World Athletics releases Olympic qualifying process

Full qualification system Click here 

Qualification process:

An athlete can qualify in one of two ways:
• Achieve the entry standard within the respective qualification period
• Qualify by virtue of his World Athletics World Ranking Position according to the
respective event Ranking Rules – see further down for exceptional Ranking Period
for these Olympic Games

World Athletics Relays, 1-2 May 2021
The first eight (8) placed NOCs at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 2021 shall
automatically qualify for the relay evens at the 2020 Olympic Games. In case an NOC
already qualified through the World Athletics Championships Doha 2019, the remaining
places will be allocated according to the World Athletics Top Performance Lists of 29 June
2021.

Full qualification system Click here 

Key elements

• Qualification principles remain unchanged: qualification through entry standards (which also remain unchanged) and then world rankings
• Athletes who have already met the entry standard since the start of the qualification period in 2019 remain qualified with other athletes to qualify within the extended qualification period
• Suspended qualification period (for all events) 6 April to 30 November 2020

Amendments to the qualification system listed below

Age requirements have been adapted to reflect new date:

• Senior athletes born in 2001 or earlier
• Junior (U20) athletes born in 2002 or 2003
• Youth (U18) athletes born in 2004 and 2005
• Athletes younger than 16 born in 2006 or later

New entry standards qualification period and world rankings period:

Marathon automatic qualifiers:

• The top 10 finishers in the men’s marathon and in the women’s marathon at the IAAF World Athletics Championships Doha 2019
• The top 5 finishers at the World Athletics Gold Label marathons and the top 10 finishers at the Marathon Major Series (Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York) held during the qualification period from 1 January 2019 to 5 April 2020
• The top 10 finishers at the Platinum Label marathons and the winners of the Gold Label marathons held during the period from 1 December 2020 to 31 May 2021.

Relay teams automatic qualifiers:

• The top 8 placed NOCs at the World Athletics Relays Silesia 2021, if not already qualified from Doha 2019, shall automatically qualify for the relay events at the 2020 Olympic Games.