According to Inside the Games, the Euromeetings group, which represent European one-day meetings, has voiced their opinion asking World Athletics to reverse the freeze on Tokyo 2020 (2021) Olympic qualifying window.
“We are kindly asking you to reconsider the decision that the period for achieving Olympic standards will re-open only after December 1, 2020,” they wrote in an exclusive letter to Inside the Games.
They are seeking to have the European Championships and some truncated Diamond League meet as national championships.
Euros are scheduled for Aug. 25 to the 30th in Paris.
Coe was appreciative of the work that the group had put into the letter, however, he wasn’t moved enough to agree.
The new deadline for qualification is June 29, 2021, except for the marathon and 50K race walk, which is May 31.
World Athletics Taskforce
World Athletics has created an Outbreak Prevention Taskforce with the international institute for Race Medicine (IIRM) to provide guidelines for endurance events in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The task force will serve as an advisory group and include representatives from the medical industry.
Also included will be the International Cycling Union, International Ski Federation, International Triathlon Union, International Paralympic Committee and World Rowing.
Stephane Bermon, director of the health and science department at World Athletics, insisted the group was formed to find solutions to problems.
“We are forming this task force to bring together key representatives from all parts of the endurance sports world to help find solutions and create viable and appropriate guidelines for participants of mass sports events, event staff, volunteers, and the community at large,” Bermon said.
Currently, there are 2,363,107 diagnosed cases of Coronavirus globally. There have been 162, 096 deaths attributed to the pandemic. Meanwhile 607, 647 have apparently recovered.
SHOESTRINGS: The pandemic has decimated the global spring and summer 2020 competition schedule for all sports. For athletics, many mass marathons have been either postponed to the autumn, cancelled or have gone virtual. The qualification window for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, is now happening one-year later in 2021 (but still referred to in marketing and media as 2020). All track and field competitions have been cancelled.
