To be nominated to the U.S. Paralympic Team, athletes must have a current Para international classification, which determines the division in which the athlete is eligible to compete.
Each country can qualify a maximum of two quota slots in each of the following categories: Recurve Men Open, Recurve Women Open, Compound Men Open, Compound Women Open, W1 Men Open and W1 Women Open.
For Paris 2024, the best chance for the U.S. to qualify quota slots is at the World Archery Para Championships in the Czech Republic, which is also the only opportunity for a nation to win their quota spots as a mixed team. Quota slots will also be allocated at the 2023 Para Pan American Games, followed by a Final Qualification Tournament in 2024.
Additional quota slots may be awarded via bipartite commission invitations. In total, there will be 140 quota spots up for grabs, with spaces for 75 men and 65 women in a step towards greater gender parity at the Games. (Read the 2024 Paralympic Games Qualification System).
To select athletes to the U.S. team quota slots, USA Archery hosts a multi-stage U.S. Team Paralympic Trials. To compete in the Paralympic Trials, a minimum of a Para national classification is required. The athlete must also achieve a minimum qualification standard score for their division as established by World Archery.
The stage one Paralympic Trials Qualification Event is open to anyone who officially registers for the event and meets the eligibility requirements in the Paralympic Games Athlete Selection Procedures established by USA Archery and World Archery. The Paralympic Trials will conclude in the spring of the Paralympic year.
Trials events consist of 70m or 50m, 72 arrow rounds and round robin match play. Each athlete will accumulate points through each event and their total cumulative points from all events will determine their final ranking.
If USA Archery has earned two Paralympic quota slots in each division, the top two archers per division will be nominated to the U.S. Paralympic Team. The athlete who is ranked third is named the Alternate to the U.S. Paralympic Team. If just one quota slot is earned in a division, only the top finisher in the Trials will be nominated to the U.S. Paralympic Team.
