By Eche Amos

No fewer than 30 countries will take part in the African Shooting Sport Federation'(ASSF) Judges’ Course holding in Nigeria.

The training Course for judges of shooting sport in Africa is birthing in Nigeria for the first time, with over thirty participants from various military and paramilitary backgrounds, including the Army, Air Force, Navy, DSS, Police, Immigration, Civil Defence, among others.

ASSF President, General Hazem Hozny, who doubles as President of the Egyptian Shooting Sport Federation and member of the International Shooting Sport Federation, ISSF, on his maiden visit to Nigeria, is the sole instructor for the one week-long programme which began on the 22nd of this month and is expected to climax on the 28th of same month.

In his welcome remark, President of the Nigeria Shooting Sport Federation, NSSF, Brigadier General Lonsdale Adeoye (Rtd), said the programme is historic and another milestone achievement of his leadership, stating that the NSSF has not reneged in making meaningful progress and coordination to take the sport to enviable height.

He explained that the essence of inviting the African Shooting Sport Federation’s President to Nigeria for the Course was to conduct the training course for judges which had been a serious area of concern in the sport in Nigeria and other African member nations.

“This is a course we had been yearning for over two years now, but we are happy to say that after this course, we will have judges who will officiate all our shooting championships professionally, in tandem with the new rules and regulations of the ISSF.

“This course will help to build more of our judges’ capacity and make them have balance and fairness during championships, which in turn will repose confidence among stakeholders”, General Adeoye  stated.

He revealed that the course is exclusively for old, non-active shooting sport athletes, who are coaches or intend to become coaches and judges respectively.

The NSSF President added that after the course, participants would be issued certificate of participation and thereafter return to their various constituencies to impact the knowledge learnt into their subordinates in order for shooters to know what is required of them by the judges and be acquainted with the constantly evolving rules and regulations of the ISSF.

The ASSF Judges’ Course is holding at the Citadel de Continental Hotel and Suites, Ikeja, Lagos.