The governing body of athletics has suspended Olympic qualification until December due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has forced the Tokyo Games to be postponed until 2021, it said on Tuesday.
“During this period, results achieved at any competition will not be considered for Tokyo 2020 entry standards or world rankings,” World Athletics said in a statement.
Qualification would restart on December 1, subject to the global situation returning to normal, and continue until the end of May for the marathon and 50 kilometre race walk or June next year for all other events, it said.
The total qualification period, which started in 2019, will be four months longer than it was originally. Meanwhile, results would continue to be recorded for statistical purposes, including for world records.
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said the decision 'gives more certainty for athlete planning and preparation and is the best way to address fairness in what is expected to be the uneven delivery of competition opportunities across the globe.'
World Athletics also said that half of the staff at its Monaco headquarters would be furloughed on full pay.
It said that the Monaco Government would contribute 70 per cent of the gross salaries of staff on furlough and World Athletics will fund the remainder.
“This decision, made possible by the Monaco Government, means we will focus only on business-critical activities for the short term which will help us manage our cash flow effectively and protect jobs in the long term,” said Coe.
Meanwhile, as infections of the novel coronavirus rise steadily in Brazil and threaten to cause chaos in its densely populated favelas, some of the country’s leading athletes are stepping up to help the most vulnerable communities.
Olympic judo medallist Flavio Canto is among those giving his time and money to battle the COVID-19 outbreak in South America’s biggest nation, which has a confirmed 13,717 infections and 667 deaths from the virus as of Tuesday.
“When all this is over, those that have a lot are going to have a lot less but they’ll still have more than most, and they have an obligation to help those who have nothing,” Rio de Janeiro judoka Canto told Reuters.
A bronze medallist in the men’s -81kg category in Athens, Canto is almost as famous in Brazil for his work with the Instituto Reacao, a charity that uses martial arts to help transform young people’s lives.
Canto is raising funds for a project that will give a monthly stipend to thousands of families in Rio and Cuiaba who are under quarantine or suffering financially due to unemployment or the need to self-isolate.
The monthly stipend of around 100 reais comes in the form of a pre-paid cash card that can be used in local supermarkets.
In a nation where corruption is rife and the government’s coronavirus strategy has come under scrutiny, Canto said athletes were the ideal group to spearhead relief efforts because they are trusted by the people.
“One of the big problems in Brazil is that people lack the confidence their money and resources will be distributed properly,” he said by telephone from Rio. “My charity has 20 years of experience in that field and the other athletes are people with the same profile, who have experience in charity work and therefore credibility.”
