How can Team Canada athletes qualify for Tokyo 2020 in 2020?
Now that it’s an Olympic year, Tokyo 2020 is going to be quickly upon us.
But before the Games get going in July, there are still lots of opportunities for Team Canada athletes to qualify.
Read on for a quick rundown of what you should be watching.
If the sport you’re looking for does not appear in our list, it may be because the qualification period has closed and Canada has either qualified the maximum possible number of quota places or no Canadian athletes were able to qualify.
Visit our Tokyo 2020 Team Canada Qualification Tracker to learn who had already obtained their ticket to the Games!
Archery
Pan American Championships
Monterrey, Mexico – March 23-29, 2020
- Three individual quota places are available per gender, with a maximum of one per NOC per gender.
- This tournament is only for countries that did not qualify at the 2019 World Championships.
Final World Team/Individual Qualification Tournament
Berlin, Germany – June 22-28, 2020
- The top three teams per gender will each qualify a team of three athletes. This tournament will not include teams that qualified for Tokyo with a top-eight finish at the 2019 World Championships.
- One individual quota place per gender will also be awarded to a country that had not yet qualified any athletes.
Athletics
Canadian Track & Field Championships
Montreal, Quebec – June 23-28, 2020
- This marks the end of the qualification period during which athletes could achieve the entry standards required to compete at Tokyo 2020 (in most events). Athletes who do not meet the entry standard for their event could still qualify for Tokyo 2020 via the world rankings.
- Results at the Canadian Championships will play into the team selection process if Canada has more eligible athletes than the maximum of three allowed per event.
Badminton
World Ranking Lists
Qualification Period – April 29, 2019-April 28, 2020
- All Olympic quota places will be allocated based on the World Ranking Lists:
- 34 men’s and 34 women’s singles spots
- 16 men’s and 16 women’s doubles spots
- 16 mixed double spots
- In all five events, there must be representation from each of the five continental confederations.
Baseball
Baseball Americas Qualifier
Arizona, USA – March 22-26, 2020
-
The winner of this tournament will qualify for Tokyo 2020. It will not include Mexico, which already qualified via the Premier 12 in November.
Baseball Final Qualifier
Taichung, Chinese Taipei – June 17-21, 2020
-
The winner of this global tournament will qualify for Tokyo 2020. Only the runner-up and third place team from the Baseball Americas Qualifier will be eligible to compete.
Basketball
FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments
Various locations – February 6-9, 2020
- There are four tournaments being held concurrently in Belgium, China, France and Serbia. The top three teams in each tournament will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
- Canada will play in Belgium against the hosts, Sweden and Japan.
- Japan has already claimed one of the three Olympic berths available to be won in February by virtue of being the Olympic host nation.
READ: The path to Tokyo 2020 for Team Canada women’s basketball
FIBA Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournaments
Various locations – June 23-28, 2020
- There are four tournaments being held concurrently in Canada, Croatia, Lithuania and Serbia. The top team in each tournament will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
- Canada will play at home in Victoria, BC against Greece, Czech Republic, Turkey, China and Uruguay.
READ: How Team Canada men’s basketball can qualify for Tokyo 2020
Basketball 3×3
FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT)
This event has been postponed.
India – March 2020
- Canada is one of 20 teams competing in the men’s tournament from which the top three NOCs will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
Boxing
American Olympic Qualification Event
This event has been postponed.
Buenos Aires, Argentina – March 26-April 3, 2020
- The men’s events have three to five Olympic spots available, with a specific quota for each weight class.
- The women’s events have three to four spots available, again dependent on the weight class.
- An NOC can qualify a maximum of one Olympic spot per event.
World Olympic Qualification Event
Paris, France – May 13-20, 2020
- NOCs can only enter events in which they are not yet qualified and there are three to six Olympic spots available per event, dependent on the weight class.
Canoe/Kayak – Slalom
Pan American Continental Championships
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – April 3-5, 2020
- The only event in which Canada is not yet qualified is the women’s C-1 and there is one spot available to the winner of the Pan American Championships.
