2016 Olympic Games: Tripartite Commission Invitation Places Support Olympic Principles
Courtesy of ITTF

Athletes of the very highest level competing but equally involving competitors from throughout the world; arguably they are two extremes but they are two of the major principles of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

Attracting the very best is a relatively straightforward task by organizing qualification events and reading global ranking lists; making sure that there are opportunities for those sportsmen and sportswomen from the less developed nations of the world to compete is arguably a more difficult problem to address.

Hence the Tripartite Commission Invitation Places for athletes from countries that have National Olympic Committees, who at the two most recent editions of the Olympic Games, Beijing and London, have in each had less the eight competitors on duty.

One Man, One Woman
At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, for table tennis, under this scheme, there is one place in the Men’s Singles event and one place in the counterpart Women’s Singles competition.

Procedure
The procedure commences on Thursday October 15, 2015 when the International Olympic Committee will invite all eligible National Olympic Committees to submit their requests for Tripartite Places.

Deadline for submissions is Friday January 15, 2016.

Nominations must be submitted by National Olympic Committees.

Following the deadline and the completion of qualification tournaments, the Tripartite Commission will confirm the allocation places.

Requirements
In order to qualify, a nominee must have appeared on any ITTF Ranking list between Tuesday July 1, 2014 and Sunday May 15, 2016.

Additionally proposed names are required to have competed in the qualification process at some stage and must have international experience.

Final Decision
The final decision rests with the International Olympic Committee,

Items taken into consideration will involve gender equality, continental balance and participation in Olympic Solidarity Scholarships; with increasing the number of National Olympic Committees participating being high on the agenda.

Download Documents
2016 Rio Olympic Games: Qualification for Table Tennis Events
2016 Rio Olympic Games: Invitation Places: Annex 1 – List of Sports with Invitation Places
2016 Rio Olympic Games: Invitation Places: Allocation Procedure and Regulations

More Links:
ITTF – Rio 2016 Games
Rio 2016 Olympic Games Official Site (August 5-21, 2016) – Table Tennis Site