Massive support for Commonwealth Games petition

The Shooting Times petition to put shooting sports back on to the programme for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has been signed over 50,000 people at the time of writing.

Shooting is to be excluded from the competition for the first time in more than half a century, at least in part due to lack of a suitable venue, but last month, the magazine launched a petition asking the Commonwealth Games Federation to reconsider the decision.

Over 50,000

At last count, 50, 372 people from countries across the world had signed the petition, which has received coverage in the national media and is still running.

“Lack of appropriate facilities is rubbish, just another excuse to appease the do-gooders. It is not an ‘elite’ sport for rich country gents, it is a sport for both sexes and we’re very good
at it,” wrote one supporter.

Another commented: “I find it unbelievable that shooting wouldn’t be included in the Birmingham games, when we have potential to win so many medals.”

“It is a nonsense to exclude one of the largest participation sports from the games – use Bisley, it is ready and waiting,” wrote a third.

“Sad start” to the year

Steve Scott, who won two gold medals for England at the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and 2014, as well as Olympic bronze in Rio last year, previously told Shooting Times that it would be a “big blow to shooting” and a “sad start to 2018” if the sport was dropped from Birmingham 2022.

He said: “Obviously we’ve still got the Olympic Games and all the other world events we try to achieve in. But everyone who has tried to get to the Commonwealth Games this year and didn’t, and has more than the ability to win a medal in 2022, are not going to have that opportunity to do so.”

You can add your support to our campaign and sign the petition here.