STS has today published the Selection Policy for the 2022 Commonwealth Shooting Championships scheduled for January 2022 in India. The policy has been published on the Getting Selected page on the STS website, with the selection window running from 1st April until 30th September 2021 to achieve the necessary requirements, however a notification of interest for selection must be declared by 31st July 2021 using the form on the Getting Selected page.
As a result of the unique and extenuating circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the subsequent impact on international sporting calendars, STS will be closely monitoring the Selection Policy to determine if any changes are necessary. Consideration and flexibility has been built into the Policy to accommodate, where possible, such disruption including provision for additional trial matches where necessary. Coach input and training data may also be considered where competition data is lacking due to COVID-19 disruption.
In addition, a significant amount of information regarding the Championships – including dates, competition programme and any entry or team size limits – is still forthcoming. STS understands the importance of Commonwealth shooting and is therefore committed to supporting athletes to prepare as best as possible, particularly under such challenging and uncertain circumstances, so the Policy outlines the process for the Shooting competition programme from Gold Coast 2018 with the addition of the new Olympic Mixed Team events. This is thought to be the most likely scenario, however it is unconfirmed and therefore subject to change.
As the competition programme is yet to be confirmed – and the Championships is a standalone sport-specific event, not part of the programme in the main Commonwealth Games due to be held in Birmingham in 2022 – investment in the STS Performance Programme is still limited to supporting Olympic and Paralympic disciplines and events only. However, for those non-Olympic events (such as Fullbore, Double Trap, 50m Prone Rifle and 50m Pistol), this will not be a barrier to selection and provision is in place to select outside of the Performance Programme where necessary for such events. STS request that any athlete wishing to be considered for selection in a non-Olympic event submit an expression of interest form, which is available from the Getting Selected page and must be completed by 31st July 2021 if an athlete wishes to be considered.
As and when more details are released about the Championships, STS will review the policy to ensure it aligns with the details announced. However, STS feels that by publishing it’s selection policy now, it send a clear message to Scottish athletes about what they need to do to be in contention for selection, and a clear message to Commonwealth shooting that if the Championships do go ahead, Scotland will be prepared with a competitive team to continue it’s heritage of success in Commonwealth shooting events.
