China's Wang Qian takes aim in the women's 10-meter air pistol final at the ISSF World Cup Finals in Putian, southeast China's Fujian Province on November 21, 2019. (Xinhua/Lin Shanchuan)
China's national shooting team is poised to adjust its preparation plan for Tokyo 2020 after the Games have been postponed beyond 2020.
BEIJING, March 25 (Xinhua) -- China's national shooting team will re-adjust its preparation plan and team selection for Tokyo 2020 as the Games have been postponed beyond 2020.
Li Jinsong, deputy director of China's Shooting and Archery Management Center, told Xinhua on Wednesday that the rescheduling of the Tokyo 2020, announced by the International Olympic Committee and Tokyo 2020 organizers Tuesday, will not only affect their build-up to the Olympics but also preparations for China's National Games.
"We are ready to make adjustment in accordance with ISSF's moves," said Li.
China has secured a full 10 quotas for pistol and rifle apiece for the first time in history after the World Cup in Rio de Janeiro in August 2019. The country has also obtained five slots in shotgun events.
However, as Li introduced, it's uncertain if the world shooting governing body ISSF will recognize the quotas already decided, so China will wait for the ISSF to make a decision on the Olympic Qualification and re-adjust its timetable and finalize the Olympic roster accordingly.
The ISSF said on Tuesday that the decision to delay the Games "is timely in response to the latest worldwide developments and addresses concerns raised by athlete representation groups," and will inform the shooting community of the subsequent decisions.
The National Games, a quadrennial event dubbed China's mini-Olympics, is also scheduled to take place in 2021. With Tokyo 2020 now being pushed back to next year, the two events look likely to be held in really close dates.
According to Li, China's shotgun team and the majority of the air and rifle teams have been training behind closed-doors for four months. The postponement could give them a chance to rest for some time before racing to Tokyo 2020. ■