In reply to JLS:
> It could potential make a big diffrence. Example, if a guy is 11th at qualification stage he misses the final if 4 Japanese are ahead, leaving him 7th in line and out of the OG places. Had the Japanese not been there he'd have gone into the finals in 7th place with a chance to move up one spot in the final.
> Also, the mathmatics of scoring system mean that if you aren't able to shine in your best decipline, bouldering say, due to the Japanese also being strong in the decipline then that gives an advantage to guys that are stronger at deciplines where the Japanese are relatively weaker. Every place you lose to a Japanese guy will really dent your multiplication factor.
So that might make a difference to other individuals, but not to the competition as a whole; e.g. might stop someone recovering from 11th -4 = 7th to 6th, but of course that also means it stops someone who was 6th, dropping out of the places to 7th. Also the "best discipline" argument will again distort things for individuals but not overall.
Missing places - I see what you mean, it's not the extra 2 from Japan, the athletes they bumped down are now going, it's the athletes "denied" by the "original" 2 going to Toulouse. Cruel but since they were ranked 23 & 24, they would presumably have less chance of qualifying anyway. You might say it's a top athlete returning from injury, well tough. That's what happens in the Olympics all the time, qualification is hard and brutal. The climbing qualification is relatively gentle with all its various routes and multiple chances.
Best example I can think of brutal qualification; US track and field - top 3 at their trials for each event who have (inevitably) made the qualification standard. No ifs, no buts, doesn't matter what you've previously done, who you are, injury, illness, whatever. Top 3. But everyone knows exactly where they stand.