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Shooting Australia (SA) will initiate a range of new developments to its High Performance program through to the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games following confirmation of funding from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for the 2021-22 Financial Year.

Shooting Australia will receive total funding of $2,940,252 for its 2021-22 Olympic and Paralympic program. This is inclusive of an additional $40,000 for its Paralympic program. This funding comes after the AIS committed $2,900,252 for the current Financial Year last July.

Shooting Australia Chief Executive, Luke van Kempen, thanked the AIS for its continued support of SA’s High Performance (HP) program.

“This funding provides certainty for our athletes, coaches and staff and will allow us to finalise the preparation of our Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic teams as well as implement a number of new programs and activities towards Paris,” said Mr van Kempen.

“Shooting is Australia’s seventh most successful Olympic sport of all time and we are confident that the 15-member team we’ve selected for the Tokyo Games next year is capable of building on this success,” he added.

Shooting Australia High Performance Director, Adam Sachs, said that with funding secured for the first two years of the next Olympic cycle, SA could now initiate a range of new developments to its High Performance program.

“Our success in the Tokyo cycle has provided us with the perfect foundations to grow our High Performance program and continue to deliver world class performances through to the 2024 Paris Games and beyond.

“We are planning for a new National Squad structure that will support the development needs of more athletes at different stages of Shooting’s performance pathway,” said Mr Sachs.

“This will include integrating our able-bodied and para-shooting athletes – current and future – into enhanced HP programs for Rifle and Pistol disciplines in particular.

“The funding will also support increased investment in high-quality domestic and international competition that will challenge and support our athletes’ progress towards podium performances at benchmark events,” he said.

“And there will be increased support for the development of HP coaches with the character and skill to lead the development of our athletes, and a continuing commitment to growing our high performance culture – on and off the range – through the development of our people and teams,” he added.

Further information: Greg Campbell, PRISM Strategic Communications. Ph: 0418 239 139 E: [email protected]

Shooting Australia today announced the category nominees for 2020 Awards of Excellence to be held on November 17.

In a Shooting Australia first, the Awards evening, hosted by Jon Harker and Annabelle Williams, will be live streamed via Shooting Australia TV at 7.00pm (AEDST). With national and international competition significantly reduced this year because of COVID-19, the High Performance Awards will not be presented.

Shooting Australia Chief Executive, Luke van Kempen, said, “There just hasn’t been the right threshold of events in the period that warrants the recognition of these High Performance awards. Of the events that were completed, athletes who have excelled have been recognised with a place in the Australian Shooting Team for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held next year.”

The four Community Awards categories and finalists are:

• Volunteer of the Year: Doug Caple (NRAA), Jeff Bell (ACTA), Graeme Harvey (PA), Sylvia Muehlberg (TRA), Tania Evans (ACTA)
• Club of the Year; Melbourne Gun Club (ACTA), Belmont Junior Air Rifle Club (TRA), Rocky Gully Sporting Clays (SCA)
• Official of the Year: Ray Girdlestone and Janelle Rossiter (TRA, joint entry), Dennis Claxton (TRA)
• Coach of the Year: David Coleman (ACTA), Dina Aspandiyarova (PA), Mike Jarrad (TRA)

Mr van Kempen said the Awards reflect the important role and contribution the Shooting community plays across the country.

“We cannot underestimate the valuable contribution coaches, officials, clubs and volunteers play in our sport. They are the unsung heroes of Shooting and the Awards are about acknowledging the magnificent role they play,” he said.

“Their work has been especially challenging this year following the outbreak of COVID-19 . We recognise that people living in some states and territories haven’t had the same opportunity to take up the roles they normally would at their clubs due to the social distancing restrictions that have been in place.

“However, those clubs that have had the ability to re-boot this year have gone above and beyond the call of duty to provide their members with the opportunity to compete.

“We thank all clubs, officials, coaches and volunteers in our Member Organisation network and look forward to their ongoing work and contribution in the years ahead. Their work has been an inspiration for members of our community,” he added.

Further information;  Greg Campbell, PRISM Strategic Communications. Ph: 0418 239 139

Shooting Australia (SA) has been successful in obtaining a Performance Pathways Solutions Grant (PPSG) from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) to help develop the next tier of Shotgun event athletes.

The $287,000 grant over two years is the outcome of a significant piece of work undertaken by SA’s High Performance Unit (HPU) and will be used to identify and develop future Australian representative athletes in both Trap and Skeet events.

The grant is separate and in addition to SA’s existing high performance funding from the AIS, which supports the continuing development and performances of current Australian and Olympic representative athletes across Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun disciplines.

SA CEO, Luke van Kempen, said the PPSG funding is recognition of the outstanding international results achieved within the Shotgun discipline in recent years.

