De Grasse, Arop lead Canada's push for Olympic relay spots

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Six-time Olympic track medallist Andre De Grasse and 800-metre world champion Marco Arop are both set to run for Canada at the World Athletics Relays this Saturday and Sunday in the Bahamas, where most of the entries for the Paris Olympic 4x100m and 4x400m events will be decided.

Here's how it works:

There are five track relay events on the Olympic program — the men's and women's 4x100 and 4x400 and the mixed 4x400. Sixteen countries compete in each Olympic event. Fourteen of the spots are up for grabs at the World Athletics Relays.

Each competition this weekend in the Bahamas includes up to 32 teams and consists of three rounds. On Saturday night, the top two teams in each of the four heats for every relay clinch an Olympic berth and a place in Sunday night's eight-team final.

Those that do not advance to the final get a second chance to qualify for the Olympics on Sunday. In this repechage round, the top two in each of the three heats get an Olympic spot. After that, the eight Saturday qualifiers race each other in the final for prize money and preferred lane assignments in Paris.

WATCH | De Grasse, Brown on hand for Canada at World Athletics Relays:

The final two spots in each Olympic relay will be determined by world rankings on June 30.

Here's a look at the top two events for Canadians to watch:

Men's 4x100

De Grasse is expected to anchor the same lineup he led to a stunning gold medal at the 2022 world championships in Oregon and a silver at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo (Canada finished third in the Olympic final but was upgraded after a British athlete flunked