AOC assures qualified athletes

THE Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has said athletes who have already qualified for the Tokyo Games are assured of their spots when the global sporting showpiece takes place in 2021. Almost 60% of the 11,000-odd athletes set for Tokyo had already qualified but the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has yet to clarify publicly whether their 2021 berths are assured. AOC chief executive Matt Carroll said qualified athletes were guaranteed their 2021 spots, however. “That is our understanding at this time,” Carroll told reporters in Sydney yesterday. “Athletes may change their minds between now and 2021. But let’s cover that off. Today the most important thing is that athletes have certainty for those who have been selected and certainty for those who are yet to qualify.”