“Australia has a proud record in Shotgun events, particularly internationally in men’s and women’s Trap, and this grant will assist us to identify and engage our future Olympic and World Championship athletes,” said Mr van Kempen.

“It’s also important recognition of the work achieved to date by our Shotgun National Program led by National Coach, Richard Sammon,” he added.

“We thank the AIS for this investment and we believe it will assist us develop Shotgun athletes who can follow in the Olympic gold medal winning footsteps of Catherine Skinner, Suzy Balogh, Michael Diamond and Russell Mark.”

Sammon said there is great depth within Shotgun disciplines in Australia and said the grant will help develop this talent for future benchmark events including the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and beyond.

“Shooting is a sport where athletes can be highly competitive on the world stage for 10 or 20 years, so this PPSG investment carries long-term benefits for our sport,” said Sammon.

“We plan to identify and foster our next generation of Shotgun athletes and help develop their all-around skills through engagement in training camps and developmental competitions.

“Additionally, we will look to support these future stars by developing a network of coaches and support staff that will assist them throughout their journey,” added Sammon.

Further information; Greg Campbell, PRISM Strategic Communications. Ph: 0418 239 139 E: [email protected]

Tokyo Olympic Games bound rifle athlete, Alex Hoberg, is one of 16 athletes to receive a $2,500 Tier 3 scholarship as part of this year’s Sport Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring program.

The program is supported by Australian Government funding from Sport Australia and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and has grown from offering five scholarships since it began in 2006 to offering a total of 32 funded scholarships in 2021.

In April, Hoberg, 19, was selected by the Australian Olympic Committee to contest the 10m Air Rifle at the Tokyo Olympic Games next year following the Olympic nomination series held at the beginning of the year.

Shooting Australia CEO, Luke van Kempen, congratulated Hoberg on his scholarship saying it will assist with his preparation for next year’s Olympic Games.

“Alex is one of our finest rifle athletes and this scholarship is recognition of his continued outstanding performances at an elite level,” said Mr van Kempen.

“Alex represented Australia at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the 2018 Youth Olympics in Rio and is continuing to develop his international competitiveness. We look forward to seeing him in action at the Tokyo Olympics next year.“This scholarship will compliment Shooting Australia’s investment in Alex and will help assist him with costs associated with performing at the highest level and we thank the Sport Hall of Fame Scholarship & Mentoring program for their support and assistance,” he added.

Further information;

Greg Campbell, PRISM Strategic Communications. Ph: 0418 239 139 E: [email protected]

 

Shooting Australia will appoint a General Manager, Commercial and Marketing as it seeks to expand its revenue streams and broaden brand and marketing activity ahead of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games next year.

The newly created position will see the successful applicant work closely with Shooting Australia’s Member Organisations, plus key partner groups such as Sport Australia, the Australian Institute of Sport, the Australian Olympic Committee, Paralympics Australia, Commonwealth Games Australia and the International Shooting Sports Federation.

Shooting Australia CEO, Luke van Kempen, said the new role is an exciting development for the sport as its seeks to capitalise on new initiatives and the impact of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We have been fortunate to host both the World Shooting Para Sports and Oceania Championship late last year and complete our Tokyo Olympic Games nomination series earlier this year. And we will also host the World Junior Championships in 2024,” said Mr van Kempen.

“The General Manager, Commercial and Marketing will hold a key senior management position and lead a team of four reports as we strive to be a unifying leader in creating a strong and vibrant target shooting sport community that enables Australian athletes to perform among the best in the world,” he added.

Mr van Kempen said the successful applicant will develop and execute a sales strategy to generate new income streams, maximise commercial opportunities, oversee content generation and prepare an innovative communications strategy.

“Shooting has been one of Australia’s most successful sports at major international competitions for many years, and this role represents a great opportunity for an inventive and dynamic individual to help elevate our sports to new heights,” said Mr van Kempen.

While Shooting Australia’s headquarters is based in Australia, Mr van Kempen said the position is open to candidates who can perform the role while being based outside South Australia.

The position is advertised at Seek and can be viewed at https://www.seek.com.au/job/50604008

Applications close at midnight on Sunday, October 11.

 

Further information;

Greg Campbell, PRISM Strategic Communications. Ph: 0418 239 139 E: [email protected]

 

Shooting Australia will pay tribute to Shooting at a community level when it hosts the 2020 Awards of Excellence on Tuesday, November 17.

In a Shooting Australia first, the Awards evening, hosted by Jon Harker and Annabelle Williams, will be live streamed via Shooting Australia TV.

With national and international competition significantly reduced this year because of COVID-19, the High Performance Awards will not be presented.

