Let’s put shooting back on the Games agenda

The 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games have come and gone with the notable absence of shooting from the line-up, this despite the sport having been part of every Games since 1966 in Kingston, Jamaica (except for 1970). We were given warning of this back in 2018 when this year’s host country was confirmed but a lot of water has flowed under the bridge since then. To the general public it may not seem that important but to the firearms community there’s an underlying concern this could set a precedent in excluding shooting from future Games line-ups.

For that reason the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia is excited to throw its support behind Shooting Australia’s bid to have target shooting included in the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games. Our 211,000-plus members across Australia form a significant portion of the target shooting community in this country, with a number of notable elite shooters including James Willett, Katarina Kowplos and SSAA columnist Latiesha Scanlan hailing from our ranks.

Shooting has the potential to be included in the sports program for the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games via a formal submission and show of support from the shooting community. SSAA members can join the Shoot for the Games 2026 chorus on social media and share why their sport deserves to be included in the 2026 line-up by using #ShootForTheGames2026 and #commonwealthgames2026 when posting and tag both @CommGamesAus and @shootingaustralia. We look forward to hearing the outcome of Shooting Australia’s efforts and have high hopes of good news.

Meanwhile an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in Indonesia and increased risk for Australia presents a timely reminder to hunters. FMD is a highly contagious viral infection of animals and one of the most serious livestock diseases which can be transmitted through clothing, equipment and footwear.

SSAA members entering properties as hunters are performing an important role and must be aware of biosecurity protocol. Farm biosecurity should be the primary concern of all visitors to agricultural properties and National Parks to prevent any number of diseases, pests and weeds potentially decimating Australia’s industries and environments. For more information on farm biosecurity best practice considerations, visit the SSAA Farmer Assist website

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