Dubai: Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development will open the Fifth World University Shooting Sport Championship (WSC) to be held in Al Ain till October 12.
The opening ceremony has been planned for 10.30am on Wednesday at the indoor gymnasium of the UAE University, Al Ain.
The shooting competitions for both men and women will get under way at 9am at the shooting ranges of the university.
Each country is allowed a maximum entry of 36 shooters in the four different disciplines of rifle, pistol, skeet and trap over five days of competition.
As hosts, the UAE is fielding only 18 shooters in the four categories where medals will be awarded for individual and team competitions.
The five-day competition, held under the aegis of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) in coordination with the UAE Shooting Association, has attracted 320 competitors from 29 countries.
Shooting is one of the youngest sports in the history of FISU following its debut in Pilsen, Czech Republic in 2003. Shooters from Slovakia dominated winning a total of 14 medals, including six gold and four silver and bronze each.
As the patron, Shaikh Nahyan is expected to address the competitors after which a representative of FISU will speak. This will be followed by a folklore display and the raising of the FISU flag at the competition venue.
After a few failed attempts to have the second edition of the competition, FISU finally managed having one during the 2007 Summer Universiade in Bangkok. This championship was a huge success as 426 shooters from 40 countries participated in the shooting and the high level of shooting ensured the success of this competition.
