchanged since 2020 with 75 athletes in open individual and team events. 20 teams qualify (at most one per NOC). There are twenty teams, including one for the host nation. Five places are earned at the 2022 FEI Jumping World Championships (Herning, DEN, 10-14 Aug 2022). The highest rated team at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final 2022 (Barcelona, ESP, 29 Sep-2 Oct 2022) get the next spot. The top three Group A and Group B teams at the 2023 FEI Jumping European Championship (Milano, ITA, September 2023, exact dates TBC) get spots, as do the top two at a Group C 2023 Designated Olympic Qualification Event (location and date TBC). The top three ranked Group D or E teams at the 2023 Pan American Games (Santiago, CHI, 26-29 Oct 2023) get a place, as do the top two teams at a Group F 2023 Designated Olympic Qualification Event (location and date TBC) and the highest two teams at a Group G 2023 Designated Olympic Qualification Event (location and date TBC). Finally, the highest ranked team at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final 2023 (date and location TBC) get a place.
 
The three team members gain a place in the individual event, with the remaining fifteen spots (at most one per NOC) are earned like this: the top two athletes in the FEI Olympic Ranking (publication date TBC) in Groups A, B, C, F, and G get the top ten spots, with the three highest athletes at the Pan American Games getting a spot as well as the highest ranked athlete from Groups D and E. Finally, the highest-ranked athlete irrespective of group yet to qualify gets the final place. The system is similar to that from Tokyo 2020.
 
Mountain Biking
 
Mountain Biking has received a small hit in 2024, with 36 athletes per gender (instead of 38) in the cross-country events. The top eight NOCs in the UCI Mountain Bike Olympic Qualification ranking (published 28 May 2024) will get two spots, and the next ten will get one, for a total of 26. Three spots will be earned at the 2023 Continental Championships (dates and locations TBC) with one spot each for Africa, America, and Asia. Finally, four spots (at most one per NOC) will be earned at the 2023 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships (Glasgow and Scotland, GBR, 3-13 August 2023). Finally, one spot per gender each will be given to the host spot and universality places. The most consequential change is that no country can have three places in an event.
 
Rowing
 
Rowing keeps its fourteen events from 2020 (Single Sculls, Pair, Double Sculls, Four, Quadruple Sculls, Eight, Lightweight Double Sculls in both genders) but there are now 251 instead of 263 places per gender. The primary qualification event will be the 2023 World Rowing Championships (Belgrade, SRB, 3-10 Sep 2023). This will qualify eleven athletes per gender in Pair and Double Sculls, nine per gender in Single Sculls, seven per gender in Four, Quadruple Sculls, and Lightweight Double Sculls, and five per gender in Eight. Places will be available at World Rowing Continental Regattas for the four continents (dates and locations TBC, Asia and Oceania count together). Five places are available for each continent except Europe (for whom three is available) for Single Sculls, and two places for each continent except Africa (for whom one is available) in Lightweight Double Sculls. Finally, two places per event can be earned at the World Rowing Final Olympic Qualification Regatta (Lucerne, SWI, dates TBC) in around May 2024. There is also one host place as well as two universality places per NOC. The changes from Tokyo 2020 are mostly minor, and the rule that each NOC has one boat per event is retained.
 
Skateboarding
 
Skateboarding returns with Park and Street events for both genders, and is upgraded from 40 to 44 athletes in each gender, or 22 per event. There are 3 spots per NOC at most per event. The top 20 athletes in each event, including one per continent, in the Olympic Skateboarding Rankings of 24 June 2024 will win a spot, with the remaining places going to the host and one for universality. This is a change from 2020 where places were earned at the World Championships.
 
Sport Climbing (Boulder/Lead)
 
While in 2020 there was one Sport Climbing event per gender for all three disciplines combined: boulder, lead, and speed, but now speed is its own event with a combined boulder and lead event remaining. Overall, there are now 34 sport climbers per gender, up from 20. There are 20 places in the combined Boulder/Lead event, at most two per NOC. Three athletes per gender (at most one per NOC) can earn a spot at the IFSC Climbing World Championships (Bern, SUI, 1-12 Aug 2023). Five more spots per gender  are earned at the IFSC Continental Qualifiers (dates and locations TBC), including the Pan American Games (Santiago, CHI, 20 Oct-5 Nov 2023), with the winner of each continental event that will be held in the last four months of 2023 gaining a spot. Finally, an Olympic Qualifier Series will take place in 2024, yielding ten spots per gender. The final places will be for the host country and the universality place. The system is similar to that from Tokyo 2020.
 
Sport Climbing (Speed)
 
In these events, there are fourteen places per gender (at most two per NOC). 2 spots per gender (at most one per NOC) will be earned at the IFSC Climbing World Championships (Bern, SUI, 1-12 Aug 2023). Five spots are earned per gender at the IFSC Continental Qualifiers (dates and locations TBC), including the Pan American Games (Santiago, CHI, 20 Oct-5 Nov 2023), with the winner of each continental event that will be held in the last four months of 2023 gaining a spot. Finally, an Olympic Qualifier Series will take place in 2024, yielding five spots per gender. There is also one place each for the host country and the universality place.
 
Weightlifting
 
Weightlifting has been downsized significantly from 2020 to 2024, with 98 athletes per gender in seven weight classes now being sixty per gender in five: for men, 61, 73, 89, 102, and +102kg; and for women, 49, 59, 71, 81, and +81kg. This is twelve athletes per event, one per NOC, and at most three athletes per NOC per gender. The top ten athletes in the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking (OQR) will qualify a place, as will one athlete per event by Continental representation: one athlete per gender in each of the five continents: so an African in one event, an Asian in another and so on. The ranking is published on 28 April 2024. Finally, the remaining place will be either the host country (in two events per gender) or the universality place (in three). This system is similar to that from Tokyo 2020.
 
