USAMU & Fort Benning to Host Paralympic World Cup Shooting Event
FORT BENNING, Ga. –-(Ammoland.com)- Fort Benning, in conjunction with USA Shooting, will host the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cup USA October 3-9 at the home of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.
This event will be the largest Paralympic shooting event on American soil. Paralympic shooters from around the world will travel to Columbus, Ga., for the opportunity to win quotas to the 2012 Paralympic Games.
“As the first IPC Shooting World Cup in the United States we hope to bring a great opportunity to our western hemisphere neighbors as well as a first rate competition for the Paralympic shooting community,” said Wanda Jewell, the Chief of the Organizing Committee for the event.
Hosting an event such as this is not new to the USAMU or Fort Benning. The past two years more than 1,200 shooters and country representatives from around the world have come to Fort Benning to participate in International Shooting Sports Federation Rifle and Pistol World Cups, providing a boon to the local economy while showing off Fort Benning and the Columbus area.
The match held back in May was the biggest international shooting event ever on U.S. soil. 24 Olympic quotas were awarded over the course of the week-long event.
USAMU Paralympic Shooting platoon members Sgt. 1st Class Josh Olson and Sgt. Kisha Makerney will have the unique opportunity of representing the Army and the U.S. team on their home range.
“This Paralympic World Cup is an exciting new avenue for our unit and our Army,” said Lt. Col. Daniel Hodne, commander, USAMU.
“This Paralympic World Cup will be the first event of its kind to ever take place in the Western Hemisphere. It will also be the first event of its kind to enable our unit’s Wounded Warriors to show the strength of our Soldiers, represent our Army and our nation at this high level on their home range.”
About USAMU:
The USAMU enhances the Army’s recruiting effort, raises the standard of the Army’s marksmanship proficiency, and supports the Army’s small arms research and development initiatives in order to raise the Army’s overall combat readiness. For more information on the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, contact the Public Affairs Office at (706) 545-5436, Michael.Molinaro@usaac.army.mil or www.USAMU.com.