The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were postponed till 2021 due to COVID-related concerns.
Qatar’s judoka Ayoub El-Idrissi has qualified to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which will be held in Japan between July 23 and August 8.
El-Idrissi secured 699 points during an impressive run at games in the years 2020 and 2021.
These include the Grand Slam tournaments, including the Georgia Championship last March, the Turkish Championship last April, the Russian Championship in May, and the World Championships in Hungary last week, according to state news agency (QNA).
In a press statement, Secretary General of the Qatar Taekwondo, Judo and Karate Federation Eid Al-Muraikhi said El-Idrissi’s achievement is yet another success for the Qatari sports industry.
He also praised the Qatar Olympic Committee and the Qatar Game Federation for their pivotal roles in supporting and developing sports to reach the Olympic ranks, highlighting their “keenness to have the most supportive team in the Olympic forum.”
This achievement was the result of El-Idrissi’s hard work, extensive training and participation in several camps, including Japan, Morocco, Algeria, Uzbekistan and France, he added.
The Judo champ “has encountered the best international players and trained with them under the supervision of his coaches, Mohamed Bouhdo and Hamid Chaalali,” QNA stated.
When the coronavirus pandemic first began in 2020, Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe confirmed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics will not be cancelled but rather postponed to ensure safety for all those participating and attending.
The move was announced after Japan and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) came to an agreement during a phone call between Abe and the head of the committee, Thomas Bach, following demands to delay or cancel the games due to health-related concerns.
The games, which were originally set to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020, were postponed to the summer of 2021 instead.
The Tokyo Olympics was one of the biggest sports events affected by the pandemic.
The Japanese leader said his country will fulfil its responsibility as the host nation “to prove that humanity has beaten the novel coronavirus.”
