Doha: Doha will host the 2026 World Shooting Championship at the Lusail Shooting Complex from November 1 to 14, featuring elite international shooters alongside Qatar's national team athletes.The event stands as one of the most prominent global shooting competitions, offering 36 direct qualification spots for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games across Skeet, Trap, Rifle, and Pistol events.Qatar's national team aims to leverage home advantage to secure Olympic quotas, while international contenders vie for qualification berths at the Lusail facility. The hosting underscores international sports federations' trust in Qatar's organizational expertise and infrastructure.Qatar Shooting and Archery Association (QSAA) Secretary-General Jassim Shaheen Al Sulaiti confirmed that the Lusail Shooting Complex is fully prepared logistically and technically.He emphasized that the championship represents a major investment in the sport's local development, expressing confidence in the national team's readiness following intensive preparation camps.

China - Angelo Scalzone of Qatar to secure a hard-fought victory for silver in the men’s trap event at the ISSF World Cup 2026 in Hangzhou on Monday.William Hinton of the United States held off a relentless challenge from Scalzone in the final series to clinch gold.The victory represents another important milestone for Hinton, who demonstrated exceptional consistency throughout the competition and converted it into one of the biggest international successes of his career.In a final packed with Olympic medallists, world champions and rising talents, Hinton delivered the composure required when the pressure was at its highest.After dropping two targets in the opening stages, the American settled into an outstanding rhythm, producing long sequences of perfect shooting to build momentum heading into the closing rounds.Scalzone refused to let the contest slip away. The Qatari shooter matched Hinton target for target through much of the final, ensuring the battle for gold remained alive until the very end.Ultimately, one late miss proved decisive as Hinton finished with 28 hits, one ahead of Scalzone’s 27, to capture the World Cup title. The home crowd had further reason to celebrate as Qi Ying claimed the bronze medal for China. Remaining firmly in medal contention throughout the eliminations, Qi finished with 22 hits, earning a well-deserved place on the podium after another composed display.Italy’s Massimo Fabbrizi, the London 2012 Olympic silver medallist and one of the most experienced athletes in international trap shooting, narrowly missed out on the medals.He finished fourth with 16 hits, ending his campaign just short of another ISSF World Cup podium.Chinese Taipei’s Yang Kun-Pi took fifth place with 13 hits, while India’s Bhowneesh Mendiratta followed in sixth on 11 after reaching another World Cup final.The United States placed a second athlete in the final, with Jack Brosseau finishing seventh after scoring eight hits. Completing the eight-athlete field was Italy’s Giovanni Pellielo, one of the most decorated shotgun shooters in ISSF history.The four-time Olympic medallist exited in eighth place with seven hits, bringing an early end to his bid for another World Cup medal.The men’s trap final provided another thrilling conclusion to the shotgun programme in Hangzhou.France’s Carole Cormenier reaffirmed her status among the world’s leading shotgun athletes by capturing the women’s trap title yesterday, holding off a strong challenge from the United States’ Rachel Tozier to secure gold.Cormenier was in control throughout much of the final. After opening with a perfect first round, the French shooter maintained remarkable consistency as the eliminations unfolded, missing just three targets on her way to 27 hits.Even as the pressure mounted in the closing stages, she remained composed to seal her first World Cup victory of the season.The gold medal adds another significant achievement to the résumé of the French star.A World Championship medallist, European champion and regular finalist on the ISSF circuit, Cormenier has been one of the most consistent trap shooters of the past decade, and her performance in Hangzhou demonstrated exactly why.The battle for silver remained alive until the final series. Rachel Tozier matched Cormenier through the early stages before a handful of late misses left her with 25 hits.The American nevertheless enjoyed an outstanding competition, collecting another ISSF World Cup medal and continuing her steady rise among the discipline’s leading athletes.Australia’s Kiara Sioux-Lin Dean completed the podium with 22 hits. The young Australian impressed throughout the final, staying in medal contention before securing bronze ahead of her experienced teammate Penny Smith.

