Thailand have earned five Tokyo 2020 berths in badminton after the Olympic rankings were frozen on Friday with the sport's governing body saying no further qualifying tournaments will take place before the Games this year.
The qualifying period officially closes on June 15 but the current Race to Tokyo rankings will not change, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) said in a statement.
"The Olympic qualification process is in effect closed as there are no additional opportunities for players to earn points," BWF secretary general Thomas Lund said.
"However, we still need to receive confirmations from national Olympic committees and member associations, followed by any possible reallocations, and this will take a number of weeks to complete."
According to the Race to Tokyo rankings, Thai players who qualify for the Olympics are Ratchanok Intanon and Busanan Ongbamrungphan in the women's singles, Kantaphon Wangcharoen in the men's singles, Dechapol Puavaranukroh and Sapsiree Taerattanachai in the mixed doubles, and Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai in the women's doubles.
Each country can have a maximum two players or pairs in one event.
Unfortunately, Thai rising star Pornpawee Chochuwong, who is ranked 13th, just behind No.12 Busanan, will miss the bus.
Pornpawee lost to Nozomi Okuhara in the 2021 All England Open final but the prestigious tournament was not an Olympic qualifying event.
The 23-year-old also beat Ratchanok and world No.1 Tai Tzu-ying at the World Tour Finals this year.
Dechapol and Sapsiree are considered Thailand's best hopes to win the country's first ever Olympic medal in badminton.
In January, they won three tournaments, including the World Tour Finals, to become the first mixed doubles pair to claim three consecutive World Tour Super 1000 crowns.
Former women's world No.1 Saina Nehwal of India is among those whose qualification hopes evaporated as she failed to break into the top 16.
Nehwal, who won a bronze at the 2012 London Games, was hoping to improve her 22nd position at the Malaysian Open and the Singapore Open but both were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. bangkok post/reuters