The decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not to subject athletes who had qualified for the Olympic Games in various disciplines to yet another qualifier for the quadrennial championships is timely.
Coming just days after the IOC postponed the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the decision is welcome news for Kenyans who had qualified for the extravaganza.
After months of anxiety, the IOC and the Japanese government on March 24 agreed to postpone the Olympics, which had been scheduled for July 24 to August 9 to July 23-August 8 next year. But there still were fears that athletes would be qualified afresh.
Although the rugby sevens teams and the women’s volleyball squads and some local boxers had gone through by the time of the postponement, other Kenya teams were still fighting to qualify. In particular, Africa women’s beach volleyball qualifier tournament held in Nigeria in March was hit by low turnout after prevalence of coronavirus was reported in the West African country.
Kenya did not send a team to compete in the tournament. Only home team Nigeria and Zambia competed and the men’s qualifier tournament was subsequently put off.
The IOC’s assurance means that Kenya’s marathon teams, rugby sevens teams, women’s volleyball squad and the already qualified boxers can continue training on their own in preparation for the Olympics.
In fact, they now have ample time to train rigorously and prepare well for the Games.
On the other hand, Kenyan teams that had not qualified have a chance to do so once the threat of coronavirus pandemic has been eradicated globally and it is then safe to compete.
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