Canoe/Kayak – Sprint
ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup 2
Duisburg, Germany – May 23-25
- There is one spot available in each of the men’s K-1 200m, K-1 1000m, C-1 1000m and women’s K-1 200m, K-1 500m, C-1 200m.
Pan American Continental Qualifying Event
Carauma, Chile – May 7-10, 2020
-
There is generally one Olympic spot available in each of the men’s and women’s K-1, K-2, C-1 and C-2 events, to be awarded to NOCs not yet qualified in a specific event from either the 2019 World Championships or 2020 World Cup 2.
Cycling – BMX
UCI Olympic Qualification Rankings – Freestyle
Qualification Period – November 1, 2018-May 11, 2020
- The rankings will fill out the fields of nine athletes per gender who will compete in their sport’s Olympic debut.
UCI Olympic Qualification Rankings and UCI BMX Elite Individual Ranking – Racing
Qualification Period – September 1, 2018-June 1, 2020
- The rankings will be used to allocate 21 Olympic spots per gender.
UCI BMX World Championships
Houston, Texas – May 26, 2020
- The top two NOCs per gender not already qualified will earn one quota spot each.
Cycling – Track
UCI Olympic Track Ranking
Qualification Period – July 6, 2018-March 1, 2020
- At the conclusion of the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin, Germany, ranking points earned in international competitions such as World Cups will be used to decide which NOCs qualify for Tokyo 2020 in each of track cycling’s six events for men and women.
Cycling – Mountain Bike
UCI Olympic Qualification Ranking
Qualification Period – May 28, 2019-May 28, 2020
- The rankings will be used to allocate 30 Olympic spots per gender to fill out the fields for Tokyo 2020.
Diving
FINA Diving World Cup
Tokyo, Japan – April 21-26, 2020
- Synchronized events: the top four teams in each event from NOCs not already qualified in those events will earn Olympic spots.
- Individual events: the top 18 athletes in each event will earn Olympic spots for their NOC, with a maximum of two spots per country per event. Additional athletes may qualify as necessary to fill out the fields in each event.
Fencing
FIE Official Team Ranking List
Qualification Period: April 3, 2019-April 4, 2020
- The top four-ranked teams will earn Olympic spots along with the top-ranked team from each continental zone, provided they are ranked 5-16.
FIE Individual Adjusted Olympic Ranking List
Qualification Period: April 3, 2019-April 4, 2020
- For NOCs that did not qualify teams in a particular event, individuals can qualify. For each event, only one athlete from the Americas zone can earn an Olympic spot through this route.
Americas Zone Qualifying Event
Panama City, Panama – April 15-19, 2020
- Only NOCs which have not yet qualified athletes in an event are eligible to compete. There is one Olympic spot available to be won in each event.
Golf
Olympic Golf Rankings
Men’s Qualification Period: July 1, 2018-June 22, 2020
Women’s Qualification Period: July 8, 2018-June 29, 2020
- NOCs can qualify a maximum of four athletes per gender if all four are ranked in the top 15.
- Athletes ranked 16th and lower will qualify for Tokyo 2020 with a maximum of two per NOC until the field of 60 is filled.
Gymnastics – Artistic
Individual All-Around World Cup Series
Various locations – March-April 2020
- Top three ranked NOCs of each gender will each earn one Olympic spot for individuals.
Pan American Championships
Orem, Utah – May 7-10, 2020
-
Top two all-around athletes per gender will earn Olympic spots, keeping in mind maximum quotas allowed per NOC.
Canadian Championships
Gatineau, Quebec – May 19-24, 2020
Gymnastics – Trampoline
Pan American Championships
Orem, Utah – May 7-10, 2020
- Top-ranked man and top-ranked woman of NOCs not already qualified will earn Olympic spots for their country.
Trampoline World Cup Series
Various locations – February-April 2020
- Overall rankings will be used to allocate Olympic spots on top of those already qualified until each field has 14 athletes.