There are still qualification procedures to be released for Aquatics, Athletics, Football, Sailing, Surfing, Table Tennis, and Tennis, as well as the rest of Cycling: so 8 sports in total.
 
Patrick Green
Writer, Totallympics News

On 1 April, the schedule for Paris 2024 has been released, and with just over two years until the Games to go, there has been plenty of time to dissect it and look at some key dates. Remember, all times given are Paris time (UTC +2). The Games takes place over nineteen days. The day of the opening ceremony ("Day 0") is 26 July 2024, with some preliminary action starting in the two days before that, and then events taking place up until Day 16 (11 August), with the closing ceremony taking place once all the sport has finished.
 
In 2020, Softball and Football were the only sports to begin before the day of the Opening Ceremony. Softball is of course not in Paris 2024, but Football retains that status, with two games in every stadium before the games begin: one game on Day -2 and one game on Day -1 for every stadium, except for the Parc des Princes in Paris, where two games will be on Day -2. The finals will be on Day 14 and Day 15 once again, both at the Parc des Princes. Kick-off times vary from 15:00 at the earliest to 21:00 at the latest, with the finals at 18:00 and 18:30 respectively. Another sport to begin before the Opening Ceremony is Rugby Sevens, which has action on both Day -2 and Day -1, with the Finals on Day 1 and Day 4: the final sessions will begin at 14:30.Tthe sport being earlier in the Games is because the sport is sharing the Stade de France with Athletics, which will have consecutive days of action from Day 7 to Day 15, with morning sessions (10:00-13:00) every day from Day 7 to Day 14: all medals will be handed out in the evenings (19:00-22:00). The Marathons, from the Hôtel de Ville to Invalides will be on Day 15 and Day 16, both beginning at 08:00, while the Race Walks on Pont d'Iéna will begin at 07:30 on Day 6 and Day 12: likely meaning the men's and women's events will be on the same day leaving the other one free for the new mixed relay.
 
Handball at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium also begins before the Opening Ceremony and will be the first sport to begin, with action on both Days -2 and -1. It is also the only sport to take place on Day 0, with a session beginning at 09:00. It started after the Ceremony in Tokyo, but Handball does have a packed programme, with four two-hour sessions on some days. The finals are on Days 13 and 14, with the bronze matches from 16:30 and the gold matches from 21:00, a change from Tokyo where the final event was on the final day. Finally, the beginning of the Archery at Invalides is now on Day -1 instead of Day 0. Archery will resume on Day 2, with constant action until Day 9. The finals are on Days 2, 3, and 7 at 14:15 and Days 8 and 9 at 13:00.
 
Beach Volleyball at the Eiffel Tower Stadium will be a constant, beginning at 10:00 on Day 1 and not finishing until Day 15, with action every day in between. The finals are at 21:00 on Day 14 and Day 15. Judo will also begin on Day 1 at the Champs de Mars Arena, with morning sessions mostly starting at 10:00, and the evening sessions were medals are handed out beginning at 16:00. This will last until Day 8, and Wrestling will take over the arena on Day 10, with morning and evening sessions. On Day 11, the medals will be handed out on on sessions beginning at 18:15, with this being the case for every day until Day 16, the day of the opening ceremony, where the session takes place at 11:00.
 
Fencing is another sport to start with medals from Day 1 at the Grand Palais. There will be morning and evening sessions every day until Day 9, with the medals all handed out in the evening: sessions start from 19:00 to 19:30. On Day 12, Taekwondo will start in the same place, with three sessions per day for four days: the medals all handed out in the evening again, in sessions touted to last from 19:30 to 23:00. This is a change from Tokyo, where Taekwondo was in the first four days.
 
In Road Cycling, the Time Trial from Invalides to Pont Alexandre III will be on Day 1, beginning at 14:30. The Road Races from Pont d'Iéna will take place on Day 8 and Day 9 (the 'middle weekend'), with the men's event on Saturday starting at 11:00 and the women's event at 14:00 on the Sunday. It seems there is a lot of emphasis on popular events taking place on these two days, which could explain the switch: in 2020 the road race was before the time trial.
 
Skateboarding street events will take place on the first two days at La Concorde, which is the home of urban sports during the Games, with the early session from 12:00 and the evening one from 17:00 where medals are won. Park events are on Day 11 and Day 12, with all start times thirty minutes earlier than the street counterpart. BMX Freestyle events will also happen here, with a session on Day 4 and the medal session on Day 5 both starting at 14:00. Breaking, an all new sport, will take place on Days 14 and 15, with sessions at 16:00 and 20:00, the latter of which will see medals handed out. Basketball 3x3 is the most packed sport to happen at this venue, with action beginning on Day 4 and going non-stop until Day 10 with medals handed out in the final session beginning at 21:00.
 
Tennis will take place at the famous Roland Garros, with all medals handed out on the P. Chatrier court. It will begin on Day 1 at 12:00, with the first medal handed out on Day 7 in a session starting at 19:00, but most handed out on the middle weekend again, with medals sessions on both days starting at 12:00. Boxing will also take place on the Suzanne Lenglen court, with action starting on Day 1 at 19:30 and preliminary sessions on Days 2 to 9 beginning at 10:30 and 19:30. After a break on Day 10, medals will be handed out on sessions on Days 11 to 15 starting at 20:00.
 
Volleyball will once again be in action every day the flame is lit, starting at South Paris Arena on Day 1. The bronze matches will be on Day 14 at 17:00 and Day 15 at 13:00, with the finals on Day 15 at 17:00 and Day 16 at 13:00. Table Tennis takes place on every day from Day 1 to Day 15 this time, with medals handed out in sessions starting at 13:30 on Days 4, 8, and 9, and sessions starting at 15:00 on Days 14 and 15. Weightlifting has been compressed into the final five days of the Games, with medals being earned in every session: starting at 15:00 and 19:30 on the first three days, at 11:30, 16:00 and 20:30 on Day 15 and just the 11:30 session on Day 16.
 
