Pictured: The Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, badminton venue at Tokyo 2020. Text credit: BWF MEDIA UPDATE
The Singapore Open (1-6 June 2021) will be the final qualifying event for the Tokyo Olympics, and the Race to Tokyo rankings list of 15 June 2021 will be used for qualification.
These regulations are part of the Tokyo 2020 Revised Qualification System set by BWF, which the International Olympic Committee has approved.
The qualification timeline consists of two periods: 29 April 2019 to 15 March 2020, and 4 January 2021 to 13 June 2021.
Eligible Tournaments
For the second qualification period, 23 eligible tournaments – including seven Grade 2, 13 Grade 3 and three continental individual championships – have been listed. Some of the listed tournaments may not be hosted within the extended qualification period; in that case, no replacement tournaments will be included. If they are hosted at a later date outside of the extended qualification period they will not be included in the Race to Tokyo rankings.
Quota Places
The total quota for badminton has been set at 172 places, of which there are 164 qualification places (82 each for men and women), two host country places and six Tripartite Commission Invitation places. The maximum number of athletes per NOC is eight men and eight women.
The initial number of athletes per event has been set at 38 each for men’s singles and women’s singles, and 32 (16 pairs) in each of the three doubles events.
In singles, there are two quota places for each NOC if both are ranked in the top 16 according to the Race to Tokyo lists of 15 June 2021. In doubles, there are two quota places per NOC if the pairs are ranked within the top eight.
Timeline
Once the extended qualification period ends on 13 June 2021, BWF will publish the Race to Tokyo Rankings Lists on 15 June 2021.
The list of initially qualified athletes/pairs for each event (including continental representation places, host country places and Tripartite Commission Invitation places) will be published as part of the Race to Tokyo Ranking Lists. BWF will inform the respective NOCs/National Federations of their allocated quota places by 18 June 2021. NOCs will then have one week, until 25 June 2021, to confirm that they will use the quota places.
By 5 July 2021 BWF will reallocate all unused quota places. The deadline for sport entries to Tokyo 2020 is 5 July 2021.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualification System
Section 5.4.1.1. Qualification Regulations for Tokyo 2020 – Revised 25 Feb 2021
Section 5.4.1.2 Regulations for Badminton Competition Tokyo 2020 – Revised 25 Feb 2021