Gymnastics – Rhythmic
Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Series
Various locations – April 2020
- Top three ranked athletes will each qualify one Olympic spot, maximum one per NOC
Pan American Championships
Orem, Utah – May 7-10, 2020
- Top-ranked athlete from an NOC not already qualified will earn an Olympic spot.
- Top-ranked group in the qualification round from an NOC not already qualified will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
Judo
IJF World Ranking List
Qualification Period – May 25, 2018-May 30, 2020
- In each weight category, the 18 highest ranked athletes will qualify, with a maximum of one per NOC.
- Additional Olympic spots will be awarded to ensure continental representation
- For the Pan American region, 10 men and 11 women can qualify this way but only one per NOC across all events and genders.
Karate
WKF Olympic Standing
End of qualification period – April 6, 2020
- Top four athletes per gender and event will qualify, with a maximum of one athlete per NOC per event.
Qualification Tournament
Paris, France – May 8-10, 2020
-
Top three athletes in each event will qualify, respecting the maximum one athlete per NOC per event.
Modern Pentathlon
UIPM World Championships
Cancun, Mexico – May 23-31, 2020
- Top three athletes of each gender will qualify
- If they are are already qualified, these spots will be awarded via the Olympic World Ranking List.
UIPM Olympic World Ranking List
Qualification period – June 1, 2019-May 31, 2020
- Top six athletes per gender not already qualified will earn Olympic spots.
Rowing
FISA Final Olympic Qualification Regatta
Lucerne, Switzerland – May 17-19, 2020
- The top two crews in each of the 14 events will qualify for Tokyo.
- NOCs can only enter events in which they are not yet qualified.
Sailing
Sailing World Cup
Miami, Florida – January 19-26, 2020
-
Designated as a North American qualification event, the highest-ranked sailors from NOCs not yet qualified in each of the men’s and women’s RS:X, men’s Laser, women’s Laser Radial, men’s Finn, and men’s and women’s 470 events will earn Olympic spots for their country.
Skateboarding
World Skate SLS World Championship
London, England – May 19-24
- The top three finishers in the men’s street and women’s street events will be directly qualified for Tokyo 2020.
World Skate Park World Championship
Nanjing, China – May 26-31, 2020
- The top three finishers in the men’s park and women’s park events will be directly qualified for Tokyo 2020.
Olympic World Skateboarding Rankings
Qualification Period – January 1, 2019-May 31, 2020
- The 16 highest-ranked athletes in each of the four events, keeping in mind the maximum of three athletes per NOC per event, will earn Olympic spots for themselves, while ensuring that each continent is represented.
Soccer
CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
Edinburg, Texas and Los Angeles, California – January 28-February 9, 2020
-
Eight teams are competing for two Olympic spots, which will be awarded to the two teams advancing to the final.
CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
Guadalajara, Mexico – March 20-April 1, 2020
- Eight teams are competing for two Olympic spots, which will be awarded to the two teams advancing to the final.
Sport Climbing
Pan American Combined Continental Championship
Los Angeles, California – February 24-March 1, 2020
- One spot per gender is available for the highest ranked athlete not yet qualified and without surpassing the NOC maximum quota of two athletes per gender.
Surfing
ISA World Surfing Games
Surf City, El Salvador – May 9-17, 2020
- The top four men and the top six women will earn Olympic spots for themselves, respecting the maximum of two athletes per gender per NOC.
Swimming
Olympic Qualifying Time/Olympic Selection Time
Qualification Period – March 1, 2019-June 29, 2020
- This is the window during which swimmers could meet the entry standards required to compete in individual events at the Olympic Games.
Relay Qualification
Qualification Period – March 1, 2019-May 31. 2020
- This is the window during which relay teams can achieve times which would make them eligible for Tokyo 2020.
- The fastest four NOCs in each relay event will join the 12 NOCs which earned Olympic qualification at the 2019 FINA World Championships in the respective events.