Artistic Gymnastics preliminaries at the Bercy Arena will take place on Days 1 and 2, with finals from Days 3 to 5 at 17:30, on Day 6 at 18:00, on Day 8 at 15:30, Day 9 at 15:00, and Day 10 at 13:00. The one-day gap is because Trampoline Gymnastics will have both medals on one day, with sessions at 12:00 and 18:00. The other event to take place at the arena will be Basketball. This starts at a location tbc with four preliminary games (the first starting at 11:00) each day from Day 1 to Day 9, with the final phase starting on Day 11. The finals will be on Day 15, with a bronze match at 18:00 and the final at 21:30, and on Day 16, with a bronze match at 10:30 and the final at 14:00.
 
Badminton is the very first sport to start on Day 1 with action from Porte de La Chapelle Arena starting at 08:30. The finals start from 15:00 from Days 7 to 9, with two finals sessions on Day 10 starting at 09:45 and 14:30. Rhythmic Gymnastics also takes place here, starting on Day 13 and with finals sessions being on Day 14 at 14:30 and Day 15 at 14:00: this is a day earlier than 2020.
 
Swimming will begin from Paris La Defense Arena on Day 1 with a uniform schedule from Day 1 to Day 8 with a preliminary session at 11:00 and a final session at 20:30, and then on Day 9 just a final session beginning at 18:30. This means that on Day 7 to Day 9, the Athletics and Swimming finals will clash, which will be disappointing to many. Water Polo will begin at the Aquatics Centre on Day 1 and go on every day there until Day 9, before moving to the Paris La Defense Arena, now vacated of swimmers, on Day 10. The medal matches will take place at 09:00 (bronze) and 14:00 (gold) on the final two days: water polo will therefore once again be the final event to end. Diving will also take place at the Aquatics Centre, with finals slipped in where gaps on the Water Polo schedule exist on Days 1, 3, 5, and 7 at 11:00 (likely the synchronised events) before action properly resumes on Day 10, with finals on Days 11, 13, 14 and 15 beginning at 15:00. Artistic Swimming, the final sport at the Aquatics Centre has sessions beginning at 19:30 every day from Day 10 to Day 15 apart from Day 13, the medals are handed out on Days 12 and 15.
 
Shooting from La Corneuve will likely as per usual have the first medal handed out, with Rifle/Pistol medals handed out each of the first ten days in sessions starting at 09:00 except Days 5 and 10. Shotgun action will start on Day 3, with medals handed out on Days 4, 5, and 8 from 15:30 and Days 9 and 10 at 15:00. Modern Pentathlon will also get underway here with the Fencing Ranking Round on Day 13, before moving to Château de Versailles on Day 14. The laser runs start on Day 15 at 17:00 and Day 16 at 11:00: meaning the programme has been stretched by a day. The Château will mostly be known as the home of Equestrian however, with action beginning on Day 1 and sessions every day up to Day 11, with finals on Days 3, 6, 8 and 9 starting from 10:00-11:00, and on Day 11 starting at 14:00.
 
Rowing started on Day 0 in 2020 but all action will be with a lit flame in 2024, with Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium seeing action every day from Day 1 to Day 8. 09:30 is the start time on Days 5 to 8, the days where medals will be won. Canoe Slalom will also take place here on all of the first ten days apart from Day 7, with finals starting at 15:30 on Days 2, 3, 5, 6, and 10. Finally, Canoe Sprint begins on Day 11 with action for five days, medals handed out on the last three of those with sessions beginning at 09:30.
 
Yves-du-Manoir Stadium is the home of Hockey, and action starts from Day 1 and goes on for fourteen days. The bronze matches (14:00) and gold matches (19:00) take place on the last two days, similar to 2020.
 
Surfing takes place in Teahupo'o in Tahiti, on the other side of the world. There is action on each of the first four days, beginning at 19:00, which is 07:00 local time. All medals are handed out on Day 4. Sailing from Marseille Marina begins on Day 2 with action every day until Day 13 starting at 11:00, and medal races on Days 6, 7, 11, 12 and 13. This was so that sailers could attend the opening ceremony.
 
The Triathlon events at Pont Alexandre III start at 08:00 on Days 4, 5, and 10. Also taking place there is the Marathon Swimming, beginning on Days 13 and 14 at 07:30. Golf from the Golf National has its events from Day 6 to 9 and Day 12 to 15, starting at 09:00 each day. Sport Climbing from Le Bourget Sport Climbing Venue begins on Day 10, with a medal handed out each day from Day 11 to Day 14 at 17:00. Track Cycling from Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome also begins on Day 10, with medals handed out every day afterwards with sessions starting from 17:00-18:00 (apart from Day 16 where the session starts at 11:00): preliminary afternoon sessions also exist on Days 12 and 14. There is a slight overlap with the Athletics finals: the final hour of proceedings will overlap with the first hour of athletics, although for fans of both this should be manageable.
 
This is a lot of sports to pack in, and the full schedule for your favourite sport is in this document, and of course everything is subject to change (and often will, with weather often moving rowing and sailing events in particular). However, here are some points to highlight:
 
Athletics and Swimming to clash
The Games' show-piece sports are scheduled around each other, with swimming in the first half of the games and athletics in the second half. However, just like Tokyo 2020, they will clash, with Day 7, 8, and 9 seeing both sports having action simultaneously. In 2020, this problem was worked around by having swimming finals in the morning session, but this doesn't seem to be the case this time. Fans of both sports will be disappointed in having to split attention.
 
Most finals in the evening
Swimming's reluctance to have finals in the morning seem part of a broader shift to having more finals in the evening. Perhaps this is due to the lucrative American broadcasters not wanting to have events in the middle of the night, which is understandable. But it does mean that more finals will take place together than in 2020, leaving to more multi-screen viewing for the TV audience.
 
