Q&A: Clarifying the Olympic Qualifications
Krisztian Berki (HUN)
Since last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, the gymnastics community has been full of discussion about the new qualifying procedures for the 2012 Olympic Games, which, for the first time since 1976, involved more than one competition. At first, conversation centered on who exactly would have automatic berths to the Olympics from Tokyo and who was eligible for this past week’s Visa International Gymnastics Test Event.
With the second qualifying event now in the books and the lists of qualified gymnasts officially announced, discussion has shifted to various scenarios regarding those who have qualified. In most cases, the answer is “no, the next best-ranked NOC from the Test Event will be invited.” Below, The All Around answers and clarifies some specific questions which have been raised.
Q. What happens if a qualified team renounces its spot?
A. The spot then goes to the next best ranked team from the Test Event.
Q. Do the Brazilian men still get to send an individual gymnast, since Hypolito and Zanetti are already qualified.
A. Yes. Each of the four teams ranked 5th – 8th at the Test Event may send the gymnast of their choice to the Olympics. The gymnast does not have to have competed at the 2011 World Championships or at the Test Event.
Q. Since Uchimura/Maroney/etc. won an event medal in Tokyo, do their respective teams have to include them?
A. No, the automatic berths were only for Tokyo medalists whose NOCs did not otherwise qualify as a team. NOCs with full teams qualified to the Olympics are under no obligation to include event medalists in their rosters.
Q. What if Hypolito isn’t recovered in time for the Olympics. Can Brazil send another gymnast in his place?
A. No. As in other cases when a spot is renounced, the next eligible NOC based on rankings at the Test Event will be invited.
Q. Penev/ Kosmidis has a better chance of a medal than Iovtchev/Maras. Can Bulgaria/Greece send the first gymnast instead.
A. No. Penev/Kosmidis, etc. weren’t at the Test Event, so cannot be substituted for the gymnast who was.
Q. What if Pichler and Jefferis are both injured; can Australia then send Sellathurai?
A. No. The places for individually qualified athletes are nominative and determined strictly by placing at the Test Event. If a gymnast/NOC is unable to participate in the Olympics, the place goes then goes to the first reserve gymnast, not to the NOC of the original gymnast.
However, for this particular scenario, it is very possible that the first reserve would not be called into action. The spot that Pichler/Jefferis has is the only one filled by a gymnast from Oceania. In order for continental quotas to be met, it is possible the spot would go to the next highest ranked Oceania athlete in CI of the 2011 World Championships, which is Misha Koudinov of New Zealand. If New Zealand also declined, the invitations would then be issued to the next eligible NOC, regardless of continent, from the Test Event.
Q. Who will receive the continental spots for Africa?
A. The FIG Olympic Qualification System specifies that if a continent is under-represented after the first and second Olympic Qualifications, “the best ranked gymnasts from the continent which is not represented as per the Individual ranking results of CI (all-around results) of the 1st Olympic Qualification will obtain a nominative quota place.”
The top-ranked NOCs from Africa in Tokyo were Egypt (Mohamed El Saharty) and Tunisia (Wajdi Bouallegue), followed by South Africa (Ryan Patterson), and Namibia (Robert Honiball) for the men. For the women’s competition, only South Africa (Ashleigh Heldsinger) Egypt (Salma Mahmoud) participated.
As covered in the question concerning Australia, if the continental quota is not filled, the next eligible NOC from the Test Event would be invited.
Q. Who is eligible for the Tripartite Commission Invitation?
A. MAG and WAG will each have one available space for a Tripartite Commission invitation. According to the Information Papers of the Tripartite Commission, invitations are given to NOCs with “an average of six (6) or less athletes at the last two editions of the Olympic Games. Only eligible NOCs are permitted to make a request for their best athletes in the sports offering Invitation places.”
To be considered, gymnasts from eligible NOCs must have participated at the 2011 World Championships and/or the Test Event. From information found, Bangladesh (Syque Caesar) and Monaco (Kevin Crovetto) appear to be the only NOCs in Tokyo meeting the six-or-less average requirement; if the Tripartite Commission doesn’t hold tightly to this requirement and instead has opened eligibility to NOCs with traditionally small delegations at the Olympics, a few more NOCs may be in consideration: perhaps Costa Rica and Peru for MAG and WAG, and Albania, El Salvador, and Namibia for MAG.
Tomorrow is the deadline for NOCs submitting their applications for the Tripartite Commission Invitations, with the decisions being confirmed to the NOCs between 1 May and 9 July. If no invitation is issued, the spot will be returned to FIG and allocated to the next best-ranked eligible gymnast from the Test Event.
Q. How is Houry Gebeshian (ARM) a reserve for the Olympics; she wasn’t at the Test Event.
A. The women’s Olympic field had more slots available for competitors and reserves than there were gymnasts at the Test Event. In that case, the list goes back to the next highest ranked gymnast from CI in Tokyo whose NOC was not already represented.