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    • Totallympics

      Lineups for FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments confirmed

      Totallympics

      MANILA (Philippines) - The draw of the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments has been completed, meaning all 40 participating countries have their initial pathway towards Paris 2024 laid out.
       
      Offering an opportunity for those nations not playing at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, the winners of each FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments will line up at one of next July's FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, with the winners of those clinching spots for Paris 2024.
       
      The FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments will be played August 12-20 in dedicated host countries.
       
      The draw for the tournaments were made with seeding pots based on the FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike. The outcome of the draw was as follows:
      Africa
      Group Phase and Final Phase: Lagos, Nigeria  

        Americas
      Group Phase and Final Phase: Argentina (city to be confirmed)
      Asia
      The host of the tournament in Asia will be confirmed at a later date     Europe
      1st tournament, Group Phase and Final Phase: Istanbul, Turkey 2nd tournament: Poland and Estonia Group Phase: Gliwice (POL) and Tallinn (EST) Final Phase: Gliwice (POL)  
       
      Source: fiba.basketball
       
       Men's Basketball FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualification Tournaments 2023 Discussion Thread
       
       Men's Basketball Tournament at the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
      Read more...

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    • Totallympics

      All 24 teams for Men's Handball EHF European Championship 2024 confirmed

      Totallympics

      Qualifications for Men's Handball EHF European Championship 2024 are over!
       
      We knew 16 teams, we learned the remaining eight on Sunday evening.
       
       
      Teams qualified:
       
      Group 1: first , second Group 2: first , second Group 3: first , second Group 4: first , second , third Group 5: first , second , third Group 6: first , second , third Group 7: first , second , third Group 8: first ; second  
      They join the directly qualified teams: (hosts), , , (EHF EURO 2022 top 3).
       
      Three teams will make their EHF European Championship debut next January: Faroe Islands, Greece and Georgia.
       

       
      Next step is the draw for the preliminary round, scheduled for Wednesday 10 May 2023 in Düsseldorf. The 24 teams listed in the visual will all be eager to find out who they are going to play at the final tournament.
       
      The best unqualified team of the Men's Handball EHF European Championship 2024 will qualify for the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, and the best next teams will qualify for the Olympic Games Qualification Tournaments.
       
       Men's Handball EHF European Championship 2024 Discussion Thread
       
       Men's Handball Tournament at the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
      Read more...

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    • Josh

      Mountain biking hosts first Paris 2024 qualifier, as competition gets underway in Congonhas, Brazil

      Josh

      From April 26-30, Congonhas, Brazil is hosting the 2023 COPACI Mountain Biking Championships, an Olympic qualifier. One quota will be available to each of the men’s/women’s elite race winners. Should they qualify through other pathways, their quota would be reallocated. Also awarded, are important ranking points that count towards Paris 2024 qualification. 
       
      Now, for the men’s/women’s elite previews. In the men’s elite race, fourth ranked Martín Vidaurre (CHI) will be the favourite for the quota, however he won’t have it all his own way, as tenth ranked Henrique Da Silva Avancini (BRA), and twentieth ranked Jose Gerardo (MEX) are capable of defeating him. Notably, nineteenth ranked Carter Woods (CAN) is absent from the men’s elite field, instead choosing to compete in the men’s U23 race. In the women’s elite race, seventh ranked Kate Courtney (USA) will be the favourite for the title, but twenty second ranked Raiza Goulao Henrique (BRA), and thirty sixth ranked Emily Batty (CAN) could perhaps stage an upset.
       
      The opening ceremony of the 2023 COPACI Mountain Biking Championships took place on April 26, with the first event (mixed team relay) happening a few hours prior. April 27, the men’s/women’s elite XCE races took place, along with the infantojuvenil (12-14) and juvenil (15-16) men’s/women’s XCO races. Women’s masters race, and the men’s/women’s elite XCC races are on April 28, while the junior (17-18) men’s/women’s XCO races, and the men’s masters races take place on April 29. On April 30, the main events occur, with the men’s/women’s U23, and the  men’s/women’s elite races. 
       
      Josh, Totallympics 
       
       Mountain Bike Cycling COPACI American Championships 2023 Discussion Thread
       
       Mountain Bike Cycling at the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
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    • owenp_23

      Pan Am Cycling quotas awarded at COPACI Championships

      owenp_23

      A week of cycling competition concluded in Panama with four Olympic quotas awarded to three nations. The quotas will be in the possession of Argentina, Canada, and the United States for the time being as the Olympic invites earned at Continental Championships are third in order of hierarchy. Quotas earned through the UCI World Ranking and World Championships take precedence.
       
