Section 4: Players & Officials
4.1 Athlete Qualifications
- Athletes must hold a valid ISSF license and be registered by their national federation
- Olympic quotas allocated through ISSF World Championships, continental championships, and ISSF quota places. Maximum 2 athletes per nation per individual event.
- Minimum Qualification Scores (MQS) must be achieved at recognized competitions within the qualification period
- Mixed team events: one male and one female athlete from the same nation
- Minimum age: 18 for Olympic participation (some national federations have lower minimums for domestic competition)
4.2 Officials
- Range Officer / Chief Range Officer (CRO): Has absolute authority over safety on the firing line. Controls all firing commands (Load, Start, Stop, Unload). May halt firing at any time for safety reasons.
- Jury members: Equipment inspectors verify firearms, ammunition, and clothing compliance. Rule interpreters adjudicate protests and disputes. Typically a 3-person jury per discipline.
- Classifiers / Scorers: Monitor electronic scoring systems; resolve scoring disputes (e.g., shots on the line between two scoring rings). For paper targets, classify shots using ISSF-calibrated scoring gauges.
- Register Officer: Manages athlete check-in, bib assignments, and equipment control scheduling
- Technical officials (shotgun): Referee per squad (calls hit/miss for each target), assistant referee, target-setting jury (verifies machine settings and target trajectories)
4.3 Coaching and Support
- Coaches may observe from designated areas but may not communicate with athletes during firing (no coaching during competition)
- Spotting scopes may be used by the athlete (rifle/pistol) to observe shot placement on the target between shots
- Team managers handle administrative matters, protests, and equipment logistics
- Personal technicians may make equipment adjustments during designated preparation periods but not during competition firing