The Swedish Olympic Committee considered that Lovisa Lindh and Melker Svärd Jacobsson did not meet their basic criteria for being able to compete for a top eight place at the Olympics.
Therefore, none of them were taken out of SOK.
The international qualifying system works so that the next on the list in such cases gets their place - but because Sweden was late in saying definitely no, the Olympic competitions will now instead be decided with a decimated starting field.
One who is affected is the Spanish pole vaulter Adrian Valles, who has an annual best of 5.50 meters.
- It was just so painful and awful not to get the chance to take Melker's place, says Valles and continues:
- I understand that a country's governing body is responsible for the decisions that apply to their own athletes, but ineffective and late decisions can also have consequences for foreign athletes.
Torneklint: "Knew there was a risk"
The last night of the International Athletics Federation was June 29, when the national federations had to actively say no if they had qualified athletes who would not go.
The Swedish national team captain Karin Torneklint then had a meeting with SOK where it was said that Lindh and Svärd Jacobsson still had the opportunity to ride if they performed well enough at the upcoming Diamond League galas.
"The last international Olympic qualifiers closed on June 29.
We agreed with the athletics association to give some active people the opportunity to prove themselves for selection to the Swedish Olympic team.
On July 6, we had the first registration of the squad at a long-planned digital meeting with Tokyo 2020 ", writes SOK's operations manager Peter Reinebo to SVT Sport.
Torneklint is critical of the top eight criterion, but still thought that Lindh and Svärd Jacobsson could meet it.
- When we got the opening of SOK, I made the assessment that they were in such good shape that they would be able to do what SOK wanted.
I was looking forward to them being selected.
But I knew there was a risk that places would be empty.
"Can't help but regret"
SOK were not happy with what they saw, but then it was already too late for someone else to get Lindh's and Svärd Jacobsson's seats.
In pole vault, Sweden was the only nation not to use its Olympic venue.
- Now a place at the Olympics is empty, which my Spanish friend Adrian could have gotten if SOK had not been late with his message.
I can only regret that the handling of my selection also shattered a Spanish Olympic dream, says Svärd Jacobsson to SVT Sport.
In the ladies' 800 meters, there were two athletes, of which Lindh was one, who did not say no to his place in time for others to get them.
One who had to suffer for it was the German Tanja Spill.
"A big bug in the World Athletics system", she writes on Instagram.
The fact that the places will not be filled will thus mean fewer participants than intended in those branches at the Olympics in Tokyo.
CLIP: Lindh is denied Olympic place
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Lovisa Lindh denied Olympic seat Photo: Bildbyrån