Olympic History
Shooting sports have appeared on every Summer Olympic Games programme since the birth of the modern Olympic movement in 1896, with the exception at St Louis 1904 and Amsterdam 1928 Games.
The number and variety of events have changed many times over the Olympiads, from just three shooting events at the 1896 Olympic Games to 17 today. The sport has grown steadily, which can be ascribed to advances in the technology of firearms and equipment, which have led to constant changes in the shooting competition but also to the passion shooters have for their sport.
Some of the shooting events used to be mixed, with men and women competing openly against each other. China's Zhang Shan made history by becoming the first woman to win a mixed event with victory in the skeet in Barcelona in 1992. That was the last time men and women were allowed to compete side by side, and Zhang was unable to defend her title in Atlanta as a result. Nowadays the two sexes compete separately with seven events for women and ten for men.
The shooting events are divided into four different groups: Shotgun, Rifle, Pistol and Running-target.
The shotgun events see competitors shoot at clay targets propelled in different directions. The rifle and pistol events are held on shooting ranges with competitors aiming at targets from distances of 10 metres, 25 metres and 50 metres.
XXIX Olympic Games 2008
Date: 08 Aug 2008 - 24 Aug 2008
Venue: Beijing Shooting Range Hall
Location: Beijing's Shijingshan District
Website: http://en.beijing2008.cn/cptvenues/sports/shooting/
Shooting competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing will be held from August 9 to August 17, at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall and Beijing Shooting Range Clay Target Field.
The rifle and pistol events will be held indoors at the Beijing Shooting Range Hall, which was the first venue built specifically for the Olympics to be completed, and will most likely be the venue where the first gold medal of the games is won. The shooting hall was built to resemble a bow, a nod to the ancient origins of shooting sports.
Programme of events
| Disciplines | Events for Men | Events for Women | Total events |
| Rifle | 10m Air Rifle
50m Rifle 3 Positions
50m Rifle Prone
| 10m Air Rifle
50m Rifle 3 Positions | 5 |
| Pistol | 10m Air Pistol
50m Pistol
| 10m Air Pistol | 5 |
| Shotgun | Trap
Double Trap
Skeet | Trap
Skeet | 5 |
Schedule
| Friday 8 August | Official Training
| |
| Saturday 9 August | 08:30 -9:45
10:30 - 10:50
12:00 – 13:45
15:00 – 15:20
09:00 – 13:30
| 10m Air Rifle Women
Final 10m Air Rifle Women
10m Air Pistol Men
Final 10m Air Pistol Men
Trap Men 75 Targets |
| Sunday 10 August | 09:00 – 10:15
12:00 – 12:20
09:00 – 12:00
15:00 – 15:45 | 10m Air Pistol Women
Final 10m Air Pistol Women
Trap Men 50 Targets
Final Trap Men
|
| Monday 11 August | 09:00 – 10:45
12:00 – 12:20
09:00 – 13:00
15:00 – 15:45 | 10m Air Rifle Men
Final 10m Air Rifle Men
Trap Women 75 Targets
Final Trap Women
|
| Tuesday 12 August | 09:00 – 11:00
12:00 – 12:20
09:00 – 13:00
15:00 – 15:45 | 50m Pistol Men
Final 50m Pistol Men
Double Trap Men 150 Targets
Final Double Trap Men
|
| Wednesday 13 August | 09:00 – 11:00
12:00 – 14:00
15:00 – 15:20 | 25m Pistol Women Precision Stage25m Pistol Women Rapid Fire StageFinal 25m Pistol Women
|
| Thursday 14 August | 09:00 – 11:15
12:30 – 12:50
09:00 – 13:00
15:00 – 15:45 | Final Skeet WomenSkeet Women 75 TargetsFinal 50m rifle 3 Position Women50m rifle 3 Position Women
|
| Friday 15 August | 13:20 – 15:00
09:00 – 13:30
11:30 – 11:50
09:00 – 10:15 | 50m Rifle Prone MenFinal 50m Rifle Prone MenSkeet Men 75 Targets25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men Stage 1
|
| Saturday 16 August | 09:00 – 11:00
12:00 – 12:40
09:00 – 12:00
15:00 – 15:45 | Final Skeet MenSkeet Men 50 TargetsFinal 25 Rapid Fire Pistol Men25 Rapid Fire Pistol Men Stage 2
|
| Sunday 17 August | 09:00 – 12:20
13:30 – 13:50 | 50 Rifle 3 Positions MenFinal 50 Rifle 3 Positions Men |
Qualification Rules
A nation may earn up to 2 quota places per event, except for Women's Trap and Skeet, where the maximum is 1 quota place per event.The qualification consists of two parts:
MQS - Minimum Qualification Score - In order for a shooter to compete in the Games the athlete must shoot a minimum qualification score (MQS) for the respective event at one of the ISSF supervised Championships during the four years between Olympic Games. Only athletes that have shot a MQS can be entered in one or more events on the Olympic shooting program.
Rifle Discipline: 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men 1135, 50m Rifle prone Men 587, 10m Air Rifle Men 570 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women 555, 10m Air Rifle Women 375
Pistol Discipline: 50m Pistol Men 540, 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men 573, 10m Air Pistol Men 563 25m Pistol Women 555, 10m Air Pistol Women 365
Quota Places- A number of quota places in each event, adding up to a total of 390. The quota places are won by the national federations when their shooters rank high in ISSF championships Some quota places are left as wild cards.
Click for information on who has qualified for the XXIX Olympic Games 2008 - Beijing
