The individual pursuit competition consisted of a qualifying round and a 4-round knockout tournament (increased from three rounds in previous Games), including a bronze medal race. Each race, in both the qualifying round and the knock-out rounds, consisted of a pair of cyclists starting from opposite sides of the track.
The solo event included an initial round and a 4-round single-elimination tournament (upgraded from three rounds in previous Games), featuring a bronze medal contest. In each race, whether in the initial round or the elimination rounds, two cyclists began at opposite ends of the track.