Athletes confused over qualifying for Tokyo Games

Tiger Woods of the US tees off at the 14th hole during the second round of the PGA Zozo Championship golf tournament at the Narashino Country Club in Inzai, Chiba prefecture on October 26, 2019. (Photo by Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP)

The decision to delay the Tokyo Olympics by a year is sparking both anxiety and hope among the world’s athletes as the coronavirus pandemic adds to confusion over who might qualify for the Games, now in 2021.

Legal experts warned of a Pandora’s Box of messy legal challenges from athletes in the lead-up to the Games, as sporting bodies consider tweaks to qualifying criteria that could impact who gets in and who misses out.