Olympic Games Singles Ranking Announced, Another Step Nearer Final Line Up
Courtesy of ITTF
Following the conclusion of the continental qualification tournaments for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, for several players with aspirations of gaining places in the Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles events in the Brazilian city in August, it has been a nervous time.
Now, the 22 places available by ranking are known; for Romania’s Ovidiu Ionescu and the Slovak Republic’s Barbora Balazova it is the biggest sigh of relief.
On the ITTF Olympic Games Singles Ranking published on Thursday May 5th, they are the players whose names appear in the respective Men’s and Women’s lists just above the water line.
The Listing
The ITTF Olympic Games Singles Ranking takes into account the players who competed in the continental tournaments but did not secure places for Rio de Janeiro.
Equally the fact that only two athletes per National Olympic Committee are eligible for each of the Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles events adds a further dimension.
Conjecture
Approval from the National Olympic Committees awaits and the final list could well be slightly different; consider the situation with regards to China.
Ma Long and Li Xiaoxia are the players who have secured their places in the respective Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles events in Rio de Janeiro. They emerged successful at the recent ITTF-Asia Olympic Games Qualification Tournament in Hong Kong.
The National Olympic Committee has approved their participation; thus for China one place remains in each discipline. On the ITTF Olympic Games Singles Ranking, Fan Zhendong is the highest ranked male player; Liu Shiwen heads the Women’s list.
They receive the invitations to compete in the respective Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles events.
Next in Line
If either player is not accepted, the next in line would receive the invitation; for the men it would be Xu Xin followed by Zhang Jike, for the women, Ding Ning followed by Zhu Yuling.
Team Events
Now with the 62 players, who have qualified for each of the Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles events known, the selection for the 16 Men’s Teams and 16 Women’s Team can take effect.
Six continental places are afforded, one for each of Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and Oceania.
Next, for each continent, the highest ranked team in the May 2016 ITTF Olympic Team Ranking list, which has a National Olympic Committee and a total of two athletes already qualified will receive one additional athlete quota place from the Team Quota (22 places in total) to form a team of three players.
If within a given continent no National Olympic Committee has qualified two athletes, then the highest ranked team, based on the May 2016 ITTF Olympic Team Ranking list, with one athlete already qualified will receive two additional athlete quota places from the Team Quota to form a team of three players.
Clock Ticks
The final list moves ever nearer; the clock ticks.
Download Olympic Games Ranking May 2016
ITTF Olympic Games Singles Ranking
Rio 2016 Olympic Games Qualified Players
Rio 2016 Olympic Games Team Ranking
