Namibia to host second Marksmanship World Championships

Namibia will for the first time host the 2016 Hunting Rifle Shooting World Championships from June 5-10 at the Heja Lodge near the capital, Windhoek.

The purpose of Hunting Rifle Shooting is to test and promote a hunter's abilities, to judge distance, knowledge of the bullet's external ballistics, judging wind strength and the influence of the wind on the bullet's path, ability to shoot from various positions and also shooting in a limited time frame.

"It is a shooting contest of variable and non-standard format that examines practical marksmanship as it occurs in the hunting field," said Dirk Nesenberend, Chairperson of the Namibian Hunting Rifle Shooting Association.

Nesenberend said that the association has received 92 entries from the countries and regions including Sweden, Australia, Denmark, Germany, Namibia and South Africa and the number of entries are capped at 150 participants.

"We are very proud to host the second World Championships in Namibia. With Hunting Rifle Shooting being such a young but fast-growing sport, we feel the World Championships present an ideal opportunity to further promote it locally, but also create international awareness about the sport," he said.

The first World Championships took place in South Africa in 2014. The sport over the years has spread to countries including the Czech Republic, Namibia, Australia, Denmark and Sweden, while shooters from America also have attended some of the competitions in South Africa. Enditem