Eight team invitations to Rio 2016 are available in each the men’s and women’s recurve competitions at the world championships in Copenhagen.
The top qualifying 16 teams qualify for the head-to-heads. The rest are out of the team events and out of the team quota competition.
Those top 16, they shoot their first round match – and the winners get Olympic qualifying spaces. (Unless Brazil is one of those top eight, when because they get automatic spaces as a host nation another team from the first-round losers qualifies in their place.)
Everyone else, all other nations, then look to secure individual places in the individual quota tournament in Copenhagen before the secondary phase of quota competitions begin at continental events over the months leading into 2016.
The team competition in Copenhagen really is a big deal.
Bearing in mind the recurve team ranking round has such a big impact on the Olympic Games – landing in the top 16 is critical and the higher you qualify, the better the chance of winning that first match – taking a look at each squad’s best scores so far in 2015 might give some indication as to who will be celebrating early on in the world championship week.
(All these scores were shot at continental level tournaments or higher.)
Recurve women
Korea, top of the pile with a brand new world record at the Universiade, is all but a lock to take a quota spot. Germany, Mexico and the USA look strong – but if this list was the result of qualifying in Copenhagen, there would be some favourites missing.
Denmark, bronze medallist at the last worlds, was strong at the Baku 2015 European Games and only just makes the cut – and France, Great Britain and India would all be absent.
- Korea – 2038 points
- Chinese Taipei – 1979
- Russia – 1973
- Germany – 1969
- Japan – 1963
- China – 1961
- USA – 1956
- Italy – 1938
- Georgia – 1936
- Vietnam – 1934
- Mexico – 1932
- Kazakhstan – 1928
- Indonesia – 1921
- Spain – 1921
- Denmark – 1919
- DPR Korea – 1919
Recurve men
Over 50 points ahead of the nearest competitor, Korea qualifies well – but, recently, has not performed in head-to-heads. In Copenhagen, the ranking round counts more than anywhere else.
The new-look USA squad deserves a second place and if that squad shoots to its potential, it will take it. With third and 12th on this list separated by just 15 points, making that vital top 16 will be tough and tight.
- Korea – 2078 points
- USA – 2021
- Chinese Taipei – 2014
- Netherlands – 2012
- Indonesia – 2010
- India – 2004
- France – 2004
- Belarus – 2004
- Ukraine – 2003
- Japan – 1999
- Australia – 1999
- Italy – 1999
- China – 1996
- Spain – 1992
- Mexico – 1989
- Germany – 1985
At the end of the day, the only score that matters is the score on the field in the tournament that counts.
But – going by this list – it will be a big score that’s needed to secure certain or a chance at taking one of those highly-coveted team quota spots to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
