How to qualify for archery at Paris 2024. The Olympics qualification system explained

Archery made four appearances at the Olympic Games at Paris 1900, St. Louis 1904, London 1908 and Antwerp 1920 before being reintroduced at Munich 1972.

The sport was one of the first to allow women to take part in the Olympics, as women’s events were featured at the 1904 and 1908 Games.

The team and mixed team events were added to the Olympic programmes at Seoul 1988 and Tokyo 2020, respectively, and the Paris 2024 competition will feature five events.

Republic of Korea have dominated the Olympic archery scene and their women’s team has remained unbeaten, winning nine consecutive titles.

But the Olympic Games have always thrown up unexpected surprises. Find out who may challenge Team Korea’s formidable archers and learn more about the archery qualification process below.

READ MORE: The quest for Paris 2024 Olympic qualification begins

How many archers will compete at Paris 2024?

A total of 128 archers will compete at Paris 2024: 64 men and 64 women – exactly the same number as the previous edition of the Games. This figure includes host country quotas (three per gender) and Universality places (two per gender).

There will be a maximum of six athletes per NOC (three per gender) for individual competitions if the NOC competes in the respective team event. Otherwise, a maximum of one athlete per NOC can compete in the individual event.

What are the requirements for archers to be eligible for a quota?

To be eligible to participate at Paris 2024, all archers must have achieved the following Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) between 28 July 2023 (the first day of the 2023 World Archery Championships) and 28 June 2024 by name at a WA-registered event:

Men – 640 points (72 arrows, a distance of 70 metres)

Women – 610 points (72 arrows, a distance of 70 metres)

The World Archery (WA) WA Executive Committee will make the final determination on the eligibility of any athlete who has not met the MQS at a WA-registered event but can demonstrate adequate proof of reaching the MQS. This process will be completed by 30 June 2024.

What is the qualification pathway to Paris 2024?

As the host country, France will receive three quotas per gender on the condition that they enter three athletes per gender at the 2023 World Archery Championships.

Two Universality places per gender will be decided by the Tripartite Commission. All eligible NOCs will be able to submit their requests for Universality Places from 1 October 2023 until 15 January 2024.

Following that, 118 remaining quotas will be distributed through five methods. The following order will be respected from highest to lowest in order to allocate the quota places:

1. World Championships
2. Continental Games
3. Continental Qualifiers
4. Final Qualifying Tournament [Team & Individual]
5. World Ranking List

Team Qualification - 66 athletes (33 per gender)

2023 World Archery Championships – three teams per gender (nine men and nine women)

The NOCs of the three highest-placed teams, per gender, in the World Archery Championships (WAC) Team competition will earn three quota places.

Continental Championships for Asia, Europe and the Americas – three teams per gender (nine men and nine women)

The NOCs of the highest-ranked* team, per gender, at the Continental Championship (CC) will secure three quota places. Athletes from NOCs outside the defined continental area may not compete in the CC.

The final standings of the team matchplay competition in each Continental Qualification Tournament (CQT) will be used to allocate the following team quota places:

-Europe: one team per gender

-Asia: one team per gender

-Americas: one team per gender

Final Team Qualification Tournament – three teams per gender (nine men and nine women)

The Final Team Qualification Tournament (FTQT) is a standalone event, so it may be a separate world ranking event held prior to a World Cup Stage. NOCs of the three highest ranked* teams, per gender, at the FTQT will secure three quota places.

The FTQT will be open to all NOCs that did not qualify a team through the 2023 World Archery Championships and the Continental Qualification Tournament and will be held at the end of the qualification period.

The top three ranked teams refer to the gold, silver and bronze winning teams of the FTQT.

If any of the three NOCs that secured three quota places through the FTQT has already obtained one quota place for the individual competition, this individual quota place will be added to the list of available quota places at the Final World Individual Qualifying Tournament (see the Individual Qualification below).

*When ranked is used in the system, it is the ranking based on the final matchplay results.

Team World Ranking List– two teams per gender (six men and six women)

Two team places will be allocated to the NOC of the next highest ranked team(s), not yet qualified, according to the WA Archery Team World Ranking List (TWRL) (date TBC) including the results of the World Ranking list after the FTQT.

Mixed Team Qualification - 10 athletes (five per gender)

Continental Games: Europe, Africa, Americas, Oceania, Asia – five teams (five quotas per gender)

NOCs of the highest placed mixed team in the Continental Mixed Team competition will earn a total of two quota places (one for men and one for women).

If the host country is the winner of the mixed team competition at the European Games, the next-highest placed team will obtain one mixed team quota.

Replacement continental games qualifications

If the mixed team event is not on the programme of one of the Continental Games (CGs), the two quota places (one for each gender) of the relevant continent will be added to the list of available quota places at the Final World Individual Qualifying Tournament (see the Individual Qualification below).

There will be no additional specific system for the mixed team event.

The highest ranked 16 mixed teams on the ranking round at the Olympic Games will enter the Olympic Games Mixed Team competition. The top men's and women's scores of the countries that have athletes of both genders will be used to determine the ranking of the NOC. If there is a tie for the last place (16th), a shoot-off will be conducted to determine the last qualified team.

Individual Qualification - 42 athletes (21 per gender)

2023 World Archery Championships – three athletes per gender

Three quota places will be allocated to the NOCs of the highest ranked athletes from NOCs which have not qualified through the team competition, with a maximum of one quota place per NOC.

