Last ISSF World Cup of season officially opens in Azerbaijan

The competition also offers shooters their last chance to secure a spot at the ISSF World Cup Finals, scheduled to take place in Munich from September 1 to 7 for rifle and pistol and the Cyprus capital Nicosia for shotgun events on October 15 to 21.

This World Cup event features more than 1,100 athletes from 90 countries and competition is due to start with the men’s and women’s skeet event tomorrow.

"We express our sincere and special thanks to the Shooting Federation of Azerbaijan and to the Organising Committee for the outstanding preparations of this ISSF World Cup,” ISSF secretary general Franz Schreiber said.

"Not only shooting, but the whole European sports world experienced the warm welcome of the country during the recent European Games in Baku, and we would like to thank the people of Azerbaijan for their great support to the sport movement.”

The shooters will be vying for a vital Olympic qualification berth at Rio 2016, with Wednesday (August 5) having marked exactly one year to go until the event in the Brazilian city begins.

Ahead of the opening of the last World Cup of the campaign, ISSF President Olegario Vazquez Raña, along with Schreiber, met Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev, where the head of shooting’s world governing body hailed the friendliness of the Azerbaijani people.

Aliyev also stressed the importance for his coutnry  to hold sporting events such as the ISSF World Cup after Azerbaijan’s capital Baku played host to the inaugural European Games in June, where shooting was one of the 20 sports included on the programme.

"After the European Games, this ISSF World Cup is the most prestigious and largest sport event that we organise in our country,” Ismayil Ismayilov, Azerbaijan’s Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, added.

"It's an honour to welcome athletes from 90 countries here in Gabala.”