As October comes to a close, we reflect on a month full of national and international competitions and activity.
Let’s recap October and have a look at what’s coming up. Plus, as always, some useful information and resources.
This month, Shooting Australia has released its 2025/26 Annual Report.
Annual Reports are produced each year by Shooting Australia, highlighting the organisation’s activities and achievements over the last 12 months.
Having successfully transitioned from the Paris 2024 Olympic/Paralympic cycle to LA 2028 during 2025, SA used the September 2025 to September 2026 period to consolidate its foundations and accelerate delivery of the LA 2028+ High Performance Strategic Plan. Across athlete identification, coaching, international competition, governance and major event planning, SA strengthened the systems, partnerships and capability required to pursue sustained success at LA 2028, and build towards the BNE 2032 home Games.
The 2025/26 Annual Report can be found at the link below:
SHOOTING AUSTRALIA 2025/26 ANNUAL REPORT
The ISSF World Cup Pistol / Rifle – Cairo, Egypt was held at the Shooting Ranges of Egypt’s International Olympic City between the 8th and 16th of October.
This ISSF World Cup welcomed a highly competitive field of 385 international athletes from 51 ISSF Member Federations. Australia was represented at this World Cup by a team of six athletes, including, Charlotte Bland, James Cane, Olivia Cartwright, Jack Rossiter and Rachael Saitz across Rifle and Alison Heinrich in Pistol.
The Australian Team was supported at this World Cup by Precision Senior Performance Coach, Petr Kurka, Precision Performance Coach, Carrie Quigley and Precision Performance Coach – Pistol, Vladimir Galiabovitch.
This competition provided another valuable opportunity for our athletes to test themselves against the world’s best, gain important international competition experience and continue building momentum for the events ahead, including the 2026 ISSF World Championships.
Full Australian Team results can be found on the Shooting Australia website via the link below:
FULL ISSF WORLD CUP – CAIRO RESULTS
The inaugural Libby Kosmala Para Futures Cup was held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra from 2–5 October, bringing together seventy emerging Para athletes from every state and territory to compete across 12 sports as four combined teams.
Australian and Paralympic sporting legend Libby Kosmala, who represented Australia in Rifle Shooting at twelve Paralympic Games and won thirteen Paralympic medals, including nine gold, was in attendance at the Cup. She encouraged the athletes to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn, connect and grow, while sharing insights into the commitment and dedication required to succeed as a Paralympian.
Shooting Australia was proud to work alongside Paralympics Australia to support the delivery of the Para Future Cup and to honour Libby Kosmala’s contributions to Australian sports.
Read more about the Libby Kosmala Para Futures Cup on the Paralympics Australia website via the link below:
LIBBY KOSMALA PARA FUTURES CUP ARTICLE
In October, Shooting Australia’s Shotgun Performance Coach, Renae Birgan was inducted to the Australian Clay Target Association’s Inaugural Sporting Hall of Fame.
Renae was recognised with this award for her incredible contributions to our sport as a talented and acclaimed DTL and Sporting athlete, having notably achieved success at the state and national levels as well as on the world stage.
Renae’s induction into the Sporting Hall of Fame is also representative of the depth of talent, level of achievement and the lasting contributions of women to clay target shooting sports in Australia.
Australian women have continuously represented our country with distinction on the world stage, contributing to the accomplished reputation that Australian shooting has garnered internationally. It’s important that their achievements are recognised, celebrated and remembered as part of our sport’s history, while also inspiring the next generation of women to pursue their own ambitions in shooting.
The fellow members of the Shotgun High-Performance Coaching Team reflected on Renae’s contributions to the sport, highlighting, “There could not be a more deserving recognition of someone who has given so much to our sport.”
I think what makes this honour so fitting is that it recognises more than results. It recognises the countless hours, the sacrifices, the difficult conversations, the belief in your athletes and the genuine care you have for every person within the team and the wider shooting community.”
Congratulations on your induction to the ACTA Sporting Hall of Fame Renae, and thank you for your incredible contributions to our sport.
Shooting Australia recently concluded its Inaugural Coach Development Program for 2026 with the final workshop held at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra from 23-25 October.
Over the last 12-months, the Coach Development Program has provided learning opportunities to the coaches within, through online education sessions, one-on-one consultations and in-person coach development activities, this workshop marked the third and final in-person event of the 2026 program.
This event offered participants a chance to extend their learning beyond the shooting range, through coaching observation sessions with the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Centre of Excellence programs at the AIS.