      On Saturday morning, Skylar Schneider of the United States led the pack across the finish line in the Women's Elite race and Olympic qualifier. 35-year-old Canadian Alison Jackson finished in the second qualifying position, beating out a group of 25 riders that sprinted across the line in a time of 2:48:08.
       
      Schneider and Jackson secured a spot in the Olympic Cycling Road Race for their respective nations, but as things sit right now, there is a strong possibility that Team USA and Canada are able to enter athletes via a different qualifying pathway. If this scenario were to play out, the Panamerican quotas would be reallocated.
       
      The Canadian flag flew a little higher on Sunday, as Gaspe, Quebec native, Pier-Andre Cote, came away with the Pan Am championship. Cote and compatriot Charles-Etienne Chretien (third place) were part of a pack of five pedaling towards the line. Squeaking in between the Canadian cyclists was German Tivani of Argentina, earning the South American nation their first quota place for the Summer Games Paris 2024.
       
      As mentioned earlier, the possibility of quota reallocation looms in the Men's Road Race as well. Top five finishes for Uruguay's Antonio Fagundez and Ecuador's Bayron Guama could carry importance later on in the qualifying calendar.
       
       Road Cycling COPACI American Championships 2023 Discussion Thread
       
       Road Cycling at the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
      Read more...

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    • Josh

      Two Paralympic quotas up for grabs as Cardiff hosts first Wheelchair Rugby qualifier

      Josh

      From May 3-7 2023, eight of Europe’s top wheelchair rugby nations (Great Britain, France, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Israel, Netherlands, Switzerland) will collide at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. Up for grabs is not only the European title, but qualification to the Paris 2024 Paralympics for the finalists. 

      Reigning Paralympic Champions Great Britain are the odds on favourite for the title, but you can never count out Reigning European Champions France, and 2022 World Championships fourth place finisher Denmark. 
       
      Host-nation France has already secured a Paralympic quota, which leaves seven nations left fighting for two spots. Barring disaster, Great Britain should secure one of those spots. Denmark is also likely to secure a spot, although I wouldn’t count out Germany.  
       
      There’ll be a few key names to keep an eye out for as competition gets underway. French captain Jonathan Hivernat (3.0) is an absolute cardio machine. Don’t be surprised to see him play every minute in some of the more crucial matches. Eric Peters (3.5) was a big reason why Denmark qualified for the previous Paralympics in wheelchair rugby for the first time. His speed up and down the court and his strength to maintain possession or win the ball back for the team through brute force is a major advantage for the Danes. Great Britain’s Johnny Coggan, is arguably one of the greatest 0.5 players of all time, and boasts an impressive five Paralympic Games in his resume (2004-2020). Coggan is known to create plenty of headaches for the worlds best attacking players, his ability to defensively positioning himself makes it very difficult for opposition to get through. Also from Great Britain is Aaron Phipps (3.5), who scored an impressive eleven tries against United States in the Tokyo 2020 gold medal match, and will look to be a factor again here.  
       
      The Opening Ceremony of the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championships is on May 3, with the first four play matches occurring the very same day. On May 4-5, pool play continues, and on May 6, classification round matches, 7th/8th place matches, and semifinals take place. 5th/6th place matches, bronze medal match, and gold medal match are on May 7. 
       
      Josh, Totallympics
       
       Paralympic Sports Qualification to Summer Paralympic Games Paris 2024 Discussion Thread
       
        Wheelchair Rugby Tournament at the Summer Paralympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
      Read more...

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    • Totallympics

      Road to Paris 2024 still open for 40 teams missing out on FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023

      Totallympics

      Coming up short of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 has not dashed the hopes of many players still dreaming of competing at the 2024 Olympics in France.
       
      The road to Paris is still open for 40 countries thanks to the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments being introduced this year.
      The FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments field will be comprised of the 28 countries that participated in the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers and did not qualify for the 32-team World Cup to be staged this summer in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia.
       
      Great Britain did not register for the event. They are replaced by Croatia, the best-ranked European team that did not participate in the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.
       
      Turkey did not qualify for the World Cup but can still reach the Paris Olympics
       
      The other 12 countries entering the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments will be among the highest-ranked national teams that did not qualify for the Second Round of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.
       
      The first 11 teams are Mali for Africa; Chile, Cuba and Virgin Islands for Americas; Chinese Taipei, Indonesia, Korea and Syria for Asia; and North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal for Europe as winners in each of their respective groups of the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Pre-Qualifiers.
       