Canadian Swimming Trials
Toronto, Ontario – March 30-April 5, 2020
- This competition will decide which Canadian swimmers compete at Tokyo 2020.
- Canada can qualify a maximum of two swimmers per individual event if both swimmers have achieved the Olympic Qualifying Time (sometimes called the A standard) in that event.
- Swimmers may be nominated for the Olympic team as relay-only athletes provided they have achieved the Olympic Selection Time (also known as the B standard).
Swimming – Open Water
Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier
Fukuoka, Japan – May 30-31, 2020
- The nine highest ranked finishers of each gender will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
- An NOC can qualify a maximum of one athlete per gender at this event and only NOCs which have not yet qualified athletes are eligible to compete.
- The highest ranked athlete of each gender from each of the five continents will also qualify.
Table Tennis
ITTF World Team Qualification Event
Gondomar, Portugal – January 22-26, 2020
- There are nine Olympic spots available to be won in each of the men’s and women’s team events.
ITTF North American Qualification Event
Mississauga, Ontario – March 7-8, 2020
- NOCs that have not qualified teams can qualify individuals through continental qualification events.
- There is one men’s singles, one women’s singles and one mixed doubles spot available to be won within North America.
ITTF World Tour Qatar Open/Japan Open
Doha, Qatar – March 3-8, 2020
Kitakyushu, Japan – April 21-26, 2020
- Five mixed doubles teams will earn Olympic qualification, maximum one per NOC.
ITTF World Singles Qualification
Doha, Qatar – May 28-21, 2020
- There are two to eight Olympic spots available per gender, depending on how the qualification process plays out prior to this tournament,
Taekwondo
Pan American Qualification Tournament
San Jose, Costa Rica – March 11-12, 2020
-
The top two athletes in each weight category will earn Olympic spots, with a maximum of one per NOC per event.
Tennis
ATP & WTA Rankings
End of qualification period – June 8, 2020
- 56 Olympic spots will be awarded in men’s and women’s singles, with a maximum of four athletes per gender per NOC.
- 31 Olympic spots will be awarded in men’s and women’s doubles, with a maximum of two teams per gender per NOC.
READ: FAQ: Olympic tennis qualification for Tokyo 2020
Triathlon
ITU Mixed Relay Olympic Qualification Ranking
End of qualification period – March 31, 2020
-
The seven highest ranked NOCs will earn two quota places per gender.
ITU Mixed Relay Olympic Qualification Event
Chengdu, China – May 9, 2020
- The three highest ranked NOCs not yet qualified will earn two quota places per gender.
ITU Individual Olympic Qualification Ranking/ITU World Ranking
End of qualification period – May 11, 2020
- The 26 highest ranked athletes per gender will earn Olympic spots for their NOCs, respecting the maximum three athletes per gender per NOC.
- To ensure continental representation, the highest ranked NOC per gender from each continent not already qualified will receive one quota place.
Volleyball – Beach
FIVB Olympic Ranking List
Qualification Period – September 1, 2018-June 14, 2020
- For each gender, the 15 highest ranked teams will earn quota places for their NOC, with a maximum of two teams per gender per NOC.
NORCECA Continental Cup Final
June 22-28, 2020
-
The winning NOC in each gender will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
Water Polo
Olympic Games Qualification Tournament
Rotterdam, Netherlands – March 22-29, 2020
- The top three men’s teams will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
Weightlifting
IWF Absolute Ranking
Qualification Period – November 1, 2018-April 30, 2020
- The rankings will be used to determine the Olympic entries, ensuring that no more than 14 athletes are qualified per event and that NOCs have a maximum of four athletes per gender and a maximum of one entry per event.
Wrestling
Pan American Olympic Qualification Tournament
Ottawa, Ontario – March 13-15, 2020
-
The top two athletes in each weight class will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
World Qualification Tournament
Sofia, Bulgaria – April 30-May 3, 2020
- The top two athletes in each weight class will qualify for Tokyo 2020.
- NOCs are not permitted to enter weight classes in which they have already secured Olympic spots.
