Paralympic shooting is an adaptation of shooting sports for competitors with disabilities. Shooting is a test of accuracy and control, in which competitors use pistols or rifles to fire a series of shots at a stationary target. Each shot is worth a maximum score of 10 or a decimal value of 10.9 points. Athletes use .22 caliber rifles, pistols and .177 caliber air guns (compressed air or pneumatic). Paralympic shooting first appeared in the Summer Paralympics at the 1976 Toronto Games.
Competitions are open to all athletes with a physical disability. Shooting utilizes a functional classification system, which enables wheelchair users and ambulant athletes from different disability classes to compete together either individually or in teams.
Athletes compete in rifle and pistol events from distances of 10, 25 and 50 meters, in men's, women's and mixed competitions. Of the 12 Paralympic Shooting events, six are open to both women and men, three are open to women only and three are open to men only.
Shooting is governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and co-ordinated by the IPC Shooting Technical Committee following the modified rules of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). These rules consider the differences that exist between shooting for the able-bodied and shooting for persons with a disability.
Read more about Paralympic Shooting: Classification System, Equipment Adaptations, Rifle Events, Pistol Events, Competitions, ISSF's 2013-2016 Rule Changes, See Also
Famous quotes containing the word shooting:
“Power ceases in the instant of repose; it resides in the moment of transition from a past to a new state, in the shooting of the gulf, in the darting to an aim.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)