A focus on the 'middle weekend'
Days 8 and 9 of the Games, the 'middle weekend', have been singled out for particular attention by organisers. As well as the finals in both Athletics and Swimming, there will also be finals in Tennis and Artistic Gymnastics, as well as the Cycling Road Races. The Games' most illustrious sports and those most popular in France will be very prevalent. Also present are Table Tennis.
 
Team sports "spread out"
On the final four days, the long team sports will come to an end, but they have been scheduled not to clash. The finals of volleyball, beach volleyball, hockey, handball, basketball, water polo and football will not clash. This could explain the increase in sports starting before the flame is lit, although another explanation is to make it so athletes can attend the Opening Ceremony, which might not have been the case with an early Day 1 start: a match on Day -2 or Day -1 would make this a bit easier. The schedule has been made so all athletes can attend at least one ceremony.
 
Patrick Green
Writer, Totallympics News

The first qualifying procedures have been released for Paris 2024. With thirty-two sports split into forty-seven "disciplines" in Paris 2024, the first eighteen disciplines in thirteen sports have been released. They are: Archery, Basketball (Basketball and Basketball 3x3), Boxing, Breaking, Gymnastics (Artistic, Rhythmic, and Trampoline), Handball, Hockey, Modern Pentathlon, Rugby Sevens, Shooting, Triathlon, Volleyball (Beach Volleyball and Volleyball), and Wrestling. Totallympics News will provide coverage on each qualification system as and when it is released. In this post, we will have a look at the ten qualification procedures already released.
 
Archery
 
Archery retains five events, with a men's and women's individual team, and a mixed team. Twelve nations per gender, including hosts France, will qualify a team, with the three members of the team also participating in the individual events. The remaining 28 spots, including two universality places, will be earned on an individual basis, with at most one per NOC. There is no separate qualifying for the mixed team, with entry automatic for every NOC with at least one athlete per gender.
 
The team section has been changed, with a ranking and a continental system added. The 2023 World Archery Championship (Berlin, GER, 28 Jul-6 Aug 2023) will earn just three spots, down from eight. Three of those spots will go to the winners of Continental Championships (exactly which events are yet to be announced) for Europe, Asia, and the Americas. There will still be a Final World Team Qualification Tournament (date and location to be announced) for three places. Finally, two places will be earned for a Team World Ranking List, the date which will count will be announced at a later date.
 
The winners of the mixed team competition at five Continental Games will qualify one individual spot for both genders. These are the 2022 Asian Games (Huangzhou, CHN, 10-25 Sep 2022), the 2023 European Games (Krakow, POL, 21 Jun-2 Jul 2023), the 2023 Pan-American Games (Santiago, CHI, 20 Oct-5 Nov 2023), and the 2023 Pacific Games (Honiara, SOL, Nov 19-1 Dec 2023). The 2023 African Games (Accra, GHA, Dates to be announced) are also meant to be part of this, but as of right now, archery is not on the programme. If this remains the case, one extra place per gender will be available for the Individual Qualifying Tournament.
 
The remaining twenty-one places per gender are earned individually. Three will be earned at the 2023 World Archery Championship, two each will be earned at three Continental Games (the Asian Games, European Games, and Pan-American Games), and ten will be earned at five Continental Qualification Tournaments (which tournaments exactly will be announced by 31 December 2022): three for Europe, two each for Asia, the Americas, and Africa, and one for Oceania. Finally two (plus the potential reallocated African Games spot) will be earned at the Final World Individual Qualification Tournament (date and location to be announced). This system is similar to the one used for 2020, although more priority is given to Continental Games than Continental Qualification Tournaments. All-in-all, a new system for 2020.
 
Artistic Gymnastics
 
Artistic Gymnastics retains its fourteen events from Tokyo 2020, with eight men's events (Team, All-Around, Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, and Horizontal Bars) and six women's events (Team, All-Around, Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise). The total amount of athletes has been reduced however, with 96 spots per gender, down from 98. One spot per gender will be guaranteed to the host nation, France, although the team is considered strong enough to get at least one place for each gender anyway.
 
A team of five athletes can qualify for an NOC: these five can then choose which individual events they want to take place in. An NOC without a team qualified can bring at most three athletes. This is a big change from 2020, where there were teams made up of four.
 
Twelve teams will qualify per gender, with a similar format to 2016: The top three teams qualifying in the 2022 World Championships (Liverpool, GBR, 29 Oct-6 Nov 2022) and the remaining nine in the 2023 World Championships (Antwerp, BEL, 1-8 Oct 2023).
 
However, the individual qualification places (34 per gender) have a new format in 2024: remember, these can only be earned by athletes not in a team. The top 3 teams at the 2023 World Championships not to qualify will gain one individual athlete per gender. The top eight male and top fourteen female All-Around athletes at the 2023 World Championships will gain a quota as well: only one place per NOC can be gained here. The winner of the six male and four female Apparatus finals at the 2023 World Championships will also gain a quota. The top two in each apparatus at the 2024 FIG World Cup (Athens, GRE, 15-17 Mar 2024; Pesaro, ITA, 22-24 Mar 2024; Sofia, BUL, 12-14 Apr 2024; Baku, AZE, 19-21 Apr 2024; Tashkent, UZB, 26-28 Apr 2024) will gain a spot: so twelve men and eight women. Finally, the winner (or highest-placed eligible athlete) of All-Around competitions in 2024 Continental Championships (a total of five for each gender) will take the final spots. It is yet to be announced which events will count, but the FIG prefers them to take place from April to May 2024.
 
If, as expected, the hosts reallocate their place, it will be an extra place earned at the 2023 World Championships for the All-Around category, effectively boosting that to having nine male and fifteen female athletes qualifying.
 
Basketball
 
Basketball retains two twelve-team tournaments, just like Tokyo 2020. The qualification system for eleven teams each (as one spot goes to hosts France) is the same, differing however between men and women. For men, seven teams qualify from the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup (Various cities, IDN, JPN, PHI, Aug 25-Sep 10 2023): the top two teams from America and Europe and the top team from Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Qualification is in progress for that event. The remaining four spots will be earned in 2024 at FIBA Olympic Qualification Tournaments (Date and location tbc), which will include nineteen teams from the World Cup and five from Olympic pre-qualifying tournaments: the winners of each of the four tournaments, with six teams each, will earn the final spot.
 