      The 12th team is the best-ranked European team that did not qualify for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023. Following the IOC recommendations on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions published on 28 March, the FIBA Executive Committee has decided to not allow the registration of the Russian men’s national team in the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments 2023. Bulgaria, as the next-best-ranked European team, will be the final team to participate to the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments.
       

      Breakdown by region:
      Africa: Cameroon, Congo DR, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia and Uganda Americas: Argentina, Bahamas, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Panama, Uruguay and Virgin Islands Asia: Bahrain, Chinese Taipei, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Korea, Saudi Arabia and Syria Europe: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and Bulgaria.
       
      The Host selection for these tournaments will take place at the upcoming Central Board meeting on 28-29 April, and the Draw of the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments will take place on 1 May 2023.
       
      The FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournaments will be held from August 12-20, 2023, with the five winners earning spots in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments to be held in 2024.
       
      Source: fiba.basketball
       
       Men's Basketball FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualification Tournaments 2023 Discussion Thread
       
       Men's Basketball Tournament at the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
      Read more...

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    • Totallympics

      Details of the Pan American Road Cycling Championship in Panama 2023

      Totallympics

      For the first time in the history of Central America, based in Panama, the most important cycling event on the American continent will be held: the Pan American Road Championship, accompanied by the annual Congress of the Pan American Cycling Confederation. All this will take place from April 18 to 23, for which the Panamanian capital is ready.
       
      This contest has been held since 1974 and the XXXVII edition will be held with the customary modalities of Individual Time Trial and Road for the Elite, Sub-23 and Junior categories in men, as well as Elite and Junior in the case of women.
       
      This version grants a direct quota towards the Olympic Games to the Elite champions of the route, at the same time that it will deliver important points for the UCI world ranking towards the qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the rest of the specialties called.
       
      The presence of the majority of the 44 National Federations of the countries of the continent belonging to COPACI and five associated members, attached to the UCI and recognized as the only authorities in this discipline by their respective National Olympic Committees, are expected.
       
      The organizers have planned to carry out the event the Gonzalillo – Pedregal Highway (Vía Panamá Norte), in Panama City, where there will be a circuit of 12.8 kilometers in each turn.
       
      As for the COPACI Congress, it is scheduled for Thursday the 20th in the Bellavista Hall of the El Panama hotel, where in addition to the continental authorities and the presidents of the national federations, the presence of the President of the International Cycling Union David Lappartient is confirmed. .
       
      The day before, the UCI Exchange Platform will be held on the stage itself, which will be taught by Christopher Bifrare, Manager of Transversal Sports Operations; Laurent Bezault, Route Manager; Steve Côté, Director of International Relations and Jacques Landry, UCI Director, who will address, among other topics, Race Safety, Tools and resources for National Federations, as well as Satellite Centers on the Continent.
       
      Next we leave you the complete program of this meeting of work and competitions.
       

       
      Source: copaci.org
       
       Road Cycling COPACI American Championships 2023 Discussion Thread
       
       Road Cycling at the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
      Read more...

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    • Totallympics

      Shooting ESC 10m Events European Championships 2023 Final Review

      Totallympics

      Now when it is has lasted two days after the Championship, it is a good time to make a summary. There were totally 517 participants from 40 European Countries, 1086 starts.
       
      When we are looking at different statistics there is interesting information available. From 40 countries even 24 managed to win at least one medal. In my mind it is an excellent number, and it means that the high-level shooting sport has spread largely.
      Also when looking the countries who won Gold, it is interesting that there were different countries in Juniors and in Women/Men events: Italy, Sweden, Croatia and Denmark were the countries who won Gold medals in Juniors events, and Serbia, Norway and Germany in Senior (Men/Women) events.
       
      When studying the medal ranking/standing, Italy was the best in Junior events with 5 medals (3 Gold + 1 Silver + 1 Bronze). Behind Italy is Poland (2+0+1), Czech Republic (1+2+1) and Hungary (1+1+2).
       
      The list in Men/Women standing shows that Serbia is on the top with 6 medals (3+2+1). After Serbia comes Norway (3+0+1) and Germany (1+1+3). Norway is higher at the ranking while they have more Gold medals.
       
      But when looking at the medal standing, in which there are all events, Norway is on the top place. Norwegian managed to win 8 medals (3+3+2), Italy (3+2+3) and Serbia (3+2+3) reached the same number of medals too, but Norway had 1 Silver medal more.
      The Swedish Men Junior Team made a European Record in 10m Air Rifle Team Men Junior. It was the only new record in this Championship.
       


