Explained: New format for shooting competitions introduced for 2024 Paris Olympics

The world body has decided to change the format of the finals once again.

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), the governing body for the sport of shooting worldwide, released modified formats for the rifle and pistol competitions on April 11, 2023. This is in accordance with the upcoming Summer Olympics 2024 in Paris. The decision comes at a time when the Olympic qualification cycle is underway and the ISSF World Cup legs are commencing in full swing.

A recently released rulebook on the ISSF website saw the organization revert to its old rule which was used at the time of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 for the rifle and pistol events. The following changes will be implemented from May 8, 2023, and will be uploaded online for the athletes, coaches, and officials to work correspondingly to the rules. This rule will come into effect from the ISSF World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan to be held between May 10 to May 14, 2023.

What was old the rule for shooting finals in place?

Post the Tokyo Olympics 2020, the ISSF adopted the rule where the top two shooters with the highest score in the ranking round had to battle it out in the gold-medal playoff. Initially, all the shooters had to go through a qualification round where eight shooters with the best scores among all the participants proceed to the ranking round. 

In the ranking round for shooting, all eight shooters eventually fight for the top two places. There will be a total of five series of five shots each. After three series of five shots, two shooters will be eliminated. Following the fourth series, two more shooters will be out which now makes the remaining shooters left as four. The fifth series will ultimately determine the shooters to make the gold medal match. The third-placed participant in the ranking round takes home the bronze medal.

The gold-medal match will witness the two shooters battling it out for the topmost position after a break. After the gap, the two shooters will begin with a score of zero. Each athlete would take a shot and the one with the higher mark gets two points. The competition will go on until one of the shooters reaches a score of 16 or above. The shooter with 16 points wins the gold, while the other competitor has to settle for the silver medal.

What are the new rules for shooting finals for Paris Olympics?

10m Air Pistol and Rifle Events

The final will see the 24-shot format. This includes two series of five-match shots. Following this, fourteen single-match shots each will be fired on command in 50 seconds. The eliminations will begin after the 12th shot, with lowest scoring finalists being out of the event. The event will continue in this manner after every two shots until the gold, silver, and bronze medalists are decided.

50m Rifle 3-Positions

This event will have a total of 45 shots in the final. The final contains 15 match shots in three positions - kneeling, prone, and standing. The event is also followed in the same order. Initially, the first three series will feature five shots in the kneeling position. The prone round then starts after six minutes, the competitors will shoot three series, each of five shots. In the next and final round, i.e., the standing round, the finalists will fire two series of five shots. 

As a result, the two finalists with the lowest totals will be the first to be eliminated. With five single shots remaining in the standing position, the final goes on. The athlete with the lowest points gets eliminated after every shot. The two remaining athletes then shoot the final shot which decides the gold medalist.

25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men

The finals of the 25-meter Rapid Fire Pistol will comprise eight series of five shots where the athletes will have to complete each series in just four seconds in a hit-or-miss scoring format. The lowest-scoring competitors are eliminated, beginning after the fourth series. This action will run until the eighth series which will determine the gold and silver medalists.

25m Pistol Women

In this event, the athletes will have to follow the hit-or-miss scoring format which consists of ten rapid-fire series with five shots each. The lowest-scoring finalists are out of the competition, which begins after the fourth series. The same is followed until the tenth series which will decide the event’s gold and silver medal winners.

What response has the new rule generated?

The return of the rule has garnered a positive response in the shooting fraternity. The shooters and coaches have all welcomed the re-introduced changes as they feel that this format would be more rewarding to the shooters who have been consistent right from the start till the end. The newer format will ensure that the finals are less time-consuming in addition to making the shooting event of the Paris Olympics viewer-friendly.