Two more World Cups to determine Olympic MTB participation
Nations Olympic rankings as of May 1, 2012
In just a few weeks, mountain bike fans will know exactly how many athletes each nation will send to the 2012 London Olympic Games. What happens in the meantime are two back-to-back UCI Mountain Bike World Cups, one in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic on May 11-13 and one in La Bresse, France on May 18-20.
On May 23, 2012, the UCI will establish the UCI Olympic Qualification Ranking, and by June 1, it will have confirmed the number of qualifying spots for each nation.
The final rankings are based the total number of points a nation has for the combined periods of 2010-2011 as of May 23, 2011 and 2011-2012 as of May 23, 2012.
Men
For the men, the top five ranked nations will send three athletes each while nations ranked sixth through 13th will send two athletes each. Nations number 14 through 24 get one rider each.
Here is how it looks as of May 1:
Countries likely to send three male mountain bikers
Switzerland
France
Czech Republic
Germany
Spain
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Countries likely to send two male mountain bikers
Italy
Netherlands
Austria
Poland
Belgium
South Africa
United States
Canada
Countries likely to send one male mountain biker
Australia
Japan
Great Britain
Sweden
Argentina
Brazil
Hungary
Russia
Denmark
Portugal
Cyprus
The five top-ranked powerhouse nations are no surprise and are not too likely to change. The division between sending one and two male riders is much tighter with just 200 points separating Canada (sending two as of current rankings) and Australia (sending one as of current rankings).
Countries like New Zealand are not too far below the cut-off for sending one rider, but if they do not qualify by this primary criterion, they may be able to send a rider by a second qualifying criterion. If a nation does not already qualify athletes via the aforementioned international rankings system, it can send one male athlete each if it is in the top two ranked nations in the continental regions of Africa, American, Asia or Oceania.
Women
For the women, the top eight ranked nations get to send two riders each while those ranked ninth through 18th send one each.
Here is how the women's standings look as of May 1:
Countries likely to send two female mountain bikers
Canada
France
Switzerland
Poland
Slovenia
Norway
Germany
United States
Countries likely to send one female mountain biker
Russia
Czech Republic
Italy
New Zealand
Ukraine
Austria
Great Britain
Sweden
Netherlands
Denmark
In the women's rankings most of the powerhouse mountain bike countries are ranked about where expected although Australia and Spain are not qualified as per current nations rankings per criterion one. However, per criterion two, the top ranked nation, not qualified by virtue of nations rankings above may send one female rider each if ranked first in Africa, American, Asia or Oceania.
The United States women have reason to be nervous about whether they will get to send one or two women to London. They sit perched just on the two-women side of the cut-off currently, but places sixth through ninth in the rankings are all within 500 points of each other.
What happens next
Once the nations rankings are finalized, countries have until June 15, 2012 to confirm they will use all earned spots and if there are any unused spots, they will get re-allocated on June 29, 2012. Entries are due to the London 2012 Organising Committee by July 2, 2012.
Complete nations rankings as of May 1, 2012 are below. See also the Cyclingnews guide to Olympic Mountain Biking.
Nations Rankings as of May 1
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Switzerland | 4987 | pts |
2 | France | 4659 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Czech Republic | 4139 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Germany | 3347 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Spain | 3223 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Italy | 2750 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Netherlands | 2418 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
8 | Austria | 2090 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
9 | Poland | 1912 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
10 | Belgium | 1888 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
11 | South Africa | 1826 | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
12 | United States | 1797 | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
13 | Canada | 1754 | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
14 | Australia | 1554 | Row 13 - Cell 3 |
15 | Japan | 1342 | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