For women, only the champion of the 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup (Sydney, AUS, 22 Sep-1 Oct 2022) will qualify: the qualification procedure for that is finished. The remaining ten places will be earned at FIBA Olympic Qualification Tournaments (Date and location tbc): there will be four groups of four, with the top three qualifying, although France and the Women's World Cup champions will be included: in the groups with those two, only two places will be earned. This is no change from the Tokyo 2020 system.
 
Basketball 3x3
 
Basketball 3x3 retains its two 8-team tournaments from 2020. There is a change to the system (which is the same for men and women). Now, only the top three teams (down from four) qualify a spot on the 3x3 Federation Ranking List of 1 November 2023. There are now two 2024 Universality-driven Qualification Tournaments (locations and dates for both TBC), with eight teams in both and one winner, and finally, a 2024 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament that is still worth three places. Also, if France don't qualify a place, then whichever genders team is ranked higher takes a ranking place off the lowest-qualified team.
 
Beach Volleyball
 
Beach Volleyball retains a men and a women's 24-team tournament (max 2 teams per NOC) from 2020. With one spot to the hosts, there are 23 teams qualifying per NOC. However, they have removed a qualification tournament that gained two spots, with two more teams earned by world ranking. Firstly, the winner of the 2023 FIVB Beach Volleyball Senior World Championships (date and location TBC) gets a place. Then, the top seventeen (or eighteen should the host spot get reallocated) teams of the Olympic Ranking List of 10 June 2024 will get a spot. Finally, the winners of five Beach Volleyball Continental Qualification Events will earn spots. These dates will be confirmed by 31 May 2022. The final phase of these will be hosted in June 2024, after the publication of the ranking. A simple system to follow.
 
Boxing
 
Boxing has had a switch from 2020. That year, there were eight male weight classes, and five female ones, but now there are seven male weight classes (51, 57, 63.5, 71, 80, 92 and +92kg weight limits) and six female ones (50, 54, 57, 60, 66, and 75kg weight limits). There will be 124 athletes in each gender (compared to 206 men and 80 women in Tokyo), a total of 248, which is down from 286 in 2020. Each event will still have at most one athlete per NOC. To breakdown by event:
Women's 54 and 66kg: 24 places
Women's 50kg: 22 places
Men's 63.5 and 71kg, Women's 57kg: 20 places
Men's 57 and 80kg, Women's 75kg: 18 places
Men's 51, 92, and +92kg, and Women's 60kg: 16 places
 
The first event in the calendar are the 2023 IBA World Boxing Championships (Tashkent, UZB, dates TBC) and 2023 IBA Women's World Championships (dates and locations TBC). The finalist of each event will earn a spot: as there are thirteen men's and ten women's categories, this means most events will actually get four spots: the Men's +92kg and Women's 57 and 60kg will get two spots. Then, the Olympic Ranking Lists of 31 December 2023 will earn six spots per event. France are guaranteed at least four men and at least three women, and there are also four male and five universality spots: the confirmation of these will affect the exact amount of quotas up for grabs in the Olympic Ranking Lists of 31 March 2024. Finally, in May 2024, a World Qualification Tournament (locations and dates TBC) will earn two spots for each event. A new-look system for the new-look IBA.
 
 
Breaking
 
The new sport of Breaking has sixteen participants per gender (at most two per NOC). One spot goes to hosts France, and two will be earned by way of "universality", meaning there are thirteen qualification spots. The winner of the WDSF World Championship (Leuven, BEL, 22-24 Sep 2023) will earn a spot as will the winner of five Continental Games/Championships (although exactly which Games or Championships are still to be confirmed). Finally seven athletes in each gender (or eight if the French spot is reallocated) will earn a spot at the Olympic Qualifier Series.
 
Handball
 
Handball retains a 12-team tournament for both genders from 2020. The system has not changed for 2020, with eleven qualification spots each once the host spot is allocated to France.
The first spot goes to the winner of the IHF Men's World Championship 2023 (POL and SWE, 11-29 Jan 2023) and the winner of the IHF Women's World Championship 2023 (DEN, NOR, and SWE, exact dates TBC). The winners of four Continental Qualification Events: for men the Pan-American Games, an Asian event pencilled in for autumn 2023, the 2024 European Championship (GER, 10-28 Jan 2024) and the January 2024 African Championship (location and exact dates tbc); and for women the Pan-American Games, an Asian event also in autumn 2023, the 2022 European Women's Handball Championship (MNE, MKD, SLO, 4-20 Nov 2022), and an African event currently meant to take place in 2023. The final six places will be earned at three Olympic Qualifying Tournaments (dates and locations TBC) that will be held in March 2024 for men and the next month for women. A familiar qualifier for a familiar Olympic sport.
 
Hockey
 
Another team sport returning from 2020, there is a 12-team tournament for both genders. Once France get their spot, eleven places are earned in qualifiers for each gender. Unlike 2020, the system is the same for men and women. Five spots are earned by winning Continental Qualifications: these being the 2022 Asian Games, 2023 Pan-American Games, the 2023 African Hockey "Road to Paris" Championships (dates and locations TBC), the 2023 EuroHockey Championships (Monchengladbach, GER, exact dates TBC), and the 2023 Oceania Cup (dates and locations TBC). The top three teams in two FIH Olympic Qualification Tournaments (dates and locations to be announced on 6 November 2023) will win the final spots, a change from 2020 when play-offs were used.
 