Through these session, participants gained a unique insight into high-performance coaching in action and how principles from other sports could strengthen their own coaching practices. Whilst basketball and ISSF shooting differ considerably in their physical and competitive demands, participants identified and understood the common principles and shared training themes between the two sports.
One program participant explained the benefit of the observational sessions, highlighting that, “Being able to listen in on the coaches and assistants and understand what they were looking at in the athletes was eye opening. I really enjoyed it.”
As the final event on the 2026 Coach Development Program calendar, this workshop offered participants the opportunity to put the last 12-months of learning into perspective and to acknowledge their growth throughout the program, as well as exploring how this year’s lessons could be translated into plans for 2027 and beyond.
Each participant was encouraged to develop and deliver a short presentation highlighting how the program had altered their coaching practices and shaped their priorities for future development.
The reflections from these presentations highlighted how the Coach Development Program has developed the participants’ approaches to coaching, enabling them to become more purposeful with their planning and making them more considerate of how mental performance skills could support their personal development, and the development of their athletes.
Read the full article on the Shooting Australia website via the link below:
The emblems for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games were announced in October. Drawing inspiration from the Australian spirited cockatoo, the Olympic torch and the colours of Queensland. The two emblems are an important step in developing the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic identity.
To hear more about the incredible details packed into the Olympic and Paralympic emblems visit the Brisbane 2032 website, via the link below:
The 2026 SARPA State Titles were held at the Noarlunga City Pistol Club, SA, from the 2nd to the 5th of October
Full results from the event below:
The 2026 NSWAPA State Championships were held at the Cessnock Pistol Club in Cessnock, NSW from the 3rd to the 5th of October.
Full results from the event below.
The 2026 Queensland State Titles were held at the Brisbane International Shooting Centre, QLD from the 3rd to the 5th of October.
Full results from the event below.
The 2026 WA ISSF State Championships Titles were held at the WA Gun Club from the 24th to the 25th of October.
Full results from the event below.
Where: Doha, Qatar
When: 1 – 14 November
Discipline: Pistol, Rifle & Shotgun
The 2026 ISSF World Championships will be the first opportunity for athletes to earn LA 2028 Olympic quotas. There is a total of 36 Olympic quotas up for grabs for the gold, silver and bronze medallists across each Olympic discipline.
2026 ISSF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS EVENT INFO
SASA Junior Championships (Tier 2)
Where: Wingfield Rifle Range, SA
When: December 12th
Discipline: Rifle
Entry Closing Date: 8th December
SASAS JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS EVENT INFO
ACTA ISSF Championships (Tier 1)
Where: Sydney International Shooting Centre, NSW
When: 13 – 17 January
Discipline: Shotgun
Entry Closing Date: 11th January
ACTA ISSF CHAMPIONSHIPS EVENT INFO
On Monday 19 October 2026, the Australian Government Office for Youth launched consultations to help inform the development of a new Youth Strategy.
The new strategy will build on Engage! A strategy to include young people in the decisions we make, which guides how the Australian Government involves young people aged 12–25 in government decision-making.
Through the consultations, the Office for Youth wants to better understand:
Young people aged 12–25 can share their views through the 2026 National Youth Survey. Responses will be accepted until Monday the 14th of December 2026.
To find out more, visit the National Youth Survey website via the link below:
ISSF Academy has an online D Course beginning on 11 January 2027 and an online C Course beginning on 1 February 2027 for Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun. You can find out more details and register for these courses via the ISSF Academy website at the link below.
Sport Integrity Australia & eSafety are continuing to host free educational webinars around safety and integrity in sports, with some upcoming webinars below.
When: Thursday, 12 November 2026, 12:30pm AEDT
To learn more about this webinar and to register your interest, click the link below.
When: Wednesday, 18 November 2026, 12:30pm AEDT
To learn more about this webinar and to register your interest, click the link below.
The National Team Selection Criteria and Selection Leaderboards can be found on the Shooting Australia website or via the link below!
TEAM SELECTION CRITERIA & LEADERBOARDS
The Australian Sports Commission has developed courses and resources for both coaches and officials, covering the essentials to help you succeed in your role as well as masterclasses for those who want to boost their skills and make sport more enjoyable for the athletes you support.
You can find the resources and more on the Play by the Rules website or via the links below:
OFFICIATING COURSES & RESOURCES
A range of Shooting Australia apparel is available through the online shop. Items from the 2023 OSF Oceania Championships are also currently on sale, with sizes and stock available while supplies last.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Shooting Australia TV on YouTube where you will be able to re-watch domestic event coverage, hear from athletes – post competition, and more! Best of all, it is free!
