Al Ain opens 2019 shooting Para sport season

The 2019 World Shooting Para Sport season will begin in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE) with the year’s first World Cup from 16-24 February. The competition will see the battle for Paralympic qualification slots heat up as Tokyo 2020 approaches.

The 2018 event in Al Ain saw 221 athletes from 41 countries participate, with similar numbers expected in 2019.

All 13 medal events featured in the 2020 Paralympic programme will be contested, including the newly added R9 (mixed 50m rifle prone SH2).

Athletes will look to make a strong start to the year, with many returning from a busy 2018 season that included the World Championships in Cheongju, South Korea; the European 10m Championships in Belgrade, Serbia; and the inaugural World Championships in Para trap that took place in Lonato, Italy.

It is the fourth consecutive season that Al Ain has hosted shooting Para sport competition, and the second time it will feature Para trap, which became an official discipline under the sport’s International Federation in 2017.

World Shooting Para Sport Manger Tyler Anderson said: “The Al Ain World Cup will be an exciting way to kick off an important year, as athletes look to book their ticket to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

“The Zayed Higher Organisation and Al Ain Equestion, Shooting, and Golf Club are both familiar with hosting shooting Para sport events, and year after year, they continually raise the standard of quality, and we are certain they will deliver yet another world-class event.”