Qualifying standards in athletics

In sports under the athletics banner, certain competitions require an athlete to meet a qualifying standard, meaning a mark as good or better than this set mark, in order to be eligible to compete. Naturally, an elite level competition does not want to embarrass its reputation nor the competitor in an event beyond their competition level. With a limited number of lanes on the track (or field event facilities) they must limit the number of competitors participating in a given amount of time at a meet.

For the highest elite level competitions like the Olympics and IAAF World Championships in Athletics, the world governing body for athletics, the IAAF publishes standards in advance of the competitions. The currently expressed standards are intended to qualify about 2,000 athletes across all disciplines (24 men's events and 23 women's events) to be eligible to compete in these meets.

Normally an athlete has a window of time to achieve their mark at any competition "organised or authorised by the IAAF, its Area Associations or its National Member Federations in conformity with IAAF Rules. Results achieved at university or school competitions must be certified by the National Federation of the country in which the competition was organised." These qualitative conduct standards would be equivalent to those requirements to certify a world record.

Entries for these high level competitions must be selected by the national governing body (NGB) or in the case of the Olympics, must be submitted by the National Olympic Committee (NOC). Each country is allowed to choose their own method of selecting the names submitted. The United States Olympic Committee, for example, conducts the Olympic Trials, through its national governing body USATF, and for events other than relays, selection is based purely on placement in that meet. However UK Athletics has a selection committee that uses a variety of athletic results in an evaluation process.

...
Wikipedia