Section 6: Scoring
6.1 Rifle and Pistol Scoring
- Qualification: Integer scoring (whole numbers). The target has 10 concentric rings; the center ring scores 10, the outermost scores 1. A miss scores 0. Maximum per shot: 10.
- Finals: Decimal scoring with tenths. The 10-ring is subdivided: a perfect center shot scores 10.9, with 10.0 being the outermost edge of the 10-ring. This gives 0.1-point resolution, critical for elimination rounds.
- Inner tens (X-count): In qualification, shots in the innermost circle of the 10-ring (the “X-ring”) are recorded as tiebreakers
- Maximum qualification score: 600 for 60-shot events (air rifle/pistol), 1200 for 120-shot events (3 Positions)
6.2 Shotgun Scoring
- Each target is scored as a hit (1) or miss (0)
- A “hit” requires a visible piece to break from the clay target as determined by the referee
- Maximum qualification score: 125 (125 targets, 1 point each)
- “No Bird”: a target that malfunctions, is launched incorrectly, or is broken before the shot — the target is re-thrown
6.3 Electronic Scoring Targets (EST)
- EST systems use acoustic sensors to detect the exact impact point of the pellet/bullet by measuring sound-wave timing from multiple microphones
- Scores displayed instantly on a monitor at the athlete’s firing point and on broadcast screens
- EST systems are calibrated before each competition and verified against reference shots
- If an EST malfunction occurs, backup scoring (paper targets or manual inspection) may be used
6.4 Elimination Finals Format
- Top 8 (rifle/pistol) or top 6 (shotgun) from qualification advance to the final
- Qualification scores are not carried over; the final starts from zero (since 2018 rule change)
- Athletes fire in designated series; after a set number of shots, the lowest-scoring athlete is eliminated
- Eliminations continue until 2 athletes remain; the final series determines gold and silver
- Medal ceremony positions: 1st (gold), 2nd (silver), 3rd (bronze — two bronze medals awarded, one per eliminated semifinalist)