Ivor puts Ghana's name on Olympic Shooting map

Mr Ivor Kobina Greenstreet of Ghana’s Black Snipers has shot Africa and Ghana on the International Para Trap Grand Prix shooting competition map – Olympic Trap in Milan, Italy.

Mr Greenstreet, who was appearing for the first time performed exceptionally well passing through all the qualification rounds but only failed for the final rounds made up of six shooters.

The event was organized by the International Shooting Sports Federation the ISSF, IPC and the Italian Shooting federation FITAV.

Present at the competition was Killian Walsh, President of the Ghana National Rifle Association (GNRA).

The Shooting contest also known as the sitting Olympic Trap was vibrant, attracting 64 competitors from 16 different countries worldwide, a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday stated.

The competition comprised five shooters rotating between five stations and shooting 125 clay disc targets per five qualification rounds for men and 25 additional targets in the final round for the six best shooters.

The clay travels at 40mph in anyone of six directions in a 45 degree arch giving the shooter approx. 1- 1.5 seconds to ascertain and shoot the target.

“It is a sport of mind to eye co-ordination and super fine tuned reactions, one in which disabled athletes could successfully compete against able bodied and win,” Mr Greenstreet, the immediate past General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) told the GNA.

He noted that despite being his first competitive event “my performance was described as exceptional”.

He said the GNRA used the occasion to hold extensive discussions with Emanuela Croce Bonomi, Vice President of the Vicario Della Federazione Italiana Tiro a Volo as well as Baretta with a view to developing the Shooting sports in Ghana.

The meeting highlighted the importance of the cooperation between ISSF and IPC, in order to further develop the sport among disabled athletes and promote inclusion in the 2020 Para Olympics.

During the competition, a medical team led by Professor Marco Bernardi, the Scientific Director of the Italian Paralympic Committee, monitored the matches in order to develop a specific classification system for Shotgun shooting events for disabled shooters.

The event started with classification and official training. The rigorous classification proved to be difficult for some participants where the medical staff assessed the strength, balance, mobility, extent of the disability and then monitored the practice and competition to obtain a benchmark for a new system.

The system was to grade the participants from 1 to 10, 1 being minimal disability maximum ability and 10 being maximum disability minimal ability.

Prof. Bernardi was tasked to develop the system for submission to the International Paralympic Committee later this year for approval.

The former CPP General Secretary, who uses a wheel chair as a result of a motor accident, said he was fortunate to meet with Tony Brogden, a representative of New Zealand and a former three time world champion.

Mr Brogden took the lawyer and former General Secretary of the CPP under his wing and dedicated a huge proportion of his time in coaching him and getting him ready for the event.

This was crucial and the results of his fantastic efforts gave Mr. Greenstreet the confidence and ability to compete as well as he did.