Monaco – The World Athletics Federation suspended qualification for the 2021 Olympic Games due to the Corona pandemic from April 6th to November 30th.
“During this period, the results of a competition will not be considered for the approval standards for Tokyo 2020 or the world rankings, whose publication will also be suspended,” said World Athletics on Tuesday. If the global situation normalizes, the qualification period will start again on December 1, 2020.
The results of future competitions should only be recorded for statistical purposes – world records are possible. The Olympic qualification periods end on May 31, 2021 (for 50 kilometers of walking and marathon) or on June 29 for all other disciplines.
“The suspension of Olympic qualifications during this period brings more security for the planning and preparation of the athletes,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe in the statement. This is “the best way (…) to make the qualification fair for the athletes in view of the challenges of international travel and the unequal competition opportunities around the world,” said the Briton.
World Athletics also announced that temporarily 50 percent of its employees at the headquarters in Monaco would “take leave from today to ensure long-term jobs”. However, all employees would continue to receive their full salary.
