Coronavirus pandemic

New shot at Tokyo spots

Revised qualifying window revives Singapore shooters' hopes of earning Olympic berths

Singapore's rifle shooter Martina Veloso is eyeing an Olympic debut at next year's postponed Tokyo Games.
Singapore's rifle shooter Martina Veloso is eyeing an Olympic debut at next year's postponed Tokyo Games. ST FILE PHOTO

Singapore's top rifle and pistol specialists' prospects for the Tokyo Olympics have been given a shot in the arm after the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) announced on Tuesday an updated qualifying system for the Games that were postponed to next year.

The sport's governing body revealed that the allocation of 12 quota places - one for each individual event - will now be based on the world rankings on March 31 and points earned at the final World Cup event next March or April.

This is markedly different from the ISSF's announcement on its Instagram page on March 30, when it said that the quota places would be awarded based on the world rankings on Sunday, to the highest-ranked shooter who has not yet qualified in any event, provided his or her country has not secured an Olympic berth in that event.

The earlier system would have seen Slovenia's world No. 7 Ziva Dvorsak edging Singapore's world No. 10 Martina Veloso in the women's 50m rifle three positions, and Qatar's world No. 19 Aldana Saad Almubarak pipping world No. 22 Teh Xiu Hong to a slot in the women's 25m pistol. As such, the Singapore Shooting Association (SSA), who appealed against the earlier system alongside some other countries, welcomed the change in the qualification process.

SSA high performance manager Jeanine Heng told The Straits Times: "This is extremely good news for us as our girls are quite high up in the world rankings.

"Instead of losing the spot instantly, we now have one more chance to fight for the quota.

"The World Cup in New Delhi last March was supposed to be the last event to secure world ranking points for Olympic qualification and it was cancelled due to the coronavirus. So, we believe it would be most fair to all shooters to have one more event to try and qualify."

A win in the World Cup event next March or April will likely see Veloso and Teh earn Olympic berths, although they are wary about a complicated ranking system that takes into account scores from qualifiers.

Veloso, a 20-year-old Commonwealth Games champion gunning for an Olympic debut, said: "I'm glad that the chance to fight for a ticket to Tokyo 2021 via the world rankings has been reinstated. Once we are able to resume training, we will try our best to achieve more sporting glory for Singapore."

While Heng acknowledged that the duo are in a strong position to qualify, she noted shooters from other countries may have some advantages in terms of training during the coronavirus pandemic.

She said: "Some countries have already opened up and their shooters have resumed training. Some countries have less strict firearms regulations and are able to train at home.

"For example, we know of Indian shooters who have 10m ranges in their backyards.

"We are not complaining, but this is the reality, and we will try our best to find a way to overcome the challenges when we are able to resume training and competitions."

Last November, Tessa Neo secured an Olympic quota spot for Singapore after winning the 10m air rifle silver at the Asian Shooting Championships. The representative will be chosen from among the Republic's top women's rifle shooters - Jasmine Ser, Ho Xiu Yi, Adele Tan, Neo and Veloso based on scores from three or more qualifiers, including the H&N Cup in Munich in January, which Tan won with 252.7 points, a national record.

Meanwhile, the Badminton World Federation said on Wednesday that shuttlers will keep ranking points they earned during the original Olympic qualification period up until March's All England Open.

Competitions rescheduled for later this year will not count towards qualification. Only next year's edition of postponed or cancelled events will offer points in the Race to Tokyo.

Singapore's Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jia Min are 16th and 17th respectively on the men's and women's rankings and are on track to qualify for the Games.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 29, 2020, with the headline New shot at Tokyo spots. Subscribe