      Shooting sport is team sport too
      The Mixed teams are to stay in shooting sport. The numbers of teams will tell it; Air Rifle Mixed Team (M/W) was the most popular with 39 Teams and Air Pistol Mixed Team second with 32 teams, the most popular Junior team event was Air Pistol Mixed Team Junior with 30 teams. From regular Team (3 members) events the most popular was Air Rifle Team Women with 17 Teams.
      And finally, the last statistic will tell that the Air Rifle Women collected most participants (85), second was Air Rifle Men with 72 participants.
      Last but not least, there were 8 quotas to Paris 2024 (Women/Men, Air Pistol and Air Rifle) and 48 quotas to 2023 European Games.

      Big thanks and applauses to the Organizer
      It also time to thank the Organizer, Estonian Shooting Sport Federation. The Estonian Shooting Sport Federation successes awesome, the atmosphere was warm and friendly, although the weather outside was even -11 C and it snowed nearly every day. But the weather did not disturb. Interesting was that there were volunteers from Estonia, France and Finland. The co-operation managed absolutely well.
       
      I’ll miss the atmosphere of the “green” Final Hall in Ring Sport and Spa Center during the Finals when teammates and spectators supported roughly their athletes. It was fantastic!
       
      This Championship will last long in my mind.
       
      Thanks Estonia, thank you Tallinn, Thank you all!
       
      Source: esc-shooting.org
       
       Shooting ESC 10m Events European Championships 2023 Discussion Thread
       
       Shooting at the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
      Read more...

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    • Totallympics

      Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates take Olympic qualifying spots

      Totallympics

      In an exciting five-way battle for qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Doha (QAT) today, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates scooped the two qualifying spots on offer to teams from Africa and the Middle East.
       
      It was anchor rider, Abdullah Alsharbatly, who clinched a definitive Saudi victory with a brilliant double-clear performance from Alamo, while the UAE lined up in second, Egypt finished third, Morocco lined up in fourth and the hosts were eliminated in the second round.
       
      The United Arab Emirates had the advantage at the halfway stage with just eight faults on the board. But the Saudis were close behind on nine while Qatar also looked strong with just 10. And Team Egypt were also well in touch going into round two with just 13 on their scorecard, discounting the uncharacteristic 23 collected by their last-line partnership of Nayel Nassar and El Conde.
      The Moroccans however were already well off the pace when racking up 25 first-round faults, and although they rallied brilliantly second time out Philippe Le Jeune’s side couldn’t recover.
       
      Led the way
      Morocco led the way into round two, adding 16 more faults including just four each from Abdelkebir Ouaddar (Istanbull VH Ooievaarshof) and Abdeslam Bennani Smires (Davino Q).
       
      And although Egypt’s Mouda Zeyada and If Looks Could Kill OH picked up 16 faults second time out, his team was still well in contention when Karim Elzoghby and Zandigo left just one on the floor while Mohamed Talaat and Chakra made it all the way to the final fence on Uliano Vezzani’s 13-obstacle track before making a mistake there and picking up an additional time fault. 
      If Nayal Nassar could show his usual form at his second attempt then Egypt would stay well in with a chance. But the 12-year-old El Conde had objected to the open water fence first time out, and when he did it again and completed with 12 on the board then the final Egyptian tally rose to 34.
       
      Meanwhile the hosts began to look vulnerable as soon as the second round got underway with elimination for their opening combination. Hamad Nasser Al Qadi’s 14-year-old gelding Sirocco stopped twice at the triple combination, and when Saeed Nasser SA Al Qadi and Incredible W were eliminated for the second time in the competition then Qatar’s day was done because they could not finish with three scores on the board. 
       
      It was a tough on Rashid Towaim Ali Al Marri who had picked up just three faults in the opening round with Concordess NRW, and even more so for Bassem Mohammed who had produced a sparkling clear from Caletto Cabana, because they would not get the opportunity to go back in the ring again.
       
      Shaky start
      The Saudis got off to a shaky restart when their pathfinders Abdulrahman Alrajhi and Babalou HD returned a nine-fault tally at their second attempt. However a lovely clear from Khaled Almobty and the former Ellen Whitaker ride Equine America Spacecake steadied the ship, and when Ramzy Al Duhami and Untouchable made a dramatic improvement from their 17-fault scoreline in round one to put just six on the board this time out then things were very definitely looking better. 
       
      And then Abdullah Alsharbatly crowned their day with the only double-clear of the competition from Alamo, the horse that carried Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat to victory at the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Gothenburg (SWE) back in 2019, to leave his side on a finishing score of just 15 faults.
       
