2020 days to go to Tokyo 2020

               12.01.2015

20-Year-Olds Launch 2020-Day Countdown to Tokyo 2020, Form Giant 2020 Together With Athletes

Tokyo 2020 is welcoming today its latest milestone which coincides with “Coming of Age Day”, a Japanese public holiday. Olympians and athletes joined hundreds of young people, all aged 20 years old, to mark this special day with events in the plaza in front of the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee Headquarters as well as in areas of the Tohoku region affected by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Among those attending the ceremony were swimmer Kosuke Hagino, bronze medallist at the London 2012 Olympic Games. “We are extremely thankful that so many young 20-year-olds turned up to show their support, even though it was quite cold today. I really felt that there is an increasing interest in and expectations towards the 2020 Games. I would love to be able repay everyone’s support by winning a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games,” he said.

 “Coming of Age Day” (Seijin no Hi) is a Japanese public holiday established in 1948, when the country celebrates the young people who have turned 20 years old in the past year and have officially reached the age of majority. Festivities and gatherings are organized by municipal authorities across Japan on the second Monday of January each year, and young females typically dress in traditional Japanese kimonos for the occasion.

 “It is a fantastic coincidence that this milestone happens to be on Coming of Age Day in Japan. 2020 days to go to Tokyo 2020 celebrated with 20-year-olds; that is a lot of young adults representing a wealth of hopes, dreams and expectations towards the Games. Tokyo 2020 is about inspiring young people through sport, and today we were delighted to have the opportunity to broaden the network of young people eagerly looking forward to the Opening Ceremony in 2020 days’ time,” said Tokyo 2020 Sports Director Koji Murofushi.

 Coming of Age Day ceremonies in the disaster-affected areas of Tohoku were held with a special Olympic flavour. Olympic gold medallist Ryota Murata joined Paralympians Shinji Negi and Aki Taguchi for the celebrations in Morioka City, Iwate prefecture; London 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Satoshi Shimizu and Paralympic medallist Junichi Kawai took part in the festivities in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi prefecture; while Olympian Fumie Suguri and Paralympian Yusuke Hatsuse participated in the event in Minamisoma City, Fukushima prefecture.

ISSF / Tokyo 2020 Press Communicate

Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl

Source - ISSF Website

Jitu Rai to train in Rio ahead of Olympics

MARIBOR - JUNE 19: (L-R) Silver medalist Pablo CARRERA of Spain, Gold medalist Jitu RAI of India 

and Bronze medalist Anton GOURIANOV of the Russian Federation pose with their medals after

the 10m Air Pistol Men Finals at the Shooting Center Gaj, Pragersko during Day 5 of the

 ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol on June 19, 2014 in Maribor, Slovenia. (Photo by Marco Dalla Dea)

MUMBAI: Ace pistol shooter Jitu Rai enjoyed a phenomenal run in 2014, winning seven medals across major competitions, including a silver at the ISSF World Championships in Granada (Spain), a gold and two silvers at the Maribor and Munich World Cups, gold at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and a gold and bronze at the Asian Games in Incheon.

What's more, he has also earned India their first quota for the 2016 Rio Olympics. And with about 18 months to go for the mega event, whatever he does from now will be undertaken with an eye on the Brazilian city.

While Jitu goes about his daily preparations, he will be backed whole-heartedly by the Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ), the organization which supports most of India's elite sportspersons, in their quest for Olympic glory.

The OGQ plans to take Rai along with most of their other athletes like boxer Sarita Devi to Rio in August so that they can get a feel of the conditions they will encounter there next year.

OGQ has also enlisted the services of their prominent board members like Viswanathan Anand and Geet Sethi who will speak to these athletes over the months about their experience at the highest level of their respective disciplines, and how to cope with the numerous challenges that lie ahead.

In fact, they had a brief session with Sarita and Jitu on Tuesday itself.

"The only thing we can offer is our experience," said Sethi, the nine-time world billiards champion.

Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl
Source: The Times of India   -   http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Olympians Emmons, McPhail and Furrer Earn World Cup Spots at Winter Selection Match

Colorado Springs, CO -(Ammoland.com)- With eyes on securing Olympic quotas in 2015, Olympians Matt Emmons, Michael McPhail and Amanda Furrer were among the seven athletes to earn a World Cup spot for April’s season-opener in Changwon, Korea during last week’s Winter Selection Match.

