KUALA LUMPUR: The International Golf Federation has made an adjustment to the qualifying system for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games following the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision to bring forward the quadrennial games to new dates in 2021 due to the global Covid-19 pandemic.
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IGF executive director, Antony Scanlon in a statement issued by IGF today said, the governing body decided to align the previous qualification system to the new dates as it was deemed the fairest and most equitable way to determine the qualifying athletes.
Based on the IGF proposal, the qualifying ending period to accumulate the Olympic Golf Rankings (OGR) points for men and women have been set to June 21 and June 28 2021, respectively and the field will consist of 60 players in both category.
“We are pleased that the IOC swiftly approved these changes to provide clarity on this important area. The IGF will continue to work closely with the IOC and Tokyo 2020 to address the other areas that the postponement of the Games affects our sport and our athletes, to develop the necessary plans to resolve these.
“We remain fully committed to providing safe and fair golf competitions and a memorable experience for our athletes when these Olympic Games are held in 2021,” Scanlon added.
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The OGR is based on the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) for men and the Women’s World Golf Rankings (WWGR).
On March 20, the governing boards of the OWGR and WWGR determined the rankings would be suspended due to global Covid-19 pandemic, which was followed by the release of the revised the principles for Olympic qualification on April 2 which includes the relaxation of the maximum two-year period and amendments to the qualification deadlines.
IGF also pointed out that the OGR points being awarded to the players are based on their finish positions in each event, with performances in stronger-field events earning more points in accordance with a points distribution table approved by the governing body.
The top fifteen players at the end of the qualifying period will be eligible for the Olympics, with a limit of four players from a given country, while the players who is ranked above 15th onwards will be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15 spot.
The host country player will be guaranteed a spot, as will each of the five continental regions. — Bernama