By Callum Ludwig
The Victorian Government has officially included shooting as part of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Regional Victoria as a standard and Para event.
The news comes as the Melbourne Gun Club (MGC) in Yering welcomed another 6 para-shooters to test out the newly upgraded facilities to create a more friendly environment for para-athletes.
Melbourne Gun Club Treasurer Ben Reed said it’s fabulous to hear that shooting has been confirmed as an event for the Games, which he is really excited to see in the state.
“I think the flow on effects for Victoria and even Australia will be quite phenomenal, especially considering we’ll be hosting the Olympic Games further down the track in Queensland, it’s a real win-win for everyone,” he said.
“The inclusion of shooting will give the [Melbourne Gun] Club great exposure. Now that it’s incorporated into the Games, people will become more aware of clay target shooting, and not only clay target shooting, but small ball and pistol/air pistol shooting as well, which will likely see an increase in people participating in the sport, juniors and seniors alike.”
The MGC threw their support behind Shooting Australia’s ‘Shoot for the Games 2026’ bid to incorporate Shooting as an event at the Games back in July. The design of their new para-frendly facilities has been in the works for nearly a year and could see them as an attractive option to host events in 2026.
Mr Reed said MGC’s most recent Come N’ Try session was fully booked.
“We actually had more people who wished to attend but we are mindful of the time it takes to cater to everyone. We’ve had such amazing feedback, not just from the public, but from the individuals who are coming to try shooting, a reoccurring comment from nearly all of them is that there’s nothing that they can really do and normally they are really left out of sports,” he said.
“It offers them a chance to be involved at a club, sit in the club room with members and speak to like-minded individuals. Last week they were shocked at how much everyone at the club engages with them and they said ‘We’ve never come across anything like this, it’s amazing how well you are looking after them.’ which was sad but fantastic at the same time.”
Golf, 3×3 Basketball, 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball, Coastal Rowing, BMX Racing, Mountain Bike Cross Country, Track Cycling and Para-Cycling Track were the other sports added alongside shooting in Phase 2, with Coastal Rowing, Golf and BMX making their Commonwealth Games debut.
Mr Reed said it can be a really lonely and isolated world for individuals with a disability and hopefully the club continues to be an option for them.
“Those who visits always say ‘When can we come back?’ and then they turn up with a friend at training events so they can shoot and even their friends are amazed. For their well-being, it’s a big tick psychologically wise and it gets them out and about which is critical,” he said.
“We would love to bring the Games to Yering and the Yarra Valley. It is still up in the air, but if we’re successful with that, it could be very positive for our new facility that we’ve had designed as well to coincide so fingers crossed.”
