Paris (AFP)
The Olympic selection for the Tokyo Games, postponed to the summer of 2021 by the coronavirus pandemic, will take place in two phases for French swimmers, according to the criteria announced by the French Swimming Federation (FFN) Friday.
Initially, swimmers will have a period of just over three months, from December 10 to March 21, to achieve a demanding time, corresponding to an entry into the Olympic final. For example, 21 sec 80 for the 50 m coveted by Florent Manaudou.
This long quarter will revolve around three main, but not exclusive, deadlines: exceptionally scheduled French Championships in large pools in December, from 10 to 13 in Saint-Raphaël, and two meetings, in Nice from February 5 to 7, and in Marseille, from March 19 to 21.
If a swimmer achieves the time fixed by the FFN during this period, he will pocket an Olympic sesame, within the limit of one qualified per race.
In a second step, the Olympic qualification will be played - as is traditionally the case - during the French Championships in the large basin which precede the Olympic Games. However, they will be later next year, from June 15 to 20 in Chartres, just five weeks before the Tokyo meeting.
With his individual medal won at the 2019 Worlds, the bronze in the 800m, David Aubry is assured of obtaining an Olympic ticket, provided that he swims at the 2021 French Championships.
French swimmers have gradually returned to the pools since late May-early June. They didn't really have any short or medium term deadlines until then, after the postponement of one year of the Olympics-2020, then those of the European Championships in the big basin and the World Championships in the short basin, also pushed back in 2021.
© 2020 AFP