SFC selects athletes to its National, Development, and Junior representative teams based on demonstrated performance against published performance standards and the objectives of SFC’s High Performance Program.
The National Team includes athletes capable of delivering competitive international performances and progressing toward Top-15 ISSF World Cup results, CAT Games finals, and Olympic or Paralympic quota positions. The Development Team includes athletes demonstrating the performance trajectory to progress toward National Team standards. The Junior Team includes athletes eligible under ISSF Junior age criteria who are capable of competitive international junior-level performances and who demonstrate the potential to transition to senior international competition.
Athletes who meet the minimum standards required to compete internationally, but who do not yet meet National, Development, or Junior Team criteria, may be recognized as Identified (ID) Athletes, providing a pathway toward future team selection.
2027 Percentile-Based Ranking Model
The High Performance Program uses a world-class, percentile-based ranking system to assess and compare athlete performances for the purposes of National and Development Team selection. This replaces the previous approach, of using a % 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 actually translated into competitiveness at the highest levels of international competition.The complete normalized score tables used to calculate percentile-based rankings and overall team selection rankings are available here.
2027 Team Selection Criteria
National & Development Teams EN FR
2026 Team Selection Criteria
National & Development Teams EN FR
National Paralympic Team EN FR
2026 Team Designation and Ranking List (August 21 2026)
Correction Notice – 2026 SFC Athlete Rankings
An administrative review identified errors in the ordering and overall ranking positions of several athletes in the published 2026 SFC Athlete Rankings.
The underlying submitted scores and four-score averages were not affected. The rankings have been corrected to ensure that event-specific and overall rankings consistently reflect each athlete’s percentage of the applicable performance standard. The Team Designations and AAP Carding Selections were not affected by these corrections.
The corrected ranking list replaces the version previously published. We apologize for the error.
Athlete Assistance Program (AAP)
SFC also nominates a limited number of eligible athletes each year to Sport Canada for consideration under the Athlete Assistance Program (AAP Carding) based on criteria outlined in the following document:
2026 Athlete Assistance Program Criteria – EN FR
2027 Athlete Assistance Program Criteria – EN FR
