See main article: Skeleton at the 2018 Winter Olympics. The following were the criteria, rules, and standings for qualification for the Skeleton competitions at the 2018 Winter Olympics.[1]
A maximum of 50 quota spots were available to athletes to compete at the games. A maximum 30 men and 20 women could qualify. The qualification was based on the combined rankings (across all four tours) of 14 January 2018 (after the seventh World Cup event of the season, in St. Moritz). Competitors had to have competed in five different races on three different tracks during the 2016/17 season or 2017/18 season. Males had to be in the top 60 of the world rankings, while women needed to be in the top 45, after eliminating non-quota-earning competitors from countries that have earned their maximum quota. Each continent (Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania) and the hosts were allowed to enter a competitor provided they meet the above standard. If any of these automatic places had gone unfilled, they were reallocated to unrepresented countries with qualified competitors in order of ranking. Thirty men were allowed to compete (maximum of three NOCs with three and six NOCs with two). Twenty women were allowed to compete (maximum of two NOCs with three, four NOCs with two).
Races from October 15, 2017 until January 14, 2018 applied to qualification for the Olympics. In general this meant that the Olympic field is established by using the first seven world cup races of the 2017-18 season, but also includes results from Intercontinental, Europe, and America cup races. Four competitors were then allocated in both competitions, first for the host (if not already qualified), and then for continents not previously represented. If a nation refused a quota it was reallocated. Unused or reallocated spots were filled on January 19, 2018 by nations not previously entered.
The following summary is a breakdown of Olympic qualification based on the IBSF rankings and adjustments, following reallocation.[2] [3] Numbers beside the nation indicate the rank of the sled that establishes the NOC's number of qualifiers.
| Nations | Men | Women | Athletes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| Total: 23 NOCs | 30 | 20 | 50 |
Final rankings by nation.[4]
| Sleds qualified | Countries | Athletes total | Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 23 | |
| 2 | 6 | 12 | 4 9 16 20 22 44 | |
| 1 | 11 | 11 | 11 18 27 31 34 42 43 46 60 61 79 99 | |
| 30 | 19 | 30 |
Final rankings by nation.[5]
| Sleds qualified | Countries | Athletes total | Nation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 6 | 7 8 | |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | 13 18 | |
| 1 | 10 | 10 | 9 11 12 14 15 20 32 36 41 71 | |
| 20 | 12 | 20 |