“Unfortunately, there has not been enough competition in the period for the criteria of our High Performance Awards to be judged,” said Shooting Australia Chief Executive, Luke van Kempen.

“However there has been a sustained level of activity at the club level across Australia and we look forward to judging the four Community Award categories as we normally would at the Awards of Excellence.

“Shooting Australia would also like to acknowledge that community clubs, volunteers, coaches and officials have overcome significant challenges in maintaining opportunities for participants to compete during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said van Kempen.

“So, we have created the Community Acknowledgement categories this year to pay tribute to the inspiring work that continues at the grassroots level,” he added.

Award nominations cover the period of November 2019 and October 2020.

Four Community Awards will be presented. They are:

• Club of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Coach of the Year
• Official of the Year

More information on Community Awards

Additionally, Shooting Australia will acknowledge other activities that have taken place between November 2019 and October 2020.

The six Community Acknowledgement categories are:

• Officials in Training
• Club Improvements
• Most Adaptive Club
• Shooting Community Initiative
• Inclusivity Initiative
• Most Memorable Moment

More information on Community Acknowledgement

 

Nominations for the Community Awards are now open

Submission for Community Acknowledgement is now open

Submissions close at 5pm  Friday 16 October, 2020.

 

Further information;

Greg Campbell

PRISM Strategic Communications

Ph: 0418 239 139

E: [email protected]

Shooting Australia is excited to announce the 2024 Junior World Championships for Pistol, Rifle and Shotgun disciplines will be held at the Sydney International Shooting Centre (SISC) at Cecil Park.

The decision was made by the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) Executive Committee following a submission from Shooting Australia.

The decision to award the 2024 Junior World Championships to Sydney is another coup for Shooting Australia after it successfully conducted the World Shooting Para Sports (WSPS) World Championships in October last year, and a Junior World Cup event in 2018.

The date of the 2024 Junior World Championships has yet to be determined by the ISSF but Shooting Australia has proposed the event will be held in September 2024.

Shooting Australia CEO, Luke van Kempen, said the ISSF’s decision represents its continued confidence in Shooting Australia’s ability to stage world class events.

“The ISSF Executive’s decision is great news for the sport in Australia,” said Mr van Kempen.

“Australia continues to produce high-quality world-class athletes across all disciplines and the 2024 Junior World Championship is a further incentive for our young athletes as they come through the ranks and aspire to reach the top in our sport.

“SISC was purpose built for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games and it is appropriate the ISSF’s decision has been made as Australia’s celebrates the 20^th anniversary of ‘The Best Games Ever”.

“I would like to pay tribute to the continued support Shooting Australia received from the Australian Olympic Committee, Sport Australia and the New South Wales Office of Sport in submitting the bid,” he added.

The 2021, 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships will be held in Peru, Korea and Egypt respectively.

The ISSF also decided that the final open tournament of the year in 2021, with the participation of 12 best athletes in each individual Olympic discipline, would be held in the capital of Azerbaijan – Baku in the second half of October 2021

The 2021 competition schedule is;

Olympic and Paralympic Games

• All events, JAPAN (Tokyo)

World Cups

• WC Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun, INDIA (New Delhi)

• WC Rifle/ Pistol/Shotgun, KOREA (Changwon)

• WC Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun, AZERBAIJAN (Baku)

• WC Shotgun, EGYPT (Cairo)
• WC Shotgun, ITALY (Lonato)

Junior World Championship

• WCH Juniors all events, PERU (Las Palmas)

Grand Prix

• Grand Prix Rifle/Pistol 10m, SLOVENIA (Ruse)

• Grand Prix Shotgun, MOROCCO (Rabat)

• Grand Prix Rifle/Pistol, INDONESIA (Jakarta)

• Grand Prix Rifle/Pistol 10m, CROATIA (Osijek)

 

Further information;

Greg Campbell

PRISM Strategic Communications

Ph: 0418 239 139

E: [email protected]

 

Rifle Postal Competition 

A competition to enable everyone to stay connected while participating in a friendly series of competitions from the comfort and convenience of your local Rifle Range.

Location:

Your local Rifle Range.

Who can enter:

Any TRA Members who shoot Air Rifle, Three-Position and Prone.

Cost:

Free

Interested:

Email National Rifle High Performance Coach Petr Kurka ([email protected]) to register

Competition Schedule

Competition Results

Rifle Grand Prix Series 

Three Rifle Competitions, in conjunction with Target Rifle South Australia (TRSA) will be held during September and November 2020 to encourage competitive participation. There will also be a novelty ‘Game for Points’ on the Saturday afternoon of each event.

