Abu Dhabi Grand Shooting Championship kicks off on 28 December The event will be held under the patronage of Nahyan bin Zayed

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, in cooperation with the Weapons and Hazardous Substance Office, will be organising the Abu Dhabi Grand Shooting Championship from 28 December, 2024 to 19 January, 2025, with the aim of supporting the sport of shooting and encouraging the public to practice it.

This comes after His Excellency Mohamed Suhail Al Neyadi, Director-General of the Weapons and Hazardous Substances Office, and His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani, General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, signed a cooperation agreement yesterday at the Weapons and Hazardous Substances Office in Abu Dhabi to supervise the organisation of the Abu Dhabi Grand Shooting Championship, in a way that meets the aspirations of the wise leadership to enhance and support the status of shooting as a leading heritage sport in the UAE. The competitions will be held at Al Forsan International Sports Resort in Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafra Shooting Club in Zayed City, and Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club, which will attract shooting enthusiasts of all ages.

His Excellency Mohamed Suhail Al Neyadi emphasised the importance of this cooperation agreement with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, which primarily aims to support the sport of shooting with licensed weapons. Shooting is part of the UAE’s rich heritage and has a large audience and presence among members of the Emirati community. Secondly, this Championship will provide an opportunity for practitioners of the sport to take on challenges in a competitive and professional atmosphere, while also developing their capabilities as competitors, as it will be organised according to the rules and standards of the UAE Licensed Weapons Shooting Championship regulations.

His Excellency expressed his thanks and appreciation to the wise leadership for their continuous support for sports and athletes, and their keenness to enhance the status of sports in society as one of the basic pillars of cultural and social development. He specifically expressed his gratitude towards His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his sponsorship of the Championship and his keenness to develop it further on an international level.

In turn, His Excellency Aref Hamad Al Awani also stressed the importance of the cooperation agreement with the Weapons and Hazardous Substances Office to supervise the organisation of the Abu Dhabi Grand Shooting Championship and many upcoming competitions, noting that it falls within the framework of the Abu Dhabi Sport Council’s ongoing efforts to promote sports in the emirate and support shooting, which has a wide fan-base.

His Excellency remarked that the Championship represents an ideal platform to discover promising talents in shooting and hone their skills, praising the fruitful cooperation with the Weapons and Hazardous Substances Office to organise a sporting event befitting the name and status of Abu Dhabi as a global sports destination. He promised that the Council would do its utmost to ensure the success of the Championship at all levels, reflecting its commitment to developing and supporting shooting.

The qualifiers will begin on Saturday, 28 December, 2024, at the Al Forsan Resort, for the Saktoon - Men, Women and Juniors category, and the 9mm Pistol category, and will continue at Al Dhafra Club on 4 and 5 January, 2025, for the Saktoon - Men, Women and Juniors category, the 223 rifle, and the 308 rifle. The qualifiers will then continue at the Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting and Golf Club from 10 to 12 January, 2025, for the Saktoon - Men, Women and Juniors category, and the 9mm Pistol category.

After the qualifiers conclude, the committee will select the best thirty marks from each category in the qualifiers stage from all clubs, and qualify them for the Championship finals.

Those interested in participating in the tournament can register through the Weapons and Hazardous Substances Office’s official website (whso.gov.ae) and fill out the application, starting from 23 December, 2024. To learn more about the Abu Dhabi Grand Shooting Championship and related news, you can follow the Abu Dhabi Sports Council’s online platforms for further updates.