Athletes who have already qualified for the Summer Olympics, which have been postponed from 2020 to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will not have to re-qualify for the Games a second time.
Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com), World Athletics president Sebastian Coe confirmed the news but also noted that that a fair process to fill the remaining Olympic field spots must be decided upon.
Around "6,200 or so athletes" have already qualified, per the AP. Some sports (e.g. marathon, open-water swimming) have already finished their qualification processes, while others (e.g. track) have not yet.