Olympic quotas: how do athletes actually qualify for the Games?

The road to the Olympics begins years before the Games and follows different rules in every sport.

The quota belongs to the country

The most important and most misunderstood rule is that in most sports a quota won belongs to the country, not to the athlete who earned it. Who actually travels is decided by the national federation's own selection system.

Routes to qualification

Quotas are generally earned at world and continental championships, at dedicated qualifying events, or through world ranking position. In team sports, continental tournaments and qualifying events usually allocate the places, so the whole squad's performance counts.

Entry limits

The Olympic field is capped, so the number of entrants per country is limited too - typically no more than two or three per event. That is why an athlete ranked in the world's top ten can still stay at home in a strong nation.

Universality places and wild cards

The system reserves separate places for countries that would otherwise be unable to send any athlete. That rule preserves one of the founding ideas of the Games: that every nation should be present.