Discussion: WOC Tier Promotions and Relegations

Since old message threads relating to this appear to be closed, it seemed worth starting a new one - but if this has been discussed recently, please feel free to re-direct me.

I wanted to know if anyone has done any points calculations to breakdown who was promoted or relegated from their respective tiers to gain / lose places for the 2023 WOC forest races (well, just the long distance now, and I know nobody is getting related this year).

I'm looking in particular @blairtrewin, but if anyone else is on the ball, please share!

Have done the numbers but double-checking things before making them public (likely also for World Games). Expect something will be published in the next day or two. As you say, there are no relegations this year.

I've asked this before, but why is this points system not integrated into the WOC results system? Surely it can't be that hard to do. It would mean instant results instead of waiting for the one person who understands the system to find time to do it.

Upon inspection, there have clearly been 2 changes since I last followed.

- They no longer use the results from the previous WOC as well (i.e. use WOC 2019 & 2021 to determine 2023 places)?

- It is double points for the long distance?

Discretionary qualifying spots have been allocated to the following athletes based upon results from WOC 2021...

Salma Hassan Abdelaziz EGY

So in order to qualify for the World Games (from non European countries at least) you essentially just had to be able to attend WOC this year, something that was not possible for many nations. The female Egyptian runner has made the cut despite finishing last in her sprint heat and mispunching both the middle and long races but with no-one else from Africa attending, well it was automatic.

On the other hand, Asia, South America and to some extent Oceania (barring a couple of NZ runners) were not able to send teams so receive a minimum number of slots. The WG are therefore predominantly made up of European runners since it was easier for them to attend WOC on their own continent. One wonders if the same will apply to being able to travel to a foreign continent in a year's time.

If the Oceania Champs currently scheduled for January 2022 get postponed once more, who gets allocated the spots? Presumably we wouldn't be able to send a team to the WG anyway so the point is moot.

Is this kind of stuff happening in other sports, too, punishing hosts with lower attendance because of a rule of having to send teams in a pandemic year to receive a minimum number of slots? Especially in other sports all vying for visibility and vying to showcase their international appeal?

There are team spots still to be allocated for Asia, South America and Oceania. The first two will be done on the basis of the World Ranking Federation League Table, as will Oceania if that event can't take place.

As far as Africa is concerned, one of the issues is that under South African national Olympic committee rules, they will only endorse World Games participants who are likely to achieve a certain level of performance. IOF has nominated South African athletes several times for World Games qualification but the only one who has been endorsed was Michael Crone in 2013 after he'd made the previous year's WOC sprint final.

Interesting concept having the Olympic committee rules governing WG matters considering orienteering is not - and is likely never to be - an Olympic event.

It makes perfect sense that the event organised under the patronage of the IOC for sports that are members of the Association of IOC Recognised Sports Federations uses Olympic committee rules.

The World Games is the primary route into the Olympics; it would be a bold move in an attempt to demonstrate your sports suitability for the Olympic Ganes to not actually use IOC rules.

Although the situation we're discussing here is more at the national level - in some countries the national Olympic Committee (or equivalent) has a whole-of-sport governing body role covering all sports, whether Olympic or not - it's not something necessarily inherent to the World Games. (Australian World Games selections - when we qualify, which hasn't happened for a while - don't require AOC endorsement, for example).

@Nixon: The World Games is not the primary route to the Olympics. There is a very poor correlation between World Games participation and becoming an Olympic sport.
https://iofreflections.blog/2017/07/25/the-world-g...

It is true, that it is the favourite eyewash of the IOC to keep poor sports (who cannot buy their place at the Olympics), entertained with mock Olympics and get their leadership to justify spending silly monies on the World Games.
https://iofreflections.blog/2017/07/24/the-world-g...