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the IAAF wrote:

With exactly two years to go until the athletics action gets underway in the Japanese capital, the IAAF has published the qualification system for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

The qualification system was approved at the IAAF Council meeting in Buenos Aires last week and includes details of the entry numbers for each discipline and the qualification timeline.

For the 10,000m, marathon, race walks, combined events and relays, the qualification period runs from 1 January 2019 to 29 June 2020. For all other events, the qualification period runs from 1 July 2019 to 29 June 2020.

Athletes can qualify in one of two ways:

• By virtue of their IAAF world ranking position at the end of the qualification period.
• Achieving the entry standard within the qualification period.

Entry standards will be approved and published later this year, but will be set for the sole purpose of qualifying athletes with exceptional performances unable to qualify through the IAAF world rankings pathway.

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rojo wrote:

The 2020 Olympic track and field action starts in exactly 2 years.

The IAAF put out an interesting release today. I've bolded the last sentence below as it's the one I'm wondering about.

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the IAAF wrote:

With exactly two years to go until the athletics action gets underway in the Japanese capital, the IAAF has published the qualification system for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

The qualification system was approved at the IAAF Council meeting in Buenos Aires last week and includes details of the entry numbers for each discipline and the qualification timeline.

For the 10,000m, marathon, race walks, combined events and relays, the qualification period runs from 1 January 2019 to 29 June 2020. For all other events, the qualification period runs from 1 July 2019 to 29 June 2020.

Athletes can qualify in one of two ways:

• By virtue of their IAAF world ranking position at the end of the qualification period.
• Achieving the entry standard within the qualification period.

Entry standards will be approved and published later this year, but will be set for the sole purpose of qualifying athletes with exceptional performances unable to qualify through the IAAF world rankings pathway.

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Anyone know how this will play out? How would it impact say the third American distance runner - maybe one who doesn't run often on the international circuit?

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Standardized wrote:

The discussion and speculation surrounding qualification for world level meets has been taking place since Coe and the IAAF introduced the ranking concept a year or so back.
The PDF that acompanies the release you pasted does include some additional detail on qualification (including field sizes), but what remains unclear is how the IAAF language and guidelines will be imposed at a championship like the US Trials.
At this point, managers, coaches and athletes in the US do not seem to have a level of understanding as to how the points system will function.
Hopefully USATF will weigh in soon on the path to the Olympic Team, although we may all have to wait until after the annual meeting in December.

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Not much changes wrote:

I doubt much will change with U.S. qualification. It will still be first three past the post who have a ranking that gets them in the WC/OG.

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sanchobaile wrote:

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Not much changes wrote:

I doubt much will change with U.S. qualification. It will still be first three past the post who have a ranking that gets them in the WC/OG.

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Whether it affects U.S. qualification depends completely on how high of a ranking an athlete needs to be eligible for the Olympics. If it's anything less than 100, in the distances at least, the number of athletes with a good enough world ranking to qualify for the Olympics would undoubtedly be smaller than the number who can hit a given time standard once. If it's the top 200, or 500 or 1,000 or something, then maybe it would make it easier to make an Olympic team for a second or third tier athlete.

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gagasfsfadsdf wrote:

Rojo the text you quoted doesn't really match the title of the thread.

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rojo wrote:

The 2020 Olympic track and field action starts in exactly 2 years.

The IAAF put out an interesting release today. I've bolded the last sentence below as it's the one I'm wondering about.

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the IAAF wrote:

Athletes can qualify in one of two ways:

• By virtue of their IAAF world ranking position at the end of the qualification period.
• Achieving the entry standard within the qualification period.

Entry standards will be approved and published later this year, but will be set for the sole purpose of qualifying athletes with exceptional performances unable to qualify through the IAAF world rankings pathway.

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Anyone know how this will play out? How would it impact say the third American distance runner - maybe one who doesn't run often on the international circuit?

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yay for america wrote:

Maybe this means we can only send Rupp and not embarrass ourselves by sending a couple 2:13 guys.

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Work Commute Track Club wrote:

The Olympic marathon standard went from being 2:19 to about 2:14. The IAAF crushing dreams of the sub-elite.

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