Hangzhou, China – Qatari shooter Rashid Saleh Al Athba delivered a landmark performance to claim the gold medal in the men's individual skeet event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup (Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun), currently underway in Hangzhou, China. The prestigious competition has brought together an elite field of the world's finest shooters.Al Athba's victory marks a historic milestone for Qatar, securing the nation's first-ever individual gold medal in the history of its participation in the ISSF World Cup series. The achievement further enriches Qatar's distinguished sporting legacy and reinforces the country's growing stature in international shooting sports.President of the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association, Dr. Mishal Ibrahim Al Nasr, congratulated Rashid Al Athba on his remarkable triumph, describing the achievement as a defining moment for Qatari shooting.Dr. Al Nasr emphasized that the historic success reflects the unwavering and generous support extended to Qatari sport by the country's leadership, particularly to shooting sports, creating an environment that enables national athletes to compete successfully at the highest international level and consistently reach the podium. 

Doha:Team Qatar shooters are continuing their intensive preparations for a series of major continental and international competitions, most notably the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to take place in Japan from September 19 to October 4, and the ISSF World Shooting Championship Doha 2026, which will be hosted in Doha from November 1 to 14 and will serve as a key qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.Ahmed Khalid Al Darwish, Deputy Chairman of the National Teams Committee at the Qatar Shooting and Archery Association, said that the national team began its preparations for the Asian Games at the start of the current season through intensive daily training sessions at the Lusail Shooting Range, combined with participation in Gulf, Arab, continental and international competitions aimed at enhancing technical and physical readiness.Al Darwish noted that the most recent stage of preparation came during the 4th GCC Games Doha 2026, where Qatar’s shooters delivered an outstanding performance, winning 26 medals, including 12 gold, six silver and eight bronze, to finish as the top-performing Arab team in the competition. He praised the continued support provided to Qatari shooting by the country’s sports leadership.He revealed that the men’s and women’s shotgun squads competing in trap and skeet are currently attending a training camp in Italy, where they are also taking part in one of the strongest and most competitive shotgun championships in the world. Following the camp, the team will continue its intensive preparation programme with the support of international coaches and a specialist sports psychologist to further develop both technical and mental readiness ahead of major events.Al Darwish emphasized that the success achieved by Qatari shooting in recent years is the result of continuous support and close supervision from the association’s leadership, alongside the efforts of the technical and administrative staff. He added that the national team’s calendar includes further participation in a shotgun world championship in China and the Arab Championship in Oman as part of its build-up to future competitions.The Qatari shooting delegation for the Asian Games will comprise 12 athletes, including three men and three women in trap and an equal number in skeet. Al Darwish expressed confidence in the ability of the shooters to deliver strong performances and challenge for top positions.At the youth level, he highlighted the emergence of several promising talents, with a number of young shooters currently competing at the World Junior Championship in Germany. He explained that these athletes were identified through successful domestic events such as the Nishan Ramadan Tournament and Al Sajmah Tournament and are viewed as part of Qatar’s long-term project for the Doha 2030 Asian Games.Looking ahead to the World Championship in Doha, Al Darwish described the event as one of the most important competitions on the international shooting calendar due to the allocation of Olympic qualification quotas across shotgun, rifle and pistol disciplines. He stressed that Qatar aims to take advantage of competing on home soil to secure as many qualification places as possible for Los Angeles 2028 before turning its focus to Olympic medal ambitions.He also noted that Olympic bronze medallist Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah is currently training with the national team in Italy, reflecting the association’s commitment to benefiting from his vast experience. Al Darwish concluded by praising the achievements of leading Qatari shooters, including Rashed Al Athba, Mohammed Al Rumaihi, Saeed Abu Sharab and Reem Al Sharshani, expressing his hope that they will continue to achieve success on the continental and global stages.