Approximately 20% of Olympic athletes will be selected in half a year

The Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed for one year, will start in July of this year.

So far, only about 20% of the players have been nominated for the Japanese national team, and while the spread of the new coronavirus infection has not stopped worldwide, it is a big issue whether the national team selection will proceed in the next six months.

Due to the spread of the new coronavirus, the opening of the Tokyo Olympic Games was postponed to July, and the competitions related to the selection of representatives were postponed or canceled one after another, mainly in international competitions.

According to the NHK summary, the number of Japanese athletes who have been nominated to represent the Olympic Games is 117 out of 33 competitions.

The number of representative players is expected to reach 600 in the end, and while judo, table tennis, taekwondo, sports climbing, and bicycles are already available, the total number is only about 20%.

The method of selecting athletes is different for each competition, and in competitions where domestic competitions such as swimming and athletics are important, the key is whether major competitions such as the Japan Championships can be held as planned in the future.

On the other hand, regarding the holding of international competitions related to selection, there are some competitions for which the schedule has not yet been decided, and even if the schedule is decided, the holding is "unclear" as the infection continues to spread. There are many people.

Whether the selection of representatives of the athletes who will play the leading role in the Games will proceed in the next six months is a major issue for the Olympic Games.

Continuing to devise measures against infection at domestic competitions

In the future, the Japan Championships in Athletics, which will be held in Japan, will be the place for representative selection for land and swimming, where dozens of unofficial players will be decided.

According to NHK's summary, in most of the 33 Olympic games, domestic competitions such as the Japan Championships and professional league games have been resumed, and each competition group has taken detailed measures according to their characteristics as a countermeasure against the new corona virus. We operate while exploring.

▽ On land, where the nationwide tournament was resumed as early as July last year, as a so-called "dense" measure, the number of athletes participating in medium- and long-distance races on the track was narrowed down, and athletes who finished running were sent off promptly. We have taken measures such as asking for a race and quickly building a system to conduct most of the interviews with the press after the race online.

▽ At the All Japan Championships of weightlifting, "magnesium carbonate", which is usually placed on the stage and shared for non-slip, is put in a paper bag and handed individually so that it can be attached before going up to the stage.

▽ At the Japan Championships in Artistic Swimming, the "cheering" of athletes and coaches was prohibited, and the Japanese national team took measures to change the music used for acting.

▽ In karate, you can make a loud voice when a technique is decided. In "Kumite", which is a one-on-one match, you can wear a special shield on the head and a special shield on the mouth. I admitted the tournament and practice while issuing.

However, several athletes who participated in the All Japan Championship last month were tested positive for the new coronavirus.

▽ In wrestling, the referee's handshake with the player before the match is prohibited, and the "winning name" that the referee holds the hand of the winning player is changed to a form that points without holding a hand.

Breakdown of unofficial players in each competition

This is a breakdown of 117 athletes currently nominated as representatives for each competition in the NHK summary.

▽ On land, 16 people have been unofficially decided for racewalking, marathon, and long distance.

▽ Bicycles were also available with 16 unofficial players.

▽ There are 14 judo players, and no candidates have been decided for all classes.

▽ Sailing is 14 people.

▽ Swimming is artistic swimming, diving, and swimming, 13 people in total.

There are 8 people in each of ▽ wrestling and ▽ canoeing.

▽ For table tennis, there are 6 informal players, 3 men and 3 men, all of them.

▽ Shooting and ▽ Boxing are also unofficially decided by 6 people each.

For ▽ sports climbing and ▽ taekwondo, there were 4 unofficial players.

▽ Gymnastics is unofficially decided by two trampolines.

On the other hand, more than 400 athletes who will be nominated as representatives in the future will be selected based on the results of future international competitions in many competitions such as badminton, tennis and triathlon weightlifting, as well as land and swimming. This year's Japan Championship will be the venue for representative selection.

In addition, for team competitions such as baseball / softball, soccer, and volleyball that have been revived at the Tokyo tournament, representative players will be announced based on the content of league games and strengthening games.

The challenge for soccer is the fusion of domestic and foreign players

The Japanese national football team, who is 24 years old or younger, has not had the opportunity to play with the main players belonging to overseas teams and the J-League team for the past year, and how to deepen the cooperation between the players in a limited time. That will be an issue for future strengthening.

The Tokyo Olympic generation, which consists of the Japanese national football team under the age of 24, aims to win the gold medal, which is the goal of the tournament held in their own country.

Seven major players in the Tokyo Olympics, including 19-year-old Takefusa Kubo, defensive player Takehiro Tomiyasu, were selected as members in the warm-up game of the national team with no age restrictions held last fall. We have all the players who have made achievements in the league.

In addition, players playing in Japan, such as Kawasaki Frontale's Kaoru Mitoma, who marked 13 points, which is the highest number of newcomers in the J-League, are also strengthening.

However, due to the influence of the new coronavirus, there was no opportunity for the main players belonging to overseas teams and the J-League team to play together for the last year, and how to deepen the cooperation between the players in the limited time until the actual performance. Is the issue.

Managing Director of JAAF "The key is to hold a selection tournament"

Mitsugi Ogata, Managing Director of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, who is the head of the Athletes Strengthening Headquarters of the JOC = Japanese Olympic Committee and also the general manager of the Japanese team at the Tokyo Games, will make a fair selection of representatives for the Tokyo Olympics. He expressed the view that the point is to be able to do it.

Mr. Ogata said, "We will not fill the frame of the representative firmly so as not to impair transparency and fairness, considering the impact of the spread of the new coronavirus on the movement to restart the Games in Japan and overseas. The value of the Olympics and the value of sports will decline. Good selection is really the key. "

Regarding the measures taken by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, which resumed the Games at an early stage in the Olympic Games, "I had the most difficulty in creating something that was suitable for the site. Considering the Olympic and Paralympic Games," Japan is I had the feeling that I had to show the world that it was moving. "

On top of that, Managing Director Ogata emphasized the importance of sharing information between competition groups, and said, "I think it is the role of the JOC to collect and systematize information and make it the knowledge and experience of competition groups." ..