Pakistan to hold Extreme Long Range (ELR) shooting championship for first time

The second Muhammad Ali Jinnah Open Shooting Championship will be held in the city of Bahawalpur in southern Punjab region from 5^th to 18^th Dec 2019 – a city characterised by rich architecture and the serene  beauty of the surrounding Cholistan desert. It is being held at the Noor Mahal Palace with sponsorship by the Muhammad Ali Jinnah Field Sports Club.

The first Muhammad Ali Jinnah Open Shooting Championship was held in 2016 at Quetta in Balochistan Province of Pakistan. This was followed by a localised championship in 2017 in the historic city of Lahore.

The competition has been created to promote shooting skills in a constructive and progressive manner. The aim is to achieve multiple objectives; to introduce ELR  shooting matches for the first time in Pakistan and to create opportunities for local shooting talent to compete with renowned foreign shooters. The platform is designed to promote shooting sports among all genders and to remove the age barrier, with the aim of identifying young talent and promoting healthy activity.

In Pakistan shooting sports have previously been largely confined to elite clubs. This is due to various impediments, including lack of infrastructure, promotion and patronage. In addition existing forums in Pakistan have an elitist outlook with exclusivity in membership, making competitive shooting less accessible to those from less privileged classes. It was to remove these barriers to competitive shooting sports in Pakistan that the  Muhammad Ali Jinnah Open Shooting Championship was initiated.

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Open to all participants

The 2019 event is open to all participants, local and foreign, and aims to attract nationwide sport shooting talent. There will be various categories of shooting matches. The pinnacle will be the ELR T (Tactical) class matches, which will be conducted at a purpose-built 1500m shooting range. These ELR matches will be conducted for the first time in Pakistan and the skills and match temperament of the shooters will be tested to the limit. To create further challenges for the shooters, events will be conducted in a wintry desert environment.

The anticipated participation of a large number of both Pakistani nationals and foreign visitors at the event is giving local and foreign manufacturers the opportunity to exhibit weaponry, ammunition and technology.

In addition, the competition runs alongside a tourism promotion drive launched by the government of Pakistan. It aims to promote international and domestic tourism in the historic region of Bahawalpur, while providing an opening to explore the architectural treasures, historic palaces, forts, art, craft, culture and the ecology of the Cholistan Desert.

For further information about matches, venues, rules, regulations, and registration visit the event website.