Badminton Qualifying
As in 1992, the route to competing in the 1996 Olympics in badminton involves an international qualifying process. No U.S. trials will be held for badminton.
The one-year qualifying period for making the Atlanta Games is April 1, 1995-March 31,1996, six months shorter than the 18-month qualifying period leading up to Barcelona in 1992.
Basically, athletes must compete in at least 8 international tournaments during the qualifying period and earn a world player ranking; the Olympic field will be chosen according to the official IBF computer ranking list of world players at the end of the qualifying period.
The Olympic tournament will consist of at most 192 players: 36 chosen for men’s singles, 36 for women’s singles; 40 as men’s doubles pairs; 40 as women's doubles pairs; and 40 as mixed doubles pairs. According to the IBF, an initial 176 players will be named; wild card entries will then be added; and finally, players will be drawn from the reserve list of eligible players to produce the final 192 entries.
The players or teams ranked nos. 1-16 in each event will be selected first, and then selection will continue down the rankings until the list is filled out. Within this process, certain conditions must be met:
Each IBF continental body (Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, Panamerica) must be represented.
A country cannot have more than three competitors in one event.
As the host country, USA is guaranteed two spots in the field.
The list of eligible players will be published bythe IBF and notified to all NOC’s and IBF member associations by no later than April 15, 1996.
The offficial, complete qualification requirements and World Player Ranking guidelines can be obtained from the USBA.
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