      The UAE’s Abdullah Mohammed Al Marri and James VD Oude Heihoef and Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi and Chacolu each had just a single fence down before their most junior team-member, 19-year-old Omar Abdul Aziz Al Marzooqi, picked up 10 faults with Dalida van de Zuuthoeve. That would be the drop-score when Mohammed Ghanem Al Hajri was last to go with G’s Fabian who returned with a total of nine and the final UAE tally would be 25 faults, plenty good enough to take that coveted second spot that will bring them to France next summer.
       
      Watershed moment
      There were a lot of happy faces during the post-competition interviews, and it was a watershed moment for the UAE team when achieving their very first equestrian Olympic qualification.
       
      “It was our mission to make history for our country, we never qualified for the Olympics as a team before”, Al Marri pointed out. “It’s been a long road, nearly seven or eight years planning and we failed the first time in Morocco so we were really desperate to qualify today. We had a lot of support from our Federation, our stables, our sponsors, the whole contingent from the UAE are supporting us, believing that we could do it today. We are so happy that we achieved it!”, he said.
       
      FEI President and IOC Member Ingmar De Vos, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez and Mr Sami al Duhami who is Chair of FEI Regional Group 7 were all on hand during the prize-giving ceremony in which the winning team from Saudi Arabia stood top of the podium. 
       
      Not surprisingly London Olympian and individual world silver medallist, 40-year-old Abdullah Alsharbatly, was delighted with the winning result. “I’m really happy for my King, my country, for my team-mates and for all the Saudis. I’m over the moon!”, he said.
      Ramzy Al Duhami, who was on the Olympic bronze-medal-winning Saudi team alongside Alsharbatly in 2012 will be heading to his sixth Olympic Games next summer. “I’m so happy for myself and my team-mates, they made a really great performance and our captain Abdullah Alsharbatly, he has really done it for us today!”, said the experienced 51-year-old athlete. 
       
      Youngest
      At 24 years of age Khaled Almobty is the youngest Saudi team-member.
      “Today is a day to remember for the rest of our lives! To qualify for the most important show in the world, the most important Games in the world - the Olympic Games - I’m very happy and proud of my team-mates for all the hard work they put in, and hopefully we can continue success in the Olympics!”, he said.
       
      Like the rest of his team, 27-year-old Abdulrahman Alrajhi was thrilled with the result. Asked how he felt about heading for Paris 2024 he replied, “I don’t think I will be able to explain it in words, because it’s plenty of hard work - not just me - the whole team has been doing it.
       
      “We were fighting for the last four years because we didn’t qualify for the last Olympics and we were fighting so hard to qualify for this Olympics. I’m so happy and proud to be part of this - if I could be like this baby (Khaled) then I’d be proud! Ramzy is also a legend in this sport and Abdullah Alsharbatly is our machine, he really put in an unbelievable two clear rounds today that we are very proud of - thank you Abdullah!”, he said as the celebrations began.
       
      Saudi Arabia and The United Arab Emirates now join the list of countries qualified for the Olympic Games in Paris next year. The hosts from France are automatically qualified while Great Britain, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands and Sweden qualified at last summer’s ECCO FEI World Championships and Belgium took the single qualifying spot on offer at the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Final 2022 in Barcelona (ESP) last October.
       
      Source: inside.fei.org
       
       Equestrian FEI Jumping Group F Olympic Games Qualifier 2023 Discussion Thread
       
       Equestrian at the Summer Olympic Games Paris 2024 Qualification Tracker
      Read more...

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    • JoshMartini007

      2022-23 Men's World Rugby Sevens Series Begins with Olympic Quotas on the Line

      JoshMartini007

      With the 2022-23 season set to begin, the top men’s rugby sevens teams will have more of an incentive to perform well with Olympic quotas on the line. Along with the overall series title, the top four nations will also qualify a spot to the 2024 Olympics.
       
      The 2022-23 Men’s World Series will consist of 11 stops, up two from last season. Hong Kong (adding two stops, including the first which starts today), Australia (Sydney), New Zealand (Hamilton) and South Africa (Cape Town) are all returning after missing the last two season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The United Arab Emirates (Dubai) will only host one event this season while Spain (Malaga and Seville) has been completely dropped. See the current schedule below.
       

       
      The other big change is the amalgamation of England, Scotland and Wales into a single Great Britain team. Due to this, Japan avoided relegation while the 2022 Challenger Series winner, Uruguay will join the series as one of the 15-nation core team for the very first time. The other core nations include Argentina, Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Ireland, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, South Africa, Spain and the United States.
       
