Sport climber Shauna Coxsey is the latest athlete to be reconfirmed as selected for Team GB for the Tokyo Olympic Games, following its postponement.
Coxsey personally earned a ‘named athlete’ quota place for Tokyo 2020 and retains her place for the Olympic Games, where her sport will debut. Named athlete quota places are those which are specific to the athlete who earned the qualification, and these have been guaranteed by the IOC as secure.
This means that all 21 of the athletes originally nominated to, and selected by, the British Olympic Association (BOA) for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have been confirmed by their sports as retaining their selections for the Games, now being held in 2021.
The athletes officially selected and named as part of Team GB for the Tokyo Games are from three sports: sailing; canoeing (sprint and slalom), and, sport climbing.
Both sailing (15 athletes) and canoeing (five athletes) have confirmed that their nominations remain unchanged and therefore the originally selected athletes will fill the earned quota places as previously intended.
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen the postponement of the Games until 23 July 2021 and has required the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to reconfirm sport qualification processes, which they did recently.
With over 200 quota places having formally been secured for Team GB by athletes across a number of sports prior to the postponement, the BOA has since asked National Governing Bodies to reconfirm their selection policies.
In respect of sports whose qualification processes were open and ongoing at the time of the postponement, the BOA is now working to support National Governing Bodies to review selection policies based on new qualification events – as they become known – and any amended criteria as laid down by International Federations by 29 June 2021.
Many qualification events have understandably been cancelled and cannot now take place unless there is fair and appropriate access to preparation and training for athletes for those events. The BOA still hopes to take over 370 athletes to the Games.
Team GB Sport Climber, Shauna Coxsey, commented: "With so much uncertainty at the moment, I am relieved to have my place with Team GB reconfirmed for the Olympics. I have adapted my training so I can maintain my form at home, but I cannot wait to be back on the walls and preparing for the Games."
Mark England, Team GB Chef de Mission for Tokyo 2020, said: “We are extremely pleased that we have been able to reconfirm all previously selected athletes for Tokyo 2020.
“As the first athlete to represent Team GB in sport climbing at the Olympics, we are very excited for the road that lies ahead for the hugely talented Shauna Coxsey. We hope that when the time comes for her to resume training, this reconfirmation will provide Shauna with the opportunity to refocus her preparation for the Games next year. I’m confident it will be a fantastic debut Games for her personally, and for her sport.”