New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS): The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the country’s governing body for sports shooting, will hold four selection trials in May 2024 to select the Indian team for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Shooting at Paris 2024 will have 12 individual events - four each in rifle, pistol and shotgun - in addition to three mixed team events. Each country can secure a maximum of two quota places in each of the 12 Olympic shooting events from various competitions like the ISSF World Championships and the continental championships.

Indian shooters have so far obtained 13 quota places for Paris 2024 and can secure more before the qualification window closes on June 9.

While it’s individual shooters who secure the quotas, National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have the exclusive authority to decide the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games and athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their National Sports Federations selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.

For Indian shooters, the responsibility falls to the NRAI. To ensure that the in-form shooters can compete at Paris 2024, the association will be holding selection trials to zero in on the final team based on the quotas Indian shooters manage to secure for Paris 2024.

The top five Indian shooters as per the national rankings on February 29, 2024, will earn the right to take part in the trials. However, only shooters with at least one ranking point on the Qualification Ranking for the Olympic Games (QROG) list and those who have participated in at least two ISSF Championships during the Qualifying period will be eligible for the trials.

Shooters will earn points from the selection trials and the best three scores among the four will be considered. Additionally, shooters who have secured an Olympic quota will have one quota bonus point added to the combined scores of their trials.

The quota bonus point will also be awarded to shooters who were eligible to secure a quota based on their performance in any relevant ISSF event but was not awarded one as India had already obtained the maximum of two quotas in that particular event.

The Final Average Score (FAS) will then be calculated by adding the best three scores from the trials and quota bonus point, if applicable, and dividing it by three. Chosen shooters, hence, will need to participate in at least three of the four selection trials to be eligible to compete at Paris 2024.

Shooters will be ranked according to their FAS scores after the trials are over and the available quotas will then be distributed accordingly to the top-ranked shooters.

For the mixed team events at Paris 2024, the top-ranked male shooter in respective events will be paired up with the best-ranked female shooter in that category.

The shooting events at Paris 2024 will be conducted between July 27 and August 5 at the National Shooting Center in Chateauroux.