      Each tournament will consist of 16 teams, the core teams plus one invited team where the winner of the cup obtains 22 points. Second place gets 19 points, third 17 points decreasing down to 1 point for the joint 15th place finishers. At the end of the series, the nation with the most points will be the title winner along with the top 4 qualifying to the Olympics.
       
      The defending series champion is Australia who despite only winning a single event was the most consistent nation where they finished in the top four in 7/9 stops. They were closely followed by South Africa and defending World and Olympic champions Fiji.
       
      Olympic qualification will be hotly contested. Along with the above three teams, Argentina had a great season and won bronze at the Olympics. A qualification through the World Series here would make the continental qualifier more interesting with Uruguay and Chile looking to take advantage.
       
      Perennial powerhouse New Zealand will also seek to return to the top after missing out in the first half of the previous season. Ireland, bronze medalist from the World Cup could be considered a dark horse along with the newly combined power of Great Britain.
      Read more...

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    • Vojthas

      Women's UEFA Nations League the path for Paris 2024 Olympic Games

      Vojthas

      UEFA announced the start of a new competition for women. UEFA Nations League will serve as a qualifier for the Olympic Games and EURO or World Cup, starting from the upcoming edition.
       
      The Nations League starts in autumn 2023 with the format similar to the men's version of the competition. The teams will be divided into three leagues - Leagues A and B consist of 16 teams each while the League C will feature the remaining teams, depending on the number of entries. In each league there will be groups of four (or groups of three in group C, if the team number won't be divisible by four). The matches will be played with a typical league system - one home and one away match with all the other teams in the group.
       
      The Uefa Nations League finals will feature the winners of the League A groups. They will be played with a single knock-out format - the semi-finals, the final and the 3rd-place match. The finalists will get the quota for the Olympic Games. For Paris 2024, if France gets to the final, the third-placed team will fill the remaining UEFA place in the Olympic tournament.
       
      The next phase of the competition will be the European Qualifiers. The winners and runners-up of Leagu A will stay there, joined by the winners of League B. The fourth-placed teams will be relegated to the League B. Also the winners of League C will be promoted to the League B, replacing the lowest-ranked teams from that League (including the lowest-ranked third-placed teams, shall there be more than four groups in League C). The remaining teams play in the promotion/relegation matches - the third-placed teams from league A will play the League B runners-up, with the winners playing the League A and the losers in the League B. The League B third-placed teams will play with the best-ranked second-placed teams from League C with the same rule of promotion/relegation.
       
      For the UEFA Women's EURO Qualifier the 8 top teams of League A will have a direct qualification. The remaining slots will be filled by the two-round play-offs. The 8 low-ranked teams of League A will play the top 8 of League C in the first round, while the teams placed 1-3 in the League B will play each other in the six matches (winners and top 2 second-placed teams are seeded). The fourteen winners will advance to the second round of play-offs, with another home-and-away game deciding the final spots.
       
      Photo: Wojciech Nowakowski/Totallympics News
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    • Mkbw50

      China impress again as World Rifle/Pistol Championships come to a close

      Mkbw50

      China have again led the charge as the 50m and 25m events at the World Shooting Championships (Rifle and Pistol) came to a close. The Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions, Men's Rapid Fire Pistol, Women's 50m Rifle 3 Positions and Women's 50m Pistol events all took place at the championships in Cairo, Egypt. The top four athletes in each event earned their country a spot at Paris 2024.
       
      There were a couple of permutations: in each event, each athlete could only earn one place each, and those that have already done so (at the European Championships in Poland) could not earn another one.
       
      Starting on the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions, and 101 athletes entered, with Norway's Jon-Hermann Hegg and the Czech Republic's Petr Nymburský ineligible to earn a spot (having already done so in Poland), meaning that ninety-nine were eligible. There was an additional pre-qualifying round (the elimination relay), in which Hungary's Zalan Pekler topped the scoresheet with 593 hits out of six hundred, as the total was whittled down to seventy. The top eight would make it out of qualifying, with six hundred shots once more. It was China's Liu Yukun who was top with 596, with India's Swapnil Kusale on 593 (40x) and Ukraine's Serhiy Kulish on 593 (37x) in second and third. Polish duo Maciej Kowalewicz (37x) and Tomasz Bartnik (32x) were next on 592, with Hegg (30x) joining Jonghyun Kim (30x) of South Korea on 591. The eighth spot went to Germany's Maximilian Dallinger, who was on 590 (42x), and beat out Denmark's Steffen Olsen (36x) and Norway's Simon Claussen (35x) to the final spot by virtue of having more inner tens shot.
       
