UGA Cooperative Extension
Spalding County Extension Office:
4-H Youth Development
Project S.A.F.E.
Shooting Sports History
Olympic Program
There were 9 shooting events on the first modern Olympic program in 1896, drawing more participants than for any other sport. The following year, the first "world championships" were held in France, thought only European countries were represented.
In 1907, a group of eight national organizations founded the Union International des Federations et Associations Nationals de Tir (International Union of National Shooting Federations and Associations) to develop standard rules and conducted international competitions.
The Union broke up because of World War I. It was replaced in 1921 by the Union International de Tir (UIT). UIT activies were suspended during World War II and that Union was reorganized as the International Shooting Union in 1947. Although it used the English name, the organization stuck with the initials for it's French title to avoid confusion with the International Skating Union (ISU).
In 1998, the UIT became the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). The ISSf is the international governing body for all shooting sports, including rifle, pistol and shotgun. It has more than 130 member countries.
World championships in rifle and pistol shooting are now held every four years, in non-Olympic, even-numbered years. Championships in the shotgun sports are held annually, except in Olympic years.
NCAA Championship
The first NCAA championship in which women competed was the national college rifle shooting meet, two years before national championships were established for women's sports.
Division I members voted in favor of the national championship at the 1979 NCAA convention, only to learn that there were rifle teams at fewer than 45 schools, which was supposed to be the minimum number to warrant a national championship.
Nevertheless, the meet was held as a "pilot" event, April 4-5, 1980, at East Tennessee State University. It was considered a success, so it's been on the NCAA's annual schedule ever since.
Shooting has traditionally been a "co-educational"sport with men and women competing as equals. Women have won 18 of the 46 individual titles since the championship was inaugurated and a woman, Marsha Beasley, has coached 8 of West Virginia University's 13 championship teams.
Contact
For more information about Spalding County 4-H S.A.F.E. Project, contact Roy McClain, Volunteer Lead Coordinator (678) 772-8185 or Wade Hutcheson or call (770) 467-4225.
