Regional Games to mark a year like no other for shooting Para sport

Shooting Para sport will have a year like no other in 2023. Five years ago, the sport was part of the competition programme of only one of the Regional Games at the Asian Para Games in Indonesia. This time, Asia, Europe and the Americas will host some of the world's best in continental multi-sport events. 

Here is what to expect from the Rotterdam 2023 European Para Championships, the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games and the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games.

European Para Championships

The inaugural European Para Championships will host four days of shooting Para sport from 17 to 20 August in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Eight shooting Para sport events will take place at Rotterdam 2023 featuring two men’s, two women's and five mixed gender rifle and pistol events. 

Rotterdam 2023 will distribute six quota allocations for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in five events (men’s R1, women’s R2 and mixed R4 rifle events; men’s P1 and women’s P2 pistol events).

Asian Para Games

The fourth Asian Para Games will be the second to take place in China. Hangzhou was initially schedule to take place in 2022 but has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the Games have retained the initial name Hangzhou 2022.

Shooting Para sport has been part of the Asian Para Games since the first edition in Guangzhou, China in 2010.

The Hangzhou 2022 competition programme includes 13 medal events, including three men’s, three women's and seven mixed gender rifle and pistol events. A total of 135 athletes are set to compete in the Games.

In the last edition of the Asian Para Games in Indonesia 2018, China, South Korea and Iran finished in the top three with three gold medals each. The Chinese took first place based on the number of silver medals (five ahead of Korea's three and Iran's one).

Parapan American Games

Chilean capital Santiago will host the seventh edition of the Parapan American Games and the second to include shooting Para sport events. Lima 2019 saw athletes from eight nations competing in eight medal events. 

USA topped the shooting Para sport medals table with five gold medals followed by Brazil (two golds) and Cuba (one). The Las Palmas Air Base shooting range hosted the Games in Lima and will be the venue of this year's World Championships in Peru.

Santiago 2023 will have two additional events compared to Lima 2019, featuring one men's pistol event, one women's pistol event and eight mixed gender rifle and pistol events. Forty-eight athletes are set to compete in Chile.

You can follow all the action of the three Regional Games on World Shooting Para Sport channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.