Modern Pentathlon
 
Modern Pentathlon retains 36 athletes in each gender: at most two per NOC. With one host spot and two invitational spots, there are 33 qualifying spots per gender, and the system is the same for both, being mostly similar to the 2020 system. The winner of the 2023 UIPM World Cup Final (date and locations TBC) will earn a spot, but twenty (at most one per NOC) will be from various Continental Championships (date and locations TBC): eight for Europe, five for Asia and for Pan America (with one spot for first place, one for the next two North Americans (which includes Central America and the Caribbean) and one for the next two South Americans), and one for Africa and Oceania. Three spots will be earned at the 2023 UIPM Pentathlon World Championships (Bath, GBR, dates TBC), and finally, six will be earned through the UIPM Olympic Pentathlon World Ranking List of 17 June 2024.
 
Rhythmic Gymnastics
 
Rhythmic Gymnastics is a female-only sport, and there are now only 94 athletes, instead of 96. There are still fourteen group (of five, so 70 athletes), but now just 24 individuals, down from 26. There are fourteen teams, including France, with thirteen qualification spots. The top three teams at the 2022 World Championships (Sofia, BUL, 14-18 Sep 2022) will get a spot, as will the top five teams (or six should the French spot be reallocated) at the 2023 World Championships (Valencia, ESP, 21-27 Aug 2023). The final five spots will go to the winners of the 2024 Continental Championships, dates and locations of which are to be confirmed.
 
Unlike artistic gymnastics, the group competition is not integrated in qualifying with the individual one. With 26 places available (at most two per NOC), including one host spot and one universality place, there are 24 qualification spots to fight for. The top three individuals at the 2022 World Championships, the top fourteen (or fifteen should the French spot be reallocated) at the 2023 World Championships, and the winners of the five 2024 Continental Championships get a spot.
 
A relatively simple system to follow, then.
 
Rugby Sevens
 
Rugby Sevens retains its 12-team tournaments from 2020: that includes a host spot each. The eleven qualification spots are the same as in 2020. The top four teams in the 2022-3 World Rugby Sevens World Series, the details of which will be announced by 30 June 2022 corresponding to each gender will gain a spot, as will the winners of six Regional Association Olympic Qualification Tournaments in 2023 and a Final Olympic Repechage Tournament which should happen in 2024. Details and locations for all events are to be confirmed.
 
Shooting
 
Shooting retains thirteen events from 2020, although now there are only 170 athletes per gender, instead of 180. The programme is slightly changed. The men's and women's events are the same (10m Air Rifle, 50m 3 Positions, 10m Air Pistol, 25m Rapid Fire Pistol (Men)/25m Pistol (Women), Trap, and Skeet) while the Mixed Team in 10m Air Rifle and 10m Air Pistol also remain, although the Mixed Team Trap is replaced for a mixed Team Skeet event.
 
There is no mixed team qualification: instead those with one man and one woman in each event can enter a corresponding mixed team: at most two teams per NOC. At most twelve men and at most twelve women per NOC can qualify, and at most two athletes per individual event per NOC can qualify. There are 25 qualification spots per event, with a host country spot, one universality spot (two in the air rifle and air pistol events) and one earned at the Olympic Qualification Ranking of 9 June 2024.
 
In the Air Rifle and Air Pistol events, four spots are earned at the 2022 World Rifle and Pistol Championship (Cairo, EGY, 12-25 Oct 2022). One spot will be earned at the 2022 CAT Championship (Lima, PER, 9-16 Nov 2022). Two spots are earned at the 2023 European 10m Championship (Tallinn, EST, 5-15 Mar 2023). One spot is earned at the 2023 European Games, one at the 2023 Pan-American Games, and another two at the 2023 Asia Championship (Changwon, KOR, exact dates tbc), four at the 2023 World Championship (14-31 Aug 2023, location TBC), two at the 2023 Africa Championship (Cairo, EGY, exact dates 1-10 Oct 2023), two at the 2024 European 10m Championship (Gyor, HUN, exact dates TBC), one at the 2024 CAT Championship, two at the 2024 Asia Rifle and Pistol Championship (date and location tbc), two from a 2024 Final Olympic Qualification Championship (date and location TBC) and one from an Oceania Championship (date and location TBC).
 
For the 25m and 50m events, two spots are earned at the 2022 European 25m/50m Championship (Wroclaw, POL, 5-18 Sep 2022). Four spots are earned at the 2022 World Rifle and Pistol Championship, one at the 2022 CAT Championship, one at the 2023 European Games, one (two for 25m events) at the 2023 Pan-American Games, two at the 2023 Asia Championship, four at the 2023 World Championship, one at the 2023 Africa Championship, two at the 2024 European 25m/50m Qualification Event (dates and locations tbc), one at the 2024 CAT Championship, two at the 2024 Asia Rifle and Pistol Championship, two from a 2024 Final Olympic Qualification Championship and two (one for 25m events) from the mysterious Oceania Championship.
 
The trap and skeet events will be the first event to get underway, with the 2022 European Shotgun Championships (Larnaca, CYP, 24 Aug-12 Sep 2022) earning two spots. Four spots will be earned at the 2022 World Shotgun Championship (Osijek, CRO, 22 Sep-11 Oct 2022), one at the 2022 CAT Championship, one at the 2023 European Shotgun Championship (Leobersdorf, AUT, 25 Jul-6 Aug 2023), two at the 2023 Pan-American Games, two at the 2023 Asia Championship, four at the 2023 World Championship, one at the 2023 Africa Championship, one at the 2024 European Shotgun Championship (Dates and locations TBC), one at the 2024 CAT Championship, two at the 2024 Asia Shotgun Championship (Date and locations TBC), two at the 2024 Final Olympic Qualification Championship and one from the Oceania Championship.
 
The main headline is the removal of World Cup events, and remember that quotas earned in one event can be used in a second as long as the athlete is eligible in both (i.e. gets the minimum entry standard). The headline is the removal of the World Cup events, which is sure to split opinion.
 
