Shooting Australia is pleased to announce the names of the 45 athletes that will comprise the 2026 National Squad.
Athletes have been identified by Shooting Australia’s Categorisation Panel in accordance with the Athlete Categorisation Policy 2026-2028. This Policy, approved by the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), provides a clear and consistent basis to:
· Identify athletes with the greatest potential to contribute to Australia’s performance targets at Pinnacle Events (Olympic and Paralympic Games);
· Inform the prioritisation of Sport System support to these athletes; and
· Track athlete progression based on their performance over time.
Shooting Australia Chief Executive Officer, Adam Sachs, said of today’s announcement, “Congratulations to the 45 athletes that have been named in this year’s National Squad. This is important acknowledgement of their current levels of performance as well as their potential to contribute to our objectives at the LA 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
Sachs continued, “Our 2026 National Squad includes 23 ‘current cycle’ athletes who we believe will play a significant role in Australia’s qualification for and success at the LA 2028 Olympics and Paralympics. We have also significantly increased the number of ‘future cycle’ athletes to 22 and this group will strengthen our pathways to and performances at our Brisbane 2032 Home Games and beyond.”
In 2026, 21 of the 45 athletes selected to the National Squad have also been ‘categorised’ with the AIS, which means that they will be prioritised for performance support from the National Institute Network and access to targeted national camp and international competition opportunities. AIS-categorised athletes will also be eligible to receive Categorised Athlete Support (CAS) investment from Shooting Australia.
“We are very proud of the direct financial support that we have provided to athletes through our CAS Program in recent years and in 2026, Shooting Australia has increased its commitment to $322,000 and in addition to $133,000 of dAIS funding [Direct Athlete Support] from the AIS. This total of $455,000 cash support is intended to help our 21 AIS-categorised athletes to commit to their training without compromise and perform when it counts.” Sachs said.
“Shooting Australia’s High Performance Program staff are well-progressed with the development of individual performance plans for members of our 2026 National Squad. We are excited to be resourcing and supporting the implementation of athletes’ plans towards international success, including at Olympic and Paralympic qualification competitions later this year. We also continue to be very grateful for the Win Well investment provided to our athletes, our organisation and our sport by the Federal Government through the AIS,” Sachs concluded.
NATIONAL SQUAD AND CATEGORISED ATHLETE SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Any enquiries can be directed to Jane Vella, Shooting Australia’s Sport Development, Event and Communication Manager, via jane@shootingaustralia.org or 0407 859 197, OR Chief Executive Officer Adam Sachs via adam@shootingaustralia.org or 0417 785 115
