Controversy in Spanish athletics over the selection criteria for the Paris Games

This Wednesday the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA) published the list of athletes selected to compete in the Paris Olympic Games.

Some athletes who met the minimum standards required by World Athletics to participate in the Games were left off the list, among them the Catalan sprinter Pol Retamal, who published an open letter signed by more than 2,000 athletes, coaches, judges and fans where The RFEA selection criteria review is requested.

In response, the RFEA sent a statement which we reproduce in full below:

Madrid, July 4, 2024

In response to the letter received on June 28, and having reviewed its content, the RFEA wishes to state the following:

– First of all, we would like to emphasize that the participation of athletes in international championships is not on an individual basis, but on behalf of the national federation and, in the case of the Olympic Games, of the National Olympic Committee. Therefore, it implies acceptance of the conditions established by said entities.

– Legal and regulatory frameworks, both national and international, including the Sports Law in Spain (article 51, section i), specify that the power to establish selection criteria is a specific and exclusive function of sports federations. Therefore, the Spanish Sports Federations established by Royal Decree 1835/1991 in its Section 3, International Representation Article. 5º “The Spanish Sports Federations will represent Spain in official international sports activities and competitions held outside and inside the Spanish territory. For these purposes, it will be the responsibility of each Federation to select athletes who will be part of the national teams.” Therefore, the RFEA will, in any case, abandon its assigned functions or establish a system of self-selection.

We noticed a certain lack of understanding about the system established by World Athletics, so we would like to clarify that the “Entry Standards” scores and the World Ranking system establish minimum registration criteria, not preselection, to complete the participation quotas in each event. . However, in any case they represent the automatic classification of athletes, established by World Athletics itself. The ability and legitimate power to establish criteria prior to selection or selection rests with the National Federations. This situation is not exclusive to the new system; This has always been the case with previous systems.

– In this sense, that an athlete meets the registration criteria established by World Athletics to participate in the Olympic Games or World Championships, and as established in the preselection criteria itself, is an essential requirement but not sufficient to configure the shortlist. In any case compliance with this provides a condition of direct preselection.

– We would like to reiterate that the existence of brands or standards of performance and competitiveness is not new in our sport. Historically, the RFEA has established its own discretionary standards, in addition to the minimum scores required by International Federations, known as “A minimums” and “B minimums”. In his judgment, among the athletes who meet these criteria, the Selector, supported by his Technical Committee, decides which athletes are in the best shape to compete, and decides to select them or not.

On some occasions, the so-called “RFEA minimums” are also established, which do not necessarily correspond to the marks established by the IAAF or the European Athletics Association. Even in some cases, despite having the minimum A for participation, some athletes are not selected for the reference championship due to the discretionary technical criteria of the Selector. Therefore, it is not new or foreign to our sport that national federations, including the RFEA, have established their own performance standards. While there is currently a vested interest in distorting the truth, they have been, and will continue to be, the foundation of our sport.

– Since the implementation of the World Athletics World Ranking System, which includes results obtained from 18 months or 12 months (depending on the event) before the Championship, many National Federations have implemented their own ranking criteria to ensure that the selected athlete at the best level of the sport in the months before the International Championships or Olympic Games. In this way, it is not only ensured that they meet the registration requirements to complete the participation fees, but also their recent status is verified.

Many national federations in other countries have established similar standards, some of which have higher requirements than the RFEA. It is worth mentioning that the same system of criteria has been implemented by national federations such as in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy, among others. Additionally, other national federations such as France, Norway, Canada, New Zealand and Australia, among others, also have their own additional World Athletics standards, although these are more discretionary. nature and at the discretion of their Technical. Selection Committees or Panels.

– Therefore, as shown, in any case the system established by the RFEA is foreign to our sport or more demanding than in previous times, as stated. In elite sport, we understand that it makes sense for national federations to select athletes based on their current state of form and performance, and not what they may have had in previous seasons.

– We also want to highlight that the RFEA is based on a principle of transparency, integrity and objectivity, offering the same conditions to all athletes by publishing the criteria before the selection in advance. However, this does not mean that he renounces his power to make decisions that he considers most appropriate to achieve the best sporting performance in international competitions under his authority.

– Considering all of the above, the current Sports Directorate of the RFEA has established as a priority goal for the International Championships and Olympic Games to maximize the sporting performance of the National Team. The RFEA’s vision is to increase the chances of individual and collective success, thus seeking to achieve the best possible classification both in the medal table and in the points classification. Shortlisted athletes must meet the eligibility criteria, general criteria and specific performance criteria established by the RFEA. Considering that the exceptional nature of these criteria is the sole authority of the Sports Selector and Management within their powers, as reflected in the Pre-selection Criteria document.

– The establishment of these standards does not seek in any case to restrict the participation of athletes, but rather to guarantee that the athletes selected are at the best level of performance in accordance with the level of each championship and the participation quotas in every event. In fact, in the last four years, the participation of athletes in international championships has not only decreased, but it has increased. For example, the three European Championships with the highest historical participation are in 2018, 2022 and 2024. In addition, the Paris Olympic Games are expected to have one of the largest participation of Spanish athletes in history.

– Since 2016, the results of the National Team in all modalities and championships have improved significantly, being recognized nationally and internationally for their competitiveness and good results. A notable example is the historical classification in both the medal table and the points classification at the 2023 Budapest World Championships.

– To achieve these goals, the RFEA has increased direct aid to athletes by more than 250% in recent years, from 1.3 million in 2016 to 4.1 million in 2023. In the current year, the RFEA has increased significantly to all value assistance program for athletes at all levels, creating new, more specific and individual programs, which adapt to the unique needs of each specialty and each athlete.

– Considering all of the above, we consider that Sports Management has established an objective and fair system. The competitiveness criteria are based on the assessment of the sports performance of the athletes in the current season, within the scope of competence and responsibility of the Sports Directorate and the RFEA itself. These standards are the result of a difficult and continuous evaluation of performance, of the systems implemented in other sports federations, and of the exchange of knowledge with leading professionals from other countries, carried out by a team of professional from the Area of ​​High. performance.

– Regarding the demands of the Athletes’ Commission, we would like to inform that, after the European Championships in Munich 2022, in a meeting of the Governing Board, the Athletes’ Commission itself requested to establish clear, objective criteria and transparently informed by athletes since then. For this reason, and in response to the demands of the athletes themselves to have a more objective and less discretionary system, specific performance standards are implemented for all the aforementioned competitions, in the same way that made by other national federations.

– Finally, we would like to say that the preliminary selection criteria for the Olympic Games in Paris were published on October 25, 2023, that is, 8 months before the end of the qualification period for the Games, which gives the athletes enough time to plan your competition program and achieve your goals. Furthermore, for greater transparency and awareness, the RFEA convened a virtual meeting with all athletes and coaches who have real options to participate in the Olympic Games to share and explain the basis for the specific criteria before selection. Only one athlete attended this meeting, which, unfortunately, is not unusual, but normal for this type of calls.

The RFEA will continue to work to improve and perfect its preselection criteria, always maintaining an open dialogue to consider the proposals and suggestions of both the Athletes Commission and the athletes and coaches themselves on an individual level. Many of the improvements in the system of assistance to athletes, in the conditions of preparation and competition, as well as in the preselection criteria themselves, were implemented at the request of the athletes. The fact of not sharing some of the issues or demands raised, or not agreeing with all of them, should not be interpreted as an indifference to their opinions.