World Cup Shotgun Championships at Jebel Ali Shooting Club

More than 60 world shooting champions from around 19 different countries will compete in this championship that is supported by the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF), the sport's international governing body and overseer of shooting for the Olympic Games.

Some of the world's sharpest shooters will be attending the event, including Shaikh Ahmed Hasher Mohammed Al Maktoum, winner of the Olympic Gold Medal at the Athens Olympics last year. The event will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders.

'Our Olympic-standard shooting club has already been the training ground for many world renowned shooters, and to be able to host them in an official capacity at Dubai Calibre 2005, is a great and prestigious honour,'

says David Thomson, Corporate Director of Business Development for Jebel Ali International Hotels.

The competition will consist of various categories for men and women shooters, with the shotgun events split into three categories Trap, Skeet and Double Trap. In Trap shooting the clay pigeon is shot out from a box sitting on the ground, simulating a bird taking off. In Skeet shooting the clay pigeon is thrown up from the sides simulating a bird in flight.

The Jebel Ali International Shooting Club and Centre of Excellence comprises both an indoor and outdoor shooting academy, built to exacting international safety standards. Five outdoor floodlit clay-shooting ranges are equipped to cater for all seven clay-shooting disciplines including Olympic Skeet and Trap shooting. Professional coaching, including all shooting equipment is offered at the Jebel Ali Shooting Academy, for both individuals and groups.

Inside the impressive fortress-style Shooting Club, a Cinetronic Firearms Simulator Room gives beginners the opportunity to be safely introduced to the art of aiming and shooting. A detailed computerised report of the shooter's speed of reaction and decision-making accuracy is produced after the sessions. The club also has a 5,000 square metre soft sand archery range, allowing as many as 12 participants to safely enjoy archery at the same time.

Due to preparations for Dubai Calibre 2005, the facility will close its normal operation from 15th November to 25th November 2005.