The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed that no remaining qualification events for Tokyo Olympics will be held till fair access and preparations can be guaranteed for all athletes. The IOC said so in a letter to all National Olympic Councils (NOC) which listed out updates on the postponed Olympics which included new dates for the Games in 2021.
"No further qualification events will be scheduled unless they can guarantee fair access and fair and appropriate preparation for the competing athletes and teams. We have therefore asked IFs to urge real caution in confirming any upcoming qualification events in their respective calendars until the COVID-19 impacts can be assessed and restrictions reduced, with athlete health and considerations being our guiding principles," said the IOC in the letter.
The IOC also confirmed that the Olympics will now be held from July 23 to August 8, 2021 -- almost exactly a year after it was originally scheduled to be held.
"As highlighted during the conference call, we can reconfirm that athletes/NOCs that have already gained an Olympic qualification quota place will retain this despite the postponement of the Games," the IOC further said. It is however yet to reach an agreement with the international federations on the new dates for the Olympic qualifiers.
Payment deadlines for NOCs towards the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee has also been revised.
"All deadlines currently scheduled for upcoming payments to Tokyo 2020, including, for example, ticketing, rate cards and accommodation, have been suspended until further notice," it said.
"New NOC Payments timelines will be developed now that the Games' dates have been confirmed. Tokyo 2020 will also aim to clarify how payments already made by stakeholders can be handled; for example in terms of what can be transferred to the equivalent bookings for the new Games period in 2021, what can be refunded and what is no longer be available."
All test events that were originally scheduled to take place from April 2020 have been postponed. The rescheduling of the events will be discussed with each IF.
