THE Zimbabwe Shooting Sport Federation (ZSSF) has been given a slot in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games by the International Shooting Sport Federation, raising the number of individual Zimbabwean athletes who have so far qualified for the quadrennial showpiece to five.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
ZSSF secretary-general Hannes Scholtz confirmed the development in an interview yesterday.
“Yes, it’s now confirmed. We’ve been given an Olympic slot by the International Shooting Sport Federation, but we are yet to confirm the athlete who will take up the slot. However, we are delighted with the opportunity and we believe it’s a step in the right direction for the sport which, like most of the other sports associations, has been struggling financially due to the tough economic situation.
“Shooting is quite an expensive sport because of the costs of equipment and ammunition, but despite lack of financial support, we have a number of athletes who have been doing well in international tournaments. We are confident anyone who will be selected will represent the country well in Rio de Janeiro,” Scholtz said.
Mike Nicholson represented Zimbabwe at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games in the double trap shooting by virtue of having accepted an invitation from the International Shooting Sport Federation, based on his performance at the African Championships.