      To the ranking match, where all eight would face off, with two series each in all three positions. Then, the bottom two would be eliminated, with an additional series in the standing position, where two more would be eliminated, and then another series in that position, where two more would be eliminated and the remaining two would advance to the gold medal match. After two series of each, it would be Dallinger (305.7) and Kim (304.5) that would be eliminated. The German struggled with the standing position after doing creditably with the first two, while Kim couldn't recover after a bad start kneeling. After the next series, subpar performances eliminated Liu (357.0) and Kowalewicz (356.6). In the final series, Kulish extended his lead with a final score of 413.9 in the final, to join Bartnik who struggled somewhat but also had enough of a lead to go through with 409.4. Hegg closed the gap to 407.9 while Kusale had a bad series that cost him a big chance to make the final and finished fourth on 407.6. In the gold medal match, both athletes would take turns shooting, with the higher score earning the athlete two points (if they were tied, both would have one point), and the first to sixteen being crowned world champion. With the score at 8-6 to Kulish, the Ukrainian won the next four shots to claim a 16-6 win. Thus, the first quota spots went to Ukraine (Kulish) and Poland (Bartnik). The next would ordinarily go to Hegg, but as he already earned a spot at the European championships, the next spots went to India (Kusale) and China (Liu) instead.
       
      In the Men's Rapid Fire Pistol, seventy-eight athletes entered, with France's Clément Bessaguet and Germany's Oliver Geis earning a spot in Poland, the other seventy-six were eligible. In qualifying, there would be six hundred shots, with the top eight making it. Bessaguet topped qualifying with 589, with South Korea's Lee Gunhyeok (23x) and Germany's Christian Reitz (19x) on 586. China's Lu Zhiming was next on 585, with the Czech Republic's Matej Rampula (24x), Pakistan's Ghulam Mustafa Bashir (19x), South Korea's Lee Jaekyoon (19x), and Germany's Florian Peter (19x) all qualifying, and Ukraine's Pavlo Korostylov (19x) just missing out: with the same number of tens, the next tiebreaker for the four was the last series: where Bashir earned 95 points, Lee and Peter 94, and Korostylov just 92. The ranking matches would be split into two matches of four, with the top two after four series of five (twenty shots) advancing. Bessaguet, Lee Jaekyon, Rampula, and Reitz were in the first match, but Lee's perfect second series was enough to carry him through. It was a three-way race for the second spot with Rampula on ten and both Bessaguet and Reitz on nine with one shot to go, but two misses for Rampula eliminated him while his adversaries got a perfect five. Thus, Bessaguet and Reitz entered a shoot-off, with the Frenchman winning 5-3. Lee was through on fifteen, as was Bessaguet on fourteen, while Reitz (fourteen) and Rampula (thirteen) missed out.
       
      In the other match, Bashir, Lee Gunhyeok, Lu, and Peter did battle. This race was much less close: Lee was through with sixteen alongside Bashir on fifteen, with Lu on thirteen and Peter on twelve. In the final, whoever was fourth would be eliminated after four series of five (twenty shots), with another eliminated after two more series (ten more shots), and a winner declared after two more. After twenty shots, both Bessaguet and Lee Gunhyeok had eighteen and were through, but Bashir and Lee Jaekyon both had fifteen: both missed their twentieth shot to avoid a shoot-off. In the shoot-off, it was tied 3-3, so another was held, with Bashir winning 5-3, eliminating one of the two South Koreans. But Bashir took just four of his next ten and was eliminated with nineteen hits to claim bronze. Meanwhile, Lee Jaekyon had hit nine of those ten while Bessaguet could only hit five, opening a 27-23 lead. But Lee missed six of the next four, finishing on thirty-one: his French opponent needed eight for a shoot-off, or nine for victory, but could only manage seven to finish on thirty. Thus, Lee Jaekyon was champion and earned the first quota for South Korea. With Bessaguet ineligible having already won a spot in Poland, the next spot went to Bashir. Lee Gunhyeok was ineligible as well as South Korea already had a quota in this event. For the final two spots, scores in the ranking round were compared. Reitz earned the first spot, meaning Germany have now a full team of two in this event, with the other spot going to China (Lu): tied with Rampula, Lu got the nod based on superior qualification.
       
