D.QUALIFICATION PATHWAY
Seventy-two (72) athletes per gender will qualify as follows:
28 ITTF World Ranking, with a maximum of two (2) players per NOC
40 Continental qualification
2 Final World Qualification Event
1 Tripartite Commission Invitation place
1 Host NOC direct entry
72 Total - with a maximum of three (3) athletes from the same NOC, with a maximum of two (2) to participate in singles events.
The remaining quota of 14 athletes per gender (Team Quota) will be used to complete the teams if necessary. The Final World Qualification Tournament may qualify more than two (2) players if the Team Quota (14 places) is not fully utilised.
1. ITTF World Ranking Qualification
The top twenty-eight (28) eligible players on the first ITTF World Ranking published following the 2011 World Championships to be held in Rotterdam (Netherlands), from 8 to 15 of May 2011 will be qualified, with a maximum of two (2) players per NOC.
In case of an exact tie for the last direct qualifying position, reference will be made to the previous World Ranking List and the better ranked player will qualify. If still tied, reference would be made to the previous World Ranking List and so on until the tie is broken.
2. Continental Qualification
Players will be qualified through continental qualification events, held between 1 June 2011 and 22 April 2012, according to the following distribution:
6 Africa
11 Asia
11 Europe
6 Latin America
3 North America
3 Oceania
40 Total
The ITTF and its Continental Federations are responsible for holding Continental qualification events following the general regulations for Olympic Qualification events. The ITTF and its Continental Federations will plan the qualification events (dates, places and number of players to qualify in each tournament) before 31 December 2010, as well as announcing the names of the qualified players after each qualifying event according to the above quota and according to the established timelines.
3. Final World Qualification Tournament
The top two (2) players at the Final World Qualification Tournament will qualify.
Entries to the Final World Qualification Tournament will be limited to players who have otherwise not qualified by the ITTF World Ranking or by Continental Qualification. NOCs may only enter the same number of athletes as quota places remaining, within the maximum number of three (3) per NOC.
The number of qualification places from this competition may be increased if the continental qualification allocation of 40 players is not reached, if the host NOC direct entry place is not used and/or if the Team Quota (14 places) is not fully utilised.
SINGLES EVENTS
The first two players to qualify per gender and per NOC will participate in singles events. The order of qualification will be firstly ITTF World Ranking, then Continental qualification, and finally the Final World Qualification event.
Any third qualified player from an NOC will be provisionally qualified for the Team event only (up to the number of teams required). If there are more than 9 (or 10) NOCs with 3 players qualified after the Continental quota and host NOC direct entry have been determined, the third player(s) from those NOCs not qualifying for the Team event will not be qualified and will be replaced. If the continental quotas are therefore not filled as a result of this vacancy, the quota places will be filled by the next best eligible athlete, not yet qualified, of the same gender and same continent, according to the relevant continental qualification event. Otherwise the relevant quota place(s) will be filled by selecting the next best eligible athlete(s), not yet qualified from the Final World Qualification Tournament.
TEAM EVENTS
Sixteen (16) Teams for each of the Men’s Team and Women’s Team events will qualify as follows:
6 One team from each ITTF Continent
1 Host NOC direct entry
9 Remaining selected teams
An additional quota (Team Quota) of 14 individual places per gender are made available to complement (if necessary) the quota for NOCs that qualify for the team event but did not otherwise qualify enough players to form a team.
Players who have been added to a team from the quota of 14 additional places may only play in the team event and shall not be entered in the singles event.
Each player in a team must be from the same NOC, but it is allowable that a player in a team not be entered in the singles event. A maximum of one (1) men’s team and one (1) women’s team per NOC may be entered.
Team selection
After the Final World Qualification Tournament, the Team selection process will begin as follows:
1. Continental quota
Six (6) teams:
1 for Africa
1 for Asia
1 for Europe
1 for Latin America
1 for North America
1 for Oceania.
One (1) team from each continent (six (6) teams) will be selected as follows:
a) For each continent, the highest ranked team in the 2012 World Team Championships, which has an NOC and a total of three (3) players qualified through any of the Olympic qualification methods, will form a team and will be designated the continental quota for that continent.
b) For continents where no NOC has three (3) players qualified through any of the Olympic qualification methods, the NOC with the highest ranked team in the 2012 World Team Championships with two (2) qualified players will be supplemented with a player from the Team Quota to form a team of three (3) players.
c) For continents where no NOC has two (2) players qualified in singles, the NOC with the highest ranked team in the 2012 World Team Championships with one (1) qualified player through any of the Olympic qualification methods will be supplemented with two (2) players from the Team Quota to form a team of three (3) players.
If the jurisdiction of an NOC covers more than one ITTF affiliated member, the ranking of the highest ranked affiliated member of that NOC in the 2012 World Team Championships will be taken into account for qualification purposes. It is not necessary for all affiliated members of the NOC to participate in the 2012 World Team Championships.
2. Host NOC direct entry: 1 team
In each Team event, the host NOC is guaranteed one (1) direct entry. If the host NOC entry has not been selected as the Continental Quota, the necessary number of places from the Team Quota will be allocated to complete the team.
3. Remaining teams: 9 (10 if the host NOC is qualified by continental quota)
The remaining teams will qualify based on the following principles:
NOCs with three (3) players qualified through any of the Olympic qualification methods before the Final World Qualification Tournament.
If more than 9 (or 10) teams can be formed in this manner, then the top 9 (or 10) teams according to the final ranking of the 2012 World Team Championships will qualify.
