Section 4: Players & Officials
4.1 Competitors
- Individual events: Nations may enter up to 4 athletes per gender at the Olympics (based on IBU qualification rankings).
- Mass Start: Limited to 30 athletes based on current World Cup or Olympic standings.
- Pursuit: Top 60 from the Sprint qualify. Start intervals based on Sprint finish time gaps.
- Relay: Each nation fields a team of 4 athletes. Substitutions may be made up until the team captains' meeting.
4.2 Competition Jury and Officials
- Technical Delegate (TD): Appointed by IBU. Oversees rule compliance, course homologation, and equipment controls.
- Chief of Competition: Manages the organising committee and event logistics.
- Range Officer: Controls access to the shooting range, manages firing lane assignments, and ensures safety protocols are followed at all times.
- Course Chief: Responsible for course preparation, grooming, and safety inspections.
- Shooting Judges: Monitor electronic target displays and verify hit/miss registration. May be called upon to resolve disputed shots (e.g., simultaneous hit from adjacent lane).
- Timing and Data: Electronic timing to 1/10th of a second for all events. Photo finish available for close results.
4.3 Start Procedures
- Individual/Sprint: Interval start. Athletes start at 30-second or 1-minute intervals. Start order determined by bib number (often based on World Cup ranking).
- Pursuit: Time-gap start based on Sprint results. The Sprint winner starts first; subsequent athletes start with their time deficit from the Sprint.
- Mass Start: Simultaneous start for all 30 athletes. Grid positions on the start line based on standings.
- Relay: Mass start for the first leg athletes. Subsequent legs begin with a tag in the exchange zone.