UK to host Shotgun World Cup in build up to 2012 Olympics

The week long competition will mark the start of qualification for those athletes hoping to win a place in the London 2012 Olympic team, with one Olympic quota place available per discipline. Great Britain will automatically qualify one Olympic place per discipline as the host nation; nevertheless the World Cup offers a great opportunity to gain an extra place, two years out from the world’s most famous sporting event.

This will be the first time the UK has ever held a Shotgun World Cup, which is ranked only behind the World Championships and Olympic Games in importance for competitive shots. The event is likely to attract around 650 competitors from 85 countries, all battling for Olympic qualification points and places.

The World Cup will mirror the Olympic shotgun programme, with skeet and trap competitions for men and women, and double trap for the men.

UK Sport are supporting the event, providing up to £275,000 from its National Lottery funded World Class Events programme. Clare Hartley, events consultant for UK Sport, said: “We are really excited to be investing in the 2010 World Cup. In addition to the lure of Olympic qualification, the event will give us a brilliant opportunity to build capacity for the Olympic Games two years later.

“We will have the chance to give international competition experience to around 50 volunteers and 35 officials in a technical sport, where highly-trained personnel are vital to the success of the event.”

Phil Boakes, CEO of British Shooting, said: “This event will give GBR shooters the opportunity to use their home advantage to the fullest.

“All those on the World Class programme will be taking the opportunity to practice and become completely familiar with all the conditions on the layouts that will be used. Hopefully during the event they will be cheered on to victory by the partisan crowd supporting them.”