From June 6 to 13, 2022, the Para-shooting World Cup is held at the Déols-Châteauroux National Shooting Center. An event of international scope, which required more than a year of preparation for the organizers. “It’s one of the biggest events we’ve done, smiles Patrick Lamarque, in charge of organizing competitions for the French Shooting Federation. This is the first time that we have hosted an international competition in the Olympic disciplines and it is a very large organization.”
The first gold medal of this World Cup… for France!
And the very first gold medal of this World Cup is French. Jean-Louis Michaud shoots a rifle, standing, ten meters away. “Frankly, it’s huge, rejoices the sportsman. It was a source of pride to win this gold medal here, but also a source of pride in all my experience, as a former soldier, as a sniper, to prove that even with the injury, with my amputation, since I amputated right leg, we can continue to live and flourish.” And he is all the more proud since the results of these events will be used for qualifying for the 2024 Games.
“We brought the biggest world delegation ever in the field of para-shooting with 51 nations and about 300 shooters.”
Michel Baczyk, the president of the French Shooting Federation, is also delighted that it was a Frenchman who won the first final during this somewhat extraordinary World Cup. “We brought the largest world delegation of all time in the field of para-shooting with 51 nations and around 300 shooters. It’s still quite exceptional!”
We hope that now, when we talk about Châteauroux, we will also talk about the shooting center which is known and which makes us a little proud.
To be able to host this international competition, the Center National du Tir Sportif had to create a new launch pad for the finals. The work was completed two weeks before the start of the competition. “Châteauroux, it was above all Berrichonne with the football club, explains Patrick Lamarque. And we hope that, now, when we talk about Châteauroux, we will also talk about the shooting center which is known and which makes us a little proud.
In any case, new international events are already planned here. In 2025, the National Sports Shooting Center will host European Shooting Championshipbut this time for the able-bodied.