This Selection Match hosted at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado was used to determine the Three-Position and Prone Rifle competitors for the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Korea, April 8-16, as well as serve as Part 1 of the selection process for the smallbore rifle teams at the World Cups in Fort Benning, Georgia and Munich, Germany in May.

World Cups have added significance for these rifle athletes in 2015 as the four ISSF World Cups and the Pan American Games mark the remaining opportunities for athletes to earn quota slots for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Emmons along with South Dakota sharpshooter Dempster Christenson (Sioux Falls) earned two nominations each in Prone and Three-Position. Emmons was spectacular throughout beating the Finals National Record score in Prone Day 1 and topping a world-record Finals score in Three-Position on his way to a 20-point victory in that event.

McPhail was similarly impressive in Prone edging Emmons by nearly seven points off the strength of a day one performance that saw him eclipse a world-record score in qualifying. The surprise of the match was turned in by Texas Christian University junior Hannah Black (Richmond, Virginia) who got hot at the right time to earn top position in Women’s Three-Position. The 591 she shot on her second day of competition was one off the pace of the world record and 12 points higher than her day one score.

The women’s event was easily the most tightly contested of any event all week. Furrer made the team over West Virginia University freshman Elizabeth Gratz (Sigel, Illinois) by virtue of 10 more center-10s after the two tied in overall score. Amy Sowash (Richmond, Kentucky) finished second.

A similar pistol selection camp and match will be held in late February in Colorado Springs to determine pistol competitors for the Changwon World Cup in Rapid Fire, Free and Sport Pistol events. Air Rifle and Pistol competitors for the Changwon World Cup were selected at the Winter Airgun Championships in Colorado Springs in December.

World Cup Changwon Rifle Athletes*

Air Rifle

• Ryan Anderson (Wasilla, Alaska)
• Bryant Wallizer (Little Orleans, Maryland)
• Dan Lowe (USAMU/Olympian, Washington)
• Sarah Osborn (Hampton, Virginia)
• Sarah Beard (Danville, Indiana)
• Emily Quiner (Brooklyn Park, Minnesota)

Men’s Prone

• Michael McPhail (USAMU/Darlington, Wisconsin)
• Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, New Jersey)
• Dempster Christenson (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)

Three-Position

• Matt Emmons (Browns Mills, New Jersey)
• Dempster Christenson (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
• George Norton (USAMU/Columbus, Georgia)
• Hannah Black (Richmond, Virginia)
• Amy Sowash (Richmond, Kentucky)
• Amanda Furrer (Spokane, Washington)

* Earning World Cup spots in Selection Matches doesn’t automatically guarantee USA Shooting funding or participation as minimum performance standards have been established. Athletes having not met standards, must self-fund. For more info on PSS, click here.

About USA Shooting

USA Shooting, a 501c3 non-profit corporation, was chartered by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for the sport of shooting in April 1995. USA Shooting’s mission is to prepare American athletes to win Olympic medals, promote the shooting sports throughout the U.S. and govern the conduct of international shooting in the country. Check us out on the web at usashooting.org and on Twitter at twitter.com/USAShooting.

Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl

Source: http://www.ammoland.com

Read more: http://www.ammoland.com/2015/01/olympians-emmons-mcphail-and-furrer-earn-world-cup-spots-at-winter-selection-match/#ixzz3OhcOHmXv 

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The Year Ahead: 2015 ISSF World Cup Series

A look at the upcoming season's most important dates

The 2015 ISSF World Cup Series will open in Acapulco, Mexico from February 28 to March 10. The season's first Stage will feature the five Olympic Shotgun events--men's and women's Trap and Skeet, and Double Trap.

The competition will then move to the United Arab Emirates, as Al Ain will host the season's second Shotgun World Cup Stage from March 19 to 29.

The Republic of Korea will be home to the first Rifle / Pistol World Cup Stage in 2015, which will be in Changwon from April 8 to 16.

More Shotgun will happen in Larnaca, Cyprus from April 24 to May 4, marking the specialty's third World Cup Stage in the season.

