29 Jun 2021
Final Boats Selected for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
The final four crews for the Tokyo Paralympic Games have been selected through the Bipartite process and this completes the qualification process.
The Bipartite Commission Invitation process, as defined in the Paralympic Games Qualification document (https://www.paralympic.org/sites/default/files/2021-04/2021_04_30%20Tokyo%20QG.pdf), is the following:
BIPARTITE COMMISSION INVITATIONS
As in previous Paralympic Games, the IPC has worked with the IFs to develop qualification methods which allow the top athletes in each sport to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, but which also respect the Paralympic Games Guiding Principles. The principles of excellence, diversity, universality, integrity and sustainability are fundamental and leading aspects in the objective of the IPC and each IF to deliver great competition at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
While the primary method in which the Paralympic Games Guiding Principles are respected is through the standard qualification methods, the IPC and certain IFs have also sought to provide targeted qualification slot allocations through Bipartite Commission Invitations. Bipartite Commission Invitations are included in the overall athlete quotas of the relevant sports, are granted by the IPC in its sole discretion following engagement with the respective IF, and are typically allocated based on the following principles: • to ensure participation of top athletes who may have not had the opportunity to formally qualify through other methods due to extraordinary circumstances; • to ensure the representation of athletes with high support needs; • to ensure medal events will have sufficient representation for viability; and/or • to enable greater representation by gender.
As the host country, Japan, qualified a boat through the continental qualification regatta, these “host country” quota slots then transferred to the Bipartite Commission for attribution. Subsequently, the Bipartite Commission had the duty to attribute two PR2Mix2x crews and two PR3Mix4+ crews. Requests for consideration for the Bipartite Commission were received by the deadline of 18 June 2021.
Based on a full and detailed evaluation of the submitted requests, the IPC and the World Rowing Executive Committee have made the following selections:
PR2 Mix2x: CAN and UZB
PR3 Mix4+: ESP and JPN
These selections have been announced to the relevant Member Federations and they have until 12 July 2021 for their National Paralympic Committees to confirm these selections for participation at the Games.