The Commonwealth Games Federation’s executive board has rejected pleas to add shooting into the line-up of sports that will feature at the Birmingham games in 2022.
The decision was made despite Birmingham being the birthplace of the British gun industry, and still home to huge names in the shooting world including BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) and ammunition manufacturer Eley.
The organisers argued there was no local facility to host a shooting element at the games. But Bisley in Surrey was used as the shooting venue for the Manchester Games, and the 2022 cycling will take place at the London Velodrome, which is the same distance Bisley is from Birmingham.
There have been protests from a number of Commonwealth countries who won medals in shooting, such as India and Bangladesh, with one Indian official saying they should boycott the games. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland won 21 medals at the last games in Australia.
This could leave leading airgun shooters unable to represent their country on their home turf – including previous In The Crosshairs interviewees Kristian Callaghan, Emily Bale, Katie Gleeson and Phoebe Taylor.
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