Getty
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 06: Virginia Thrasher of the United States competes in the 10m Air Rifle Women’s Finals on Day 1 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Shooting Centre on August 6, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Getty
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 06: Virginia Thrasher of the United States competes in the 10m Air Rifle Women’s Finals on Day 1 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Shooting Centre on August 6, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Tokyo Olympics 2021 will begin with the shooting matches on day one. 15 events will be contested in the shooting sport around three major categories.
Shooting has been part of the Summer Olympics program since 1896. International Shooting Sport Federation is the governing body for the sport. The federation establishes the rules and qualification system.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Since 1988 there have been two major aspects in the Olympic quota qualification system: Olympic quota places and the Minimum Qualifying Scores (MQS). These are also the two stages for gaining the berth that every shooter needs to clear.
The International Olympic Committee had allotted 360 quota places in Tokyo Olympics 2021 for the shooting sport. The ISSF governs the complete cycle of Olympic qualification.
Minimum Qualifying scores
Every shooter gets a chance to take part in the first stage. The shooting federation-approved championships like ISSF World Cups, Asian Games, and European Championships are the platforms where shooters can aim for the MQS scores.
Getty
BEIJING – AUGUST 10: Nino Salukvadze of Georgia competes in the women’s 10m air pistol final shooting event held at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall during Day 2 of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games on August 10, 2008 in Beijing, China. Salukvadze finished third to win the bronze medal. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Before every Olympic game, ISSF decides the MQS scores for all the 15 shooting events. Here is the list of MQS scores according to the events.
| EVENT? | MQS SCORE? |
| 10m Air Pistol Men | ?563 |
| 25m Rapid Fire Men | ?560 |
| 10m Air Pistol Women | ?550??????????????? |
| 25m Pistol Women | ?555 |
| 10m Air Rifle Men | ?595.0 |
| 50m Rifle, 3P Men | ?1135 |
| 10m Air Rifle Women | ?590.0 |
| 50m Rifle, 3P Women | ?1115 |
| Trap Men? | ?112 |
| Trap Women | ?92 |
| Skeet Men? | ?114 |
| Skeet Women | ?92 |
Once a shooter has reached the MQS score in the Olympic shooting championships, they are eligible to win the Olympic quota.
Read More: Tokyo Olympics 2021: Schedule and Other Details for Shooting Sports
Olympic quota places in Tokyo Olympics 2021
IOC had allotted 360 berths for the shooting sport in Tokyo Olympics 2021. Out of the 360 seats, ISSF has given 300 to the individual shooters (150-men and 150-women). Whereas, 60 seats are reserved for the host nation, mixed team events, Tripartite commission, and based on the world rankings.
Every country is eligible for a maximum of 2 Olympic berths in every event, and in a total maximum of 30 berths. The distribution of the 30 seats is- 12 for men, 12 for women, and 6 for mixed events.
Getty
Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiya competes during the Skeet men’s qualifications at the Olympic Shooting Centre in Rio de Janeiro on August 13, 2016, during the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. / AFP / PASCAL GUYOT (Photo credit should read PASCAL GUYOT/AFP via Getty Images)
However, every Olympic quota won by shooters belongs to the nation and not the individual shooters. Every country’s shooting federation has the authority to award the Olympic berth to their shooters.
Albeit, it is not necessary that the shooter who clinched the quota will be allotted the seat.
Read More: What are the Shooting Events at Tokyo Olympics 2021?
