Doha: A record number of over 280 shooters from 37 countries will be competing in the week-long Qatar Open Shotgun championship which kicks off today at Losail Shooting Range.
Leading the challenge are several former world and Olympic champions, who will compete for top honours in Double Trap, Skeet and Trap events at the championship.
The eight-day championship, is hosted by Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA) for the sixth successive year and will be held in both the men’s and women’s section.
We’re really very pleased to announce that we’ve got a record number of entries for the 2016 edition of the Qatar Open Shotgun championship. As many as 285 shooters from 37 countries will be competing various categories of the senior and junior men and women sections,” said Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA) Secretary-General Abdulla Ali Al Mutawa Al Hammadi , while talking to reporters ahead of the championship.
The list includes shoters who have already qualified for the Rio Games.
“The presence of such a large number of shooters makes us feel very proud of our event. This year, as you know, we’ve the Olympic Games in Rio in August. The competition in each event is going to be quite high. Not only former world and Olympic champions are present here, there’re 34 shooters who have won the Olympic quota places for their respective countries,” Al Hammadi added.
Talking about growth of the tournament, the QSAA official said: “Over the years, we’ve been developing the sport and range. The shooters love coming and contesting here and there can’t be more clear proof of this than the presence of such big number of shooters from 37 nations.”
On Qatari shooters, he said, “We’re fielding 55 shooters. There are senior as well as junior shooters, who will gain some valuable experience, besides getting a chance to parade their talent.
“We’ve also gained two Olympic quota places through Rashid Saleh Hamad (Skeet) and Vitaly Dovgun (50m Rifle 3 Positions). We’re preparing our shooters in the best possible ways. This is an ideal opportunity for us to test our shooters before the Rio Olympics.” Today’s action is reserved for official training in Skeet.
The event ends on February 25. The first medals will be decided tomorrow.
The Peninsula
