The competition exists out of two separate rounds. In the qualification, all competitors go through a course with several obstacles, with the goal to receive as few penalty points as possible as a team. The top 10 teams of the team qualifier advance to the final, with the team with the fewest penalty points after the final winning the event.
Preview[]
Twenty teams qualified for the event with a few favorites in the field. Sweden was the defending Olympic champion, beating the United States and Belgium for the gold medal. The Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany were traditionally very strong, with also France, Ireland, and Brazil among the potential medal contenders.