Seonaid McIntosh has said that the exclusion of shooting from the 2022 Commonwealth Games could be “a good thing” for the sport in Scotland.
After shooting was controversially omitted from the Birmingham schedule, McIntosh, the current world number one in women’s 40m rifle three position, said Scottsh athletes would be forced to raise their standards: “You will lose people at the bottom and that’s sad, but I think your top end people will get better. They’ll have to if they want to continue in the sport.
“So I’m hoping it makes the sport step up in this country, because if you don’t have Commonwealth Games the next logical steps for people to aim for is European or Olympic Games.”
Seonaid has since won gold at the ISSF’s end-of-season World Cup Final in China, and is widely expected to take up a quota place and compete in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
The lack of shooting in the 2022 programme has drawn widespread criticism. The ISSF said: “It may cause damage to some member states of the Commonwealth. Especially those who don’t participate in all sports, but actively develop the shooting sport and count on deserved medals.
“There is also an economic component. Many athletes and national federations planned to prepare for the Commonwealth Games, for the financial support of national Olympic committees and sports ministries.
“Non-inclusion of the sport in the Games programme completely destroys these plans and causes adverse economic consequences.”
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