Location:

Target Rifle South Australia, Wingfield Rifle Range, South Australia

132-134 Wingfield Road North, Wingfield

Who can enter:

Any TRA Members who shoot Air Rifle, Three-Position, Prone and Benchrest and are able to attend the Wingfield Rifle Range.

 

Event 1:

25^th to 27^th September – 2020 TRSA State ISSF Rules Championships 2020

Cost $25 per Event

Program 

Entries

Entries Close Saturday 19^th September

 

Event 2:

29^th to 31^st October – Adelaide Rifle Grand Prix including Super Saturday

Cost $15 which covers Entry into as many events as you would like to shoot

Program

Entries

Entries Close Saturday 24^th October

 

Event 3:

26^th to 28^th November – Adelaide Rifle Grand Prix including Super Saturday

Cost $15 which covers Entry into as many events as you would like to shoot

Program 

Entries 

Entries Close Saturday 21^st November

Shooting Australia will appoint a Development Coordinator to create and deliver programs to drive target shooting sports participation at a club level in South Australia and ultimately discover the next generation of South Australian Olympic and Paralympic champions.

The newly created role has been made possible through funding received from the Office for Recreation Sport and Racing in South Australia (ORSR).

Shooting Australia CEO, Luke van Kempen said the successful candidate will be responsible for engaging and supporting South Australian Associations and clubs to grow membership and allow more competitors to flow through the pathway system.

“This project is a 12-month pilot delivered by Shooting Australia and we are grateful for the funding received from ORSR,” said Mr van Kempen.

“This role will discover the next generation of Olympians and Paralympians from South Australia, by creating or enhancing pathways for aspiring young shooters. We are looking for the next Jack Rossiter, Alex Hoberg or Libby Kosmala.

“With the Olympic and Paralympic Games to be held in Tokyo next year, this is an exciting time to join Shooting Australia and make a significant contribution to the development of the sport in South Australia.

“Working closely with national, state and club member organisations, this exciting role will cover a broad range of responsibilities that will be tailored to recognise the various needs of our different shooting sports,” he added.

“The role will assist South Australian member organisations to share existing best practises from within the sport and promote and market target sports throughout the state and ensure that a positive public image is promoted.

Kosmala, a winner of nine Paralympic shooting gold medals and three silver medals, welcomed the new role saying increased participation levels will help underpin future Games success.

“Shooting is a wonderfully inclusive sport. It is a sport for life and does not discriminate against age, gender, ability or mobility and I look forward to the positive impact this new role will provide,” she said.

The position is advertised at Seek and can be viewed here

Applications close on Wednesday, September 2.

Further information;

Greg Campbell, PRISM Strategic Communications. Ph: 0418 239 139 E: [email protected]

Shooting Australia has welcomed an additional $200,000 in funding from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) for its High Performance Program and activities.

The one-off funding boost is in addition to Shooting maintaining its current level of Government investment for the 2020-21 financial year.

Shooting Australia CEO, Luke van Kempen, said the confirmation of funding provides the sport with stability and some additional opportunities, leading into the postponed Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games next year.

“We are one of the few sports to complete team selections for the Tokyo Olympics, and our prospective Olympians now have the security of knowing they have a full 12 months to prepare for the Games with a full suite of resources behind them. Shooting Australia is incredibly grateful for the support received by the AIS and recognise the efforts of Federal Sports Minister, Senator Richard Colbeck, who has heard the call from sports and has committed funding for the next two years.

“COVID-19 has had a significant impact on athletes across all sports including Shooting, and we are pleased to have received some additional resources to support athlete wellbeing and engagement. This will ensure that our Olympic and Paralympic athletes are ready to perform – physically and mentally – at next year’s Games,” he added.

Mr van Kempen said an increase in funding for Shooting’s Paralympic program would help Australian athletes to secure two more quota positions for the Tokyo 2020 Games, and also build towards the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.

“Australian Shooting has a terrific record of Paralympic success, and we will be exploring all available opportunities to increase our team size and enhance potential medal-winning performances in Tokyo next year. At the same time, this additional investment will enable us to start the hunt for our next generation of Paralympic athletes in Shooting,” he added.

Shooting Australia High Performance Director, Adam Sachs, said the funding announcement was great news for the sport.

“With this commitment from the AIS, our Tokyo-bound athletes and coaches can stay focused on leaving no stone unturned as they progress their preparation for next year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games,” he said.

“And for the rest of Shooting’s High Performance community, this confirmation of investment means that we can get a head start on our program development and implementation for the next four-year Olympic cycle, which we believe will give us a competitive advantage in Paris in 2024,” said Mr Sachs.

Further information, Greg Campbell, PRISM Strategic Communications, Ph: 0418 239 139.