The second edition of the HH The Amir Grand Prix for Shotgun began on Friday at the Lusail Shooting Range Complex and will run until February 21. The event has attracted significant participation, with 250 male and female shooters from 34 countries, including 12 Olympic champions and 42 members of the Qatari national team.
The opening day of the championship featured official training for the skeet competition across four categories: men, women, youth, and junior women. A total of 66 shooters participated in the men’s category, 14 women in the women’s category, 16 men in the youth category, and 5 women in the junior women’s category.
On the first day, the Qatari national team shooters delivered impressive performances in preparation for the official competition, which kicks off on Saturday. Notable Qatari participants include Nasser al-Attiyah, Rashid Saleh, Ali Ishaq, Reem al-Sharshani, Hajar Mohammed, and Sarah Mohammed.
The championship will feature both skeet and trap shooting competitions in the four categories: men, women, youth, and junior women.
In the skeet competitions across five fields, shooters will aim to hit 75 targets, divided into three rounds. The competition will continue on Sunday with two rounds, shooting 50 targets (25 per round). The best six shooters will qualify for the final round, competing for the top three spots. After the skeet competition concludes, the trap competition will commence on Monday for the four categories, with 101 shooters in the men’s category, 30 in the women’s, 10 in the youth, and 4 in the junior women’s category.
Shooters in both the skeet and trap events will compete for podium spots and championship prizes. The Qatar Shooting Federation has allocated valuable prizes totalling 122,000 euros.
The event will also feature 11 international referees from Qatar, the UAE, Oman, and Saudi Arabia. All rules approved by the International Shooting Federation will be enforced, particularly those regarding security and safety, to ensure the competition proceeds smoothly.
The Amir’s Grand Prix Shotgun Championship, organised by the Qatar Shooting and Archery Federation at the start of the season, serves as the ideal preparation for the Qatari national team. It forms part of their build-up for upcoming international events, including three World Championships, a World Cup, the Asian Cup, and the Arab Championship, which will take place in Egypt next April.