Asian shooting championship to use new rules, technology

JAKARTA (JP): A new system, to be known as the "final system," will be introduced at the Eighth Asian Shooting Championship, due to begin on Oct. 2 at the Senayan shooting range.

"The system takes the eight top shooters from the qualifying rounds as finalists and pits against one another in duels to shortlist the best," said Lely Sampoerno of the organizing committee.

Spectators are allowed to applaud after participants have completed their shots, the former Asian sport pistol record holder added.

The championship will also see the introduction of sophisticated electronic equipment which displays the results on a screen as soon as a shot has been made. The new equipment will also detect the accuracy of a shot and present it as a percentage, Lely added.

Fourteen Omani shooters and officials arrived here yesterday, while the Qatari team is expected to arrive today. The two teams are among 32 countries which have confirmed their participation in the competition, including South Korea, with 54 shooters, China, with 50, and Turkmenistan, with 47.

Host Indonesia is fielding the largest team, with 56 sharp shooters due to compete. The Indonesian Target Shooting and Hunting Association views the Asian meet as a proving ground for the team it will send to the Southeast Asian Games, to be held in Chiang Mai, Thailand, from Dec. 9 until Dec. 17. (arf)