Flatwater Sprint Team Qualifications into Olympics?
1) How do countries qualify for start positions at the Olympic Games? Is there just one Olympic trials event where countries can qualify?
There are four qualification events where countries can earn the right to participate in the Olympic Games:
- Senior World Championships, Aug. 15-20, 1995, Duisburg, Germany or one of three Olympic Hemispheric Qualifiers:
- Europe--countries of Europe, Africa, and Oceania may compete
- America--countries of the North and South America continents may compete
- Asia--countries of the Asian continent may compete.
2) Has there always been a qualification system where countries have to qualify for start positions into the Olympic Games?
No. This is the first year.
3) Why did they start this year?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is attempting to make the Olympic Games a more viable competition for the athletes and, also, the organizing committees. The Games have gotten so large that they are almost too much to handle.
4) Who can participate in these events?
All countries can participate in the Senior World Championships. To qualify for start positions at the Olympic Games, all athletes must be eligible to compete in the Olympic Games for their country. Boats who already qualify in the World Championships are not allowed to participate in the Hemispheric Qualifiers.
5) So the athletes. themselves. qualify to compete?
No. The boats qualify, not the athletes. Team selection for the United States Olympic Team is a whole other story.
6) How many boats are able to qualify?
One boat per country per event may compete in the Olympic Games. A total of 16 boats (countries) per event will qualify for the Olympic Games; eight boats from World Championships, four boats from European Hemispheric Qualifier, two boats from American Hemispheric Qualifier, two boats from Asian Hemispheric Qualifier - TOTAL: 16 boats per event in Olympic Games for the Sprint discipline.
7) What if one of the 16 qualified boats decides not to participate in the Games?
If the Olympic Committee of any qualified country decides not to enter a boat in the Canoe/Kayak portion of the Olympic Games, the ninth place boat from the World Championships in that event will be able to compete, provided that they have not already qualified through the Hemispheric Qualifiers.
8) If a country does not qualify through ang of the qualifying events. is there any other chance that they could participate?
A maximum number of 350 athletes may participate in the Olympics. If this number is not met after the qualifying events, then a country which has no boat qualified in any event may have a chance to compete in the Games. The International Canoe Federation (ICF) will establish a ranking list based on times from the World Championships for each event. The countries would be chosen from this list depending on the number of athletes already qualified until the number of 350 is reached. The allocation for non-qualified boats will be made in the following order: Single athlete boats: canoe men, kayak women, kayak men. Team boats: canoe men, kayak women, kayak men. .
Back to top
