IFs Await Guarantees for Olympic Qualifying

(ATR) An exhortation that border restrictions due to the pandemic do not prevent the participation of countries in Olympic qualifying tournaments was heard during the virtual meeting held Monday between IOC president Thomas Bach and the International Summer and Winter Olympic Federations.

Accompanied by the directors of the IOC, Bach used the meeting to thank the IFs for having resumed their competitive calendar under the strict control regulations guided by the World Health Organization.

The presidents and general secretaries participated for the IFs.

In the case of the International Weightlifting Federation, interim president Ursula Papandrea of the USA was the representative.

Boxing, whose federation AIBA is suspended, was represented by the Japanese Morinari Watanabe, president of the International Gymnastics Federation.

Watanabe was appointed by the IOC in 2019 to lead a Task Force charged with organizing the Olympic boxing tournament in Tokyo.

The videoconference had two sessions, one dedicated to summer sports, and another to winter sports, each lasting approximately one hour.

During the meeting Bach highlighted the various challenges and opportunities facing the Olympic Movement and the current situation related to the next editions of the Olympic Games.

According to a source consulted by Around the Rings, Bach referred to his recent meeting with the new Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga. "Work is underway, there is no indication of a reversal," said the source.

"Today's meeting was totally formal and informative, there have been no topics for discussion or comments that were out of the ordinary," he commented.

However, a representative of a federation - which he did not identify - drew attention to the need to guarantee that restrictions due to the pandemic do not prevent travel to countries where the Olympic qualifying tournaments will be held.

A good portion of the international federations have their classifications scheduled on the five continents between February and May 2021.

ATR learned that the IOC sports director, Kit McConnell, together with the international federations,has not ruled out a "Plan B" of classifications in case of difficulties in holding a qualifying tournament.

The possibility of resorting to 2019 world competitions or international rankings would be on the IOC's agenda. In the case of the Americas, for example, the results at the Pan American Games in Lima last year could serve as a benchmark.

According to the source, during the meeting with Bach, it was learned that McConnell will soon hold information seminars with the IFs to address technical details of their tournaments, accreditations and other aspects, with a view to the Tokyo Olympics.

"These are the seminars that are traditionally held in Lausanne, in the run-up to the Games ... but this time virtual," commented the source.

Written and reported by Miguel Hernandez

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