Trampoline
 
The only form of gymnastics not to have its quotas cut, it retains sixteen men and sixteen women in 2024. There can be at most two places per NOC, but only three NOCs per gender can earn two places. The highest eight ranked athletes per gender in the 2023 World Championships (Birmingham, GBR, 9-12 Nov 2023). The remaining eight spaces will be won at the 2023-4 Trampoline Individual World Cup Series, dates and locations of which are to be confirmed. However, if a continent doesn't have a place then a spot will be allocated to a relevant 2024 Continental Championship. A host spot and a universality spot may also be taken away from the World Cup series.
 
Triathlon
 
Triathlon avoids any cuts from 2020 to 2024, with 55 athletes from each gender: at most three per NOC. There is a men's, women's, and mixed team event. There are no qualification spots for mixed teams, instead, any NOC with at least two in each gender can enter a mixed team. However, there are some mixed team events that do qualify two places per gender, thus guaranteeing a place in the mixed relay. This includes an automatic spot for the host nation, a spot for the winner of the 2022 World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships (Montreal, CAN, 26 Jun 2022), a spot for the winner of the 2023 World Triathlon Mixed Relay Championships (Hamburg, GER, date TBC), six spots on offer from the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Ranking of 25 March 2024, and two spaces on offer at the 2024 Mixed Relay Olympic Qualification Event (dates and location TBC). All 31 individual spots (earned separately for each gender) are earned for the World Triathlon Olympic Qualification Ranking of 27 May 2024: the top 26, and then the highest next athlete per continent. Finally, there are two universality places. Just like 2020, there is a mostly ranking-based system for Olympic qualifying.
 
Volleyball
 
Volleyball retains two twelve-team tournaments from 2020 to 2024: so eleven qualification spots once France are taken out. Two spots each are earned in three 2023 Olympic Qualification Tournaments (in each gender, locations tbc: 16-24 Sep 2023 for women, 30 Sep-8 Oct 2023 for men), but in a major shake-up, the remaining five will be earned based on World Rankings (17 June 2024 for women and 24 June 2024 for men). This will be a massively controversial shakeup: with supporters and detractors.
 
Wrestling
 
Finally, we come to Wrestling, a sport for which both disciplines (Greco-Roman and Freestyle) have had their system released together. Greco-Roman is a men-only event, with 96 men participating in six weight classes (60, 67, 77, 87, 97, and 130kg), and 96 of each gender in Freestyle: six weight classes for both men (57, 65, 74, 86, 97, and 125kg) and women (50, 53, 57, 62, 68, and 76kg). There are sixteen spots per event.
 
The top five athletes for each event at the 2023 Senior World Championships (Krasnoyarsk, RUS, 16-24 Sep 2023, obviously take that with a pinch of salt) gain a place. Then, the top two athletes at four 2024 Continental Qualification Tournaments (African & Oceania Tournament, 22-24 Mar 2024, European Tournament, 4-7 Apr 2024, Asian Tournament, 12-14 Apr 2024, Pan-American Tournament, 19-21 Apr 2024, locations all TBC) gain a place. Finally, the top three athletes for each event at the 2024 World Qualification Tournament (9-12 May 2024, location TBC) will earn a place.
 
Plenty of things to debate: it seems in general, there is a move towards rankings-oriented systems, although there is a lot of variation. Let's see if this trend continues for other sports.
 
Patrick Green
Writer, Totallympics News

Last week we looked at the event changes between the 2020 and the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. The other notable change ahead of those games will be the number of athletes competing. Totallympics takes a closer look.
 
Using the qualification documents, the 2020 Olympics had an expected athlete quota of 11,114 (the final number was higher due to some sports having more athletes than expected qualify and the IOC allowing more athletes to compete at the games due to COVID-19, court appeals and via the refugee team). The 2024 Olympics is set to have a total of 10,500 athletes, a decrease of 614 quotas.
 
As baseball/softball and karate were not selected as host selected sports, the athlete quotas were completely removed. This saw a reduction of 234 and 80 quotas respectively. However, with the other host selected sports seeing an increase in athlete quotas, this reduction had a net effect of -242.
 
The remaining 72 quotas were split between the four sports with breaking getting the most quotas (32 athletes) as the sport is set to make its Olympic debut. Sport climbing, the only returning sport to get an increase in its total events sees a notable increase of 28 athletes while skateboarding and surfing will see increases of 8 and 4 respectively.
 
Of the 28 core sports, all of them either saw them maintaining their 2020 quotas or saw an overall decrease. Cycling is a bit unique as while the overall sport saw a decrease of quotas (-14 athletes), the BMX freestyle (+6) and track cycling (+1) disciplines saw an increase of athletes, but were offset by a decrease in mountain biking (-4) and road cycling (-17).
 
Among the core sports, athletics will experience the largest decrease with 90 fewer athletes expected to attend the 2024 games. Due to the removal of four events, weightlifting also has a significant decrease with 76 fewer athletes while aquatics rounds out the top 3 with 62 fewer athletes (-8 in artistic swimming, -6 in open water swimming, -26 in swimming and -22 in water polo). A summary of the quota changes can be seen in the table below.
 

 
Of the sports which lost athlete quotas most of them only saw losses of less than 6% of their total quotas from 2020. The two exceptions were boxing and weightlifting. Both sports have recently lost favour in the eyes of the IOC. Even after adjusting weightlifting having fewer events, both sports will experience a decrease of over 10% of their 2020 total.
 
While these athlete quota cuts were made by the IOC as a cost saving measure, they remain quite controversial. Detractors argue that it is not in the spirit of the Olympics and that it would make nations with smaller teams even smaller. What do you think, is the cost saving measures a necessary evil or are there other ways the IOC could cut costs?

With the conclusion of the 2020 Summer Olympics, curious eyes have turned to Paris and how those games will defer from Tokyo. What changes will we see? The most eye-catching stat is that Paris 2024 will have fewer events with 329 total, 10 fewer than Tokyo 2020. This is the first time since Rome 1960 that the next Olympics will have fewer events than the previous one. Totallympics takes a closer look.
 
