Asian shooters gun for Olympic berths in Doha
Thirty-eight quota places from 12 events up for grabs at Asian Shooting Championships from November 3 to 14 at the Lusail Range.
Lusail Shooting Range is gearing up for the Asian Shooting Championships. IQ Photo The Qatar flag along with flags of various countries lined the route for about a kilometre from the Lusail Shooting Range. Inside the premises, just a few yards before the entrance to the Qatar Shooting Association office, a huge tent has come up. As you walk past and enter the trap shooting range, big signboards indicate what lies ahead for shooting fans in the first fortnight of November.
Indeed, preparations are in full swing for the big event at the Lusail Shooting Range this year — the 14th Asian Championship from November 3 to 14. Maintenance workers were immersed in their tasks on Tuesday but come Sunday, the venue will be teeming with shooters, officials and fans.
About 1200 representatives, including 950 shooters and 250 coaches and team staff, from 35 countries will feature in the competition, which is an important stop for those aiming big.
Olympic quota will be the key word during the event, with 12 events offering 38 berths for Tokyo 2020 featuring at Doha.
Shooters and coaches have started trickling in with teams from Singapore, Uzbekistan and Iraq out on the trap range, fine-tuning their skills.
Qatar will field a clutch of shooters who will be hoping to book a ticket to Tokyo. The hosts have also entered shooters in non-Olympic qualification events and events for juniors that are also a part of the schedule.
OLYMPIC QUALIFYING EVENTS AT ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
| MEN | WOMEN |
| 10M Air Rifle – Quota Places: 3 | 10M Air Rifle – 3 |
| 50M Rifle 3 Positions – 3 | 50M Rifle 3-Positions – 3 |
| 10M Air Pistol – 3 | 10M Air Pistol – 3 |
| 25M Rapid Fire Pistol – 4 | 25M Pistol – 4 |
| Trap – 3 | Trap – 3 |
| Skeet – 3 | Skeet – 3 |
