World Athletics releases strategic plan and Olympic qualifying info
With its headquarters recently opening, the organisation held three online meetings with 214 member federations to discuss how to drive growth, the latest medical advice for athletes emerging from lockdowns to return to training and competition, and the new Olympic qualifying process for next year’s event in Tokyo.
The strategic plan covers vision, mission, participation and event, people, fans and partnerships.
Key elements of the updated Olympic qualification system, which can be downloaded in full from the same page, include the news that qualification principles remain unchanged, that athletes who have already met the entry standard since the start of the qualification period in 2019 remain qualified with other athletes to qualify within the extended qualification period, and that there is a suspended qualification period for all events through to November 30, 2020.
"Our head office may have been closed for 11 weeks but we have not been idle," said World Athletics president Sebastian Coe. “We have used that time to continue to develop our strategy to grow athletics. Over the next few months we have an unprecedented opportunity on the back of the increased physical activity of people in lockdown.
