Shooting world championships to qualify 64 athletes for Rio 2016 Olympic Games
More than 2,000 shooters from 96 countries will go into battle for Olympic places in Spanish shoot-out
Three-time Olympic medallist Matt Emmons, of the USA, will be among the 50m rifle favourites (Getty Images/Lars Baron)
The Spanish city of Granada will be the location for a shoot-out for places at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, starting on Monday (September 8). More than 2,000 shooters from 96 countries will compete in the 51st International Shooting Sport Federation World Championship, with places at the first South American Olympic Games in their sights.
With 15 Olympic shooting events on the schedule, the world championships will be the first and most important qualifying tournament for Rio 2016, allocating 64 of the 390 shooting slots available for the Games.
The places won in Spain will be allocated to the respective National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of the athletes. The NOCs will then decide which athletes will represent their countries at Rio 2016. Each country is allowed up to two representatives in each Olympic shooting event. As the host country, Brazil has nine places guaranteed, five in the men’s competitions and four in the women’s.
The United States has 82 shooters competing at the world championships and one of their leading lights is Matt Emmons, the 50m rifle prone Olympic gold medallist at the Athens 2004 Games, silver medallist in the same discipline at the Beijing 2008 Games and 50m rifle 3 positions bronze medallist at the London 2012 Games.
“It’s a big match and the most difficult one to win,” Emmons said. “I like big challenges and this is what I’ve been working toward for the last 18 months. All of the other competitions were steps along the path in my preparation for this. The podium has eluded me this year in the world cups, but I’ve been close. It’s almost time to see if the things I’ve learned and have been working on this year are enough to get me where I want to be.”
India's Gurpal Singh will be hoping to repeat his Commonwealth Games success (Photo: Getty Images/Francois Nel)
India has 89 shooters competing in Spain and Gurpal Singh, who won the men’s 50m pistol silver medal at this year’s Commonwealth Games, thinks his team will do well.
“I’m confident of doing well in the world championships and earning a place for the Olympics. All our shooters are doing very well globally and I’m sure India would be able to win at least five or six places,” he said.
After the world championships, another 16 shooting qualifier tournaments, both world and continental, will be held between 2014 and 2016, with a further 302 Olympic places up for grabs. The remaining 24 places will be allocated by invitation.
Rio2016.com is not an absolute authority on qualification for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is an ongoing process. Final places will only be confirmed in July 2016 (for the Olympic Games) and August 2016 (for the Paralympic Games). The qualification systems are defined by each sport’s respective International Federation and the International Olympic Committee or International Paralympic Committee, and are subject to change. When an athlete or team wins a quota place for their nation, the final decision on whether this ‘slot’ is used and which athletes are sent is taken by the respective National Olympic Committee or National Paralympic Committee (NOC or NPC). Even when athletes win a ‘nominal’ place for themselves, NOCs/NPCs may have to decide who to send if the number of qualified athletes from one country exceeds the quota.
