The skeet event involves up to a three-second delay after the shooter's call for the target. If the target is not released within that time frame, the shooter again may refuse the target by lowering the firearm. In the trap events, named for the device that fires the clay targets into the air, a bank of three traps set at different heights and angles sits within the trench in front of each shooter. The heights range from one to four metres, and the shooter does not know which of the three traps will release next. As each target is released, the shooter is allowed two shots.
Athletes move through a series of five adjacent shooting stations.
At each station, competitors mount their 12-gauge shotguns, call for the target and fire up to two shots per target. The men's match consists of 125 targets, shot in five rounds of 25 over two days. The women's match consists of 75 targets, shot in three rounds on one day plus final. After the qualification round of 125 targets for men or 75 targets for women, the top six competitors advance to a 25 targets final round. In the skeet event, the two targets are released from separate trap houses at either end of a semicircle.