If not, all places can be allocated in the top eight then the places will be added to the final qualification tournament.

Continental Games for Asia, Europe and the Americas – six athletes per gender

NOCs of the two highest placed athletes from different NOCs in the Continental Games (CGs) will each earn one quota place in the relevant gender. An NOC shall not obtain more than one quota place per gender at the CG.

If the NOC already earned (a) quota place(s) in that gender, a re-allocation will happen as defined below:

If an athlete of the host country is among the two highest placed athletes of the European Games Individual competition, the next highest placed athlete will secure the corresponding quota place.

Continental Qualification Tournaments – ten athletes per gender

A Continental Qualification Tournament (CQT) is a standalone event, it should be a separate world ranking event held prior to or after continental championships. A CQT cannot be combined with a Continental Games.

If an NOC secures a quota place at the World Archery Championships or Continental Games, no athlete of the same gender from this NOC may compete at the CQT.

Athletes from NOCs outside the defined continental area may not compete in the CQT.

By 31 December 2022, WA will identify one CQT in each continent. The final standings of the individual matchplay competition in each CQT will be used to distribute the following individual quota places:

-Europe: three per gender

-Asia: two per gender

-Americas: two per gender

-Africa: two per gender

-Oceania: one per gender

An NOC shall not obtain more than one quota place per gender at the CQT.

Final World Individual Qualification Tournament – two athletes per gender

A Final World Individual Qualification Tournament (FIQT) is a standalone event, it could be a separate world ranking event held prior to a World Cup stage. NOCs of the two highest ranked athletes per gender at the FIQT will earn one quota place.

The FIQT will be open to all NOCs that have not obtained a quota place per gender through other prior qualification events and will be held at the end of the qualification period.

Each NOC can earn up to one quota place for each gender at the FIQT.

The tournament will be held in conjunction with an Archery World Cup tournament to avoid additional costs to NOCs/Member Associations.

In the case the FIQT does not meet the validity criteria, World Archery will refer to the section Reallocation of unused qualification places and the section on FIQT which will be used to allocate the places.

What is the Paris 2024 archery competition format and schedule?

The first athlete or team to accumulate six points (two points per set) wins the match and progresses to the next round while the losers are eliminated. This format continues until the final.

There will be five archery medal events at Paris 2024, the same as Tokyo 2020:

• Individual (three arrows per set): women's / men's
• Team (six arrows per set): women's / men's
• Mixed event (four arrows per set)

READ MORE: Evolution of modern archery - here’s everything you wanted to know about this Olympic sport

The archery competition will begin with the individual ranking round on 25 July 2024, a day before the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games. The whole competition will take place from 28 July to 4 August at Les Invalides.

READ MORE: Olympic Games Paris 2024 sports calendar released

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Archers to watch at Paris 2024

Republic of Korea demonstrated their class once again at Tokyo 2020 by winning four out of the five gold medals on offer. They will be hoping to begin Paris 2024 with their tenth gold in the women's team event when the first archery medals are handed out at Les Invalides.

In the women’s individual event, triple gold medallist An San is the favourite, but first she must do well in the Korean national trials, which often prove to be as challenging as the Olympics. Her rivals will include Tokyo 2020 team gold medallist Kang Chae Young.

In the men’s individual competition, Mete Gazoz (TUR) became the first Turkish archer to make the podium at the Olympics when he won gold at the 2020 Games. He will more than likely need to beat Kim Woo-Jin to retain his title, after the world no. 1 guided the Korean men’s team to double gold in 2016 and 2020.

The world's no. 2 team and Tokyo 2020 silver medallists, Chinese Taipei will again be expected to challenge for the medals in Paris.

Although An San (KOR) and Kim Je Deok (KOR) were crowned the first Olympic champions in the mixed team event, the duo failed to claim any medals during the 2022 season. Team USA, the current world no.1, will attempt to return to the podium in Paris after leaving Tokyo without winning a single medal.

Archery qualification timeline to Paris 2024

• 21 June – 2 July 2023: European Games, Krakow, POL
• 14 – 28 July 2023: Pacific Games, Honiara, SLB
• 28 July 2023 – 15 June 2024: Period to achieve the MQS
• 28 July 2023 – 6 August 2023: World Archery Chamionships, Berlin, GER
• Within five days after the event: World Archery to confirm in writing to the NOCs the quota places obtained
• Two weeks after the event: The NOCs to confirm to World Archery the use of the allocated quota places
• 23 September – 08 October 2023 [postponed from 10 to 25 September 2022]: the 19th Asian Games, Hangzhou ,CHN
• Within five days after the event: World Archery confirms in writing to the NOCs the quota places obtained.
• Two weeks after the event: The NOCs to confirm to World Archery the use of the allocated quota places.
• Within five days after the previous step: World Archery to reallocate all unused quota places.
• 20 October – 5 November 2023: Pan-American Games, Santiago, CHI
• TBC: 2023 African Games, Accra, GHA
• TBC: Continental Qualifiers
• TBC: Final Qualifiers
• TBC: The Tripartite Commission to confirm in writing the allocation of Universality places to the NOCs (where applicable).
• TBC: June 2024: World Archery to reallocate any unused quota places.
• 8 July 2024: Paris 2024 Sport Entries deadline
• 26 July – 11 August 2024: Olympic Games Paris 2024

Find out more about the qualification system for other sports that will feature at Paris 2024.