This decrease is largely due to the changes of host selected sports as Tokyo selected sports baseball/softball (2 events) and karate (8 events) have been removed. Additionally, four weightlifting events will be removed and not replaced (the 10 remaining weight classes will be confirmed at a later date). The other three Tokyo selected sports; skateboarding, sport climbing and surfing will make their return with sport climbing gaining an additional two events (men’s and women’s speed). The fourth and final host selected sport will be breaking, set to make its Olympic debut with B-boys and B-girls events.
 

 
Additionally, other sports will have changes to their program, but will keep the same number of overall events. The biggest changes will be seen in canoeing and sailing. For canoeing the men’s and women’s K1 200m events were dropped while the slalom discipline gained two events with men’s and women’s extreme canoe. Additionally, the men’s K2 1000m and C2 1000m will consist of 500m events.
 
Sailing sees the complete removal of the men’s Finn class while the men’s and women’s 470 will now become a mixed event. These changes will make room for the men’s and women’s kiteboarding. While the windsurfing events remain, they will change equipment from the RS:X to iQFoil.
 

 
In order to decrease the difference between men’s and women’s medalling events, boxing will have a men’s event transferred to the women for a total of 7 men and 6 women events. The weight classes will be confirmed at a later date. Overall, there will be 157 men’s, 152 women’s and 20 mixed or open events.
 
Other sports to have changes include athletics where the men’s 50km race walk will make way for the mixed team race walk, shooting where a rotation from mixed team trap to mixed team skeet will occur and sport climbing where the men’s and women’s combined will only include the bouldering and lead portions as speed is now a separate medalling event.
 
Next week Totallympics will take a closer look as to the changes to the athlete quotas as the 2024 Olympics will have to adhere to the IOC’s 10,500 limit after having more than 11,000 athletes in Tokyo.
 
 
 

The UIPM has recently announced the introduction of the New Olympic Pentathlon, which aims to shorten the time of the competition and make it more attractive to the audience. The approval of the format by the Executive Board caused a mostly negative reaction, from the athletes, whom the changes will affect the most. The following is an interview with Shiny Fang, UIPM Secretary General, in which she tries to explain the biggest doubts about the changes.
 
The first question is, what is on the mind of the Pentathlon community – what is the reason for those changes?
 
To aim for the future, to embrace the youth, and to widen the sport’s audience with a more compact and understandable sport product for media, also to demonstrate our most complete athletes in a shorter time without losing audience in between parts of the longer competition.
 
Modern pentathlon’s place in the Olympic programme is a crucial thing for the sport, which is also a legacy of being founded by Baron Pierre de Coubertin himself. Was the proposal consulted with the IOC representatives as they should be the ones to know better, in which direction the changes should go?
 
Certainly UIPM as the world governing body of the sport knows better how we can improve the sport and its product/format. However, if we are talking about Pentathlon in the Olympic Games, we first need to understand what is the IOC’s vision for future Games, and what would be the most valuable things to evaluate the sport’s impact in the Games. Therefore, it is a collective effort by all involved or responsible parties in the Games, including valuable advice from OBS, Olympic Channel and Paris 2024.
 
Modern pentathlon has been changing for some time, but this is a true revolution. Doesn’t it bring confusion to new pentathlon fans to learn the sport from the beginning?
 
Well, what we are changing or innovating is about our sports product, to smoothly shape it to a fan-friendly and media-friendly format so that audience can see a compact and complete sport within a shorter time. As you might know well, the sport has come from 5 days, to 1 day, to 5 hours, and now to 90min. However, what we haven’t changed is the core essence of the sport created by Coubertin –  that is, the historical elements/disciplines are still the same since the sport was born.
 
The proposed changes apply for only the Olympic Games (and the Olympic qualifiers, as far as I understand). Would it not be harder for fans to learn one format for the Olympics and another for all other competitions?
 
We do have EB approved Olympic format and qualification events format, and those Olympic qualification events will be major UIPM competitions. Therefore, in terms of the format for UIPM major competitions, we will keep the same direction as the Olympic format, but with certain flexibility, such as number of athletes in final group, length of the breaks between each disciplines, etc.
 
For UIPM competitions, we will have relatively more time to test and to fix more details, since the qualification events will only start from 2023. But for the Olympic format, we must be in line with the timeline of the IOC and Paris 2024, to give organisers enough time. By the way, it is quite normal that some other sports also have an Olympic format and a different IF format, so nothing unusual.
 
The athletes are openly against it, and primarily because of the increased injury risks caused by a shortened warm-up time. Was the new format consulted with them?
 
Actually the athletes are not against innovations, they are open-minded and intelligent, also sometimes they give us a lot of good ideas. For the new format, due to a series of processes which we also want to keep low profile with mainly athletes representatives in each working group and committees, it is normal that a lot of athletes who haven’t joined in athletes meetings at earlier stage, haven’t been well informed.
 
Clearly, the communication with athletes is the key, and during the athletes call on November 11, a lot of their questions and doubts were addressed. But it is not enough, we will certainly engage more with them during the rest of the process.
 
There were also very few test events with the new format – just the two in Budapest and Cairo, where the participation of athletes from all around the world was limited due to Covid-19 pandemic. Has the UIPM tried to conduct more test events, for example during the national competitions that were held in different countries, for example Russia, Belarus or Poland?
 
Actually, we felt fortunate that we were able to manage two decent tests during this pandemic time with full support of our organizers, and yes, we will have more tests in 2021 before and/or after the Tokyo Olympics. More details will be fixed early in 2021.
 
The changes were to be introduced this year, but because of the pandemic the Congress will be held in 2021. Were there ideas to postpone it to the 2024-2028 Olympic cycle, as the pre-Paris one is a shortened one after?
 
No we won’t postpone, innovation has been a continuous process for decades in UIPM, Paris is a milestone that we cannot miss, and it will demonstrate more possibilities for LA 2028 as well.
 
 
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