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The International Association of Athletics Federations released the qualifying standards for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games on December 10th. The standards were softened in some events from past Olympics, likely due to widespread doping assisting athletes to perform at a higher level than is realistic, which would put the standards at a level that would not only prevent clean athletes from qualifying, but may encourage the win at all costs attitude, which could manifest in cheating.
The American and Canadian governing bodies followed suit with their own softer standards, which are not exactly the same as the IAAF’s. The new requirements automatically qualified some athletes who until that time were still on the outside looking in.
The American standards as set by the United States Association of Track and Field (USATF) can be viewed here, while the Canadian standards that are set by Athletics Canada may be viewed here.
IAAF amended standards, here
