Shooting officials reacted with disappointment but little surprise to the announcement that the sport of shooting will not be part of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, reports David Owen.
So why did the organisers bin shooting, and choose women’s cricket, beach volleyball and para table tennis instead? Money appears to have been a major factor.
Clay Shooting understands that governing bodies and other parts of the shooting industry would have been prepared to contribute some £750,000 to upgrading Bisley, had the sport been selected.
That would have left an estimated further £100-150,000 to be found from other sources. The use of Bisley would also have entailed additional security, accommodation and transport costs, however.
The CEO of Birmingham 2022, Ian Reid, included “showcasing the sports to our local community” among the list of factors that led to the decision.
That suggests the idea of staging disciplines at the National Shooting Centre in Bisley, 130 miles south of Birmingham, may have counted against the sport – even though Bisley hosted shooting the last time the Games were staged in England, at Manchester in 2002.
Shooting organisations will now turn their attention to regaining shooting’s place for the next edition of the Games, which are to be held in 2026 at a so far undetermined location.
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