The World Selection Committee is the governing body that selects the best athletes to represent their countries at the Olympic Games. It is made up of a group of experts in the sport, which can include former Olympians and members of national governing bodies. The committee meets at least once a year.
There are a number of factors that the World Selection Committee takes into account before deciding who to send to the Olympic Games. One of the most important is an athlete’s history of competing at world championships and winning medals in those competitions.
If a world team member has not competed in a world championships in their age category, they will be removed from the World Team Rankings and are unlikely to make the Olympic team.
In addition to the age-related factors, the World Selection Committee also evaluates an athlete’s performance in other competitions. This could include international competitions, as well as national and regional championships.
Ideally, each World Selection Committee member is an expert in their sport. This helps to ensure that they understand the specific requirements of the game and are able to handle the task of making decisions.
The Selection Committee is composed of six to eight volunteers, including at least one-third Athlete Representatives, as required by the USOPC Bylaws. The Committee reviews nominations submitted to the USOPC by sport performance staff and determines whether an athlete meets the criterion set forth in a ASP and approves their selection.
To be nominated for enshrinement, an individual must meet all of the criteria in the Hall of Fame’s Selection Criteria. These criteria include:
Retiring for no less than five years from active participation in the category for which they are being nominated; achieving significant national or international recognition in the category for which they are nominated for at least ten years; and having received 75% of the votes cast by a pool of past living inductees.
The selection process is open to anyone throughout the world, although the majority of the nominations come from the International Selection Committee, which consists of former inductees. The Selection Committee is a volunteer position, and members are selected by the Chief of Sport Performance.
At the USA Gymnastics annual selection camp, held in conjunction with a subscription service on Friday and Saturday, the all-around winner automatically qualifies for the world team. The remaining women are then named by a selection committee after the camp concludes.
In this case, a number of talented gymnasts will be competing for the world team. The first round of competition is scheduled for Friday evening and will stream live on the USA Gymnastics subscription service. The next round will take place Saturday night and the final roster of a six-woman team will be announced no later than 24 hours before the start of qualifications on October 29.
Shilese Jones (WOGA), who finished second in the all-around at nationals, is the front-runner to make the world team. She is an excellent all-arounder, and a strong competitor on her specialty event: the uneven bars. Other contenders include Jade Carey, the defending national floor exercise champion, and Jordan Chiles, who competed in Japan this year and placed third on beam at nationals behind McClain and Jones.