Triathlon Bubble a Success - Federation Focus

(ATR) World Triathlon believes the success of the 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series and Para Series Yokohama shows that elite events like the Olympics can be held safely amid the pandemic.

The races took place without a glitch last week under bubble restrictions, just 10 weeks before the start of the Tokyo Games.

There were no positives among the 1,200 COVID-19 mandatory tests carried out on all athletes, support staff and everyone else inside the bubble.

"We are delighted with the way the WTCS Yokohama was realized, and the incredible racing made all of the hard work behind the scenes worth it," said Marisol Casado, World Triathlon President and IOC member.

"It was never going to be straightforward, and there were challenges along the way but, for me, the spirit and resilience of the World Triathlon family shone through again, just as it has done throughout this pandemic, allowing the sport and the athletes to take the headlines, just as it should be."

In total, there were 285 elite triathletes and coaches from 36 countries in Yokohama across the WTCS and WTPS races and, with nobody allowed out of the bubble for any reason, 4,275 meals were delivered to their doors across the week.

Final Taekwondo Olympic Qualifier

The remaining Tokyo 2020 places in taekwondo will be determined at the Asian Qualification Tournaments in Amman, Jordan this week.

Olympic qualification will take place on May 21-22 with the tournament for the Paralympics to follow on May 23.

The Olympic tournament has 84 athletes from 28 countries and the refugee team registered to compete. The winners in each of eight Olympic weight categories will book their National Olympic Committee a place in Tokyo.

There are 26 para taekwondo athletes from 12 countries competing in six K44(K43) weight categories. The champions in each category will secure their National Paralympic Committee a spot for the Games.

Belarus Loses IBU World Cup Event

The executive board of the International Biathlon Union reallocated the BMW IBU World Cup Biathlon event scheduled for March 3-6, 2022 from Minsk-Raubichi, Belarus to Kontiolahti, Finland.

Kontiolahti will no longer host the season opening event on November 27-28. Instead Oestersund, Sweden will now host the first two events of the 2021/2022 season.

The federation said the decision was taken "in light of the current situation in Belarus and to provide planning certainty for Organising Committees, National Federations and their teams."

Belarus has been dealing with a political crisis since Alexander Lukashenko was re-elected in August in what has been widely assailed as a rigged vote.

Athletes were among the multitudes who took to the streets of Minsk and other cities rejecting the vote. Some were arrested while the threat of banishment from state support was also used against dissident athletes.

The uproar over the elections and ensuing political crisis led to the loss of major events such as the IIHF World Championships. The tournament will be played in Latvia beginning on May 21.

In February, Lukashenko stepped down from the presidency of the NOC. His son Viktor was elected in his place.

The IOC has refused to accept the NOC election and has banned Lukashenko and other Belarus officials from credentials for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Funds for athlete training from the IOC to the Belarus NOC have also been suspended.

Federation Focus is presented by the International Weightlifting Federation. Click here for more on the IWF.

Written by Gerard Farek

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