      102 entered 50m Rifle 3 Positions qualification, with Denmark's Rikke Maeng Ibsen and the Czech Republic's Veronika Blažíčková already qualified, meaning one hundred remained who could. China's Shi Mengyao qualified top with 590 in the elimination relay, as the final seventy took off, again fighting for eight positions over sixty shots (and a maximum of six hundred points). China's Miao Wanru (32x) and Norway's Jenny Stene (28x) were top, ahead of Norwegian Jeanette Hegg Duestad on 591. The USA's Sagen Maddalena was next on 590, with Mongolia's Yesugen Oyunbat on 589. It was hugely close for the last three spots with five shooters on 587. Lee Eunseo of South Korea (33x), India's Anjum Moudgil (31x) and Austria's Nadine Ungerank (28x) all qualified, with Germany's Lisa Mueller (28x) and Switzerland's Nina Christen (27x) missing out: Ungerank getting the nod ahead of Mueller due to a better score on the final standing series (98-97).         
       
      The format for the ranking match was the same as in the men's event. Both Oyunbat (301.1) and Ungerank (300.6) struggled in the standing position and this was their downfall as they were the first to go. The same could be said about Lee (356.8) and Moudgil (355.4) and they couldn't recover in the final series and also were eliminated. Stene (412.5) and Miao (411.4) had strong final series and had also been the most consistent, putting them through to the gold medal match ahead of Duestad (410.0) and Maddalena (409.9). In the gold medal match, Stene opened a 10-4 lead before losing the next four to go 12-10 down. Miao was world champion after winning 17-13 in the end. Therefore, the first places went to China (Miao) and Norway (Stene). With Norway having already gotten a place, Duestad was ineligible for the next spot, so it went to the USA (Maddalena) instead, with South Korea (Lee) getting the last place.
       
      Finally, in the Women's 25m Pistol, ninety-one entered: German Doreen Vennekamp and Pole Klaudia Breś had already qualified meaning eighty-nine were eligible. In qualifying, where the maximum score was six hundred, Vennekamp was top on 590, with Iranian Haniyeh Rostamiyan next on 588. Indian Rhythm Sangwan was next on 587, ahead of Bulgarian Antoaneta Kostadinova on 586. France's Mathilde Lamolle was next on 585 (21x), ahead of China's Chen Yan, also on 585 (21x) by virtue of a superior final series: 100-99. South Korea's Kim Jangmi was seventh on 584, with a close-run four-way tie for 583 and the final spot, with Greece's Anna Korakaki (28x) just beating out German Monika Karsch (23x), Indian Manu Bhaker (19x) and Michelle Skeries (15x), also of Germany. The ranking matches worked just like the Men's Rapid Fire Pistol, with Kim, Lamolle, Sangwan and Vennekamp. Lamolle was well behind after three series with six, with Sangwan leading on eleven, Kim on ten (having missed three of her last five in the third series) and Vennekamp on nine. However, Sangwan remarkably missed all five of her final shots to get eliminated: Vennekamp and Kim went through on fourteen, Sangwan was eliminated on eleven ahead of Lamolle on ten.
       
      In the other ranking match it was Chen, Korakaki, Kostadinova, and Rostamiyan who were doing battle. Kostadinova led after three with twelve hits, with Rostamiyan on ten edging out Chen and Korakaki on nine. However, Rostamiyan only hit one of her final four while Korakaki only hit two. Thus it was Kostadinova (sixteen) who went through with Chen (thirteen), and Rostamiyan and Korakaki both missed out on eleven. In the medal match, Kostadinova lost her form and missed all shots in the third series, and was generally shaky, hitting just eight out of twenty and was eliminated miles behind. With the medallists decided, it was a tight battle as with Chen in front on fifteen after foru series, Kim and Vennekamp were both on fourteen with one to go. Chen was perfect to mean she was pretty much safe in the fifth, and Kim hit four and Vennekamp hit three. In the next, both were perfect, meaning the German was eliminated and won bronze on twenty-two. Meanwhile, both Chen (who missed two in the sixth series) and Kim were both on twenty-three. Chen had the advantage, 28-27 after hitting a perfect seventh series, but opened the door by missing two in her final series. Kim hit a perfect five to win gold, 32-31. The first quotas went to South Korea (Kim) and China (Chen). Vennekamp was ineligible having already won a spot, so the next place went to Bulgaria (Kostadinova). The next spot was based on ranking round, but with Korakaki, Rostamiyan, and Sangwan all level on eleven, Iran got the final place based on Rostamiyan's superior qualifying performance.
       
      With these championships now wrapped up, the next chance to watch shooting places be decided for Olympic places is the CAT XIII Championship in Lima, Peru, next month.
       
      Patrick Green
      Writer, Totallympics News
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