From 1 September, applicants can register for the Shooting Popularisation Programme for the 18-26 age group. Established on the initiative of the Ministry of Sport and Tourism (MSiT), the program aims to support the organisation of shooting classes in an innovative way.

‘Shooting is an interesting discipline that teaches concentration and accuracy, so I believe it should find a permanent place in the education process of young Poles. This year’s programme has a pilot character, which will allow us to estimate the scale of interest and to reliably assess the scope of the programme with a view to its possible modification in 2023’, said Kamil Bortniczuk, Minister of Sport and Tourism.

The training courses are held in groups of 20 people. Each group follows the same 12-hour programme, including a theoretical and a practical part. In the theoretical part, participants learn about the history of shooting, safety rules at the shooting range and the safe use of weapons and legal aspects concerning firearms and ammunition.

In the practical part, they will learn about the construction of weapons and shooting techniques and, above all, they will shoot air rifles and small arms. They will also learn the principles of pre-medical first aid in situations involving firearms and how to use battlefield dressing materials.

The programme is run in two age categories: for schoolchildren and students aged 18-26 and for adults. In the first and second age group, the pro-programme is implemented through sports clubs licensed by the Polish Shooting Sports Association and actively supporting the development of shooting sports. The programme in the 18-26 age group covers all 16 provinces.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński