How Paris Olympics have raised our game

As a keen sportsman and shooting enthusiast, I find the Olympic Games provide an opportunity to indulge my two major passions. No other event captures the attention of a global audience like the Games. During those magical two weeks, friends who would otherwise show little interest in sport suddenly talk about fencing, hockey, taekwondo, badminton and, of course, shooting. It’s a welcome departure from the usual diet of mass-participation pursuits discussed in pubs across the nation. 

Ahead of the Olympics, BASC teamed up with British Shooting to provide our members with the opportunity to try Trap and Skeet shooting disciplines under the watchful eye of experienced coaches. This was a relatively new initiative, but one we felt would both increase interest in these exciting disciplines and highlight their inclusion in the upcoming Olympics. 

Traction 

Given that my role at BASC focuses on introducing people to shooting, I was elated that one of the sports which enjoyed considerable traction during the Games was clay shooting. The Olympics provides the platform to thrust clay shooting before the nation for a brief window and to demonstrate the sheer thrill of our exhilarating sport. 

Team GB has a long and successful history in this arena. In recent years, Peter Wilson took gold in double Trap in London 2012, Steve Scott and Ed Ling both won bronze at Rio 2016 and Matthew Coward- Holley claimed a bronze in Tokyo. 

This year, the incredible achievements of Nathan Hales and Amber Rutter have built on that platform and paved the way for a lasting shooting legacy. Amber said it was a “dream” to clinch Olympic Skeet silver, despite being denied a chance of gold by a controversial judge’s decision in the shoot-off (News, 14 August). Nathan, making his Olympic debut, shot 48 out of 50 in the final, not only securing a gold medal but also setting a new Olympic record. 

These achievements were broadcast around the world and watched by millions. Our Olympians’ efforts received significant press coverage across national media outlets, celebrating individual successes but also raising the profile of shooting, which is vital for its future. 

On the day Nathan won his gold medal in Trap, BASC was at the Essex International Jamboree, running the clay shooting line. This week-long event is the largest in Europe and BASC provided shooting lessons to 5,000 Scouts and Guides. For almost all of them, it was their first ever experience of shooting and may well have ignited the spark that leads them to continue with shooting as a passion. 

What could be more inspirational to a young person than to see Amber and Nathan ascending the podium, and an Olympic record being broken, in the days surrounding their first shooting experience? Who knows, by the 2032 or 2036 Games could one of those youngsters who pulled the trigger for the first time this summer be standing on the podium?