Competitive shooters ‘abandon sport due to administrative dysfunction’

Competitive shooters in Cyprus are “abandoning the sport” due to dysfunction and mismanagement among the sport’s administrators.

During a meeting between athletes, coaches, parents, and sporting administrators, it was said that “internal mismanagement” is turning people away from the sport, and thus “depriving Cypriot shooting of valuable talent”.

Cyprus Sports Association chairman Yiannis Ioannou said during the meeting that his organisation is “sports-centric”.

After the meeting, shooters’ representative Marios Aristodemou said the shooters’ main request was that the finances, operations, and administration of shooting in Cyprus be divided between Olympic and non-Olympic disciplines.

He said that at present, “people on the hunting side of the sport” are taking decisions regarding Olympic shooting disciplines, despite having “neither the knowledge nor the education” to be doing such a thing, and thus make mistakes.

“We want Cypriot shooting to return to where it deserves. To do this, the Cyprus Sports Association must show some determination,” he added.