Dubai: Al Ain will host the eighth edition of the World Shooting Para Sport Championship scheduled to be held in November next year.
This will be the first time the competition is being hosted in the Middle East and the third World Championships to be staged in Asia – after Seoul 2002 and Cheongju 2018, both in South Korea.
The Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club will be the venue of the 2022 World Championships, while the Zayed Higher Organisation for Persons with Disabilities will be the organisers.
A familiar range for many athletes, Al Ain has hosted shooting Para sport World Cups annually since 2015. The venue has also hosted many international able-bodied shooting events, including the 2019 ISSF Shotgun World Cup Final and the 2014 Asian Shotgun Championships.
Tyler Anderson, World Shooting Para Sport Senior Manager, was pleased with the announcement of Al Ain as the venue for next year’s championships. “It is fantastic news for the shooting Para sport family that Al Ain will host the first-ever World Championships in the Middle East. This will be the first major event after the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and an important step in the build-up to Paris 2024,” he noted.
“The Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club and the Zayed Higher Organisation have been a valuable partner of the sport for almost a decade and have built up a reputation for hosting excellent shooting Para sport events. We are thrilled to award UAE the opportunity to welcome the World to Al Ain in 2022,” he added.
Abdullah Al Kamali, Executive Director, Zayed Higher Organisation was thrilled to host the event when the UAE marked its golden jubilee as a nation. “In the 50th year since the United Arab Emirates has declared independence and with the announcement of the successful arrival of the Hope Probe to orbit Planet Mars, we are honoured to host the 2022 World Championship in Al Ain filled with hope that the world becomes safer, and the successful participation of all the athletes from all around the world,” Al Kamali said.
“We have had the pleasure to partner with World Shooting Para Sport for many years, and we are thrilled to be awarded with the opportunity of hosting this historic event. The UAE is a very welcoming country that is home to more than 200 nationalities living in harmony, and we welcome top athletes from all around the world to the UAE to compete in Al Ain for the title of World Champion,” he added.
