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For AC 2016, XX(AC 2015 winner) and ZJK(WR5) and LSW(WR1) and LXX(WR5) were sent by China but ML(WR1) and DN(WR2) were actually invited by their ranking in Jan, 2016. It's in the rules. China made use of that to raise the rankings of ZJK and LXX for Rio 2016.
http://attu.org/storage/event_section/PEyhMzUXM0zuTqw3RIT1XlKe55iHUNBKMNSPA938.pdf
By the same token, Japan could theoretically make use of that to replace Hirano with Ito in 2018 and 2019, and Ishikawa with Hayata in 2019.
Absolutely right! There was a chance of replacement !! And I do not understand JTTA .....