Countries are allowed to send one athlete per event to the Olympic Games if that athlete has met the Olympic 'B' qualifying standard. To send two or three athletes, those entrants must meet the more stringent Olympic "A" standard. It is the priority of USA Track & Field and the U.S. Olympic Committee to send the largest team possible to the Olympic Games.

USA Track & Field must submit to the USOC an Olympic roster of three athletes and one alternate for each individual event, by 11:59 p.m. on July 18. Those rosters are determined by the order of finish at the U.S. Olympic Trials.

Due to the short turn-around time for submitting a roster, in 2004 a maximum of only four athletes in each event will be able to chase the Olympic "A" standard. This marks a change from past Olympic years. The following selection system is in place in 2004.

Guidelines for selecting Team USA is as follows:

1. The top three finishers at the U.S. Olympic Trials who have already met the Olympic "A" qualifying standard in their event will be named to the Team USA roster for the 2004 Olympic Games. In the vast majority of events, that means the first, second and third-place finishers will go to Athens.

2. If there is an event where two or more finishers have met the Olympic "A" standard, any finisher(s) who have the "A" standard will be named to the Team USA roster. Any remaining spots, as well as the position of alternate, will be filled by the highest-placing finishers who have made the "B" standard.

3. Athletes named to the roster in each event then have until August 9 to achieve the Olympic "A" standard, if they don't already have it. Athletes on the roster must make the Olympic "A" standard by August 9 in order to compete in Athens.

4. If, by August 9, only one athlete in any given event has achieved the "A" standard, then the highest-placing finisher who has a "B" standard will be the only Team USA athlete to compete in that event at the Olympics. If two or more athletes have achieved the "A" standard, those athletes will compete.

Relays:

1. USA Track & Field will submit pools of six athletes for each relay (men's and women's 4x100m, men's and women's 4x400m) to the USOC on July 18. The top three finishers in the men's and women's 100m and men's and women's 400m will automatically be chosen for the pool, in accordance with IAAF rules. The remaining three spots in each relay pool may be filled by any athlete competing at the Olympic Trials.

2. At the 2004 Olympic Games, Team USA's relay pools will include the six athletes named on July 19. Any athlete already on the Team USA roster also may compete in a relay. However, no more than six athletes total can compete in each relay at the Olympic Games, including the rounds and finals.