Protests over Woolwich shooting venue grow

The association is also calling on the British Shooting Sports Council to mobilise all shooting bodies to back its campaign and organise a protest march in London. This follows the controversial decision by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) to hold the Olympic shooting events at Woolwich, using temporary facilities and ignoring the advice of shooting bodies to use the ranges at Bisley, in Surrey.

“The decision means that there will be no legacy for shooting from the Olympic Games,” explained Albie Fox, spokesman for the association. “For too long UK shooters have bent over backwards to facilitate events such as the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. What do we get in return? Nothing except more legislation designed to kill off the sport. That is why we are calling on all shooters, judges and range officers to withhold their support as volunteers to run the shooting events,” he added.

“The London 2012 website states that London 2012 will depend on up to 70,000 volunteers to make sure the Olympic Games run smoothly and successfully. Without those volunteers and officials, the Olympic Delivery Authority will need to import the officials necessary to run the events. If we are successful in harnessing the anger currently felt by shooters, the Olympic committee will be severely embarrassed and inconvenienced at Woolwich,” he said.

The rest of this article appears in 30 April issue of Shooting Times.

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