Apart from the Olympics, the ISSF World Shooting Championships is the only major shooting event of the world let us know more about it.
Introduction of the ISSF World Shooting Championships
The ISSF World Shooting Championships is being organized by the governing body of Shooting, the International Shooting Sport Federation or ISSF. This world shooting event started in the year 1897 after getting a huge success in the 1896 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Although at that point of time ISSF was not rounded. But till it was founded in 1907, the championships kept on organized. Organizing number of shooting championships till date are bit confusing because they are organized every year and there is an additional World Championships every alternate year but they are not counted plus there are World Championships during Olympic years as well.
Special Shotgun and Running Target Championships
The special shotgun championships were held first in the year 1934 and since 1959 they are organized biennially that means there is either an Olympic or a World Championship every year. The original event was trap only skeet was added in the year 1950 and double trap was added in 1989. The women’s championship was added in the year 1967. Although 10 meter running target has not been included in the Olympics since 2005 but it is part of the World Championships and during Olympic years the 50 meter running target is also included.
Current Individual Events in ISSF World Shooting Championships
This is the list of current individual events which are part of the ISSF World Shooting Championships and the players from various nations compete in.
- 300 meter rifle three positions
- 300 meter rifle prone
- 300 meter standard rifle
- 50 meter rifle three positions
- 50 meter rifle prone
- 10 meter air rifle
- 50 meter pistol
- 25 meter pistol
- 25 meter standard pistol
- 25 meter rapid fire pistol
- 25 meter center-fire pistol
- 10 meter air pistol
- 50 meter running target
- 50 meter running target mixed
- 10 meter running target
- 10 meter running target mixed
- Trap
- Double Trap
- Skeet
Top 10 Medal Winning Countries in the ISSF World Shooting Championships till 2009
- USSR + Russia – 552 medals
- United States – 391 medals
- Italy – 236 medals
- Switzerland – 205 medals
- China – 194 medals
- East Germany + West Germany + Germany – 468 medals
- Sweden – 154 medals
- Finland – 133 medals
- France – 149 medals
- Hungary – 111 medals