Summer Olympics Qualifications

Qualifying for the Summer Olympics is a process that varies from sport to sport. While it was once required that all Olympic athletes be amateurs in their respective sports, this rule was long ago repealed, so world-renowned professionals such as basketball legend Michael Jordan could wind up going head-to-head with unknown players from low-level leagues. All Summer Olympic sports have qualifying rounds, though the number and quality of athletes who make it to the Games varies.

  1. Beach Volleyball

    • Twenty-four two-person beach volleyball squads from each gender are permitted to play in each Summer Olympics tournament, for a total of 48 teams and 96 players. For each gender, one team from the host country is automatically admitted to the tournament. The top 16 teams from the World Rankings, which are based on World Championships, World Tour and recognized Continental Tours, are allowed to compete in the Summer Olympics. The top five teams from the Continental Beach Volleyball World Cup and the top two teams from the International Volleyball Federation's Beach Volleyball World Cup final Olympic qualification are also permitted.

    Tennis

    • A total of 172 tennis players–86 men and 86 women–qualified for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. The qualification process for tennis is based on a combination of World Rankings, qualifying tournaments and nominations. Forty-eight singles players of each gender are automatically admitted to the Games for being the highest ranked international players. Two players in 2008 were nominated for inclusion in the Games by a Tripartite invitation, while an additional 14 players of each gender qualified through a pre-Olympic tournament. Ten additional doubles players qualified through a similar tournament, while the highest-ranked doubles players in the world who had not previously qualified through the tournament filled the remaining places.

    Marathon Runners

    • In anticipation of the 2012 Summer Games of London, the Olympics Committee placed stricter regulations on marathon runners hoping to qualify for the tournament. While contenders were previously permitted to qualify as either A or B athletes (the A athletes having slightly better times), the B athlete category has been eliminated, more than halving the field of contestants. To qualify for the 2012 Games, male marathon runners must have a time of 28:30 or less in a 10K competition, 1:05:00 in a half-marathon, or 2:19:00 in a full marathon.

    Drug Testing

    • The Olympic Committee requires all athletes competing in the Summer Games to undergo drug testing in order to qualify for the tournament. For the 2008 Beijing Games, the Committee created a more rigorous testing procedure than had been used in the past, which resulted in the disqualification of at least 37 athletes. In the wake of the steroid problems faced by major American sports, the Olympic Committee created harsher standards for the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The modified testing procedures thinned out a number of fields.