The ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl will be at the forefront of new innovations in television coverage for shooting sport events when the competition takes places from the 20th to 26th of May.
While this event will be a testing opportunity for the German Shooting Sport Federation who are to host the 2026 ISSF Junior World Championships at the same venue, it is also a chance for improved sports presentation.
Each finalist in rifle and pistol events at the Junior World Cup will receive a target tracker on their sports equipment so television audiences can follow live how each shooter is performing. This feature uses laser tracking to show the stability of the barrel and shows the line of aim of an athlete and how the barrel moves. This is shown as a squiggly line before the showing the score of the athlete when released, showing movement that is unseen to the naked eye.
It is the first time this will be trialled at a live ISSF Junior World Cup.
Alessandro Nicotra di San Giacomo, Secretary General of the ISSF, said: “Every sport must continue to develop in order to keep up with the times and remain attractive. We believe that shooting has great potential, and the target tracking approach is a first step in this direction. I am firmly convinced that this will significantly increase the excitement and added value of the broadcasts.”
This tracker weighs approximately 20 grams and is attached to the barrel of the rifle or pistol with wireless connection. This is usually used by athletes and coaches in training who use target tracking to analyse the shooting process.