The sport of target shooting in an Australian and global context has been immeasurably impacted by the cancellation of the Victorian 2026 Commonwealth Games.
This is the viewpoint the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia (SSAA Inc) has shared in response to the Victorian Government’s Select Committee Inquiry into the 2026 Commonwealth Games bid.
The cancellation of the Victorian 2026 Commonwealth Games came as a shock to the public and a disappointment to our sporting community. The importance of shooting being included within the sports for 2026 was a key concern around the world after the sport was excluded from the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Shooting Australia led a well-executed campaign for the sport’s inclusion with support from their international partners. Grassroots support complemented these efforts with SSAA Inc and SSAA Victoria steering a campaign with the wider 212,000 members of the state and territory Associations showing the extent of the sport’s fanbase within Australia.
In the fallout of the cancellation and subsequent Select Committee Inquiry, SSAA Inc has taken the opportunity to highlight the impacts on the shooting community both professional and amateur in a submission during public consultation.