ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1
2
New Percentile-Based Ranking Model (2027)
3

Overview
Going forward the High Performance Program will use a percentile-based ranking system to assess and compare athlete performances for the purposes of ranking athletes across disciplines.

This system replaces the previous approach of using a percentage of an 8th place standard based on a single reference year (e.g., “2022 average 8th-place World Cup scores”) with a multi-year, evidence-based model that reflects how scores have translated into competitiveness at the highest levels of international competition.
The model is built using international results from 2017–2024 and is designed to answer a fundamental high-performance question:
4
“If this score were achieved in a typical world-class field, where would the athlete place?”
5

Rather than predicting a fixed finishing position (e.g., 8th or 15th), the model predicts an athlete’s percentile placing within a modeled world-class field. This allows for consistent comparison across disciplines with different field sizes and scoring systems. Within this spreadsheet is presented:
• The Raw Data from the Model;
• The complete normalized score tables – men and women - used to calculate percentile-based rankings and overall team selection rankings; and
• A tabulation of the “Performance Standards” associated with specific score ranges in a world-class field for each ISSF Olympic event.

How the Model Works
• Scores are evaluated relative to a modeled world-class field of 100 athletes for each discipline.
• Each score corresponds to a predicted percentile placing
• Percentile rankings can be translated into approximate finishing positions depending on the size of the competition field.
• This approach allows for fair comparison within and across disciplines.

Procedure for Application
• Athletes submit four (4) eligible scores during the Intake Period, in accordance with the 2027 Team Selection Policy.
• For each athlete the average of the four (4) submitted scores (“Average Score”) is calculated.
• The athlete’s Average Score is applied to the Percentile-Based Ranking Model.
• The model assigns a predicted percentile placing in a world-class field.
• An athlete must achieve an Average Score at or above the modeled score to be assigned that predicted placing.
• Athletes are ranked from highest to lowest performance based on predicted placing.
• Higher-performing athletes (lower percentile values) rank above lower-performing athletes.
• If two or more athletes have the same predicted placing: The athlete with the highest single submitted score is ranked higher.

Summary
The Percentile-Based Ranking Model:
• Anchors selection to world-class performance standards
• Enables fair comparison across disciplines and field sizes
• Supports a transparent, objective, and future-focused selection process aligned with Olympic and Paralympic performance goals
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100