16 | Great Britain | 1329 | Row 15 - Cell 3 |
17 | Sweden | 1239 | Row 16 - Cell 3 |
18 | Argentina | 1129 | Row 17 - Cell 3 |
19 | Brazil | 1092 | Row 18 - Cell 3 |
20 | Hungary | 1038 | Row 19 - Cell 3 |
21 | Russia | 1023 | Row 20 - Cell 3 |
22 | Denmark | 1002 | Row 21 - Cell 3 |
23 | Portugal | 948 | Row 22 - Cell 3 |
24 | Cyprus | 894 | Row 23 - Cell 3 |
25 | Ukraine | 879 | Row 24 - Cell 3 |
26 | New Zealand | 826 | Row 25 - Cell 3 |
27 | Greece | 780 | Row 26 - Cell 3 |
28 | Turkey | 660 | Row 27 - Cell 3 |
29 | Norway | 654 | Row 28 - Cell 3 |
30 | Chile | 604 | Row 29 - Cell 3 |
31 | Finland | 578 | Row 30 - Cell 3 |
32 | Estonia | 562 | Row 31 - Cell 3 |
33 | Slovakia | 554 | Row 32 - Cell 3 |
34 | Israel | 520 | Row 33 - Cell 3 |
35 | Colombia | 503 | Row 34 - Cell 3 |
36 | Iran | 471 | Row 35 - Cell 3 |
37 | Serbia | 465 | Row 36 - Cell 3 |
38 | Mexico | 457 | Row 37 - Cell 3 |
39 | Costa Rica | 438 | Row 38 - Cell 3 |
40 | Kazakhstan | 391 | Row 39 - Cell 3 |
41 | Slovenia | 342 | Row 40 - Cell 3 |
42 | Namibia | 310 | Row 41 - Cell 3 |
43 | Venezuela | 308 | Row 42 - Cell 3 |
44 | Malaysia | 306 | Row 43 - Cell 3 |
45 | China | 295 | Row 44 - Cell 3 |
46 | Ireland | 294 | Row 45 - Cell 3 |
47 | Latvia | 288 | Row 46 - Cell 3 |
48 | Hong Kong, China | 286 | Row 47 - Cell 3 |
49 | Puerto Rico | 285 | Row 48 - Cell 3 |
50 | Croatia | 281 | Row 49 - Cell 3 |
51 | Romania | 278 | Row 50 - Cell 3 |
52 | Georgia | 275 | Row 51 - Cell 3 |
53 | Lesotho | 273 | Row 52 - Cell 3 |
54 | Zimbabwe | 270 | Row 53 - Cell 3 |
55 | El Salvador | 270 | Row 54 - Cell 3 |
56 | Bulgaria | 220 | Row 55 - Cell 3 |
57 | Indonesia | 220 | Row 56 - Cell 3 |
58 | Thailand | 135 | Row 57 - Cell 3 |
59 | Korea | 60 | Row 58 - Cell 3 |
60 | Brunei Darussalam | 60 | Row 59 - Cell 3 |
61 | Guam | 55 | Row 60 - Cell 3 |
62 | Guatemala | 47 | Row 61 - Cell 3 |
63 | Ecuador | 28 | Row 62 - Cell 3 |
64 | Nepal | 24 | Row 63 - Cell 3 |
65 | Bolivia | 22 | Row 64 - Cell 3 |
66 | Singapore | 21 | Row 65 - Cell 3 |
67 | Chinese Taipei | 17 | Row 66 - Cell 3 |
68 | Lebanon | 12 | Row 67 - Cell 3 |
69 | Mongolia | 2 | Row 68 - Cell 3 |
70 | Belarus | 1 | Row 69 - Cell 3 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | Header Cell - Column 3 |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Canada | 4480 | pts |
2 | France | 4091 | Row 1 - Cell 3 |
3 | Switzerland | 3745 | Row 2 - Cell 3 |
4 | Poland | 3230 | Row 3 - Cell 3 |
5 | Slovenia | 3101 | Row 4 - Cell 3 |
6 | Norway | 2989 | Row 5 - Cell 3 |
7 | Germany | 2791 | Row 6 - Cell 3 |
8 | United States | 2572 | Row 7 - Cell 3 |
9 | Russia | 2513 | Row 8 - Cell 3 |
10 | Czech Republic | 2374 | Row 9 - Cell 3 |
11 | Italy | 2267 | Row 10 - Cell 3 |
12 | New Zealand | 2209 | Row 11 - Cell 3 |
13 | Ukraine | 2016 | Row 12 - Cell 3 |
14 | Austria | 2013 | Row 13 - Cell 3 |
15 | Great Britain | 1907 | Row 14 - Cell 3 |
16 | Sweden | 1796 | Row 15 - Cell 3 |
17 | Netherlands | 1765 | Row 16 - Cell 3 |
18 | Denmark | 1696 | Row 17 - Cell 3 |
19 | Hungary | 1489 | Row 18 - Cell 3 |
20 | Australia | 1230 | Row 19 - Cell 3 |
21 | Spain | 1184 | Row 20 - Cell 3 |
22 | Turkey | 1107 | Row 21 - Cell 3 |
23 | Japan | 957 | Row 22 - Cell 3 |
24 | Slovakia | 873 | Row 23 - Cell 3 |
25 | Mexico | 799 | Row 24 - Cell 3 |
26 | Brazil | 760 | Row 25 - Cell 3 |
27 | Argentina | 686 | Row 26 - Cell 3 |
28 | Israel | 666 | Row 27 - Cell 3 |
29 | Estonia | 584 | Row 28 - Cell 3 |
30 | Chile | 573 | Row 29 - Cell 3 |
31 | Belgium | 561 | Row 30 - Cell 3 |
32 | China | 550 | Row 31 - Cell 3 |
33 | South Africa | 549 | Row 32 - Cell 3 |
34 | Portugal | 546 | Row 33 - Cell 3 |
35 | Serbia | 544 | Row 34 - Cell 3 |
36 | Colombia | 535 | Row 35 - Cell 3 |
37 | Costa Rica | 488 | Row 36 - Cell 3 |
38 | Finland | 414 | Row 37 - Cell 3 |
39 | Malaysia | 405 | Row 38 - Cell 3 |
40 | Cyprus | 402 | Row 39 - Cell 3 |
41 | Venezuela | 326 | Row 40 - Cell 3 |
42 | Ireland | 317 | Row 41 - Cell 3 |
43 | Puerto Rico | 300 | Row 42 - Cell 3 |
44 | Latvia | 292 | Row 43 - Cell 3 |
45 | El Salvador | 270 | Row 44 - Cell 3 |
46 | Greece | 270 | Row 45 - Cell 3 |
47 | Croatia | 269 | Row 46 - Cell 3 |
48 | Namibia | 200 | Row 47 - Cell 3 |
49 | Ecuador | 179 | Row 48 - Cell 3 |
50 | Zimbabwe | 110 | Row 49 - Cell 3 |
51 | Lesotho | 110 | Row 50 - Cell 3 |
52 | Bulgaria | 110 | Row 51 - Cell 3 |
53 | Korea | 105 | Row 52 - Cell 3 |
54 | Vietnam | 85 | Row 53 - Cell 3 |
55 | Chinese Taipei | 75 | Row 54 - Cell 3 |
56 | Thailand | 60 | Row 55 - Cell 3 |
57 | Dominican Republic | 45 | Row 56 - Cell 3 |
58 | Nepal | 45 | Row 57 - Cell 3 |
59 | Romania | 38 | Row 58 - Cell 3 |
60 | Malta | 25 | Row 59 - Cell 3 |
61 | Lithuania | 12 | Row 60 - Cell 3 |