The second Rifle / Pistol World Cup Stage will bring the Series to the United States of America. Fort Benning, Ga., will host the competition from May 11 to 19.

Just one week later, that same competition will head back to Europe, as Munich, Germany will see another World Cup Stage in Rifle / Pistol from May 26 to June 2.

The Junior Cup, an ISSF competition for young athletes, will be off to its second edition from June 25 to July 2 in Suhl, a city in the former East Germany. The competition's debut was in the same place last year.

All at the same time, events in Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun will take place in Gabala, Azerbaijan, at the season's last World Cup Stage from August 6 to 16.

The World Championship in Shotgun will visit Lonato, Italy from September 9 to 18 at the Trap Concaverde shooting range.

Closing the series, the Shotgun World Cup Final will be in Nicosia, Cyprus from October 15 to 21. The Rifle and Pistol World Cup Final's dates are yet to be defined.

Alessandro Ceschi

Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl
Source: ISSF Website

IPC President looks ahead to 2015 – “possibly the busiest year yet!”

01.01.2015

Sir Philip Craven has looked ahead to the New Year for the Paralympic Movement.

Sir Philip Craven the President of the International Paralympic Committee speaks to the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board prior to the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games © • Getty Images

By IPC

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President Sir Philip Craven has described 2015 as “possibly the busiest year yet” for the Paralympic Movement.

In his annual New Year’s message, Sir Philip looked ahead to the year in sport, preparations for the next three Paralympic Games and reflected on the success of 2014, a year that marked the IPC’s silver jubilee.

“Although 2015 is not a Paralympic year, it will be one of the busiest to date, with multiple Worlds and regional Championships taking place, many of which will be qualifiers for Rio 2016,” said Sir Philip, who also highlighted that all Paralympic winter sports will stage their own World Championships between now and May.

“Arguably the biggest and most important sporting event of the year is August’s Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games which will feature 1,600 athletes from 28 countries competing in 15 sports.

“It is vital that Toronto 2015 is a success and that we leverage the event to generate greater awareness of the Paralympic Movement in the Americas ahead of Rio 2016.”

Sir Philip stressed that 2015 will be an important year in the final preparations for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games which will take place between 7-18 September 2016.

“1 January 2015 marks exactly 615 days to go until the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and I can assure you that my excitement is growing by the day!” said Sir Philip.

“The Organising Committee has done a great deal of work in 2014, most recently highlighted by the successful launch of the Paralympic mascot Tom. I’m also delighted Rio 2016 has formed a Paralympic Integration Committee which is led by IPC Vice President Andrew Parsons.

“The last full year before the Paralympics is always vital and, in 2015, Rio will be staging a number of test events, as well as the Chef de Mission seminar, as their preparations gear up for the final push.

“People are a little more relaxed now they are seeing the venues grow in size each day and I am fully confident everything will be ready for our Games and that Rio will deliver a truly spectacular event. The atmosphere in Rio will be amazing; the Carioca like to party, and I hope Rio 2016 is one big party for the spectators and for the athletes (once they have competed of course!).”

In reflecting on 2014, Sir Philip touched on the success of the IPC’s silver jubilee celebrations, IPC Membership Gathering and the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games which were named on Wednesday (31 December) as the IPC’s Top Moment of 2014.

“The Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games broke all ticket and TV viewing records and the blueprint that was created in terms of accessibility in Sochi is now being rolled out across Russia,” he said.

“The performances of the para-athletes in Sochi were mesmerising; they continue to astound not just myself with what they can achieve but millions of others around the world.

“The Gala Dinner to celebrate the IPC’s 25th anniversary was the perfect occasion for us all to reflect on our achievements so far. To see so many world leaders congratulating the IPC was testament to all the hard work and dedication of all those involved in the Paralympic Movement for the last quarter of a century.

“The Gathering provided a great opportunity for IPC members to come together and have their say on the key issues affecting the Paralympic Movement. There was a lot of fruitful and constructive dialogue and I know many of the points raised are covered in the IPC Strategic Plan 2015-2018 that will be published in the first quarter of 2015.”

Sir Philip’s New Year message in full can be found here.


Posted by Thom Erik Syrdahl
Source: -  http://www.paralympic.org/news