If less than 9 (or 10) teams can be formed in this manner, then NOCs with three (3) players qualified through any of the Olympic qualification methods after the Final World Qualification Tournament will be taken into consideration first and, finally, if the Team Quota is still not filled, NOCs with two (2) players qualified through any of the Olympic qualification methods will be supplemented with one (1) player from the Team Quota to form teams of three (3) players, following the final ranking of the 2012 World Team Championships, until the quota of 9 (or 10) teams is completed.
If the Team Quota is filled using less than the fourteen (14) quota places for men and the fourteen (14) quota places for women, the remaining quota places will be added to the Final World Qualification Tournament and to the Olympic singles events.
HOST COUNTRY REPRESENTATION
The host NOC shall directly qualify one (1) athlete per gender if not already qualified by ranking or by continental qualification.
In each team event, the host NOC is guaranteed one (1) direct entry. If the host NOC entry has not been selected as the continental quota, the necessary number of places from the Team Quota will be allocated to complete the team.
TRIPARTITE COMMISSION PLACES
Two (2) Tripartite Commission Invitation Places (one per gender) are made available for eligible NOCs.
On 1 November 2011, the International Olympic Committee will contact all those NOCs who are eligible to apply for Tripartite Commission Invitation Places.
The deadline for NOCs to submit their requests for Tripartite Commission Invitation Places is 16 January 2012. In relation to the end of the qualification period, the Tripartite Commission will confirm, in writing, the allocation of invitation places to the respective NOCs before 30 May 2012.
Detailed information on Tripartite Invitation places is contained in the – Tripartite Commission Invitation Places - Information Paper for NOCs – which is included in the Games of the XXX Olympiad, London 2012 Qualification and Participation Criteria.
E. Confirmation process for quota places CONFIRMATION PROCESS FOR QUOTA PLACES
After each qualification event, the Continental Federations will notify the ITTF of the list of the names of qualified players for the respective continent.
After each qualification event, the ITTF will inform the respective NOC/NF of the player(s) that have qualified. The NOCs will have two weeks from the date that the qualification was confirmed by the ITTF to confirm or reject the quota place(s).
Following the conclusion of the Final World Qualification event, and by 30 May 2012 at the latest, the ITTF will confirm in writing to NOCs/NFs the remaining names of all qualified players and teams. By 15 June 2012, NOCs/NFs must submit to the ITTF the names of all participating players and teams, and by 30 June 2012, the ITTF will confirm the final allocation of all quota places.
F. Reallocation of unused quota places REALLOCATION OF UNUSED IF QUOTA PLACES
SINGLES EVENTS
1. ITTF World Ranking List
Any unused quota places obtained through the ITTF World Ranking List will be reallocated to the next best ranked athlete, not yet qualified, of the same gender according to the ITTF World Ranking.
2. Continental Qualification Tournaments
Any unused quota places obtained at the Continental Qualification Tournaments will be reallocated to the next best eligible athlete of the same gender and continent, not yet qualified, according to the event where the place was obtained.
If the continental quotas are not filled by the start of the Final World Qualification Tournament, the available quota places will be filled by increasing the number of quota places available at the Final World Qualification Tournament.
3. Final World Qualification Tournament
Any unused quota place obtained at the Final World Qualification Tournament will be reallocated to the next best eligible athlete of the same gender, not yet qualified, from the Final World Qualification Tournament.
TEAM EVENTS
1. Continental quota
Unused Team Quota places from the Continental quota will be allocated to the next eligible team from the same Continent following the final ranking of the 2012 World Team Championships. In the case of unused Continental quota, the place will be allocated to the next Continental quota team by order of ranking as established in the section “Team Selection”.
2. Remaining teams
Any unused quota places for the remaining teams will be reallocated to the next best eligible team, not yet qualified, according the final ranking of the 2012 World Team Championships, by order of ranking as established in the section “Team Selection”.
REALLOCATION OF UNUSED HOST COUNTRY PLACES
If the host NOC direct entry place is already filled through ranking or by continental qualification, then one (1) additional place will be added to the Final World Qualification event.
REALLOCATION OF UNUSED TRIPARTITE COMMISSION PLACES
Any unused places within the reserved quota of places will be reallocated by the Tripartite Commission.
Should the Tripartite Commission not be able to allocate the place(s), they will be reallocated to the next best ranked player/s, according to the ITTF World Ranking list (which will be published following the 2011 World Championships in Rotterdam) from an NOC without any player qualified.
G. Qualification timeline DATE MILESTONE
31 December 2010 - Continental Federations determine the Continental Qualification Tournaments for Singles
January 2011 - ITTF announces the Continental Qualification tournaments
16 May 2011 - ITTF World Ranking list published following the 2011 World Championships qualifying first 28 players from the list
1 June 2011 – 22 April 2012 - Continental Qualification process
1 November 2011 - IOC will contact all NOCs who are eligible to apply for Tripartite Commission Invitation Places
16 January 2012 - Deadline for NOCs to submit their requests for Tripartite Commission Invitation Places
May 2012 -
Final World Qualification Tournament
Host NOC to confirm the use of Host Country quota places
Final teams selection
1 May – 9 July 2012 - The Tripartite Commission will confirm, in writing, the allocation of Invitation places to the NOCs
30 June 2012 - ITTF to confirm the final allocation of all quota places
9 July 2012 - Deadline for London 2012 Organising Committee to receive entry forms